I Can Hear Myself Think

Tucker and I just had these delivered by room-service (for only $50 - bargain I tell ya). The kids are sound asleep...but not with us. And we will walk on the beach tomorrow.

Tell ya 'bout it later.




(oh, and don't worry - I've already eaten six of these huge things! I know you're proud mom!)

Guess Who Peed on the Potty Today?

This kid is seriously too much sometimes. She is so funny. Lately, she's been taking her diaper off and telling me "Pee Pee Mommy", or asking to sit on the potty. But at barely 19 months old, I haven't taken it too seriously.

So tonight, she did it again. Took off her diaper, and then ran to the bathroom saying "Mommy, Pee pee!". I decided, 'what the heck', and followed after. I sat her on the potty, and low & behold, she peed! Within about 60 seconds of sitting on it, she peed! My other kids had to sit on the potty like 100 times before the pee would ever come. Not this kid.

By no means am I anxious to officially potty train........but soon I may have no choice! Good job Pey Pey!

My Gym

I sure wish there was a gym around here that had babysitting included. Instead, these videos show what I am surrounded by when I ride my recumbent bike in the living room. I usually try to do it at night when they're sleeping, but sometimes that doesn't happen.

This one captures Lexi perfectly. She is such cute girl. She's determined and opinionated, yet soft and earthy. Like right now, as I type, she is out back trying to get the birds to land on her. I think she truly believes she could be like Sleeping Beauty and dance around the forest with all sorts of animals. I love this kid. Here is her newly-learned rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game":



And Petyon. What a cute 19 month old stinker. This video is her on-the-go with frizzy-morning-hair self singing a half-hearted version of ABCs. She is quite the talker and can sing most this song usually. I think Signing Time really helps with her interest in ABCs. In general, her interest in Signing Time has not declined a single bit yet, but maybe even increased. I can't believe I didn't have these videos with my other two kids!

Date With Jo

Having three kids means I don't get much one-on-one time with each of them. Especially with the older two, it's always "girls, stop!" or "girls, come here" or "good job girls". They are lumped together because they ARE always together. But I love to get to know their unique traits and spend time with them where I'm not being the referee.

So yesterday, my cute 6 year old Jordyn and I had a little date. We went to Applebee's for lunch. She always insists on Chili's (which is usually great to me!) but I wanted to try Applebee's since Daddy wasn't with us and he WON'T go there. I assured her they had Boneless Buffalo wings, which is all she cares about. It was really fun to just talk and laugh and see her personality shine. She even asked me "Mom, why are you staring at me?". I guess she REALLY isn't used to one-on-one time with me, huh?


Jordyn LOVES buffalo wings! It's so funny! She definitely takes after mommy and daddy in this one.

I didn't get a picture of our dessert. But I gave her the choice between See's Candies or ice cream, and she chose ice cream, so we went to Cold Stone and she picked cotton candy ice cream with M&Ms (yum). She was very perplexed at how "different the M&Ms tasted" and asked why they were so hard and crunchy. I explained that's what they're like when they're frozen. She didn't like them as much as normal (neither do I, Jo).

Then we spent (too much) time at Target. She had fun the first half of our time there, but was tortured the second half. She was upset when I told her "we aren't buying Hello Kitty press on nails today". Apparently she "solved" that problem on her own because I found them zipped up in my purse when I went to pay! So, we've now had the opportunity to teach her a little more about honesty!


This is us on our way back home to the rest of the family after our fun date. Thanks Jordyn, for being a fun companion for Mom!! I love you so much sweetie!

Today I am Thankful

Today I am thankful for the beauty of this time of year. It is definitely my favorite. I guess I'm lucky then because here in CA, our spring is fairly long and has lasted from February until now. (You might not hear me sound so optimistic in a month when it's 115). I find so much joy in watching the budding trees, flowers and food. Here are a few edibles from my yard that are so cute!

