Things that are making me smile

*Pillow talk with Noah
*Christmas Pops on XM radio (no teeny-bopper or Mariah Carey renditions!)
*Lucy "walking" in her snowpants
*Curtis' excitement about learning cursive (and he is good at it)
*Christmas shopping almost done--only 1 or 2 items
*Advent activities
*Hot chocolate with egg nog coffee creamer
*Monday lunch dates with Sam
*Seeing the kids ice skate for the first time and loving it!

723

The number of times I have taken an ornament out of Lucy's hand and relocated it on the tree. She is fast, she'll grab an ornament with each hand and yank. I have told her "no" so many times that now she will yank the ornament and bring it to me...cute little stinker! If I ever decide to have another baby, someone please remind me of this!!!

December Advent

Last year I was such a dud with Christmas activities (since I had a newborn) so I really wanted to make it up to the boys this year with lots of fun things to do to celebrate Christmas. I was telling Amy about this and she said "you have to blog about this" so I am!
A few years ago I got the idea to do a box advent calendar off the web (I think originally from Martha Stewart) and thought it was really cute so I went to Xpedex, found a couple sizes of different boxes and came home to create. I just put some cute Christmasy paper on a few and a few die cut numbers and snowflakes and called it good. Everything takes longer these days because of little Miss Luce but this probably would only take an hour to make. After I got all the boxes arranged how I wanted, I attached them to the door with double sided foam tape.
Then I went to work filling the boxes. I first made a list of all the activities I wanted to do, projects I wanted to create and then made a calendar and filled in the days. I then printed out the "master calendar" for me to put in my purse so I know what's coming up and if I need to get supplies then printed a list to cut up for each day with that day's activity. Then I filled the boxes. I put a Christmas CD in one of the boxes and some candy in a few others. Tomorrow's contains a coupon for free ice skate rentals!
So every day, one of the boys opens a box and reads what is in store for them that day. They have been excited and look forward to opening the box every morning.
I have had to do a little sneaking and rearrange a couple of times because of schedule changes, etc. but all-in-all it has been fun. Some of the ideas in the boxes include: Make your own ornament, Get a Christmas tree, Make a paper chain, watch a Christmas movie while drinking hot chocolate, make Christmas cookies, go to a Christmas concert, make a snowman, See the lights at Temple Square. A lot of the things are simple but now they are actually on my calendar and I have it planned out so I don't have to stress about fitting everything in. When I showed the calendar to Sam he said it was pretty ambitious but so far we have done everything (except visit Santa, they didn't want to!)and I haven't felt (really) overwhelmed yet. And, I love giving the kids something to anticipate and get excited about. We are creating fun memories!

Lucy's 1st Birthday!

I can't believe this baby girl is one year old! Does that mean she's not a baby anymore? We enjoy this little gal so much, she truly lights up our lives!

Most of Lucy's birthday was spent in the car driving to Vegas but when we got there, we had a little celebration. I had planned on getting to Vegas a little earlier so I could throw a party together but with the stops we had to make and traffic, we got there later than anticipated. So we just ran to the grocery store and picked up a huge slice of chocolate cake, a balloon and icecream and we were set for the party.
Lucy shares her birthday with my mom (which my mom is happy about, she says it takes the spotlight off of her age)so we set up the birthday girls, sang and let them dig in. As most babies, Lucy was a little hesitant with the cake at first but then really seemed to enjoy herself. She got really messy!
Thanks to my family for loving my little girl and sharing her day with us. She loves all her gifts and, more importantly, knows she is loved!

Lucy's 1 year stats:
weight: 22lbs 3oz 66%
height: 28 inches 20% (shocker, I know)
6 teeth plus one molar coming in
walking everywhere, getting in to EVERYTHING, eating well, happy most of the time, developing a little temper!

We got our photos from Suzanne's friend, Marissa, and they are so great! Here is one of my favorites of my kids.

Thanksgiving Recap

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving spent with my family in Las Vegas. My sister Suzanne and hubby Danny, hosted the whole fam-damily from Wednesday till Sunday. We had a birthday party on Wednesday for Lucy and my mom (which I will post more about later). We had a great time swimming, hot-tubbing, playing games, eating, crafting, hiking, hanging, visiting. We had the opportunity to get pictures taken in beautiful Red Rocks by Suzanne's friend Marissa.

It was amazing that with 17 people all in the same house for 5 days, there was really no bickering or grumpiness (aside from a few overtired kid moments). We had a fantastic time. I feel so blessed to be a part of this wonderful family.

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the week:

Lucy singing to Isabelle's accompaniment

I hardly saw these boys the whole week except when they would run by on their way to the pool!

Amy, Marina and Isabelle

Mat & Dave and their pool tricks

Family time in the pool!

Grateful...

for wonderful week spent in Las Vegas. We are home and I have lots to post about but it will have to wait for another day or two!

GO COUGS!

Edited 11/23: Even though the Y lost and it was a painful experience, I am still true blue!
Good luck to the UTES in their big bowl game!

Quote of the day

"You can’t make footprints in the sands of time if you’re sitting on your butt. And who wants to make buttprints in the sands of time?"
- Bob Moawad

I think this is a hilarious quote, I actually chuckled out loud when I read it. But it is also pretty profound. I've been thinking about this exact subject lately and wondering if I'm doing enough. Not only physically getting off my butt and getting my body moving, or not procrastinating a project (of which I am the Queen) but also taking the time to make good memories with my family and being really present in the lives of my children.
Something to think about.
Getting off my butt........NOW!!!

For your viewing pleasure

DRUMROLL, PLEASE...



Lucy took her first steps a few weeks ago andI have been trying and trying to get a good video. It only took me about 20 video attempts to get that one of her taking several steps.

