one small glimpse.

2010-09-20T21:12:00.000-07:00

That's all.

2010-09-15T19:10:00.000-07:00

Okay. I have a few funny things my kids have either (a) done, or (b) said. Here goes:

Grace: Mom, will you comb my hair?
Me: Sure Grace.
Grace: Thanks, Mom. Do I look pretty now?
Me: Grace, you always look pretty.
.....pause......
Grace: Mom, you're always mad.

Thanks, Grace. At least you're honest, I guess.

Grace: Mom, I like you.
Me: Thanks, Grace, I like you too.
Grace: I don't like Crede.
Grace: He's......he's..................
Grace: He's just a bad one.

I'm not sure if I'm sensing a pattern or not. I hope that our home is a happy one, but maybe in my 4 year old's mind, it's not such a happy place. I guess I'll find that out here in 15 years when she can reminisce.

The other day Gage had a game of tickle tag with an earwig. THAT was nice. I picked him up off the kitchen floor where he had been sitting for about 5 good minutes, being quiet....when I noticed a WET, dead earwig on the floor.

**shudder**

At least he didn't eat it, right?

Now, last but not least ~

We were driving home from school the other day when we passed a house with an old man sitting on the front step. This man had completely white hair, and a nice, long, white beard. We drove by, and Crede said, "Theeere's Santa." More like a statement rather than an excited exclamation. It was the funniest thing.

Lets see, I think that's it! Here's a picture of my Grace taken with my new toy. No photoshop. I thinks I'm gonna like it.

2010-09-11T18:58:00.000-07:00

Chance finally had the opportunity to come with us to Morgan's soccer game. You know what that means, right? I got to bring my camera. I strapped on my ol' lens and went to town.

Here's Morgan in all her glory. All her "Red Dragon" glory. Can you tell she's a little petite for her age? She's about a foot shorter than all the other girls on the field. You know what though? She is AMAZING. I really think that she has found her sport. She runs like a little bullet, she won't let anyone kick that ball by her, and she scores goals like no one's business. 2 of her really good friends are on the team with her too. I have to say, soccer season is about 200% better when friends are on the same team. It's not even about car-pooling. It's just the fact that during each practice and game, I have someone to talk to (someone ADULT to talk to).

2010-09-07T13:25:00.000-07:00

Yay.

I finally sold this thing. I washed it off and gave it a hearty "farewell" yesterday morning. Oh, and you see that tacky birdhouse in the background? I finally decided to chuck it. I threw it in my trashcan, and hauled it to the curb.

Guess what. Someone totally ripped it off during the night last night. I have to chuckle thinking about what was going through their heads. Something like:

"Sweeeeeeeeet. Check out that birdhouse."
"Are they REALLY throwing it away?"
"Let's come back tonight to pick it up."

Then I have to smile as I think about them pulling all my huge cardboard boxes out of my trashcan, taking the birdhouse, and then putting all the boxes back in all nice-like. I hope that they enjoy that dang thing. I'm just happy to get rid of it.

We're officially junk-free.
Hoo. Ray.

2010-09-04T12:53:00.000-07:00

I think I've finally reached the point of motherhood when I can actually put my kids to work. REAL work. I'm not talking, "Please pick up the toys" or "Can you wind up the vacuum?" I'm talkin' mopping the floor, windex-ing all the mirrors in the house, actually operating the vacuum....THAT kind of work.

YES!

I cleaned my ENTIRE house, both bathrooms, dusting, vacuuming, mopping by 12:30pm. 12:30pm. Can you believe it? Grace vacuumed, Morgan mopped, and Crede.....well Crede picked up the toys. Gage wandered around all morning, playing, and I cleaned.

Here's Morgan windex-ing our front door window. She got pretty enthused. Can you tell? She had to stop. Get my keys. Walk out to the car. Unlock it. And then get her sunglasses out. This was so she wouldn't be bothered with that pesky sun coming in through the window. She's cute...I know.

And now my house is officially CLEAN. For a few hours at least.

2010-09-01T12:38:00.000-07:00

Hi!

I've got some exciting news. I. Made. Salsa.

Yep. And THIS time I didn't add too much salt. That seems to make a HUGE difference! **snicker** I'm pretty excited about this. I, now can say that I know how to (a) garden, and (b) can. Growing up I never would have thought that I, Emily, could do either one of those things. I wasn't much of a cooker (except for desserts) and canning was for old ladies.

Ah well.
Aren't those jars beautiful?

2010-08-28T21:42:00.000-07:00

Today was my HUGE photo shoot. 27 people....14 of them kids.

Aaaaah!

So I think it went pretty well. After the session I couldn't turn off my head with things that I would have done differently. It's maddening. I realize that is how a person grows and learns new things...but I'm impatient. I want to learn NOW. I want all the vast knowledge instantly. Is that so wrong?

Here is my favorite picture of the day. It isn't so much a "fine art" photo, but that baby was toooooooo cute. Little Fisher. I could have taken him home with me.

Seriously.

PS ~ It's officially been ONE YEAR since starting this insane blog of mine. ONE YEAR! It's really funny to go back and think about all that has happened since my first post: Nyquil Nightmare. I've potty trained, fixed vehicles, watched Gage grow from newborn stillness to the little mad-man that he is today ~ RUNNING around the house. We've gone camping, had visits from the tooth fairy, Santa, and the Easter Bunny. We've laughed, cried, yelled...you name it...we've done it. I've gone from an Olympus point and shoot to my blessed Canon. I've actually STARTED A BUSINESS and we've actually survived a mini unemployment stint with Chance. It's crazy to look back and think about HOW MUCH life can change in a year.

Do you think I'll be here again NEXT year? Yeah, I think so. I'm going to keep this blog...but I have to admit, I might miss a day here and there. There's only so much to blog about during the mundane day of laundry.....so we'll see.

2010-08-27T21:26:00.000-07:00

It's finally done.

My new website! You wanna see it? Go HERE.
Enjoy.

2010-08-26T21:23:00.000-07:00

I have this on-going problem. See, I have such good intentions with my meal planning. I sit down Sunday night, make my grocery list, a menu for the week, and then buy the things I need on Monday.

Here's my problem.

By the time Tuesday afternoon hits, I'm done. Mac-n-cheese sounds great...I'm tired, and I just want quiet. Is that too much to ask?

This is the 2nd week that I've bought this baguette. I had such grand plans for it, but as you can see....I've just watched it turn blue. Twice.

Sorry, family. Mom's burned out.

2010-08-25T21:13:00.000-07:00

Yep, I was one of those crazy people who signed up 6 months ago to get one of the first copies of Mockingjay. I cruised into my library yesterday, checked it out, and then finished it up this afternoon. I've gotta say, I was super pleased with how this book wrapped up. I have to be honest though....I really wished a few things would have turned out differently.

**spoiler alert** Don't read any farther if you plan on reading this book and don't want to know what happens.

I wish that she would have developed Katniss's feelings for Peeta a bit more. It seemed like she made her decision pretty quickly. It was like, "Well...I decided I had enough fire for the both of us...I need a dandelion." Huh. Then Gale just kind of disappeared at the end. I wanted to know what happened to him...what HIS feelings were...

I was glad that we were privy to Katniss's future though ~ her children, that she loved Peeta...that was nice. I also was really bummed that Prim died. Was anyone else surprised that she even killed off ~ oh what's his name....Annie's husband ~ the one with the trident....crud. I can't remember his name. I will have to add that later if I remember to. I thought that at least HE would make it.

Oh, and I was so glad that she shot Coin. Buh. Bye. I never trusted that woman.
All in all....SUCH a good book.

2010-08-24T21:32:00.000-07:00

So I have a pretty important photo shoot this Saturday and am STRESSING out about it. I want to do well...so I obsess. That's just me.

Anyway, I talked Chance into driving to my location and sitting in for some "test pictures". He. Was. Thrilled. But, being the funny, awesome, husband that he is, he made the best of it...as you can see here. Love you.

2010-08-23T21:26:00.000-07:00

So Crazy.

I have a 2nd Grader. Do you realize that I, now, can remember what I was like in 2nd Grade and that means that Morgan will be able to remember actual events when she's an adult?

Man, this means that I really need to step up my game as her Mom. I can really mess her up now! Isn't that a fear that us Mom's have nowadays, anyway? That we're going to permanently scar our children without even realizing it? Why do we do this to ourselves?! (I'll save that side-note for a later time. Sorry.)

AnyWAY...

Morgan, you are such a fun kid! You've really grown into a peacemaker, you really empathize with others, you are super smart, and you're just a cutie pants. We love you, and love that you are still so excited about school, and about learning. I know that you will have so many fun friends around you and that you will set a super-duper example for them. We are so proud of you, bug.

Happy 2nd Grade!

2010-08-22T21:24:00.000-07:00

No, Gage doesn't have shoulder pads on...Dad just likes to not worry about the "hard stuff" when putting bibs on. And by "hard stuff" I mean sleeves. At least Gage still enjoyed his PB & J sandwich.

2010-08-21T21:21:00.000-07:00

THIS is what happens when you leave Dad home, alone, with the kids for about an hour. Deer. On the driveway. Like I don't see enough of this stuff around my entire yard....house....trailers....LAWNMOWER....

**sigh**

It's a good thing that he's cute, smart, funny, the best Dad EVER, and it helps that I love him no matter what.

I love your sidewalk artwork too.

2010-08-20T21:08:00.000-07:00

Grace has gotten pretty inventive with her bendaroo's lately. She was super proud of this, her newest creation. She even explained that the green underneath "me" was grass. Very cute, Gracie.

PS: When will the bendaroo's end? I just don't care for them so much. They leave everything sticky. Blech. Oh, and now my kids want that "Aqua Sand" that they keep seeing on TV. Dang you "As Seen on TV" commercials! We are probably going to give in to the "Pillow Pet" request that has been on-going for about a year now.....I keep telling my kids to "ask Santa". Do you think he'll deliver? Hmm...pretty sure he will. At least NOW they'll be all ready for their overnight trip to Grandma's with their pj's conveniently stuffed inside.