Lemons

Blackberries

My first apples! (fugi)

Roma tomatoes

Mica's Wedding

This weekend Lindy and I were able to go to Mica's wedding reception in Stockton, CA. Mica is my dearest friend Tara's sister and I've known Mica her entire life. They are much more like cousins to me - and their mom, Taco, is much more like an aunt, or second mom, to me. Their house is one of only two places that have been nearly the same my entire life. I have so many memories and childhood connections there, so it was so great to be able to see them for a short time and be back "home". Mica looked absolutely beautiful and she & Matt seem very happy together.

Lindy and Mica are the same age and were our little "twin" sisters when they were little

Me and my Tara. I love Tara so much. She is a priceless friend and a fourth sister to me!

Tara and her Dad, Ron. The only thing different about Ron from 25 years ago is a little more grey hair!

My girls were fascinated by the whole "princess" feel of the reception.

And this. Oh my gosh. This spaceship Jordyn is sitting on is something Ron made form all sorts of scraps: a truck, old electrical switches, etc and I have such vivid memories of playing on this when I was her age!! Talk about nostalgia!

What a great (and too short) visit.
Was great to see all of you! xoxoxoxo

If You're Not on a Diet

Thanks to my Grandma Anderson, one of my favorite snacks is sourdough toast with lots of butter and creamy peanut butter smeared on it. Eat it right away while its hot, fresh and melty.... YUMMY! (Oh, and it goes really well with a Pepsi or Chocolate Milk, in my personal opinion)

As a kid, I'd look SO forward to the three-hour drive to her house ...maybe 3-4 times per year. I loved waking up and going into the kitchen to see what goodies Grandma had. She always had so many fun treats and yummy food. And she LOVED to feed us. So she'd immediately start making breakfast and it always included some variety of toast. I can vividly remember sitting across the bar from her and watching her spread about 5 tablespoons of butter onto each slice of toast - all the while telling me that "there's nothing better than real butter".

I recall my mom making toast a lot too - and also with lots of butter and peanut butter. I remember school mornings when I was in Jr High - filled with the chaos of five young children - my mom would frequently make a 6-slice-high tower of wheat toast. Each piece adorned with butter and peanut butter, and then sliced into four pieces. We'd all run by and grab a few pieces as we were getting ready for school.

So toast is a long-time friend of mine. And being a total bread/carb person, I live the opposite of a low carb/high protien diet. And sourdough is definitely my favorite!

Funny Friday

I really love doing Flashback Friday. But I have to admit that I'm just not always prepared for it. You see, it either means I have to dig up and scan an old picture. Which is a lot of work when you have a laptop because you actually have to GET UP and move your laptop by the scanner. And that's especially hard when you have a laptop that lasts for about 97 seconds without being plugged in (so much for the portability convenience!). OR, I have to plug in my back-up hard drive. Which can also be more work than I'm in the mood for.

So, instead of Flashback Friday, I'm sharing a funny kid moment today and making it Funny Friday. Because, let's face it, my blog [or my life] has been rather depressing lately. With all this talk about friends moving and life changing and kids fighting. Ugh. Believe me, there really are funny moments mingled in all the sadness.

So here's one:

A few days ago I picked Jordyn and Emma up from Kindergarten. I always give Emma a ride home. And every single time, she takes forever to get out of the car. Forever. She first wants to eat every crumb we have in the car, and then she asks if she can come over and play. Some days, we have dance or piano, so we can't. Other days, there are other reasons we are busy, so we just can't. But she still insists "but PLEASE, I can just play in Jordyn's room by myself!". I often have to resort to "Emma, please get out of the car. We REALLY need to go!". She's a cute little girl. Just very persistant.

Anyway, so on this particular day I said yes, so she ran in the house to ask her dad if she could come over. While she was gone, I watched her older sister rinse off paint brushes outside. So when she got back in, I asked "are you guys painting your house?".

She looked at me in amazement and said "how did you know?". Then she said "Oh, you have those mom ears and you could hear us all the way in the house, right?".

I laughed it off and said "Uh huh".