And because she's just so darn cute, here's her version of "dancin' with the stars"

One Word

I get tagged a lot with these things and I never do them. (Sorry friends!) So instead of passing them along, thought I'd post it on the good ole blog.
ONE WORD:
1. Where is your cell phone? somewhere
2. Where is your significant other? sleeping
3. Your hair? frizzy
4. Your mother? smart
5. Your father? outgoing
6. Your favorite thing? cuddling
7. Your dream last night? forgot
9. Your dream/goal? Independent
10. The room you're in? Family
12. Your fear? Debt
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? anywhere (but here!)
14. Where were you last night? Em's
15. What you're not? skinny
16. Muffins? poppyseed
17. One of your wish list items? table
18. Where you grew up? Utah
19. The last thing you did? email
20. What are you wearing? mommyform (mom uniform)
21. Your TV? bulky
22. Your pet? fish
23. Your computer? slow
24. Your life? crazy
25. your mood? unmotivated
26. Missing someone? Amy
27. Your car? dented
28. Something you're not wearing? makeup
29. Your summer? family
30. Love someone? lots
31. Your favorite color? brown
32. When is the last time you laughed? today
33. Last time you cried? yesterday

Barack the Vote!

I am proud to be an American.
I think that no matter how you voted, you can see the significance and power of this country electing Barack Obama to be our President.
I have hope for our country's future.
I am excited for change.

VOTE

Today I voted in this historical election. Because of all the presidential hype, I completely forgot until about a week ago, that in Utah we were also voting for Governor. I think I only saw 2 commercials on TV and maybe one billboard for the candidates!
The boys have been very interested (in a little boy way) in the election so since my voting station was at their school, I decided to wait until school was out and have them vote with me. They were very attentive and had opinions. I let them print the ballot and then I cast the final vote. They both thought it was cool and were even given "I voted" stickers.
Oh, while I was there a lady came in wearing a Barack Obama t-shirt. She was told she had to cover up the shirt before she could vote because campaining is not allowed within 150 feet of a polling station. She wasn't really campaigning...just showing her support! Good thing she had a hoodie to cover it up! Isn't that crazy?





Side Note: Guess who ate her first Oreo? It may look like she ate a whole package of them but, no, this is just one! I think she enjoyed every second of it!

Halloween Re-cap

I have to say, Halloween is not my favorite holiday, not even close. In years past, I have dreaded the costume hunting and all the hullaballo. This year was a little different. I asked the boys in September what they wanted to be. Noah wanted to be a pirate, Curtis wasn't sure. As time drew closer I suggested "Indiana Jones" to Curtis and he was all over it. EASY. We had everything we needed for both of their costumes except for a cool hat, which Grandpa Stan provided. I knew I wanted Lucy to be Tinkerbell but couldn't find a costume that I liked. So, I found some cute material, modified a baby dress pattern I already had and spent a few hours at the sewing machine. I had it all finished on Wednesday (except for the wings, which Sam helped me with). I was relatively stress-free!
The week before Halloween, we went to the Pumpkin Patch and picked out perfect pumpkins to sit on our porch. When we got up to pay, they didn't take debit cards (duh!) and I only had a $5 bill. Our pumpkins came to $10. The cute lady next to me in line insisted on paying for our pumpkins but wouldn't take the $5 from me when I offered. So when she wasn't looking, I stuck the money under the door handle in her car. So, cute lady with the 4 adorable blond girls, if you happen to ever see this, THANK YOU! What a generous act of kindness!

So, Halloween morning, I woke up, donned my "Spooky" Halloween tee and got the boys in their costumes and dropped them off at school. They were so excited! At 9:00 I went back to school to help Curtis' class in the Halloween parade (which worked perfectly because Noah's class was right behind us in line). We marched through the school and out on the playground and had a great time. An hour later I went back to school to help at Noah's class party. It was fun..those 1st graders are really cute.
We then came home, carved our pumpkins (finally) and before we knew it, it was time to go Trick-or-Treating. We went to Sam's parents' house and the kids went to a few houses there.

Then we headed to our Trunk-or-Treat and Noah raked in the loot. His bag was ripping from the weight of all his candy! My friend Heather showed up with little Molly and took some darling pictures of Lucy and Molly together. I will post some when she emails them to me.
We then went to our friends', the Bunkers, for a party and hung out there the rest of the evening. We had yummy food and good conversation, the kids were entertained and we had a very enjoyable time. I must say, Lucy was the hit of the party where ever we went that day...she was so happy and looked adorable in her costume.
When we got home that night, Noah said his stomach hurt (I wonder why!?!) and he proved it early the next morning by throwing up in bed! When Sam was putting on clean sheets, he found about 12 candy wrappers stashed next to Noah's bed. Hmmm, couldn't have been all that candy he ate, could it?
So, all in all, we had a great Halloween. I actually really enjoyed it and especially loved seeing how happy and excited the kids were. Maybe I won't dread it so much next year!

Halloween Teasers

Long time, no post

Life has been crazy lately and I haven't really felt like blogging.
For the past week and a half, everyone in my house has taken a turn being sick (some took 2 turns!) and it has not been fun. But I think we are all feeling better and getting back to some semblance of normal life.

We started the month saying goodbye to my sweet sister Amy. She got a new job in Arizona so made the move. I miss having her stop by or calling her to go to lunch or just seeing her weekly. It has been so great having her a few miles away for the past 2 years. My kids miss their Aunt Amy and Sam just worries that she won't have a "Sam" to call upon with car, plumbing or other fix-it problems. Can't wait for Thanksgiving to see you, Aimes!
I have re-discovered my love for sewing. My mom taught me to sew at a young age and I used to sew a lot but since having kids I've only made a few sets of curtains, a few pair of pjs at Christmas and a few other odds and ends. This last week I decided to make Lucy's Halloween costume. She is going to be Tinkerbell. I found some fabulous green silky material on sale so I've been busy working on the costume. Plus, I bought a pattern online for baby shoes. They are adorable! I'm working on my second pair (for Tinkerbell) right now and can't wait to make more.
We had parent/teacher conferences this week and got good reports on both boys. Curtis, of course, still gets distracted easily and has a hard time sitting still but he is doing really well academically. Noah's teacher said he is capable of more than they are doing so is sending home extra work for him each week because she is afraid that he will get bored. I was happy to get good reports!
Well, that's about all I have for now. If you want a good read, check out my sister Suzanne's blog...she and her husband are in China right now and she is posting daily about their trip. It is pretty interesting. I'm hoping to get better about posting and will post some pictures soon!