2010-08-19T14:51:00.000-07:00

Things I'm grateful for today:

NOW knowing how to make Salsa without adding too much salt.

Good friends who laugh with me and offer me help.

A Mom who spends HOURS cutting peppers, onions and tomatoes.

Aaaand the fact that my fingers are no longer burning from those dang Anaheim Peppers.

2010-08-18T14:40:00.000-07:00

Today was Morgan's very first soccer practice.

My post, however, has to do with what happened BEFORE her practice. Last night as I was vegging in front of my TV, I was watching that "What would YOU do" show on ABC. They did this whole story about the "Good Samaritan" and then put some people in a situation to see if they would help out some random stranger.

So today as I'm driving Morgan to soccer, we pass this girl (who was around 14) walking down the street just SOBBING. I passed, and then the discussion started in my head. "Do I or don't I?"

Well.

Needless to say, I turned around, pulled up next to her and asked, "Are you alright?" She asked if I'd take her home...which I did. She only lived about 4 miles away. As we were driving, she started telling me about her life, about some choices that she's making that aren't good ones, and it really got me to thinking how grateful I am for what I have in MY life. She told me that she didn't have any good friends to talk to, and it made me really sad for her.

As she got out of the car in front of her house, she thanked me and walked away. If anything, I hope that she knows that she isn't alone in this huge world. And it gave me a moment to help my kids realize how important it is to make good choices, and to seek out good friendships, and to help anyone that they can.

This world is a crazy place, and I don't think that given the choice, I could bear to grow up again. I'm not strong enough. I pray everyday that my kids are, however. They are incredible people and I'm just blessed to call them mine. I love my little family.

2010-08-17T14:37:00.000-07:00

Crede's lunch prayer:

...I like jam and peanut butter,
Please bless Gage's nose,
he has lots of boogers.

2010-08-16T14:30:00.000-07:00

Today was one of those days when you feel like the greatest parent ever. If you detect sarcasm in that last sentence, good for you!

About 4 days ago, Crede fell out of bed around 10pm. I heard the thump and ran in to find him sitting on his floor. He cried, and then went back to sleep. He kept waking up in the night crying, but I just hugged him and he fell back asleep.

Now.

The last 3 days he has been complaining about his shoulder hurting. I just thought he landed on it wrong, and then the weekend hit (why do serious things either happen on Saturday evening or in the middle of the night?!). We didn't want to pay big bucks to take him to the Emergency Room, so we waited it out. It was pretty sad to watch him though. He held his little arm tucked under so that he didn't have to move it. (We didn't notice the tucking thing until last night though). Needless to say, we went to the doctor today.

Crede had 2 x-ray's, and guess what?
He's got a cracked collarbone.

Poor kid! They gave him a sling to wear and 3 suckers to eat. He was a pretty happy kid until we got home and he said, "I don't want to wear this anymore Mom." TWO WEEKS of the sling and then we get to go back for some more x-rays.

Happy Times.
**sigh** Sorry Crede. We love you so much and we're sorry that we were a little too slow getting you to the doctor. At least you got some dumdums out of this, right?

2010-08-15T14:28:00.000-07:00

Heeeeeeeee's walking!

2010-08-14T14:11:00.000-07:00

I want the last 2 1/2 hours of my life back. We rented this show tonight because we were pretty short on options. We thought...how bad could it be?

It started out OKAY. Just okay. Toward the end we were yelling at the television. We joked about who was going to die....we called the whole "Sasha (the Russian pilot) and Yuri's (the BIG Russian) girlfriend affair", we knew that John Cusack would try to jump the motorhome over the huge crevice that crumbled right before our eyes, and when we all thought he drowned at the end....SURPRISE! I didn't see THAT coming (eye roll).

I wish we could get some good movies released that don't have that "R" rating. I mean, really. Just edit out the F-bombs and the world will be a happier place.

Any good suggestions?

2010-08-13T13:07:00.000-07:00

Da da da daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa....

Here it is. The final product. (It really doesn't have my watermark on it in real life...FYI. I'm just the geeky photographer who puts her watermark on everything.)

He looks so cool just hangin' out on our wall, it's as if he's lived with us our entire lives. He just fits right in. Welcome to our family, temple picture.

2010-08-12T15:30:00.000-07:00

I've come to the conclusion that 2010 has been the year of updates. My theory has been this: Let's hurry and get what we'll need throughout the next 10 years and then we can hunker down and not spend ANYTHING until then. (Is that a good rational? I thought so.) We've finally spent the money to get a kitchen table we can actually all sit around. See, before you could only fit 4 adults around the thing...and it was always interesting when we had company over to eat.

So.

Here was our solution. Our family will never out-grow this thing. (At least I'm HOPING we don't....reaaaaally hoping) We can sit 8 around it, and just think of all the gourmet meals we will enjoy here throughout the next decade. Sweet!

Now all I need to do is sell our old one.
Anyone?

2010-08-11T13:38:00.000-07:00

Really? I love the color red....but don't you think this is a little much?

Morgan met with her new soccer team tonight. We are super excited to have 2 of her really close friends on the team with her. Also, we showed up and discovered that 2 MORE girls on her team live right in our neighborhood. It'll be a fun year.

Now. What should their team name be?

2010-08-10T13:35:00.000-07:00

Today was filled with editing. Here is a picture of the Hansen Family. They were visiting from out of state and asked if I could fit them in. We had one day that worked for each of us...and here's the result. Their kids were so cute.

2010-08-09T13:33:00.000-07:00

Morgan and Crede after they spent about an hour together (playing nicely, I might add). See? There IS hope that my children can get along.

2010-08-08T13:21:00.000-07:00

Yes, Chance stayed home from church today and yes, we had a "themed lunch" as we arrived home from Church.

Chance is leaving this afternoon for a week in St. George. His Dad got a job down there at the last minute and they're leaving. I'm not too thrilled about it...just because I doubt my Single Mothering-abilities...but that's life. Right? At least we were able to spend some time together this afternoon. And Chance? Thanks for the lunch. We love ya'.

2010-08-07T20:23:00.000-07:00

Yeah, so this is just one small iota of a glimpse of what my house looks like right now.

**sigh**
Back to real life.

Thank you, Nichole for such a fun experience. I have some pretty lofty goals now, and I hope that someday I will reach them. You really make it seem achievable and you are such a great role-model. I will totally take you up on your "light monkey" offer at any-time, any-day.

2010-08-06T19:14:00.000-07:00

Day TWO.

Here is my fabulous, incredible, amazing, beautiful photo from today. I know, can you believe it? Nichole took us outside today, with some models, and then let us play around with her flashes.

Oh, how I wish I had her endless fountain of knowledge. When she started talking "flash photography" I was crazy-worried. My flash is from the era of 1995...so it's a little old. But guess what? It worked. (Maybe someday I can scrimp up enough cash to buy me that new Canon Mark III Ds with my two 580 EXII External flashes. Just Maybe.)

Anyway, more good food (Cafe Rio for dinner), more good desserts (pumpkin, chocolate chip cake with cream-cheese frosting) and more incredible information.

2010-08-05T19:05:00.000-07:00

Day ONE.

I cannot tell you how excited I was to go to Nichole Van's workshop.

So.
Excited.

We showed up at 9am and I didn't get home until about 8pm. It was a day filled with SO much good information. I have to say, it was also filled with super yummy food. Who DOESN'T love Kneaders with Tarts for dessert? (And that was LUNCH.)

Nichole is such a fun person. I came home and told Chance that if they lived by us we could totally hang out with her and her husband. They're just a fun pair.

Right when we arrived we were given this cute has crud box full of fun stuff. Nichole hand-made all these magnets, and she even made us cute clippy flowers to wear on our shirts or in our hair. This picture really doesn't do it justice. It was all wrapped cute in this brown paper and was surrounded by some blue ribbon. I KNOW!

It was so much fun hanging with other photog's such as myself. There were people there from L.A., Oklahoma City, Florida, Utah...you name it. There was even a woman there (from Canada) who had 5 month old TRIPLETS and older TWINS at home.

Wow.

Anyway, I can tell that I've made some really cool friends who I will keep in touch with for a long, long time. I can't wait until day TWO.

2010-08-03T11:55:00.000-07:00

Here it is. Proof that my table is clean. CLEAN! No papers, no books....clean.

PS ~ it's for sale.
Anyone want to buy it?

2010-08-02T11:50:00.000-07:00

3 weeks! 21 days. 504 hours.

Just like that Staples commercial:

"It's the most....wonderful time...........of the year."

2010-08-01T22:04:00.000-07:00

Well this was it. Our last day.

We woke up, ate breakfast, cleaned up our site, and then went on a fun little 4-wheeler ride. Gage slept the entire ride, and the weather was BEAUTIFUL. We were even treated last night to a thunderstorm. It wasn't super-scary, just enough thunder and lightning to make you feel safe in your camper. I love the rain in the mountains.

The rain was still drizzling when we woke up and cleared up JUST as we were leaving for our ride. It was overcast and the lighting was absolutely PERFECT. I just sat and stared off into the forest as we drove along. I kept getting whiff's of autumn too. Oh man, I love that smell.

We got back to camp, ate some lunch and then took some group pictures before leaving. Just like our Yuba Lake camp trip, we took some pretty awesome group pictures. This was our normal, smiling picture. If you want to see the whole slew, go to my family site.

It was such a fun camping trip, and I am so thankful that nothing broke down...and that our family was healthy the entire trip, and that we got home safely.

Whew.

PS: Happy Birthday Token!

2010-07-31T21:56:00.000-07:00

We spent today at Bear Lake. It's always nice to get in the water and wash off most of the dust/dirt/sweat/bug-spray film that's on your skin after a day of camping. We had a good time.

However ~

Last night as we were getting ready for bed, Token scratched her eye. She thought it would just get better, but it didn't ~ it got worse. After Bear Lake she decided that she needed to go find a doctor so that the pain would go away.

This left our family alone at camp for awhile. We ate some dinner and then we got out the cake to celebrate Gage's first birthday. He got presents, but never officially got the cake and candle.

