The latest

This morning, Sam put Lucy down for a nap. A few minutes later I heard her pounding on something. It was really loud so I asked Sam if he had closed her door. Of course he had so I went to her room and she was pounding on her door! That little stinker figured out how to climb out of her crib! Dangit! I guess it's time for a big girl bed.
A few weeks ago, we realized we had a leak in our water main. Fortunately, we didn't have a flood in the basement or sink holes in the yard, just water running continuously through our pipes. We got some bids for replacing the pipe then realized if we rented a mini excavator and dug it up ourselves, we could save over $1000! So Sam worked tirelessly Friday and Saturday getting it dug up. He and the kids all thought the mini excavator was a blast. In fact, Noah asked for one for Christmas!

First Day of School

The long awaited first day finally came last Tuesday. The boys hopped out of bed and quickly got dressed. I made cinnamon rolls (with the help of the Dough boy) and then we took pictures and then made our way to the school. The boys were so excited to see their friends and get back into the school routine...so was I!!! The first week they had half days every day to ease the kids (and the teachers!) back in but today, oh blessed day, is the first full day! It's been nice so far...I'm actually blogging so that should tell you something!

Here are a few pictures from the first day:

Back in Action

I really didn't intend to not blog for so long, really, I didn't. However, a series of events added up to my long hiatus.
Here's what's been happenin':

We took n 8 day trip to Vegas/San Diego and had a wonderful time. Stayed with the Youngs in Vegas and got to see our favorite Petts in San Diego. We did all we could to induce labor in Marina while we were there but little Sasha wanted to stay nice and cozy in her mama's belly for awhile longer! We went to Sea World (2x) Legoland, the SD Zoo and the beach. We enjoyed every minute we spent there and wished we could have stayed longer!

Curtis and Noah finished their 3rd and 1st grade years and both did a great job. They are looking forward to a long summer break but already miss their friends!

Lucy turned the magical age of 18 months which every Mormon mother longingly looks forward to because the baby can then go to Nursery at church! Lucy loves Nursery (so do I!) and doesn't even look back when I drop her off. She's growing up so fast!

Our computer got a virus (or 12) and I couldn't even log on for a few days. Our friend Collin fixed it up like new and delivered it to us yesterday so we are back in action! Thanks, Col!

I fell down our porch steps and landed right on my tailbone, I couldn't sit for 2 weeks so the computer was out of the question! I was in so much pain! I finally went to the chiropractor because my back was giving me problems from trying to sit in weird positions to avoid the tailbone. After 2 visits, I was able to sit (thank goodness)just in time for...

Youth Conference. We had YC at the U of U this last week. It was really fun and spiritual and I am exhausted! We had great speakers (John Bytheway, Brad Wilcox, just to name a few) good food, fun dance, great service project and other activities. I love it when all the planning and preparation come to fruition. It was fun but I'm glad it's over! Thanks to Mom and Dad for taking such good care of my children while I was there. They didn't even miss me!

In other news: We received 2 new little nieces into our extended families this month. Troy and Rachel welcomed little Emma on June 3rd and David and Marina welcomed sweet Sasha on June 9th. We are excited to watch these little girls grow and get to know them! Congrats to both families!

There's the last month in a nutshell. I will post some pictures as soon as I get caught up on paying bills and reading the emails I missed while the computer was sick!

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!

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...

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!

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!

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!

Great Way to start UEA

7:12 AM. Why? Why must my children get up this early without any prompting from me or an alarm clock, on a day they don't have to go to school? Yesterday I had to practically drag them out of bed at 8:00 to get ready for church but today...7:12 AM.
By 9:15 Noah was bawling his eyes out(for about 10 min.) because I wouldn't let him have Fresca until lunchtime. Mean Mom.
It's gonna be a long day.

Ramblings

I received an email today from the boys' pre-school teacher. Kellie found out last January that she had breast cancer and she has bravely battled through. She submitted her story to foreverybody.com in August when they were asking for stories from women with breast cancer for a contest they were holding. She found out a last week that she was one of the 12 finalists and then last night got the call that she won the contest! They are having an "Evening in Pink" next week to honor her. Just wanted to share that great news and congratulate Kellie! We love her so much and are so glad she is doing well!