What I did last night

If the names Joshua, Katee, Twitch, Gev, Chelsie, Comfort, Thayne, Kherington, Will, Jessica, Mark, Courtney, Chelsea mean anything to you, there is no need for explaining why my ears are ringing, my throat is scratchy, my voice deep, and my hand is bruised.(seriously, there is really a bruise)
For those less cultured folks, I'll explain: I went to the So You Think You Can Dance concert last night.
And, yes, my inner teenage girl screamed her guts out.
Two words: For Real.


my favorite dance...this was from the TV show but they did perform it last night

Scrapbook Liquidation/Open House

ATTENTION Wasatch Front Scrapbookers!

I was an owner in an online scrapbook store and we are now liquidating our inventory at amazing discounted prices.

Paper, stickers, rub-ons, ribbon, embellishments, chipboard, storage items, from companies including American Crafts, Daisy D's, Bazzill, Fancy Pants, Scenic Route and more!

EVERYTHING is discounted and you will have a chance to earn FREE products as well!

Perfect time to stock up so drop by and bring your friends!

Friday September 19th 2:00-6:00pm
Saturday September 20th 1:00-5:00pm

If you need directions, leave your email in the comments and I will email directions to you. Thanks!

41 Reasons why I Love Sam

(In no particular order)
1. He loves me!
2. He is the father of my children
3. He loves his children fiercely
4. He is a wealth of useless information (seriously)
5. He finds humor in simple things
6. He is environmentally friendly
7. He loves the great outdoors

8. He works hard to provide for his family
9. He started college in his late 30's to have a better career
10.He is a Jack-of-all-trades
11.He teaches his children the things that are important to him
12.He has a testimony of the restored Gospel
13.He has friends of all ages
14.He is my eternal companion
15.He changes diapers daily and has always changed our babies' first diaper
16.He LOVES babies (especially ours!)

17.He cried when each of our children was born
18.He supports me in everything I do
19.He has hobbies that he loves
20.He will watch a good chick-flick with me, and like it
21.He is a handy man
22.He loves my family
23.He loves Disneyland!

24.He is a worthy priesthood holder
25.He likes my cooking and shows appreciation for it (even my "experiments")
26.He is my children's hero
27.He is a good labor coach
28.He has taken the time to strengthen his relationships with his brothers

29.He likes to talk on the phone
30.He loves the ocean
31.He is very smart
32.He has a photographic memory (see #4)
33.He is always trying to improve
34.He makes me laugh
35.He loves to play with our kids
36.He is young at heart

37.He has become a BYU football fan!
38.He will drop what he's doing to help a family member or friend
39.He has beautiful eyes
40.He calls his parents daily
41.He always tells me he loves me!

Happy Birthday, Sunshine! Thanks for brightening my life!

Lucy at 9 months

This little girl is the sweetest thing! She is growing and learning so much!

She now weighs 20 lbs (80th %)
She is 27 inches long (37th %)
She is getting her 4th tooth
Her hair has thickened and is getting longer
She is crawling, climbing, cruising, clapping, waving, babbling, splashing, eating, easy-going, laughing, kissing, and getting cuter by the day!

We love Lucy!

Last Week of Summer Vacation

Two Fridays ago, the kids and I went up to Sam's brother and sis-in-law's in Heber City and went swimming and played all day. We had a great time as their son, Emmett is only 26 days younger than Curtis and we don't ever just hang out with them. I had a really nice time visiting with Doug and Laie and we ended up staying 8 hours! Even after 8 hours the kids did not want to leave. On the way home Noah told me we hadn't done anything fun all summer. So, I of course listed off all the fun things we have done. He realized we did do a lot but I decided we should end the summer with a bang!

So, this is what we did last week:
We toured the Sweets Candy Factory with some friends and had a blast. It was really interesting to see how they make the different candy...I thought it was fascinating, the kids thought it was cool but weren't quite as fascinated. My favorite part was in the chocolate room (shocker, I know) where they coat all the candy with chocolate. Our tour guide told us to look up...there were several big pipes on the ceiling marked "chocolate" "sugar" "corn syrup". Pipes with chocolate flowing through them! I felt like we were in the Willy Wonka movie. We also got free samples along the way, my favorite perhaps was the candy corn taffy that was right off the line. It was so fresh, it was still warm. Yummmm.

We also went to Fat Cats for bowling and pizza. There were 3 moms and 7 kids. It was a little chaotic but everyone had a blast. On the bowling monitors, it shows the speed of your ball which was hilarious with the little kids. My friend's little girl at one point rolled the ball so slow that it only went 1.2 mph! I wasn't sure the ball was going to make it to the end but it eventually did!

My dad called Thursday and said he was going to come get the boys to spend the day at his house...thanks Dad! They had fun playing with the neighbor kids and I was able to get some things done for the weekend.