As you can see, he didn't really care so much for the cake. After Dad gave him a little sample he tried to eat a little but it mostly just ended up on the table. Isn't he cute? We love you Gage.

For more pictures, you can to to my other blog. Go ahead ~ knock yourself out.

Oh, and Token? She had a scratched Cornea. The doctor gave her some eye-drops and Lortab. She felt a lot better once her eye was numb. I guess eye's heal really fast so the doctor told her that she would get better in a couple of days. At least it wasn't something super serious...right?

2010-07-30T21:48:00.000-07:00

Alright.

Today was our first OFFICIAL day of camping. Token and Corey's little dirt-bike wasn't working so well so Corey and Chance decided to take a drive to town for some new spark plugs. You want to know how long they were gone?

3 hours.
THREE!

Do you know what Token and I did? We sat at camp and tried not to let our children kill themselves. They would NOT stop fighting. The plus side was that Gage slept the ENTIRE time they were gone. He needed it, poor little boy.....

Well the men got back and we went on a little 4-wheeler ride to end the day. We got out a-ways and guess what? OUR small 4-wheeler stopped working.

Sweet.

Chance decided to tow it back. He tied a rope to MY 4-wheeler and then he rode the small one all by himself. Let's just say....I'm not a good tow-er. It wasn't a very smooth ride, I'm afraid. Plus the rope broke at one point and I didn't notice for a good 5 minutes. (In my defense, I was holding Gage and he fell asleep in my arms...so I was more worried about HIM then my poor husband being towed 20 feet behind me.)

We eventually got back, Token made us some mean Hobo dinner's and then we all went to bed. This was my favorite picture of the day ~ I had some time on my hands and started goofing around with my wide-angle and the sunshine. Nice combo 'eh?

If you want to see more pictures, you can to to my family blog in a few days.

2010-07-29T21:35:00.000-07:00

Well it's here again. Our yearly trip to Idaho. We plan this each year, and we spend it with Chance's sister, Token and her cute family. After debating for a little while, we decided not to leave until around 4:30pm. That way Chance could work most of the day. I, on the other hand, spent all day getting last minute things together: trying to clean up our house and getting our entire family bathed because I knew we wouldn't be doing it again until Sunday.

Does that sound like a lot? I didn't think so either. But we barely got out of here on time. We finally left, stopped to get gas and then started our trek.

We got to Logan.
Our 3 oldest were screaming and fighting in the backseat...Gage was screaming in the FRONT seat and I was running out ideas. Then it happened.

Gage puked.

He was like one of those cupid fountains that spit water. It just kept coming...and coming ~ and coming.

So.

We pulled over, I used about 100 wipes on him, the carseat, and his clothes, got his smelly, gross, clothes off, and then we all decided to stop for dinner. I mean who ISN'T hungry after watching their child throw up all over the place?!

After we all had full tummy's, we piled back into the truck and drove another 3 hours to our campsite. I love the area we camp in because it's so scenic and you rarely see another camper.

HOWEVER.

We got there, it was dark, and when we pulled up to the specific site we usually stay, it was taken! Dang. We ended up driving around for another hour and finally found a place. By THIS time it was around 11pm and I was done. The kids were done...I wanted bed. We hurried to set up camp, and I rushed to get the kids in their pj's and in bed.

Let's just say that I WISH our kids would sleep in. Gage was so messed up the next day that I really think he slept for about 6 hours straight.

2010-07-28T22:15:00.000-07:00

Camping preparations today.

Mowed Lawn.
Yelled at kids.
Finished Laundry.
Yelled at kids.
Fixed dinner.
Yelled at kids.
Packed.
Yelled at kids. (do you sense a pattern here?)

Oh......but most importantly, it was Gage's BIRTHDAY today. Holy crud. He turned ONE. I cannot believe an entire YEAR has gone by. I love our little man, and I could not imagine our family without him. I, truly, feel that is the miracle of families. When I first found out I was pregnant with him I was pretty apprehensive...he was a happy surprise. You know what though? I would never trade him for ANYTHING. I am so happy that we were blessed with our little boy, Gage ~ and I KNOW he was meant to be a part of our family.

Happy Birthday little boy. You are so much fun! You're JUST about walking (you'll take about 5 steps before turfing it), you like to babble, and you are always up for a game. I love your cuddles, the fact that you will still fall asleep on my shoulder, and I still smell your head each and every time I pick you up. When you get frustrated, you scream like a little girl, and you have quite the temper on you when you don't get your way. You allow Grace to pick you up and carry you all over the house without complaining, and you never have to cry long before one of your siblings comes to your rescue. You are truly loved.

Happy Birthday!

PS ~ stay tuned for Gage's birthday portraits. You'll love 'em.

2010-07-27T21:30:00.000-07:00

First let me tell you a small background story. Morgan and Grace began playing a game about 2 weeks ago that I like to call, "I'm them."

They will read a book, watch a TV show...whatever. They will then say, "I'm her." or "I'm him." If it's a book, they will take turns picking the person that they are, point to that person, turn the page and do it all over again. This occupies their time for HOURS. Hours.

This game has morphed into naming friends and family members or even cars. Here was our conversation today in the car:

Morgan: I'm Ian and Ethan.
Crede: I'M IAN.
Morgan: No, I'M IAN.
Grace: I'm Alaina.
Morgan: I'm Ian, Ethan and Alaina.
Crede: I'm Ethan.
Grace: I'm Ethan and Ian and Alaina.
Morgan: GRACE! I'M ETHAN.
Grace: No Moogan, I'M ETHAN.
Crede: NO! I'M ETHAN.

Me: You can ALL be Ethan. More than one person can be Ethan, or Ian, or Alaina. It DOESN'T MATTER!!!!!!!!!!!

This conversation happens on a pretty regular basis in our home.
Serenity Now.

2010-07-26T15:06:00.000-07:00

Today I had a way fun photo session with a brand new baby BOY. This has been my first boy! I don't know why, but there has been an explosion of girls lately...so I was pretty excited. Here is my favorite picture of the day.

LOVE it. Big sister was super cute with her little brother. She even made us some Gumbo as I worked.

Gumbo?

I know! That's what I said. Apparently she likes "The Princess and the Frog."

2010-07-25T15:02:00.000-07:00

Yes, we're the crazy parents who set off all our fireworks at 7:30pm so that our kids can go to bed. Believe me, if our children would sleep in AT ALL, we would let them stay up late here and there. You know what time they get up, regardless of the time they go to bed? 7am.

Grr. (And they're not the happiest kids either.)

So tonight we got out all our fireworks early and the kids all had a blast. On July 4th, Chance mocked me a few times about buying teensy, tiny sparklers. Do you think my new ones were big enough?

Do you?

2010-07-24T14:50:00.000-07:00

Awhile ago I mentioned that Chance won a 500.00 gift-card to Cabela's, right? Well today was the big day. We geared up all morning to spend our afternoon shopping. I was a little excited for the first time in my life because I had the opportunity to actually buy something there that I was interested in...and that wasn't hunting related.

So.

We packed all the kids up ~ pretty much got after them the ENTIRE car ride there (oh man...they took fighting to the next level) and then packed 3 of them into the shopping cart once there. Morgan was the only child allowed to walk.

A couple of people even came up to me and said, "Are all these kids yours?" Really?! What kind of question is that. **sigh** One guy looked at me, incredulous, when I said, "Yep!" and then said, "Wow. You must have your hands full."

Thanks, sir.

**turning on my meditation music.....****
Ooooooooommmmmm...

Aaaaanyway,

I had this grandiose picture in my head of an overflowing basket once we figured what we'd spend 500.00 on. You know what? It went pretty dang fast. I did, however, score a EZ-up canopy. YES!! We'll test it out next week on our camping trip.

Until next time, Cabela's.

Oh, and the picture today? Well. We returned home from Cabela's and found a present on our doorstop. Grandpa Angell had paid us a visit for Gage's upcoming birthday next Wednesday. As you can see, he was diggin' the blue bow. It was his very first Thomas the Train. Thank's Grandpa.

2010-07-23T21:54:00.000-07:00

My oldest daughter is too much like I am. When sometimes it's really fun because I know how she feels about specific things (at least I tell myself that I do) or how she might react in certain situations, we butt heads quite often.

The last few days have been a little rocky here in the Bailey home. We've had many a one-on-one talks with Morgan. Our little girl has quite the temper on her. She'll completely blow her top but then 20 minutes later will come apologize. She is super thoughtful, and she really does try to make good choices after the fact. I think that this is just the one thing that she will struggle with her entire life. It's a hard thing to control your temper sometimes...(just ask my entire family.....) and that is just the one thing that Morgan struggles with.

Today was a good example. I don't even recall what started the screaming match, but she, eventually, got sent to bed early. As I was sitting downstairs, she brought me down this note, and a plate with a cookie on it. It's just too hard to stay mad when I am inhaling chocolate chips, ya know?

I've got a great daughter. I love you, bug.

PS: Mom gets a little impatient sometimes too.

SOMEtimes.

2010-07-22T21:47:00.000-07:00

I think it might be time that I update my makeup. I really hope that the day never comes when people look at me and think, "Oh no...did she even look in the mirror this morning?"

I also fear such phrases as:

"Hey lady! The 80's called ~ they want your clothes back!"
OR
"Did you use an entire can of aqua-net on that hair?"

When I was younger I admit, I people-watched quite often...and, I have to be honest here, MIGHT HAVE said something along those lines about people I didn't know. So perhaps this might just be written in my karma. Who knows.

At least I don't wear the old Vaurnet sunglasses anymore. **snicker**
Oh please....you know you loved them too.

2010-07-21T13:32:00.000-07:00

Yea! This is our garden. (And our swingset....just ignore that though.)

I never would have thought I, Emily, would have a garden. When Chance and I first moved into our house, we tried planting one. We started off pretty gung-ho' but quickly found that weeds were harder to control than we thought. Our corn-stalks only got about waist high, and who knew that you needed to pick your radishes before the tops got 2 feet high!

Fast forward 8 years.