A few minutes later Jordyn - who had been quiet - sheepishly said, "Mom, does that mean you can hear when I'm on a time out in my room and I say bad words?".

I wanted to bust up laughing!!! Ha ha ha, talk about confessing! I said "well, sometimes I can honey". And she just got an embarrassed look on her face. Like she'd been caught.

OH, the power moms have. Kids really do think we are magic!

Adieu

So today was the final farewell to Kandelyn, Ashlyn, Tanner and Hayley! On so many levels, it's difficult to say goodbye to friends such as these. And then to have them move within 10 days of Dane & Beth! Ugh.

Our lives are completely intertwined on a daily basis. Between church, and Harmony, dance class, volunteering, and then just our normal trades and play dates! For the past 5 1/2 years, my kids have known no different than to see these kids several times per week, if not every day. Having them gone literally changes our life routine in so many ways. Not to mention me losing such close friends.

Tonight was really sad. We got home and as I was putting the girls to bed....something must have hit them in a way that I've not seen before. They both started crying. A lot. For probably 20 straight minutes I had to hug them and cry with them and talk them through their sadness. They are sad to lose such close friends and they are realizing the finality of it all. My heart feels a little heavy and yet I know I'm totally helpless to change a single bit of it.

We got some cute pics before they left tonight:

Tanner, Lexi and Jacob are all the same age and have been constant playmates their entire lives! (All four years old)

Ashlyn (7), Jordyn (6) and Lindsay (7) can't even remember life without eachother!

And Luke (19 mo), Peyton (19 mo) and Hayley (2 1/2) are the caboose third children to each of us and have developed cute little relationships over their little lifetimes.

And all the gang together. I can't believe we have 9 kids between us, and two more on the way! (not me!).



Myself, Beth and Kandelyn before they pulled away.



We love you and miss you guys so much already!

A Little Catch-Up

Life is always busy. But sometimes it feels a little extra busy & crazy, right? That's me lately.

Thought I'd do a catch-up journaling post so I don't forget the little things (because heaven knows things drop out of my head at lightening speed these days...).

Our spring season of Harmony is over! It was a great season. I really enjoyed the patriotic theme...and our new blue shirts.

My friends are now officially almost gone. Kandelyn will be gone tomorrow (sniff, sniff) and Beth is gone in a week (more sniff, sniff). I know a big portion of my brain has been taken up lately with dreading these moves. And my kids ask at least 5 times per day when their friends are moving (sniff, sniff, sniff).

Peyton is so dang cute. She is the friendliest little kid and loves to say hi (with a friendly wave) to everyone. She talks up a storm and loves Signing Time more than ever! She loves her "tisters" so much! One of our most recent laughs is figuring out what she was doing with our DVD player. We kept seeing her walk up and do something with her toes to it. We laughed when we realized that's how she thinks you start a DVD - with your toes - because that's how I lazily do it!

I have totally been in a mom-funk lately. I feel like I took a wrong turn somewhere and need to get back on track. I've felt grumpy and quick to get upset. I just am so exhausted of the same arguments, the same struggles and the same fights all the time. And I feel like my girls do not hear me at ALL. I've tried all sorts of incentives and consequences and can't seem to find a groove that works for them. I know these are *normal* mom frustrations, but they are just really getting to me lately. One of the frustrations I can't wait to be over is school mornings. Ugh. 85% of the time, they are a struggle and full of contention. I wake up with such good intentions for a good morning, and within 10 minutes I can be slapped in my tired face with whines, disobedience, and tears....and all the while the clock is ticking down to a tardy attendence. Can I really endure mornings for the next 20 years? BUT on a more positive note, I really love all the notes Jordyn writes and leaves around the house. Here is one of her most recent "left-overs" from a little role playing:

I cannot wait for my camera probs to be over. It's been like 2 months and now I'm awaiting my charger in the mail (from the place that fixed the camera and forgot to send it to me). I miss taking pics!!! I've been borrowing Lindy's or using my 1 megapixel cell phone.