Friday morning, we loaded the car and headed up to Bear Lake with Emily and Adam and crew. Adam's dad has a "cabin" right on the lake and they invited us to stay there with them. Adam's parents kind of have an open door policy with the kids meaning anyone can come up whenever so there ended up being 12 adults and I think 22 kids there! Even with all the craziness, our kids were really happy and obedient. I think the boys really only had one or two moments each where I needed to tell them to stop doing whatever they were doing.
The weather was so beautiful on Friday and the water was warm. The beach we were on is really sandy and the water is shallow (up to my knees) for about 50 yards out at least so the kids had a lot of territory to play in. There were kayaks and catamarans that we went for rides in and they have a water trampoline and raft that the kids had a great time with. Lucy loved splashing in the water and eating the sand. She was pretty content the whole time. Emily and I had lawn chairs and an umbrella set up with treats, drinks and sandwiches. It was really relaxing and enjoyable.
Saturday morning was cold and windy but that didn't stop us from getting to the beach around 10. By afternoon it was warmer but still a little windy. But we still had a great time! We packed up after dinner and headed home. We finally pulled into our driveway after 11pm and went to sleep immediately. Sam forgot to set his alarm for high council meeting and we all slept in! We did make it to Sacrament mtg but just barely! Thanks Tollhousens, for a fabulous weekend! We can't wait to go again!

We enjoyed the rest of the Olympics on Sunday at my parent's house but the kids were exhausted by 8:00 from our fun weekend. Monday we did a little school shopping and I took the kids to McDonalds for lunch. That evening we went to a Back to School Night BBQ and met the kids teachers. They were both so excited to find out that even though not all of their friends were in their same class again, they each were in the same class as their best friend!

Tuesday morning we were up at 7:00, Sam made the kids breakfast, I packed their lunches then Sam was able to give the boys each a Father's blessing to help them with this school year. This is something I looked forward to each year before I started school from my own dad. It always seemed to calm the first day of school jitters and give me some perspective for the school year. It also conveyed the love my dad and my Heavenly Father had for me (and still do!). I'm so grateful Sam has the desire to give these blessings to our children! After that, we all walked the boys to school and sent them on their way!

After school, we went to Thanksgiving Point for their last $2 Tuesday. We had never been to the dinosaur museum there so we took advantage of the discount and braved the crowds. The museum is really great and huge! Sam wants to go back without the kids so he can actually read everything. We also went over to the gardens there that are absolutely amazing. We walked and walked but had a great time. We were gone for over 5 hours! It was a fun way to celebrate the kids' first day of school!

Thanks to my Mom for saving the day and letting me borrow her camera since mine is still broken. As soon as I get the pics downloaded, I'll post some!

Blech

That is my one-word review for "Breaking Dawn". I am disappointed. I can NOT, in good conscience, recommend this book to anyone. At one point I actually came very close to throwing the book across the room. I should have.

Dilemma

Sam bought me a copy of "Breaking Dawn" yesterday. So, do I absorb myself in this book now or can I possibly wait the five days until the Olympics are over?


Oh, a cute conversation with Noah:
N: Mom, I just don't know what to do!
K: About what, bud?
N: Well, I really want to do swimming in the Olympics but I don't think I can do that and gymnastics and diving and track & field, too! So, I can't decide which one not to do because I like them all!
K: Hmm, well that is a tough decision. You better just try them all and decide which one you like the most. Plus, I'm not sure they'll let you do more than one in the Olympics.
N: Oh, OK. I'll try them all.

(Last night he decided he would be pretty good at volleyball so he has now added that to his Olympic goal list! I hope he's not disappointed when he isn't able to compete in ALL of those things at the Olympics!)

I've lost that restless feeling...almost

So, I've made the most of my restless energy and over the last week have made 8 curtains for my living/dining room! I bought the material for these curtains about 2 years ago (yes, I am a total procrastinator) but if you know my house, you know I have a lot of different sized windows and I just couldn't come up with a good plan for the curtains. Finally, I just made a decision and went for it! I am almost finished with the last one then I have to get the curtain rods and...tada! New curtains! I hope to have a functioning camera in the next few days to post some pictures (I dropped the camera yesterday and have not been able to get it to work since...uh oh!).
When we made bonnets and skirts for the pioneer trek, I remembered how much I enjoy sewing. I used to sew a lot growing up but since I got married, have only made the occassional pair of pj pants (usually at Christmas). In addition to my curtains I also made a cute nursing cover. I was surprised at how simple it was and how cute it turned out. I plan on making more to give to friends as baby gifts and possibly sell so if you are interested in one, let me know! I will post a picture of the one I made when the camera is working!
On to the Olympics...I am seriously obsessed and I know I am not alone in this obsession. I just heard on the news that Utah has the 5th highest Olympic viewership in the country! I LOVE IT! I love the patriotism that it brings out in people, I love the spirit of a world-wide party, I love seeing the pride of the host country (who wants to go to China with me?), I love hearing the Star-Spangled Banner, I love sharing my excitement for the games with my children. I love the competition! There have been many late nights that I have spent in front of the TV, jumping up and down, tears running down my face and trying to stifle my screaming so I don't wake up the family. I don't want to go anywhere in case I might miss something (except to my parents' house because they just got a new huge TV with high-def...oh my, I love the high-def!I may be moving in with them for the next 10 days). And, I ALWAYS cry...I cried watching the American women sweep the fencing competition...hello, who watches fencing? Apparently, I do! Curtis was so cute this morning telling Sam about the swimming relay from last night when the US won by such a huge margin. He was so animated as he told about the win...that's my boy! Both Curtis and Noah are planning which sports they will be competing in during the next Olympics. Noah is going to compete in track and field AND gymnastics and Curtis wants to compete in swimming. It is so fun to see them get excited about the Olympics (although they wish it was over now so they could watch one of their shows!). Can you tell I love the Olympics? Just a tad...
I'm off to get dinner ready and then some serious prime time Olympic viewing!

Restless

I've been feeling really restless lately, like I need a major change. Do you ever feel that way? At any given moment I want to pack up and move somewhere new. A few days ago it was the Oregon Coast, then it was Syracuse, Utah. It really doesn't matter where...I just need a change! Maybe it is because so many of my friends have been moving lately. Maybe because this summer is so hot and draining. Maybe I just need a vacation!
Since we aren't going to be moving anytime soon, I decided a blog facelift would have to do. So, welcome to my cute new blog. And if it changes next week, you'll know why!