We've officially become gardeners. Today I tore out my peas (they're pretty much done) and spread out my pumpkins so that they have room to move. As I was out there I was amazed that I actually have pumpkins starting. My corn-stalks are taller that I am, I actually have peppers, and my tomato's are jungle-esque.

Pretty fun if you ask me!
Homemade salsa....here we come.

2010-07-20T12:58:00.001-07:00

As I listen to a semi-quiet house, with semi-quiet kids....I leave you with one more camping picture.

Lataz...

2010-07-19T12:43:00.000-07:00

So...what happens when I go to the gym and work out for an hour but then come home to find that our friends brought us brownies?

I eat 4.

Does that count as even?
Hope so.

PS ~ thanks guys...you didn't need to do that! (But they were GooooooOOOOOOd!)

2010-07-18T12:15:00.000-07:00

Last night I laid Crede down for a nap at 4pm thinking that I'd let him sleep until 5pm ~ for dinner. I went in to get him up, carried him upstairs and then he proceeded to fall asleep on the couch, at the dinner table, and anywhere else he could find 5 minutes to sit.

So.

He went to bed at 5pm, Gage went to bed at 5:30pm, and Grace & Morgan went to bed around 6:30. I took the longest shower in the history of mankind and then wondered what the Pioneers did back in the day. I can't believe how many luxuries we have in our everyday life that we just take for granted.

ANYWAY,

We all woke up this morning so refreshed and ready for our Sunday. Church was really good...we came home and I asked Morgan if she wanted to be in charge of our Family Home Evening (yes, we have ours on Sunday now due to crazy work schedules) later...and then I made cookies.

We hung out, Morgan prepared an AMAZING lesson (she even had handouts for us) and when Family Home Evening came, I couldn't tell you how proud I was of her. We talked about Choosing the Right. She found a beanbag, told us 4 different scenario's and then threw the beanbag to one of us and asked "What should you do?" Man, my oldest is growing up.

After our lesson, we had a little craft-time and made some necklaces. I then set up my tripod and we took some family pictures. My kids, FYI are all in their pajama's...I really don't dress them like this all the time. (At least not everyday...) Our pictures started out all civil-like, but then quickly progressed to the darkside. I think our last picture taken had Morgan diving in mid-air, my leg was sticking straight up, and Chance had a preeettty impressive face goin'. I sure love my family.

2010-07-17T16:11:00.000-07:00

Day #4

Well here we are. After 4 days of camping, this is what our sorry group looked like. (heh heh) I am not sure why, but we always do "themed pictures". This is our smiling one...but I will have to show you others on my family blog. You will see such photo's as our "bear picture", a "deer picture", a "silly face" picture, a "fishy face picture" and even a "muscle picture". I know, we are so inventive!

Do you want me to tell you of our "Tale of the never-ending night?" Were you on the edge of your seat after my last post? Get comfy...here goes.

It all began as we went to sleep last night. We assumed it would cool off, but you know what? I don't think that it got down below 85 degrees. We were all miserable. Our camper acts as a giant hot-box. It doesn't allow the air to circulate so well. Also, the campsite had "quiet hours" so we couldn't run our generator...therefore we couldn't run our air conditioner. I have never been so uncomfortable at night in my LIFE. Oh ~ wait. I've had 4 kids...scratch that. I HAVE...but it's just been awhile. So anyway, we woke up in the middle of the night to a huge wind-storm. I kept thinking, "Oh good...it'll cool down NOW."

It didn't.

We got up super early (along with everyone else in our camp) because non of us could sleep. We all shared our middle-of-the-night-horror-stories with each other and I kept thinking of poor, poor 8-months-pregnant Sara. Wow. Up until last night we were all thinking that Yuba was a pretty fun place! Scratch that! I think we are going to stick with camping up North from now on.

Wow.

What was funny was when Chance walked into the front part of our camper where Gage was "sleeping", he was laying on his back, arms and legs completely sprawled out, just opening and closing his mouth as he looked up at Chance. That might have been his very first prayer...."Please oh please help me not be this hot ever again..." Poor kid!

So we all packed up, took some (TONS of) pictures, and headed home. Our trip was so much fun, and I am so thankful that we have such good friends to share such good memories with. I am also thankful that our truck and trailer were PROBLEM FREE. During the first few years of our marriage, it wasn't a true "Bailey family vacation" without SOMETHING going wrong.

**knock on wood.**

2010-07-16T15:39:00.000-07:00

Day #3

We headed out for the beach again, but someone (I shall remain nameless) decided to try a different beach this time. We all piled in the truck, drove about 20 minutes to our new beach spot, realized that it completely STUNK, got back in the truck, drove ANOTHER 20 minutes to the same spot we had before. We were getting there a little late in the day by this point, so it was a little crowded. Chance suggested we drive to the other side of the beach where it was more open so we piled BACK INTO the truck and drove there. We pulled up, noticed it was too rocky, so we all drove BACK to the original beach. By THAT time we were all so ticked off that we pretty much just kept to ourselves for a good 20 minutes until we all cooled down. Well....all of us except the Packs. I don't think they get ticked off at anything. When we decided for the 3rd time to find a new spot, Nate said, "Are you serious?"

But that's what friends do. We might get a little mad at each other, but we get over it. We set up our shade canopy's, get out our food, and realize that we still have a good 5 hours to spend on the beach. We enjoy our time together, again, all day long...and then when it's time to leave we all help each other pack it up again. We realize that we're all human, and even though we might have wasted a good hour that morning, we still have a LOT of fun together.

As you can see, it wasn't all fun and games at the beach. Here is Grace in time out...and as you can see, she wasn't all too thrilled that I was taking her picture. That's what you get when you throw fits, little girl.

Chance and I left a LITTLE early as to start dinner (we were in charge that night). We ate and ate, and I realized that I made WAY to much food. I then spent the rest of our camping trip trying to pawn off my pound cake so that I wouldn't have so much left-over. My peanut-butter bars were gone though, so that was a good thing. But next year? I don't need 7 pounds of hamburger. Note to self: 4 pounds will do.

After dinner I got everyone cleaned up (our campsite had showers so that we could shower the kids) and then we hung out. It was a little cloudy so I was looking forward to a nice, cool evening.

You know what we got?

Not that.
Was that good foreshadowing?

2010-07-15T15:20:00.000-07:00

Day #2

I really had a hard time finding my favorite picture of the day. You'll have to keep checking out my family blog to see more pictures from today. It was SO. MUCH. FUN.

We found an alternative beach without all the fun sticker bushes, we headed out just after lunch when it started getting hot, and we stayed all day. We played in the nice, soft sand, we watched our crazy husbands make up games to play in the water, and we snacked until our hearts were content.

This picture is Chance and Nate running to catch the football during one of their competitive games they concocted. And yes, Chance and Collin won.

Gage spent most of the day in a blown-up tube snacking on Lucky Charms, Grace and Crede dug in the sand most of the day, and Morgan floated around on a tube. We got back to camp and ate a dinner made by Sara and Nate (which was so delicious!!) and played in a nearby grassy area. The sun was just setting and I got some pretty fun pictures. Again...check out my other blog if you are interested. You've got to give me a few days though. I'm a little slow.

We finished off the night with some card-playing. I don't think I've laughed that hard in a long, long time. We had to turn down the lantern so low as to not attract huge, gross bugs and then all of us looked like we were 80 year olds trying to read our cards. I was officially designated a bug-a-phobe, and Gina kept sneaking her flashlight under the table because she couldn't see her cards. The result was that she looked like she wanted to tell us all a spooky story about a man with a hook. Chance didn't want to skip me (because he was afraid of my wrath) so dared John to do it...which resulted in a conversation dealing with John needing to brush his teeth. (If you were there....you'll smile to yourself, I know.)

Morgan was allowed to stay up with the older kids so we heard them all playing "Ghost in the Graveyard", and we ALL marveled at the stars. Millions and millions...perhaps even a Gigillion stars were in the sky that night. It was completely clear. So, so pretty. We even wore sweatshirts to bed, it was so cool out.

Fun, fun day.

2010-07-14T15:04:00.000-07:00

Day #1

We all decided to leave right after the kids ate lunch. We packed everything up, we said our family prayer, and we piled into the truck. We met at our friends house and all followed each other out. We made a quick stop to Maverik for some drinks (for the Steadmans), threw away some last minute trash, and headed.

We drove...and drove...and ~ drove. Every few minutes Morgan would ask, "Mom, how many more minutes." To which I would say, "A LONG time." To which SHE would say, "But HOW long." This happened in 20 minute intervals. Grace and Crede were sitting next to each other (which didn't end well) so I finally relented and got the ol' DVD player out. After fashioning a strap to hold it to the back of the seat, (McGyver style) we had peace and quiet for about an hour. Gage slept (HooRAY!!) none of us had to use the restroom, and we made it to the city of Nephi all in one piece.

Did you know that there is a lavender farm off the freeway out there? It was the coolest thing! I rolled down the windows as we passed and it smelled HEAVENLY. Mmmm.

Anywho, we stopped, got us some Subway sandwiches for dinner and then headed out yet again. We arrived at Yuba Lake 30 minutes later. We found our very scenic campsite, surrounded by sage-brush and dead trees, tried to trade in OUR campsite for the one next door with the plush grass and shaded trees, found out we couldn't, and then set up camp. Can I just tell you how dang hot it was? I really think it was 100+ when we got there. We were all standing on asphalt or rocks that absorbed the heat very nicely. Once we got set up, we sat under our shade canopy's and vegged. Oh...we also walked down to the beach that was right next to our site.

We got down there, tried to avoid all the sticker-bushes on the beach (there were TONS), saw our neighbors down there who just happened to be camping there at the exact same time...and then walked back up to camp. Once that dang sun went down it was very pleasant out there, the kids all entertained themselves (considering there was 20 kids total in our group), and we downed our Subway sandwiches.

Yay for Day #1. No injuries, no fights, no problems.

2010-07-13T15:00:00.000-07:00

This, ladies and gentlemen, is just our food. Our non-REFRIGERATED food. This will last us 4 days. I will be so happy to get this off my kitchen table here in the next week or so.