Today I had my 36 week appt. with my midwife. As she was measuring my impressive girth, I asked her to measure me around my waist. She kind of looked at me oddly and I asked her if I was the first person to ask her to do this. She replied that, as a matter of fact, I was. She asked why I wanted to be measured around my waist and I told her "I'm just wondering if I'm as wide as I am tall, yet." Thankfully, I'm not! We both got a little chuckle out of it, though.

She then proceeded to tell me about an anesthesiologist she used to work with that was pregnant and in a surgery. Every time she walked by the patient, she noticed his head would move. So she gave him more anesthesia to stop him from moving. This happened several times before she realized...the guy had PLENTY of medication, she just kept bumping his head with her huge stomach!!! I can totally relate as I have run into several things with my belly in the last few days...doorframes, fridge doors, countertops. It's getting big, I tell ya!

We went to Parent Teacher Conferences last week and got good reports from both teachers. They both are doing well. Noah is doing awesome with learning how to read and write and Curtis is a spelling whiz! He has got 100% on almost every spelling test! I really like both teachers and am grateful for their care and concern towards my sons. I told Sam that was the first PT conference I've been to for Curtis that I haven't cried. He has come a long way and I think we have too!

Along those same lines, Sam and I were asked to speak in church this Sunday. My topic? Parenting. Great. Not looking forward to that.

I cashed in my Service Auction certificate and had my kitchen and bathroom deep cleaned on Monday by a sweet lady in my ward. Get this, she said she thinks cleaning is FUN. What? I don't understand. I like the reward from cleaning but I certainly wouldn't call it fun! Anyway, she did an awesome job and I appreciate her so much! Thanks Dorothy!

Was "Ramblings" an apt title or what? Nothing profound to say, just wanted to share!!!

I have a Blog????

I think I forgot that I have a blog...actually, I have thought about posting almost everyday but for some reason could not work up the words to post. Lame, I know, but that's my story!
So, lots has been going on. But I'm not going to go back and do a whole month recap. Maybe just a few highlights.
Last weekend, Sam took off for the annual Elk Hunt with his dad and brother, Troy. I prefer to call this event "camping-with-guns-in-case-an-elk-attacks" because in the 11 years we have been married, not one of the participants in the event has shot an elk. Sam's nephew Garrett is actually the only one that I know of that has even shot his rifle. Anyway, I digress. While Sam was away, the boys and I played. My parents were staying in Park City at the Mountainside Resort and invited my siblings and I to come stay the weekend. Suzanne, Amy and I all made the trip and had an enjoyable time (aside from the fact that I wasn't able to sleep Friday night and my kids had a few bouts of disobedience). It was fun to spend time with Suzanne and co. since I really haven't spent time with them for several months. We all learned how to play Rook (which Suzanne and Amy rocked), did Karaoke and carved pumpkins in the activities center, swam and also watched Conference. Probably my favorite part was Saturday morning when the boys woke up, they opened the curtains and saw that it had snowed. My dad and I took them down to the pool where we found a nice, bathwater temp. hot tub that was safe for me to sit in. It was still lightly snowing and there was about an inch or two of snow on all the lawn chairs. The boys started making snowballs and throwing them at us in the hot tub and then joined in a massive snowball fight with a few other families and an employee that was caught in the crossfire. The snow was perfect, lightweight packing snow and the kids made some of the biggest snowballs I've ever seen. A fun time was had by all!
I had my 34 week appointment with my midwife today. She has been concerned that the baby was breech so at the end of my visit, she did an ultrasound and we saw this little girl's head down, exactly where it should be! Danielle (my midwife) and I both cheered and were very relieved to see her head down because if she hadn't turned, most likely I would have to have another c-section which we DON'T want to do! So, good girl...she is already obedient!!!
We are still trying to come up with a name for this bambina...funny how when I was having boys, I had plenty of girl names that I liked. Now that I am having a girl, we are really struggling for names. I guess we have 6 weeks to make a decision...any suggestions are welcome!
OK, my back is hurting from sitting here typing so I'm going to end. Hopefully there won't be as much time between posts as these last two!