All in a Day's Drive

Saturday was my Mom Shirl's (my paternal grandma's) 82nd birthday. We've always called her "Mom Shirl" instead of grandma. She is the cutest, sweetest lady ever. Lindy, myself and my Dad drove down to Anaheim for a nice dinner celebrating her birthday. A long day in the car, but totally worth it! And, hey, I was kid-less so I wasn't complaining!

Me and Mom Shirl

Me and cuz Kelly

My Dad, his sister's Deane and Toni and Mom Shirl

The group after dinner!

Two of my sisters, Lindy and Kristy (living in So Cal now) and I.

And then we did a quick stop at my other Grandma's house since we were 5 minutes away. I get to see my sweet grandmas so much less than I'd like to. So each minute is so precious to me, especially as they get older. She hasn't been herself lately, but somehow we caught her in a great window and she was so happy and spunky! She was dancing around with her cute canes and showing us her new shoes.

It was quite the whirlwind trip, but I'm so glad we went. As life gets busier, visits with loved ones are too few and far between. Thanks, Lindy and Dad, for going with me!

100 Degrees...and Melting

Today was one of those days where I should get extra points on my "good mother" chart.

It was zoo day for Jordyn's kindergarten class. And as the days drew nearer, I frantically watched the weather report just hoping and praying it would change.

No such luck. It was a solid 100 degrees. Solid. The zoo - with a million little kids - is probably not my favorite place to be when it's 100 degrees.

But we lived through it. Somehow. My body is NOT acclimated to this intense spike in heat and I could hardly think straight most of the day. But I'm also the girl who wishes it was never above 80.

Anyway, here are some *awesome* cell phone pics from our day:

If you look closely, you can see the elephants bathing. It was so hot, even THEY couldn't stand it!

Our zoo has a sting ray exhibit right now. You can pet them as well as some little sharks that are swimming with them.

Lexi with a sting ray...

Lexi and Peyton trying to touch the shark.

Poor Pey was so sweaty. I tried putting tearless sunscreen on her face, but they must be lying because one of her eyes was watering all day from it.

From this freaky "hand-less" picture, you get the idea of how much Peyton was waving and saying "Hi!!!" to the sting rays.

Whew, what a day! Now I've just got to prepare myself for six moths of H-E-A-T! Oh, and the astronomical electric bills....

About Me

I like to read other peoples Q & A, but I don't do much of my own. Fun way to journal things I may otherwise never write about!

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Are you related to anyone famous? Nope

What's your sign? Taurus

What's your favorite fruit? Fresh pineapple

Do you like hot cheetos? Yes, once I start eating them, I can't stop!

Do you like cheesecake? Mmmm, yes. Especially chocolate cheesecake.

Do you have a lot of close friends? Yes. And they all mean a lot to me.

Are you quiet or loud? Can I say "medium"?

Do you ever just sit back and think about things? Sit back: no. Think about things: too much.

Are you easily amused? No. Not if I compare myself to my "easily amused" husband who often laughs out loud at commercials.

Do you like meeting new people? I'd say yes. I feel interested and curious about new people. Unless I'm too hungry, and then I can't focus on them.

What do you feel strongly about? Soda. (no, really, family. I am very loyal to my family)

Are you a compassionate person? I definitely try to be.

What's the last book you read? "Classroom Management for Elementary Teachers (eighth edition)"

Do you get bored easily? I think I used to. But now I can't remember the last time I felt bored.

Do you like celebrity gossip? I'm interested in the true gossip, I hate the fake stuff - but how do you ever know the difference? I usually just read whatever pops up on my yahoo home page.

Do you follow trends or do you try to be original? I wouldn't call myself original. And I wouldn't call myself REALLY trendy. But I do buy new (cheap) clothes often. Especially when I've had three pregnancies over the past 6 years....I'm always needing a different size/style!

Are you open about your feelings? Once I've figured out exactly what I'm feeling, yes. When I'm trying to figure them out, no.