We really have a good food-system up camping. See, there are 5 families going and each of us take a turn with either breakfast or dinner. That way I only have to worry about lunches and one dinner. The only downside would have to be the fact that it's a little hard to plan a dinner for 30+ people.

I likes my food though. Camping is pretty much an excuse to buy that box of Hostess crumb doughnuts (Did you know that they've changed their name to crunch doughnuts? Whaa?) that I've been coveting all year long, and that jumbo, hernia-sized container of licorice.

2010-07-12T14:52:00.000-07:00

I feel like the Grizwolds on vacation each time we go camping.

"Is that your luggage?"
"Nope. We got the Igloo cooler and the Piggly Wiggly bags."

2010-07-11T12:45:00.001-07:00

Sunday afternoons are pretty rockin', in my opinion. The kids are all pooped from church so we come home, eat a quick lunch, and then 2 of my 4 kids take naps. 3, if you count Chance. My oldest 2 children usually ask to go play outside or ask to play the Wii. This leaves me with some quiet time to myself (when it's not 11:00 at night) to do what I would like. Like I said, it's rockin'!

I made us some brownies for later tonight (mmmmmmm.....chocolate) (They're also the 'made from scratch' kind ~ not the 'just add water and an egg' kind.) and am waiting for 3:00 to come so I can go to choir practice. So, I suppose that's pretty much our day! I do, however, wish that you, too could smell these brownies in my oven. (I think I used too many comma's in that last sentence. Sorry you grammar-crazy people out there.)

Have a good day! Tomorrow the craziness begins. Camping in 3 days. Readyyy...........

GO!

2010-07-10T12:32:00.000-07:00

We finally drug out the camper today to un-winterize it, fill it up with propane (and by we I suppose I should say Chance) and park it so that I could clean it. I don't really know why, but I was on a cleaning frenzy this evening. Perhaps it was because I felt lost and lazy all day.

Lost and lazy you ask? Why yes! I don't really have a book to read right now (my Great and Terrible Series is finally over), I don't have any photo's to edit (anyone need a session? My next one is in 2 weeks.) and I didn't have a chance to go to the gym. I basically wandered around the house looking for something to do.

So after chance was finished driving the camper around, he released it to me. Yay! I got in there with rags, Windex and soapy water and went to town. I'm not 100%, but I'm pretty sure it's a safe bet to say that the windows in there have never been cleaned. (We bought it in 2003) I did the insides AND the outsides, thank you. You want to hear something disgusting though? I got in the bathroom with my bowl of soapy water and rung out the rag to start wiping stuff down when guess what fell out of the rag? I niiiice big, healthy, earwig. I'm pretty sure my neighbors heard me. **shudder** That is the WORST. Ew.

It is now clean. I am now armed with a huge shopping list, and a ginormous "to-do" list for Monday and Tuesday. We're leaving on Wednesday.

Yay camping!! It's so nice to get away and not worry about everyday "cares" (yes, you can use air-quotes there if you so wish) for awhile. Oh, and while we are gone, I will still be taking pictures, and will still be journaling, so don't give up on me. I'll be back.

So until tomorrow....BYE!

2010-07-09T14:58:00.000-07:00

Gage has an obsession. An addiction if you will.

The toilet.

I cannot tell you how many times I have found him in the bathroom playing in the water. Too many to count. As sad as that is, and as gross.....I'm actually getting used to it. Sick!

One night Grace gave him a plastic fork and spoon to play with while I was fixing dinner. He was MIA for a few minutes so I decided to go find him. I walked into the bathroom to find him playing (with the utensils) in the toilet (that wasn't flushed mind you ~ Crede has an issue in that department.). I grabbed Gage, told Grace not to go into the bathroom until I could clean it up in there, and proceeded to clean up my child. After he was cleaned off, I walked into the hallway where Grace hands me the fork and spoon and says, "Mom, I dried them off for you!"

Um...ew.

So I then walked BACK into the bathroom, FLUSHED THE TOILET, took the towels down to be washed, threw the fork and spoon away and mopped the floor. I then had to give a short tutorial on how to actually flush the toilet when done, how to not touch the toilet water, and how to actually shut the bathroom door when finished.

Oh but that wasn't all.

Last Saturday he was playing in the toilet with a green Frisbee (which is now in the garbage), a couple days ago I walked in to find the empty toilet paper roll, (wet and un-rolled), water, and Gage all sitting on the bathroom floor, and just YESTERDAY was the coup de gras. I walked in to, again, an un-flushed toilet (thanks Crede) and Gage standing there with toilet paper hanging off his chin. **cringe**

REALLY!!??

I don't think it's complicated. Go potty. Flush the toilet. CLOSE THE BATHROOM DOOR!
Sorry Gage...I'm really not trying to poison you before you hit the age of ONE.

2010-07-08T14:52:00.000-07:00

Grace: Mom...can I have some diamonds now?
Me: Diamonds?
Grace: Right der Mom.
Me: Oh...you mean VITAmins.
Grace: Yeah...vimins.
Crede: VITAmins.
Grace: Vvvvvvvvimans.
Crede: Vvvvvitamins.
Grace: Vidamens.

2010-07-07T13:06:00.000-07:00

Today I picked up my temple print. Whatcha think? It's propped up on my piano...I still need to get it framed. For now, here it is.

Ta da!!!!!

2010-07-06T12:28:00.000-07:00

Crede: Grandma, did you pick your nose today?
Grandma: No, Grandma's don't pick their noses.
Crede: Oh.....just kids, huh.

2010-07-05T12:27:00.000-07:00

Really?
PotteryBarn, you make it hard to live up to these expectations.

2010-07-04T12:20:00.000-07:00

Oh man it was hard getting up this mornng. Our alarm went off at 7:15am. It doesn't SOUND early, but when you're up all night with your kids the night before.....it is. We all got ready for church, and when we got home at noon, we ate lunch and EVERYONE took a nap. (Everyone but me.) It was sooooooo nice. We woke up, ate some dinner and even went on a walk. After that - we were hanging out in our backyard when our friends, the Steadmans, walked by. We all hung out and talked for awhile. Chance asked if they were lighting fireworks that night...they said "no." but then asked if we wanted to go to THEIR house for firepit and smores. (Um.....okay!!) If you know me at all, I heart smores. We brought over our slim selection of fireworks, and they fed us unlimited smores and marshmallows.

We hung out over there, battled with Gage to get him to sleep, and let the kids run around until about 11pm. We walked home, put all the kids in bed, and CRASHED. Do you think our kids will be ornery tomorrow?

Yeah, me too. Thanks Steadmans. We had a lot of fun.

2010-07-03T12:11:00.000-07:00

We had quite the fun day today. We all got up early, got ready, and went to the West Point City parade. After getting there and sitting down, I realized how stinking cold it was. (Chance just kept saying, "It's a nice day!!") We shivered until about 8:30 until it warmed up enough for us.

We watched the parade, ate free Krispie Kreme doughnuts, let the kids play at the park, and then went home to let kids take a nap. Chance then spent the entire afternoon fixing our bathroom faucett. After about losing his sanity, it was fixed and we left to go to the fireworks.

My kids LOVED them. Morgan insisted on earplugs (she HATES loud noises) and Gage slept through the whole thing. We were able to spend the day with Token and her family, and even some old friends of ours...Chad and Cara.

This picture was taken just before the fireworks started. Me and my better half. Happy 4th of July!! (If you want to see more pictures, go here.)

2010-07-02T14:58:00.000-07:00

Ever since we watched "The Tooth Fairy" on Tuesday, Morgan has been a little obsessed with playing tooth fairy at home. This game consists of dressing accordingly, picking someone to lose their tooth and then pretending to sneak into their bedroom without being noticed. She even has a bag with invisibility spray, and some "Cat-be-gone".

Here are my crazy kids playing with their cute friends. Goof-balls.

2010-07-01T14:44:00.000-07:00

This morning I got up and immediately began preparations for our day. I had 2 swimming pools to inflate, and a water-slide to drag out of the shed. I then had to fill said pools with water and drag our 3 hoses out to the water-slide. I washed lawn furniture, and in the meantime, yelled at my kids to "stay out of the water!!" (I know, it doesn't make much sense to me either.)

Around noon my friends arrived. We had so much fun. Our kids played out in the water until almost 5pm. We snacked, we laughed, and most importantly, we were basically child-free for those few hours. It was nothing short of a miracle that Gage slept the ENTIRE TIME. I kept running in my house to check on him to make sure I could hear him breathing on his monitor. It was so unlike him to sleep for so long...but it was soooo appreciated (just this once). Around dinnertime ~ we came in, bathed, ate dinner, and then I had to clean it all up. Judging by the shear amount of floaties in this water, do you think the kids had any fun?

Naaa.

Man, I'm pooped. It's a good-tired though. I am so happy to have such good friends...and my kids are just as lucky. Thanks, everyone, for coming over! We'll do it again here soon.

2010-06-30T14:29:00.000-07:00

Okay...here's the short version of this story:

We have an old faucet in our bathroom. This faucet has been leaking for about 3 months now. Chance just told me to not worry about it, that it wasn't a big deal. In my anxiety-riddled head I kept thinking of the millions of gallons of water we were wasting by letting our faucet drip. (I know ~ it is a little OCD)

So. I drove to Lowes, bought a NEW faucet and left it for Chance to install. I will not pretend to know ANYTHING about plumbing. Knowing MY luck, my entire bathroom would flood. Well. I got home tonight around 9:45pm. Chance was already in bed, and I found this note. He decided to take on the faucet installation. YES!!

But.

Do you find anything, oh ~ I don't know....peculiar about this note? I have a few questions: the most important one would have to be.....what was my pillow doing in the bathroom?!

**update**
Chance went to fix our faucet, and re-twisted his knee (look here for entire story)...so he had to find something soft to kneel on while ducking underneath our vanity. I only had one thing to point out to him...and that was, "So why didn't you just use YOUR pillow?!" My only consolation would have to be the fact that I just cleaned my bathroom (and floor) the day before. It hadn't had too much time to get completely disgusting. It's just the IDEA. **shudder**

2010-06-29T12:30:00.000-07:00

This was week #4 of our summer movies. We watched "The Tooth Fairy". It was pretty cute. I enjoyed it, Morgan enjoyed it, Grace endured it, Crede was pretty bored, and Gage....well Gage was a little stink-pot.