Week Re-Cap

I have so much to blog about but haven't had the desire to do it so I'm finally making myself sit down and type!

First, and most important:Noah's 1st day of Kindergarten!

He was so excited to start school and go to the same school as Curtis. He was really happy that the cold front hit so that he could wear his new Hot Wheels shirt for the first day! He didn't seem nervous at all, just marched right into the classroom, found his name tag, his table and his locker and didn't bat an eye when Sam and I left. He was already immersed in the school experience and was ready to learn! I thought I would be emotional sending him off to school all day but when Sam and I got to the car, I gave a little squeal and said "I'm so excited!" and then we went and had a fabulous, quiet breakfast (just the 2 of us!) at a cute little diner in Sugarhouse, Finn's. I figured I had a long, quiet day ahead of me but it actually went really fast and I didn't even get half the things on my list done! I'm going to have to organize my day a little better!

When I picked Noah up, he just ran to me and gave me a big hug. I asked how his first day went and he exclaimed, "Good!" "Did you learn a lot?" "Well, we did learn some stuff but not a lot."

By 7:00 that night, he was so exhausted. During our reading time, he kept flopping back and forth and groaning. When I asked him what the problem was, he said "are we almost done? I want to go to bed." Poor kid, he isn't used to this all day stuff! We are going to try bedtime a few minutes earlier to make the transition a little easier.

Second: Sam's 40th Birthday!
I hadn't planned anything for Sam's birthday because we were going to go to St. George with some friends of ours but they ended up moving that week so things were a little crazy for them. Sam had school in the afternoon so the boys and I went and bought 12 black balloons and some window paint and went to the school parking lot. We tied the balloons to Sam's truck and wrote messages on the window. Unfortunately, before we finished, the wild W. Jordan wind either blew away or popped half of the ballons! Needless to say, I was a little miffed by the time we were finished. Sam called before we were even home to tell us he discovered it and said there were only 2, TWO!, balloons left when he came out of class. Argh! It's the thought that counts, though, right?

Since Sam had to work that night, the next night I got a babysitter and Sam and I met his parents for dinner at Johnny Carino's. We had a very enjoyable dinner and then a little shopping at Target afterwards. A low key 40th but I think just what we needed!

Third: Curtis's Speech Therapy

Curtis has been receiving Speech Therapy since his first year in pre-school and has made a ton of progress. I spoke to his Speech Pathologist at the school Open House and she said she would be evaluating him the first week and would then call me. We met with her and Curtis's teacher and the principal for his IEP on Wednesday and the only thing she feels she needs to work on with him is the "th" sound. She was very pleased with his progress and said she would be surprised if he needed Speech after Christmas! Way to go, Curtis, you are awesome!!!

Fourth: Labor Day

Sam really wanted us to go fishing for his b-day so on Labor Day we headed up to the Uintah Mountains for some cooler weather and fishing. Sam took the boys there a few weeks ago and they really wanted to go to the Fish Hatchery again so we stopped and did a little tour. It was kind of cool and there were a ton of fish.

Then we stopped at Provo Canyon Falls. It is so beautiful there. The Falls are amazing, the rock looks like it was carved out by a machine but it wasn't, it is just God's beatiful creation! The boys had fun climbing the rocks and we all enjoyed the cooler weather by the water.

We then settled at Teapot Lake for a very unsuccessful fishing trip. Sam got the boys set up and he kept having to re-cast for them and by the time he got himself ready, the boys were done. We hung out there for a little while longer and then packed up. Sam had seen a spot on the river that he wanted to try fishing so we stopped there and Curtis and Sam took off walking down the river. Noah was content to sit in the shade next to me in our camp chairs and he talked my ear off! He was so cute. I wasn't very talkative but he kept the conversation flowing just fine. My favorite was when he said "Aaah. This is relaxing. I love to relax in the shade by the river, in my chair, in the quiet, just the sound of the little waterfall. Do you like to relax here, Mom?" Sometimes, he is just so grown up! It kills me.

After awhile, Sam and Curtis came back (sam caught 4 fish) and we made the trip home. It was a nice, relaxing day but Sam realized that if he really wants to fish, he's going to have to go without the boys!