Popcorn Bloomer and Blouse GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

Oh my goodness...can you just see my little plump Lucy wearing this...

Popcorn Bloomer and Blouse GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

July in Bullet Points

July has been a busy, crazy, fun month. Here is what we've been up to:
*Making pioneer skirts and bonnets for Pioneer Trek
*Dinner with girlfriends
*4th of July viewing of Wall-E with family and my parents, dinner, cards, sparklers with both sets of parents, walking up 21st with boys to watch Sugarhouse fireworks
*Flag football for Noah
*Sam's Club shopping with YW for Girls' Camp
*2 days of Girls' Camp with Lucy (she's such a little trooper!)
*Boys sleepover at Nana and Grandpa's house
*Date to see Indiana Jones...stupid, stupid movie
*Flag football for Curtis
*Final Pioneer Trek meetings, sewing and shopping
*Sent all Trekkers off and had a huge sigh of relief (with a little regret mixed in for not being able to go!)
*Flag football for boys
*10-hour scrapbook crop with Em, Nat and Kathi. WITHOUT kids! Sam brought Lucy to me half-way through so I could feed her but other than that half hour, no kids!
*Quick visit to my parents ward to see sis Suzanne for the 2 hours she was in town
*Lucy starting to crawl
*Did I mention flag football?
*Scrap days with Emily
*24th of July dutch oven cookout with Sam's fam
*Raging Waters with all of us plus my dad and my bro Mat who was in town for a wedding
*Resulting sunburns
*BBQ at my parents house with sibs Mat and Amy (delicious bleu cheeseburgers made by chef Mat)
*BBQ in West Pointe with Sam's extended fam
*Trip to the dentist for all of us with NO CAVITIES! Woohoo! I did have to get a mouth guard made though, what am I, 13?

And that's about it, in a nutshell. We have had fun, we are tired!
Two more flag football games...sweet!
Pictures to follow in coming days...

My new title

Noah walks up to me with two tp tubes he wants to make into binoculars and says "Mom, can you figure out how to do this since you are the queen craft artist?" How sweet.

Insomnia and friends

Does this happen to you? It seems like whenever I have a big week coming up that I should be well rested for, I just can't sleep. This week is Girls Camp and while I'm not spending the whole week there, tomorrow I will be assisting in all the shopping and last minute details and will go up Tuesday for the whole day with Lucy in tow. Then I'll go again Thursday afternoon/evening.
So, tonight in true Kathleen fashion, I can't sleep! I laid down an hour ago for about 10 minutes and knew that sleep was not going to happen. So here I sit, blogging.
Argh!
I've been thinking about some things lately that I've wanted to blog about so no better time than the present, right?
I have been blessed, especially in the last 9-10 years, to form strong relationships with good women. We have seen each other through good times and bad, and I am forever grateful for their love. Thursday night I had dinner with three of my great girlfriends: Karen, Chassie, and Melissa. At one point all of us lived in the same ward and we became great friends. Then they all moved away and left me here! :( But, we have kept in touch and remained good friends. Melissa is now moving to Arizona and we will miss her but know she and Scott are making a good decision for their family. So Thursday was our final Girls Night Out before she moves.
Some friends I have kept in contact more than others but it doesn't lessen the friendship. Karen mentioned the other night the saying that goes something like, some friends come into your life for a short time, others for a life time but each makes an impression on your life. I know, kind of cliche but I think that its so true. When Sam and I walked into our home for the first time, we knew immediately that it was the one to buy. We didn't know why (especially with all the things that needed (and still need) to be done) but now I can look back at the last 9 and a half years and say it was because of the people who would touch us and make our lives richer.
Thanks, Ladies, for your love and acceptance of me. Love you!
PS Sorry for the late night sappiness but I hope it makes sense!

Bacon and Cheese Chicken

If you haven't checked out the crockpot blog, do it now! Yesterday I made the bacon and cheese chicken and it deserves a YUMMIOSO! My picky kids ate it with nary a complaint. I had cold leftovers on my salad today and it was still so good. For mine, I actually used the rest of the chicken tenders in the bag (6) plus 3 frozen chicken breasts which is more chicken than the recipe calls for. I used turkey bacon and Yoshida's sauce. I cooked it on low for about 6 1/2 hours (my crockpot cooks really hot even on low). It made 6 servings. Again, it was so good! Try it and tell me what you think.

The first month of summer vacay

So far, the summer break has gone fairly quickly with minimal sibling fights and even fewer mom freak-outs. I came up with a schedule for the kids and myself so we would know what we are doing everyday and I could plan accordingly. Here is the rundown:

Monday: Family Outing Day (since it is like Sam's Saturday)
Tuesday: Scrapbook Day with Emily & kids
Wednesday: Fun at home/Free Day (I need to "re-group" and prepare for Mutual Day)
Thursday: Library and Park (or other outing) Day
Friday: Project/Craft Day

Sure, I am flexible and if we decide to go to the Library Wednesday, that's fine. These are the bones of the schedule and we can change our minds if we want! We have had a lot of fun so far and made some cool projects and had fun outings. We went to Ensign Peak one morning with Sam and this past Monday spent a few hours at Liberty Park, riding the sketchy rides and going to the Aviary. (we nixed the boat idea after checking out the conditions of the boats and the filthy, stink of the pond) We have more fun in store for July and should prove to be hectic. I signed up the boys for flag football and they have games every evening except Thursdays. We'll see if we survive!

Lucy is now 7 months old! She is such a good baby and a joy in our lives. She is now sitting up unassisted (although she does have the occasional "timber"), She rolls and scoots everywhere, she is trying to pull herself up in the crib (oh no!) she sleeps through the night most nights, she is loving sweet potatoes, apples, and anything I am eating, still has 2 sharp little teeth with the threat of more at any moment. She babbles lots but her favorite "words" are "nananana" and "dadada". We love our little Luce Goose!