Who do you confide in? That completely depends on the topic. I feel blessed to have various outlets.

Are you a different person around different people? I would say no. I'm just ME.

From 1 to 10 how shy are you? Well, as a kid I would have probably answered a 9, but now I don't really feel shy at all. If I'm quiet, it's simply because I don't feel like talking. So maybe a 1?

Are you a computer geek? Uh, no. But I like to try and figure stuff out.

Are you addicted to the internet? That fluctuates. But no. Online classes have helped me WANT to be off the computer.

Do you like coffee? If its very sweet. But I try not to partake.

Do you like to wear jewlery? Yep!

Your all time favorite band/singer? Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac, Guns N Roses, Bon Jovi......and how 'bout that NKOTB reunion tour?

Are you scared to kill spiders? No scared, just grossed out.

Do you believe in God? Of course.

Ever been in a fist fight? If you count my sister when we were young! (sorry Carly)

Do you have any siblings? 3 sisters, 1 brother

How do you treat somebody your mad at? Hmmm, I must not get mad at THAT many people. If it's Tucker, I'm quiet. If it's my girls, I might yell (I hate that about myself) and if it's someone else, I will probably just deal with it on my own.

Do you like to clean? I actually do, but not when the kids are behind me un-doing it all.

What kind of sense of humor do you have? Dry

How many pairs of shoes do you have? I would say 10-15. But ask me how many days a year I wear anything but flip-flops. (answer: maybe 52?....church)

Can you keep a secret? If I REALLY have to. But I hate every second of it.

Do you like to go out to eat? YES! If I could go out to eat every day, I would. I love everything about it.

Do you cook? Only when I have to. Bake? All the time.

Do you like Halloween? I could take it or leave it.

What's you favorite season? I love every single thing about Spring. The weather, the flowers, the feeling.....I'm a little depressed that it's coming to an end right now.

Favorite month? March/April

Do you like shopping for gifts? Yes! I LOVE it.

What are you top 4 favorite TV shows? Grey's Anatomy, The Office, The Real World, Oprah (all DVR'd)

Do you play an instrument? If no what do you want to learn to play? The flute for 5 years growing up....now I'd be rusty. And I can VERY slowly do the piano.

What's your favorite holiday? Christmas

Do you like smores? ONLY if the chocolate is very melted, which I am not usually patient enough to do. But I could eat the cracker and chocolate and ditch the marshmallow.

Favorite candy? Candy bar, probably Caramello. And otherwise anything sour.

What do you want to be when you grow up? Happy. Seriously. That's all I REALLY want to be.

Be Your Own Kind of Beautiful

I loved MormonAds when I was growing up. This is one of my favorite. I bought this for my girls, taught them what it means and hung it up tonight. One of my greatest desires as their mother is for each one of them to KNOW who they are (daughters of God), STAND TALL (be proud), and embrace their uniqueness (the "in-crowd" is an illusion).

Don't know about MormonAds? Or want to see them and reminisce? Click here.

Here's to 8 Years

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

Today is our 8th Anniversary. I wish that we were able to make a bigger deal out of it, but today is sort of just a typical busy day. I do think it's important to recognize milestones like this. And to really acknowledge what immense amounts of work, energy, love, and growth it takes to nurture a relationship for that many years.

I've always known that Tucker and I were a good match. You could just tell from the beginning. And that foundation is what has carried us through the ups and downs of the past 8 years of marriage. I can't believe what effort it takes to maintain a strong relationship through having children! But if you really work at it (and it really does take work) it can bond you together more and make your foundation that much stronger. Our children are such blessings and have evolved our little family into so much more than it ever could be with just Tucker and I....but they also make life so much busier, loud, crazy and distracted....that we often find ourselves needing to "catch up" with eachother.

I am thankful to have found Tucker in this great big world! I'm thankful to have found someone who loves me for me and supports my goals, dreams and interests in life. He is devoted to our family and is the one who brings the fun & excitement to our home! Thank you Tucker - I look forward to what the next 8 years will hold! I love you!