Fifth: Funny things kids say and do

Noah walked into my room on Sunday just as I was picking up my dropped towel (my back to him) and said "Mom! Does your tummy getting bigger make your butt get bigger?" "No, why?" "Because your butt looks huge! It is bigger than Dad's!" Thanks, buddy, you know how to make a girl feel good about her ever-expanding body.

Curtis had planned to wear his camo pants to school on Wednesday with a cute long sleeve shirt we got to match. Wed. morning came and he decided he didn't want to wear the long sleeve shirt, he wanted a short sleeve shirt and the perfect choice was his camo shirt. I told him it didn't match his camo pants and that he needed to change. He was throwing a fit so Sam said he was going to call the Fashion Police and picked up the phone and pretended to call. Curtis FREAKED! He quickly decided to wear a short sleeve white shirt and his olive green hoodie. Who knew a Fashion Police threat would work on a 7 year old boy!!!

Well, this is turning into a novel so I'm going to wrap it up...The End

"Diet" poo and Little Chef

A funny conversation between Noah and Sam.

Noah: "Dad, I have a little diet poo in my underwear."
Sam: "Diet poo?"
Noah: "Yeah, diet poo?"
Sam: "What are you talking about? Diet poo?"
Sam: (lightbulb) "Oh, you mean diarrhea?"
Noah: "Yes, that's diet poo."

Then, as Sam is washing out Noah's underwear in the toilet:
Noah:"Dad, do you like sticking your hands in the toilet?"
Sam: "Oh yes, I love every minute of it."

I know, I know, a little gross and maybe too much information but I just had to share. I love it when kids try to use big words and make up their own...so cute.

Now, on to the Little Chef. Last night I wasn't getting dinner ready fast enough
and Curtis was "absolutely STARVING" so he decided to take matters into his own hands. He got out a box of mac & cheese and wrote down all the ingredients and directions on a piece of paper. He then brought me measuring spoons and measuring cups to make sure he was getting the right amount. Aside from me doing the things that would otherwise make me an irresponsible parent, Curtis made Mac & Cheese all by himself! He and I were both so proud! And of course, I had to take pictures of this great accomplishment.




Sorry about that first picture, I am still learning and don't know how to rotate photos!
I love these boys! They sure make my life entertaining!

Summer

I really had high hopes for this summer...I remember when I was a kid and my mom would be so organized with chores and "homework" for each of us before we were allowed to play. I'm sure I complained about it more than once but I also remember enjoying the feeling of schedule and accomplishment.
The first 2 weeks of summer vacay the boys had swimming lessons every morning so that was part of our routine. Now, we have no commitments. So, I made some chore charts with the boys and got out their workbooks and this week we started our new "routine". Is it really a routine if it only lasts one day? I think not. But, we will try again. Today, as I visited with my friend Emily, we realized we still have at least 8 weeks of summer...plenty of time to establish a routine. I know the boys would really enjoy having some sort of routine if their mom could just get it in gear!
We have been able to do some fun things so far this summer. Last week my sis-in-law Rachel and I loaded our 4 kids up and went to the Ogden Dinosaur Park. The park has an inside museum and an outside park with huge statues of different dinosaurs. We all enjoyed it but probably would have spent more time there if it hadn't been 100+ degrees! Rachel's 4 year old Chase is a dinosaur expert and told me the names of several dinos I had never heard of. My boys never went through a dinosaur phase (trains and trucks in this family)so I learned a lot from Chase. Rachel has a picture of our boys on her blog but I haven't figured out how to copy pictures yet so please visit her blog to see a photo!
We have also taken advantage of my sister Amy's "hotel" pool. She lives in a condo about a mile away from us and has an outdoor pool. We love being able to go over on a hot afternoon to cool off (although my legs got extremely burnt the other day)and plan to take advantage of the pool several more times through the hot summer.
I have plans to visit some of the city's landmarks and historic sites but will have to wait for a cooler weather forecast. The heat plus carrying a baby equals a lot of exhaustion for me so I'll have to wait for cooler days.
Well, I think I've rambled enough. Not a very exciting post but a post nonetheless. I better sign off before Noah finds the matches again and sets the backyard on fire!!