I made the cut!

No, I didn't try out for SYTYCD, American Idol or any other talent show for that matter...I just cut my hair! I've been feeling weighted down by my long hair so I made an appointment to get my hair cut, not really having any clue what I was going to do with it. I had decided, though, that if my hair was long enough to donate, I would cut it short. If not, I would just get an inch or two cut off. To donate to Pantene Beautiful Lengths, you need a ponytail at least 8 inches long. I had 9 inches! So, a short cut we did.The girl that cut it, Ashton, is awesome. Like I mentioned, I didn't really know what I wanted to do but she had some ideas and I told her to do whatever she wanted! She did and I am very pleased with the results!


This is 9 hours later and it still looks pretty good (aside from a little frizz!) Don't you love the back? I feel like a new woman! Ashton took a lot of time to show me how to syle it so we'll see how I do tomorrow. I always hate doing my hair the day after I get it cut because I can never do it right but hopefully this 'do will be pretty low-maintenance.

Do you love to Crock Pot?

I do! Especially on hot days when I don't want to heat the house anymore by turning on the oven. So, imagine my glee when I came across this blog. A new crock pot recipe for everyday this year! Just in time for summer!

It's a first day of Summer vacation MIRACLE!

Everyone slept in until 8:00 this morning! That might not seem like a miracle to you but take this into consideration: every morning this week, one of my boys has been up BEFORE the alarm clock even went off at 7:00. AND...Lucy slept from midnight until 8! So, really, it is a first day of summer vacation miracle!!!

I'm in Love

It's official, I am crazy in love with this little girl! Just the fact that she had a bad night (she's teething) and I had intermittent sleep, but I still just want to eat her up proves that I am whooped! And can you blame me? Look at that face!

Last Monday Lucy turned 6 months...6 months!!! I honestly am freaking out a little that she has been with us for that long! It saddens me that the newborn phase is over but at the same time, she is so cute and interactive and learning so much that I can't wish for time to stand still.

Here are her 6 month stats: 17 lbs. 11 oz. , 24.9 inches. That translates to 79th% for weight and 20th% for height. Oh my! Two little sharp baby teeth poked through last week and her top gums are swollen. She is on the fast track for teeth! She is sleeping pretty well (except for last night) and is such a delight! She loves her brothers as they make her giggle; Curtis can actually make her belly laugh which is an almost unbearable sound. She is starting to get a little hesitant about other people, always has to make sure mom is close by. She really is such a happy baby and our whole family is smitten!

Both of the boys have had a stomach bug the last week. Sam and I have both had to clean up barf on more than one occassion. But, I think they are both doing better. Last Friday was Noah's Kindergarten Share. His class sang about 4 or 5 songs for us and then showed us their "portfolio". The songs were hilarious and oh, so cute. I laughed to the point of tears. Here is the video of one of the songs from the Kindergarten Share. Unfortunately, I shake when I laugh so the picture is pretty shaky! I love how they all start to giggle before the "bums out" part. I think Noah was most excited about the portfolio, though. In there was a certificate from the Mileage Club showing that he had run 79 miles this year! He is an amazing little guy! Yesterday I took him to the Dr. and she was checking his lung capacity and said it was well above other kids his age/size and that he is really in shape. I've got to find some good sports programs for him!

Curtis had a busy week with a field trip to the park one day and swimming the next. He also went bowling for Cub Scouts. Noah, Lucy and I were able to go bowling too which was fun. Curtis didn't care about form or style, he just wanted to see how much energy he could get behind that ball! He would practically run up to the line and sling the ball down the lane. It was quite a sight to see.
I took him to the Dr. last month and he has grown 3 inches in 6 months! He is gaining on me quickly! He has been working hard at home trying to earn money so he can buy Legos. He will ask me what chores he can do so he can make the most money! Legos are the hot item in our home. Sam got a Lego catalog in the mail a few weeks ago and at any given time during the day I can find one of the kids just poring over the catalog deciding which Lego set to buy first. Curtis actually slept with it last night! He told me that if he won $1000 he would buy the $499 Millennium Falcon set for Sam. Such a thoughtful kid!

Thursday is the last day of school which brings mixed emotions for me. I'm planning on doing fun activities every week with the kids and making sure they aren't bored at home all the time. The part I'm not looking forward to is the fighting. Those boys have a love/hate relationship. My sis told me about someone she works with that when he was growing up and fighting with his siblings, his mom would send them to the front porch until they resolved their differences. They hated it so they very quickly learned not to fight! I have been using this tactic and it is actually working...hopefully the summer will be fight-free! Am I dreaming thinking this?

Creative Thursday-Tuesday Edition

Several months ago I was reading this blog and decided I wanted to take an idea from her and implement it in my life. So, Creative Thursday was born. Every Thursday my wonderful friend Emily and I get together and scrapbook (or make cards, or organize pictures, craft rooms, etc). I think we have only missed one week since we started because Emily was sick. We trade off hosting each week and usually the host provides lunch and snacks. Sometimes its quesadillas, last week Emily just wanted a PBJ (because her kids don't like them! What?) and today it was fantastic Cafe Rio! (thanks Adam!) Oh, and the snacks...I think we are getting a little out of hand with the snacks! I took a picture of them with my new camera phone but I can't figure out how to use the micro SD card! But, take my word, we had quite the spread of treats!!! Anyway, we both look forward to these Thursdays because they have proven to be a stress release as well as a creative outlet. We hardly stop talking from the second we get together and it's like pulling teeth to get us to end! This week the kids get out early on Thursday so we decided we needed to change the day to Tuesday so we didn't have the older kids for the whole afternoon.


We had Liv take a picture of us but neither of us were happy with it but I'm going to post it anyway for the sake of documentation. Next week we might put on a little gloss for a cuter photo.