Here are all the cute kids before the show started.

My Mom came too, got there early, and as I walked up to her she said, "I got here a little early and there were TONS of girls outside the theatre with camp chairs! SOMETHING must be going on here. I thought a minute....and - aha!

I said, "Mom, it's all those crazy 'Eclipse' women." She looked at me with a puzzled look on her face...and then I said, "You know, the whole Twilight series?" She then said, "ooooooh. Okay." Chance and I usually just wait until it comes out on DVD and then rent it for a buck. (I heart Redbox). I hope all you girlies out there enjoy the movie tonight. I'll be working my tush off at the gym trying to keep up with Token. Anyone want to join us?

2010-06-28T12:18:00.000-07:00

Our lawn was lookin' a bit scary, Chance's knee was still out of commission, so I decided to mow our lawn. I really don't have it bad...it's a riding lawnmower. The only thing I have to complain about is the look of our mower. See, Chance screwed 2 deer antlers to it, like the old cars with fins...only our "fins" are on the front.

But I digress.

As I was mowing I noticed a few things. First of all, our garden is growing!! We actually had some peas to pick. Second, I think a poor bird lost its life out there. There was a huge pile of gray feathers out in the middle of our lawn. For obvious reasons, I chose the peas as my subject matter for today. Perhaps next time I'll show you our lawnmower. I can then rant about the fact that we have antlers attached to pretty much everything we own.

Oh, and Chance ended up going to the doctor today. Guess what? He tore his Meniscus. Yep, it SOUNDS scary, but pretty much he needs about a week to recover and he should be fine.

HooRAY!

Now I just need to help Chance realize he will be turning thirtyFOUR this year. No more wrestling moves.

2010-06-27T12:09:00.000-07:00

Seeing as Chance couldn't even get out of bed today, he didn't go to church. And seeing as I wasn't going to take all 4 of my kids to church by myself, I stayed home.

Why is it that when we stay home from church our day is CRAZY?! Our kids, by noon, were so bored that I think they might have WANTED to take a nap. Okay, okay - I don't think it could ever get THAT bad, but it was bad. This picture was taken during a brief moment of peace. Isn't it interesting what food will do to kids?

We had a day filled with fits, screaming, frustration, and then there were the kids! They were bored out of their minds. Chance had to sit on the couch all day long. He didn't move. I kept asking, "Do you want to go to the doctor?" to which he kept answering, "No, I'll be fine." I would also ask (or rather tell) him, "Here. Take some Ibuprofin." Chance would then answer, "No, I'm fine." As a wife, I don't want to be the nagger - so I nagged just a LITTLE BIT by saying, "The Ibuprofin will help your swelling." where Chance only heard, "Blah blah blah - Ibuprofin - blah blah blah."

Later in the evening Chance said, "I think my knee is getting worse." I said, "You need to take Ibuprofin! It helps your swelling!" Chance then says those 5 words I love to hear:

"You didn't tell me that!"

**sigh**

At THIS point he actually started listening. He got the ice pack out, got some Ibuprofin in him, and we tried to call the doctor once Chance thought about it. (It was 7:30pm on a Sunday.) Obviously, nowhere was open so we chose to wait until tomorrow.

I'm just hoping it's not his ACL. Please oh please I hope we can make it through ONE year without worrying about dumb medical bills.

2010-06-26T11:54:00.000-07:00

The Denning Family Reunion.

It comes around every year, and every year it's fun. We WERE only going to go to the swim party in the evening, but Token and Corey talked us into going to the entire day of events. I am really glad we did. Thanks guys.

As you can see here, there were fun games for the kids to play (who wouldn't love to sift through wood chips to find hidden treasures?!), there were water fights, and there was good food.

We played (and by we I mean Chance) a game where you tie a balloon to your leg. Then you go around trying to pop everyone else's. Guess what? Chance was one of the last adults standing. It was him and a couple of kids. So. SOMEONE decided to call back every other player to try to pop Chance's balloon. Our cousin (who is hilarious) picked up Chance and tackled him to the ground. I think he even let out a primal scream. **shrug** ANYWAY...while Chance was pinned, everyone decided to dog-pile him. As he was trying to get up, he realized something was wrong with his knee.

Lovely!

The rest of the day he was limping around. (I wasn't sure if it was a "man cold" type injury, or if he was really hurt.) After the picnic and games, we went to the Roy Aquatic Center. Chance's Grandpa rents it every year. We get the whole place to ourselves. We went down the water-slides and the kids got to play until they couldn't even keep their eyes open anymore.

We rushed home, put the kids to bed, got a sitter, and went to see "The Grownups". Chance and I are pretty big Kevin James fans. There were a few parts where I actually think Chance shed tears he was laughing so hard. It was pretty funny.

Anywho,
I'll keep ya' posted about Chance and his knee. Being the stubborn MANLY man that he is, he will probably refuse to go to the doctor.

Mwahhhahahahahhaaaaa.......we shall see.

2010-06-25T11:38:00.000-07:00

Things I am thankful for today:

Family members who talk us into going to our family reunion tomorrow.

My kids (even my girls when they are throwing HUGE fits...and I mean HUGE.) when they play well together.

A husband who works too hard for our family.

Priceless conversations that I get to have with my kids everyday. (I just wish I could remember them all.)

2010-06-24T09:10:00.000-07:00

Today was SUCH a fun day.

Chance was asked to help at our churches girls camp. He, if you haven't figured out quite yet, is a hunter. A BOW hunter. So. They asked if he would come teach the girls in our ward some archery skillz. They invited me as well, and we even got an invitation to stay for dinner.

We got a sitter (thanks, Mom), got some lunch (thanks, Arby's), rode up with some good friends (thanks, Shari and John). We were officially child-free for about 10 hours. TEN!

We hung out, shot some arrows (Chance about fell over with shock when I actually tried it), and ate an AMAZING dutch-oven dinner. Oh man, it was good. We acted out a small skit/song, and even got to stay for testimony meeting. We got home around 11pm to a nice, cool, quiet house. I love spending time with my husband and realizing just how amazing he really is. I am so lucky to be married to such a good man.

2010-06-23T18:44:00.001-07:00

Da da da DAAAAAAAAAA

Today was the day.
My new laptop arrived.

Isn't it lovely?

PS
Even after loading EVERYTHING and then some, I still have a TON of space and it's still fast.

I think I've found my new crush.

2010-06-22T18:35:00.000-07:00

Crede has this thing that he has been doing with his nose. It's not an attractive thing... He scrunches his nose, lifts up his upper lip, and sits there. It's like he's smelled something stinky ~ only he hasn't and he does it all. the. time.

We've resorted to telling him..."Relax your nose, little boy." It took him a whole day to figure out what we meant. He didn't even realize he was doing it. So today while I was trying to take his picture, he would TRY to pull the face...but didn't really grasp it. I finally started getting "stern" with him (on purpose...because that's when the face comes out usually.) and he FINALLY pulled the face. Can you see it? It's not quite in all it's glory, but it's pretty close.

Another amusing thing from today also came from my little man. I was visiting the bathroom earlier this evening (and what is it with the fact that the SECOND I walk in, shut the door, and lock it, I have 3 children knocking each with an urgent message for me?!) when Crede knocked and said, "Mom! Are you playing in the bath tub?" I said, "No." He said, "Are you going potty?" I said, "Yes." He said, "Oh! I went potty too! Are you going pee?"

Okay, one more. Crede has also taken to explore the neighborhood. He will walk to the neighbors, and if they are outside, he'll ask for stuff. The other day he walked to my friend, Necha's, house and asked:

Crede: Do you have any yogurt?
Necha: No...sorry, I don't.
Crede: Do you have any strawberries?
Necha: Sorry Crede...

He has also walked to our neighbor 2 houses down and asked:

Crede: Can I play in your yard?
Our older semi-retired neighbor with no children at home: Sure!

Morgan walked over to find him about an hour later just playing in their sandbox that they have reserved for grand-kids who visit. The man who lives there? He was just out doing yard-work.

2010-06-21T13:30:00.000-07:00

You know how on TV people always drink a glass of wine while making their gourmet dinners?

Well, this was my taste of refinement today. Even though it's crystal light in a green, plastic cup, I was sipping it while making dinner. Does that count?

2010-06-20T13:10:00.000-07:00

I blew it.

Today was supposed to be an awesome Father's Day for my awesome hubby. But guess what? I blew it.

I woke up, made a sickening breakfast (which only my kids enjoyed), tried to get all the kids ready on my own so that Chance could have a relaxing day before church hit, and we all made it to church on time. All the kids were singing during Sacrament Meeting (which I had to play the piano for) and it just so happened it was at this exact time that Gage decided that he was done. Chance took him out, and then decided to go home and just lay him down for a nap instead of battling with him in the hallway. So not only did Chance miss all the cute singing, but he got to spend all morning in our filthy house where it looked like a bomb hit. (It's Sunday morning...that's what it always looks like by the way...) Needless to say, Chance felt as if his Father's Day was in ruins.

I had a plain-ol' card sitting out that I was going to take some time to write on after church, but looking back I PROBABLY should have done that BEFORE church. And even though Chance got an "official" Fathers Day present, he got it early - so I didn't even have a gift to hand him.

**sigh**

Maybe I can be a better wife next year.

2010-06-19T12:57:00.000-07:00

I think today MIGHT just have been a perfect day.

We started out the day going to a Ward party at our church house parking lot. They had a breakfast and a tribute to all the individuals in our ward that serve or have served in the military. I, honestly, had no idea there were so many people living around us!

The food was excellent, and there was even a little bike-decoarting station for the kids. They got to deck out their rides and show them off in a little parade.

Here are all the kids in all their glory. Grace is on the very right riding off to find Dad. Her tire went completely flat and she was trying to muster the strength to pedal over to him. Crede is the 2nd from the left looking behind him, and Morgan is right next to him on her bike.