I'm so glad I have had Emily live around the block from me for the last 5 years and I'm not sure what I'll do when she moves in 2 weeks! She is an amazing friend and has made my kids and I feel like her home is an extension of our own. I feel so blessed to have you as my friend, Em! Love you!

Blog Funk

Anyone else sick of seeing that picture of Curtis? Sheesh.
I have kind of been in a blog funk lately. I've thought of blogging several times but every time I sat down to do it, I just didn't have the energy. I'm not especially feeling it right now but I had to do something!

Things have been a little stressful on the church calling front. As most of you know, I'm the stake Young Womens president. About 40% of the year,it is a pretty mellow calling. A meeting here, an activity there. Then comes Standard's Night, Girls' Camp, Youth Conference, Opening Social, etc. And the craziness sets in. This year, the stress is about 10 times worse!

For Youth Conference we are doing a Pioneer Trek and started planning awhile ago but had no real concrete plans except the date and place. Then our Stake YM's presidency got released so its like we are starting over with the planning. Thank Goodness for us, the new President is one of my favorite men in our stake. He is close to my dad's age and goes to Girls' Camp every year as the priesthood chaperon. He is awesome. I finally feel a little relief about this whole Trek thing. Oh, and because I have a nursing baby, I'm planning a Trek I can't participate in! Bummer!

A few months ago, I went to a meeting with the Stake Presidency and all the Bishops in my stake. We have a pretty small youth group and some of the kids are really suffering from the lack of a structured program or the strength of a bigger group. So the Stake Pres. proposed that we combine all the youth in the stake for weekly Mutual activities. That way, the age groups can split up and have more than 2 or 3 in their group. Several more meetings have followed and I've had a few stressed phone calls from parents or young women leaders. Finally on Sunday, the program was presented to all the youth, parents and leaders in the Stake. I think it went well and am excited to get the program up and running in the coming weeks. After that meeting we went straight into a Trek meeting so all the youth and parents could be there together and hear the plans. My presidency and I kind of took charge of that and it worked out fine.

Last Tuesday, Sam was called to be on the High Council so right before our 2 youth meetings Sunday afternoon, he was ordained a High Priest and set apart. He is nervous about the calling but also excited for the learning opportunities he will have.

So, Sunday afternoon, I was feeling pretty relaxed that all these things were taken care of. Then came Monday afternoon...

We had a very capable Girls' Camp Director called that already had a ton planned before we even had a meeting with her. So, I wasn't feeling too stressed about that. Yesterday I got a call from her telling me she just found out she has some medical problems and may not be able to go to Camp! Yikes. So, we have to call an assistant that can take over the whole thing if need be. The stress is starting to creep back in.

I think this year I might lower the mellow percentage to 25...

Craziness

So, I think I should change my blog to "My Crazy life" because it sure has been crazy. Starting with crazy hair day at school. Curtis wanted "spikey" hair but have you ever tried to spike curly hair? Doesn't work so well...this was the end result!
Yesterday Noah came home from school with a new bike! They had a fitness and safety fair at school the night before and had a bunch of drawings to enter and they pulled Noah's name out for one of the bikes! Awesome! He was pretty excited.
Yesterday at scouts, Curtis got all of his prizes for selling Scout-O-Rama tickets. One of the prizes was a really nice, sharp pocket knife. Sam and I both let him know that he could absolutely not take the knife to school. Can you see where this is going? Yeah, he took it to school today and before he even got into the school he was showing it to his friends and got caught. He is now suspended until Tuesday! I am actually glad he got caught because I think the suspension will really drive it home to him that when you break a rule, you pay the consequence. He was very upset and crying when Sam went to get him and again when he came home. I think he gets it...I hope he gets it!
To end off this post, another picture of Lucy. Just because she's so cute! A shout out to my talented Aunt Terry for the beautiful quilt she made!
Happy Friday!

OK,OK!

I know, it has been forever since I have updated my blog but it seems like I just haven't been able to catch up with laundry, cooking, cleaning and taking care of the kids. I feels like everytime I sit down to blog, Lucy wakes up from a short nap...have you ever tried to type with a baby in your arms? Not an easy task. So, let's see how far I can get before she wakes up!

So, to wrap up the Disney post...we had 2 more glorious days at Disneyland that were very warm and very crowded. We got very spoiled with the Fast Passes so it was hard for us to wait in lines. But we did and survived. I thought that spending 4 days there would be too much and we would be bored but there was still more that we didn't do! One of our favorite things was in California Adventure, it was Talkin with Crush. It was an interactive movie where the turtle Crush from Finding Nemo talked with the audience. It was so cool! I don't know how they do it...must be magic!

Saturday morning we were in Frontierland and I had run to find a bathroom while Sam, kids and my parents went on the steamboat. When I came back, Mat was standing by the steamboat and said there was a "Dream Maker" right there. I asked what she was doing and Mat said "I don't know but she just made that lady over there really happy." So I followed her over to the lady to see what she was winning and the Dream Maker asked me if I had any questions. I said I just wanted to see what the lady had won. She told me it was VIP seating for Fantasmic! So I congratulated her. Then the Dream Maker asked if I was going to be there that night for Fantasmic, I said "yes", and she said "wait here and I'll give you VIP seating too!" Woo hoo!

So that night, all 16 of the family made our way to front row seating for the show. It was so awesome but poor little Noah was so worn out that right before the show started (10:30pm) he closed his eyes and did not wake up until the next morning!
(When we got home and looked through our pictures, Noah said "Hey! I don't remember riding in Katya's stroller!" That's because you were sound asleep, buddy!)
All in all, we had such a great time and I am so grateful to my parents for making our dreams come true!!!

Two weeks ago, my Dad and I (along with half of Salt Lake) stood in line for 8 hours to audition for Deal or No Deal. It was such a crazy day! At each interview we were given either 15 or 20 seconds to make an impression. I guess I said something interesting because I made it through all 3 interviews. The last interview was with one of the producers of the show and she said "you never know when I might call you!" It was a lot of fun. Hopefully I get a call someday but I'm not expecting it anytime soon...one of the producers said he interviewed a girl 2 years ago and just called her last month to be on the show!