After that fun-ness, we came home and I set up our huge, inflatable, water-slide and kiddie pool. I sat outside for the next, oh, 5 hours watching the kids enjoy themselves in the warm summer sunshine. My very favorite part of the day had to have been when Grace walked up to me all wet and cute...I asked if I could have a kiss (she kisses French-style and kisses both cheeks). She smiled and planted a nice cold one on my cheek. As she ran off to play with everyone, that cold kiss lingered and a cool breeze just happened to blow through the trees. There were birds singing, and the sounds of kids playing and having a great time. What else could a person ask for, really.

I think I just might miss those cold, wet kisses as my kids get older.
It was a good day.

2010-06-18T12:50:00.000-07:00

I had the awesome opportunity to take some fun pictures today. These cute kids belong to some good friends of mine. It was a lot of fun, and a lot of mosquito bites. I think one of their kids ended up with 24 bites. I, on the other hand, only got 6. I think it was due to the fact that Shari kept slapping them off of me as I was taking pictures. That's what friends are for, right? :)

If you want to see more, go to my photo blog...I'm still editing...so it'll be soon.

2010-06-17T12:39:00.000-07:00

Look reaaal hard. Can you see it?

It's Grace's name, written in pencil, on my wall. Can you guess what she has just learned to do? I know, the G looks like a W, but since she's only learned how to write her name as of 6 days ago, I'm lettin' it slide.

And a big THANK YOU to Mr. Clean. Whomever invented that Magic Eraser must be #1: a genius, and #2: Filthy Rich.

2010-06-16T12:34:00.000-07:00

Today was our kids' first experience with the Ice Cream Truck. Every year since living in this house, we've heard it drive by on occasion. This year, we've heard it almost every single night. At first, our kids were confused...

"Why is that loud song playing from that Van?"

Tonight, after a long day (for Mom), we had the kids in PJ's and almost in bed. Chance went out back for something and then came inside and said, "Go grab the kids...we'll let them get some ice cream."

They ran outside, waited patiently, and finally got their coveted and awaited creamie. (I know, we're lame parents that buy their kids CREAMIES. You want to know why? They were ONLY .75 vs. the other popsicles that were 1.50 each. Sha!)

This momentous occasion definitely had to be documented.

2010-06-15T10:46:00.000-07:00

THIS is why I have 50 mismatched pajama tops and bottoms in my dirty clothes basket each time I do the laundry.

**sigh**
Is 4 too young to hand over laundry responsibilities?

2010-06-14T22:21:00.000-07:00

Does anyone else ever suffer from deja vu...but can't remember why you're suffering from deja vu?? Our very kind neighbor gives us their old toys on occasion. My kids LOVE this, and I sometimes have fun reminiscing with the fun toys that I used to play with.

Hence the picture. I CANNOT remember what this car went to. Was it Strawberry Shortcake? I remember the dang thing, but it is stuck right on the edge of my brain and I can't remember.

Anyone?

I will bring cookies to the first person that tells me the correct answer.
Really!
Cookies.

2010-06-13T22:09:00.000-07:00

We borrowed this movie from my Sister In Law. I was super excited to watch it. See, I have a thing with Johnny Depp. He's just eccentric enough to be intriguing...and yet not eccentric enough to be completely crazy.

So.

I had some time this afternoon to watch it with my kids. Gage was sleeping, and I was excited to watch it. Anyone else out there watch it with their young kids? Anyone else have their kids hide under the blankets during the part where the mouse sticks a pin in the big monster's eye and pulls it out? Or how 'bout the part when Alice chops off the dragon's head? Was it really necessary to SHOW the severed head as it rolled down the steps?

Either (a) I'm waaaaay to over-protective of my kids or (b) they're imagination is getting the best of them or (c) that movie was just a TAD scary for kids aged 7, 4 and 3.

As always, however, Johnny Depp was fantastic. ***mwah!*** (that's my 'kiss-my-fingers-and-then-open-up-my-hand sound....for future reference of course.)

**update**
days later Morgan keeps saying, "Mom. You remember that part when Alice said, 'OFF WITH your HEAD!' and then cut off the dragons' head?" to which I say, "yeah..." to which MORGAN says, "That was funny, huh." Apparantly she wasn't as freaked out as I thought. Woo. Hoo.

2010-06-12T21:59:00.000-07:00

Aaaah string cheese. To eat it is an art. Morgan will take a good 10 minutes on one "cheese stick" as my kids like to call them. She will laboriously take one small string off at a time. Grace is a little less patient and will bite it like a hot dog. Crede, as you can see here, get's pretty absorbed in the whole peeling action as well.

The only complaint with string cheese is the consistency of it after it's been chewed a little. See, my kids have a habit of talking with their mouth full, and I have a habit of looking at the "see food" as they're talking to me. I don't even hear what they are saying because all I can focus on is the blob of creamy, chewed up cheese in their mouth.

Other than that...I'll give it an "A".

2010-06-11T12:47:00.000-07:00

I don't ask for much. Really. All I want is a nice, peaceful day with my kids. If my kids continue on the track they are on, this will be a very. long. summer.

Why is it that my kids can't talk nicely to each other? Why do they feel compelled to tattle on every. little. thing. I mean we'll be eating lunch and Grace will say in her best tattling talk...

"Moooommmmm. Crede's not eating his sandwich."

To which I will reply...

"Grace...mind your business. You just worry about you."

Does this phrase ever sink in? So far...no. Even Gage can't take a good nap because Grace and Morgan continue to pester each other. Grace will let out a blood curdling scream followed my Morgan either yelling, "GRACE!", or saying, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Shhhhhh...."

This morning I had an idea. I got some big blankets and made the girls a fort. They were soooo excited (for about 40 minutes) and then reverted back to their old, familiar routines. This picture was taken during one of the only positive moments we have had today.

**sigh**

2010-06-10T12:45:00.000-07:00

Grace is learning how to write her name. It's kind of funny...she'll try to write a letter (the ones she has the hardest time with would have to be the "a" and the "e". When she messes up she always says, "Uhhh...dangit." It's quite amusing...and cute.

Anyway, here's her name in all it's glory.

2010-06-09T09:50:00.000-07:00

Things I'm thankful for today:

Sleep-over's at Grandma's
Quiet House (see above)
Summer Movies
Oh...and Hostess Crumb Doughnuts.

2010-06-08T09:40:00.000-07:00

I spent the good part of my day today fearing another Migraine. See, last night I got one...without the spots (which I hate because they don't really give you any warning)and spent the night writhing on the couch. It's always interesting to me what pain does to a person. I start out in denial, "It's not going to be THAT bad. Just relax and it will go away." Then I progress to, "Maybe I'll just lay down for a minute and close my eyes. That'll do the trick." and finish with, "Oh man, let me just fall asleep. Come on.....sleep." If I'm unlucky and can't fall asleep I am left with writhing. It starts with putting pressure on my head, and then moves to tapping my foot...my hand...SOMETHING which sometimes helps take my mind off of the knife that's stuck into the side of my head. If it gets worse than that I am usually puking into the toilet. Ugh. I am, however, so grateful to have pain medication to help me, and a husband that tries to make the house as quiet as possible. What did people do back in the day before Tylenol #3?

Today I felt like I had a hangover (which, for the record, I've never had...just FYI) and spent all morning and afternoon trying to get rid of the lingering aches in my head. I pretty much read all day (I'm now on book #5) and tried not to move too much.

Does that sound like an exciting day? Yep! Oh, and I'm trying to get Grace to learn her talk for Sunday. It's quite the interesting experience. It's a total of 3 sentences and I'm trying to help Grace memorize them. We'll see if it actually happens.

Sorry...no funny stories for today. Check back soon. :)

2010-06-07T14:36:00.001-07:00

I am going to join a gym. I've found one that is only 15.00 a month, and my skinny, athletic Sister In Law goes to the same one. I tried it out for the first time today (with one of my free passes they gave me) and really liked it. It's nice walking on a treadmill without saying such phrases as, "Do NOT touch the treadmill. You will get hurt VERY bad.", or, "Please don't throw that stuffed animal on the treadmill. Mom just about tripped and fell."

Today I did a little elliptical, stair climber and spin. Oh and don't forget my single rep on the weights. (IS there such thing as a SINGLE rep? **shrug** There is now.)

2010-06-06T14:26:00.000-07:00

Last night around 5pm we decided to have a BBQ today. We called Chance's sister, and then thought, "You know...we should invite their new neighbors. (Their new house being built only has one neighbor so far, and he's a HUGE hunter.)

Well.

That was all fine and good until we started realizing all that we needed to do to be ready for our food-fest. When we got home from Antlerfest, I ran in, bathed the kids for church this morning, cleaned up the house as best as I could and cleaned the downstairs bathroom. Chance mowed the lawn and cleaned up the yard. I had to make 2 different trips to the store for buns, hamburger meat...and then realized today DURING our BBQ that we were out of ketchup.

It was a lot of fun, the kids had a good ol' time, but I don't think our new friends will want to come back for any more "Bailey" time. Crede was beating up on their little 18 month old...(pouring sand over his head, pushing him down the Little Tikes slide). We had a campfire and roasted marshmallow's while the kids played tag in the dark, and we even dodged a rogue bat that decided to pay us a visit. (I think I yelled louder than anyone else there.)

Anywho, I was glad that we had such a fun night.
The End.

2010-06-05T14:08:00.000-07:00

Antlerfest.

Yes, there is such a thing, and yes it's just a bunch of men looking (and trying to match-up) deer antlers. Did you know that my husband can look at a pair of deer antlers and tell if it's from the same buck?

I drove to Antlerfest with my deer, (no pun intended..heh heh..okay it's intended.) sweet, hunting-crazed husband today. It really wasn't too bad because there was a shady patch of grass I was able to hang out on with the kids while Chance socialized. We had the good ol' portable DVD player (which has saved us on NUMEROUS occasions) and after wards we even got to go out to dinner. (Yay, Mayan!)

You want to know something? When Chance got back in the car to leave he said, "You have been so patient! There were a few of the guys that even said to me, 'I wish I had YOUR wife for my own.'" Apparently I was one of the most patient wives they have ever witnessed in the history of Antlerfest. I'll let you in on a little secret. It's being married for 10 years and realizing that I have my own obsessions that I would like Chance to participate in (even if he only waits for me in the car.)and knowing that my time will soon come.

Until next year, Antlerfest. I'll be looking forward to it even more than this year.

2010-06-04T19:32:00.000-07:00

As I sat down on the couch to enjoy a peanut butter sandwich with the peanut butter spread niiiiice and thin, Chance says:

Chance: You eat your sandwiches all wrong.
Me: Excuse me?
Chance: You don't have any order to your bites.
Me: Order?
Chance: You're all over the place. You take a bite on one side, turn it, bite it on another side....
Me: I'm sorry, are we really having this conversation?
Chance: See, here's how you do it.
Me: .....
Chance: You bite the rounded corner, bite the OTHER rounded corner and then bite the middle section. After that, you bite the bottom corners and then the OTHER middle section. See...then you have one niiiice long strip that you can bite down.
Me: Seriously.
Chance: Yes!
Me: **finishing up the last of my sandwich** You're nuts.

2010-06-03T21:34:00.001-07:00

I had a proud Mommy Moment today.

Morgan is out of school tomorrow (YES!) and today was their end of the year school awards assembly. I received a phone call from her teacher telling me that I MIGHT want to show up because Morgan would be receiving some kind of award.

I arranged for a sitter (thanks, as always, Token) and spent the morning at Morgan's school. Each grade (and class within that grade) gives out specific awards. Morgan got "Best in Math" for her 1st grade class. She also worked really hard reading "A.R." books during the year, so she received a "Most Accomplished Reader" award as well. She even got 2 free books. Yay bug!

And, of course, I was the crazy Mom in the front row yielding my camera and standing up so that no one else could see behind me.

Oh well. That's my daughter up there!

2010-06-02T21:29:00.000-07:00

Today I...well what did I do?

I washed clothes. (Does laundry really, ever end?)
I read. (The Great and Terrible Series...highly recommended. I'm on book #4)
I yelled at kids. (Not a good day for patience. I'm still working on that one.)

Oh, and I took some really great pictures of some really great people. If you want to see more, go here

2010-06-01T21:14:00.000-07:00

My cute Sister In Law is building a house down in Hooper. (Pronounced Hup - er if you are a true Utahn) It is going to be a BEAUTIFUL house, and it's in the middle of farm land.

Yesterday we went to their house for dinner, hung out at the adjacent park for a little bit while eating "Otter Pop's" and then decided to drive down to see the progress being made on their home. While we were walking around inside the kids ran down the road to see a horse they lovingly named "Jack Jack." He is (or should I say WAS) a white horse with brown spots. They hung out down there for a WHILE and fed it some of the alfalfa weeds growing on their side of the fence. Now when I say FED him, they probably had some weeds in their hands and then totally freaked out when the horse tried to eat it. I'm SURE, however, that Jack Jack got a good taste of that alfalfa.

ANYWAY...

Chance went down there today to do some cement work. When he was there he noticed Jack Jack just lying down. Later on, the farmer came out...dug a HUGE hole...and buried Jack Jack.

Hmm.

**update**
After telling Morgan that Jack Jack died, she was DEVASTATED. She thought it was HER fault for feeding him something poisonous. She cried for quite a little chunk of time, she said a prayer for Jack Jack and even went to school talking about him the next day. It just so happens that during school they made a farm diorama. Guess who made an appearance?

Jack Jack! (Rest in peace big guy.)

2010-05-31T22:36:00.001-07:00

I had the best morning. I woke up early to get some good pictures at the Salt Lake Temple. See, Chance wants a HUGE picture in our house... and I told him, "You know, I can do one for ya'!" It was such a good day for pictures. I got there around 8am, and was able to walk around basically alone. It was peaceful, it was beautiful weather, and I was so happy to have that opportunity.

After the temple, I drove to the Salt Lake City Cemetery to see all the military graves decked out with Memorial Day decor. They were really neat. I am so grateful for the men and women who are willing to give their lives to help not only the American People, but those around the world who are struggling against constant terror and in some circumstances, for a democratic government. It's good to know there is still some good in this world.

Happy Memorial Day.

2010-05-30T22:24:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago I thought about making a small change in our Sunday routine. Here's how it usually happens:

7:45am Chance and I roll out of bed
7:46am Chance makes the kids breakfast while I hurry and get ready for church.
8:20am I am now ready, and struggle to get all 4 kids dressed, and hair done.
8:45am We leave for church.

Here's my GOAL.

6:45am I get up, start making a yummy breakfast (fruit, pancakes, eggs, bacon...)and turn on some soft tunes to set the tone.
7:15am Kids get up, we all eat as a family, and then I go get ready for church as Chance cleans up the dishes.
8:00am I am now ready for church, and I only have to get the kids ready. PLENTY of time.
8:45am We leave for church.

Now. I know what you're thinking...I'm NOT a morning person. Let me just fill you in with the internal struggle as I looked at my clock at 6:15am.

"Oh man. I only have about 30 more minutes to sleep! Maybe I can start NEXT week. I had a really bad headache last night. I need my sleep. Chance will understand..."

You know what I did? I got my sorry self out of bed at 6:45am. My kids snarfed their food, and they said, "Mom. This is a WAY good breakfast!"

Ka pow.

Then this afternoon I told Chance I wasn't sure how often I'd be doing this.
*shrug*

2010-05-29T21:55:00.000-07:00

Oh Summertime, I've missed you.

I've missed the sidewalk chalk and the way it covers my children's clothing and skin so completely and evenly. I've missed the kiddie pools and the fun my children find with the 24 inch slide that's built in. I've missed the sound of the leaves blowing in the soft breeze. I've missed the smell of a camp-fire and the taste of those oh-so-yummy smores.

Oh. The thing I didn't miss? When my child picks all of my daisy's that have just begun to grow. No no.

We are all glad you made it back. Welcome home, and I suppose we will be seeing you quite often these next few months.

2010-05-28T21:33:00.000-07:00

I think time might have stood still today.

I got Morgan off to school, I puttered around the house, I tried to interact with the kids, I looked at the clock and it was only 9am.

Grace has started asking for lunch around 9:30am lately, and will continue to ask until we eat around noon. I don't know...that might have SOMETHING to do with it. Oh, and then AFTER lunch, she starts asking if it's dinner time around 2pm. I don't know if this happens to anyone else out there, but when I am forced to look at the clock during the day...it is just downhill from there.

It's like when I had an office job before becoming a Mom. Them's were some LONG days.

Speaking of jobs, here's an analogy for you. This is something that I've really been thinking about lately, mainly because I feel pretty inadequate as a "Mom". Here goes:

When you start a business, it's small. It's manageable. It's not really that overwhelming. But once that business grows, you have the opportunity to hire help. You have employee's to help with all the many responsibilities that business entails. You have an hour lunch break. You have the choice to leave your work AT WORK. You can delegate.

IN CONSTRAST...

When you start a family, it's small. It's manageable. It's not really that overwhelming. What happens with your family grows to the point where you have four kids? My corporation has now almost tripled. Do I have the opportunity to hire help? Can I get someone on payroll to keep inventory of my kitchen/pantry/toiletries closet? What about Spring Cleaning? Chauffeur? Chef? An office assistant to whom I can dictate my mind-blowing thoughts? Do I get an hour lunch break? Do I get to punch out at the end of the day?

**sigh**

You get the idea, right? This is why we, as MOM'S, need to give ourselves a break. We can't do it all...all the time. We should do things to fill our day with happiness and not worry so much about the dust bunny hiding under our sofa. We should bake cookies because, darn-it!, they sound yummy, and who care's if there are 500 calories in one cookie. Go ahead and eat TWO, baby!

Let's just bring our stress level down a notch.

Come on,

Aaaalmost there.....
Good.

2010-05-27T13:32:00.000-07:00

Crede: Mom, why do you have red soap?
Me: Red soap? Where?
Crede: (pointing to the shower) right there!
Me: Oh, you mean my shampoo?
Crede: Can I eat shampoo?
Me: That would be gross.
Crede: Please?
Me: It would be like soap in your mouth...do you want some?
Crede: NO.

10 minutes later...

Grace: Mom, is that some poo?
Me: What?!
Grace: Right der! Is it some poo?
Me: Oh....no Grace, that's SHAMpoo.
Grace: Shhhampoo.
Me: laughing.....

2010-05-26T18:39:00.000-07:00

I love hearing my Morgan burst through the front door each and every day after school saying "Hi Mom!" I love hearing about every little detail, and I love that she still likes to tell me about every little detail.

Today was Morgan's big field trip to Wheeler Farm. She actually got to ride on an actual school bus (a novelty in my 7 year old's life), and her very favorite part of the day was chasing the ducks around while quacking. Now THAT sounds like a good time. She was super excited that I actually made her home lunch, and when she got home she said, "Mom, thanks for the note that you put in with my lunch." Tonight as I was getting my pj pants on I noticed a little card lying on my pillow. I picked it up, and it said:

To Mom
I love you. Thank you for the note at my filechrip. I red it. Thank you.
From Morgan.

I sure love my oldest and I'm glad that she had a good day.

Oh, and one last note from today:

Last night our friend came over who is helping us with our car, got in it, looked at it, and said, "You know, I don't think you need a new engine." He officially proclaimed it "okay" to drive, and gave us orders to bring it in for a 100,000 mile checkup. I then - as fast as I could - put all the car seats back in the car, and sighed with relief. No. More. Truck.

This morning as I was dropping Morgan off at school, I was turning down the main road when - CRUD. - the car died again. I re-started it, drove home and it died again as I was turning into our driveway. **sigh** Grace then said, laughing, "Mom, you like to always to that. Huh." (She was referring to the fact that I like to pull over, park the car and then re-start it again.) You're right Grace, I LOVE it.

I guess it's back to the beast for a few more days.