Let's see, what else? We started Lucy on rice cereal...she still isn't too sure about it but she has low iron levels (just like her mama) so the iron (along with a supplement) should help with that. She has also started to roll over. She doesn't do it very often but she has gone both front to back and back to front. She is also trying to scoot a little. She is such a little sweetheart.
Noah celebrated his 6th birthday this month! We had a fun pirate party with 7 little boys. They walked the plank, sword fought and hunted for treasure. Noah had a great time and is already looking forward to next year's birthday party!

OK, that's it. I can't think anymore but I promise (Melissa) that I will blog again sooner rather than later!

MAGIC! (part one)

The Magic Kingdom did not disappoint!
All 16 Petts met in sunny Anaheim on Wednesday the 19th for a glorious, crazy, fun-filled, action-packed trip to Disneyland. We had such a great time...I don't even know where to begin!
We drove to Las Vegas Tuesday night, arrived in the wee hours of the morning and slept for a few hours at my sister's house. We then all loaded up and made our way to CA. Suzanne and Danny picked Mom up from the airport (she had been bumped from an overbooked flight and caught a later one) and we met Dad and Marina and Katya at the hotel. We all got ready and caught the shuttle over to Disneyland.
The first ride line we hit was Space Mountain. It was long and Noah got really tired waiting. After about 40 minutes of waiting, someone came out and said the ride was having technical difficulties and would be closed for a few hours! DRAT! Noah was not impressed. Luckily we were able to get some Fast Passes for the Buzz Lightyear ride and didn't have to wait long at all. The Magic of Disney returned after that. We also caught part of the Jedi Training and that was a highlight for the boys. Darth Maul tried to take on Curtis but Curtis hid behind Sam and Darth Maul retreated.
Sidenote: Have you heard of the Fast Pass? There are 7 rides in Disneyland and 7 in California Adventure that have a Fast Pass line. There is a little booth by the ride where you insert your admission ticket and it gives you a pass to come back to the ride at a certain time. There is a separate Fast Pass line so when you return, you go into that line and by-pass the regular hour-long wait line. You can only get one Fast Pass at a time but it is definitely the way to go (especially on Spring Break!).
The rest of that day we spent in Toon Town and it got really cold so we went back to the hotel to meet Amy, Mathew and Dave.
Thursday morning we were up with the crack of dawn and were at Disneyland around 7am for early entry. We ran to Space Mountain and actually got on it this time and only had to wait about 10 minutes. We did a few other things and when everyone was together we made our way to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. We were on the backside of the ride when Mat ran by and yelled, "Go back by Dad and Hurry!!!" So we ran back to see what was going on and were rewarded greatly. There were 2 members of the Dream Maker Squad standing there handing out Dream Fast Passes! These passes have a tab for every Fast Pass ride in both parks and you can use them at any time. BUT, you have to use them on the day you get them. We were all so excited! So, as holders of the Magical Dream Fast Pass, we felt it our duty to go on every ride that was on our pass. We didn't realize how tiring it would be but it was so worth it. We had a blast and all the rides were great fun. The only ride we didn't go on was Autopia because half of the group had gone on it before we got the passes and Noah and Isabelle weren't tall enough to ride it. We stayed for the fireworks that night, which were so great, and Amy treated us all to Churros! She said she had some mad people in line behind her when she ordered 13 churros! We then straggled back to the hotel and slept hard.
I was amazed that Curtis went on all the big, scary rides. He was hilarious, though. His expression never changed and you couldn't tell if he was scared or bored or sick! I think the worst ride for the kids was Tower of Terror. They were all scared witless. Amy said Curtis turned green and more than one of them had tears in their eyes from fright. I was surprised on the last day that Curtis and Isabelle actually wanted to go on it again! But they did and survived.

OXYMORON

Last night at 11:30 watching The Biggest Loser while licking clean the inner workings of the chocolate fountain that we had used for Young Women.

3 months!

Lucy turned 3 months old yesterday! I had planned on blogging yesterday but Lucy was on a sleep strike and was very fussy so I spent most of the day trying to get her settled. She has changed so much! The outfit she is wearing in this picture is the outfit she wore home from the hospital...it was so baggy and big then and now it barely fits! She is such a happy baby, as you can see in the picture. She smiles and laughs a lot, especially at her brothers. She has her moments of grumpiness and I wish she slept through the night but I wouldn't trade the last 3 months for anything. You know, for 5 and a half years it was our little family of 4 and it felt complete, and for those 5 years it was complete, but now I honestly can not imagine our family without little Luce. She has brought a tenderness into our home that wasn't here before. The boys love her and help me tremendously with her. Here is a scene I caught the other day... Both boys were singing to her and giving her toys and loving her. So sweet!
Yesterday we took our new stroller out for a test drive. The weather was beautiful, the best we've had for months so I walked to school to pick up the boys. The kids fought over who got to push the stroller home so we had to switch at every corner. Lucy enjoyed the ride and slept the whole way! I'm so glad the weather is warming up so we both can have a change of scenery and get some fresh air!
Snug as a bug!

I did a little photo shoot with Lucy in her blessing dress the other day. I think she stuck her tongue out in every shot! These are two of my favorites...don't you just want to eat her up?

Last week we had Parent/teacher conferences. Both boys got awesome reports and are doing very well. Curtis still has motion problems (meaning he is in perpetual motion and can't sit still) but is doing great academically. He was even dismissed from Speech Therapy because he has made so much progress and no longer needs it! Noah's teacher said he is very bright and is a smart thinker. He has such a love for learning and is always testing our knowledge by giving Sam and me math problems. I feel very blessed to be the mom of these 3 kids!