New England tour 2011

 I know most of you have been anxiously awaiting my recap. Well, wait no longer.  I am really holding back on the deets and about 140 pix since I know most blog readers don't have an attention span for a post longer than a paragraph. (not me though--I love reading all your wordy ones, I promise!) So if you're feeling deprived after reading this call me and I'll give you the 90 minute version......

 My parents view from the front door of their 'mission' home. Granby, MA is a beautiful little town.

                        Reuniting with my parents.... Erin is super talented with the self-timer on her camera.

 An old fashioned walk in the MA woods. We even got lost. But I was able to use all my navigation skills I learned at girls camp to bring us to safety. Maybe that is just my version, but Erin can tell hers on her own blog.
                                                                       
                                                                       BOSTON

                              Very beautiful Boston Public Gardens.

Picture of the New England Genealogical Society just to show that I can do family history even if I don't live in Utah.

                       The view of the Boston Harbor on the ferry. Very cool.

Great self picture on the ferry. Look how happy my dad is to be there! You don't know it, but we are freezing our patooties off. Somebody should have told us to wear our coats.

                                                     JERSEY SHORE

We got to meet up with my Italian sister, Diana, and her fam in New Jersey. We had a fun time on the beach and driving through the slums of Trenton.

                             Chillaxin' on the air mattress at Diana's house.

It was a great trip and we had fun at every turn. I love traveling without children. I highly recommend it. And a shoutout to my wonderful Hub who took a couple days off of work to take care of the Crazy that goes on at the homefront. Did I tell you he even took care of my roommom duties by decorating a teacher door? And that there was a nice crockpot dinner awaiting me when I walked in the door? He's awesome.
the end.

Mothers Rock

I love Mother's Day. It means spring time. It means another holiday in which I can buy stuff for myself and tell my husband he's off the hook.  It means school is close to ending and I can stop making my kids do homework. It means I get lots of cute pictures and crafts from my kids. It means I can try to guilt them into being kind by reminding them it's my special day.
But it's also a good time to reflect on all the good moms I know. My mom is Top Dog, of course. She has no match. I can only hope somebody will eulogize me someday and say I was somewhat like her.  Hub's mom is also a great mom. She schooled my man into being a great husband and father.
Then there are my good sisters and sis-in-laws who are also wonderful moms. And all my friends who do justice to the title. And my friends who aren't moms yet but are great examples to all the wee ones in their lives. Am I leaving anyone out? I just want everyone to feel the love today. Even if you take your mother's day picture on your front porch and your eldest child is being grouchy and stands a foot behind everyone else. (Isaac was immune to the Mother's Day guilt trip lecture)
Please note my traditional flower pot arrangement. Check in with me in July to see if it's still alive.

Spring Break Cheap Mormon Style

It's hard to be fun when you don't want to spend money (hello new brakes and rotors on our van!) and you don't really want to mess up naptime (hello most sacred hour of the day!) or bedtime (hello other most sacred hour of the day!) or mealtimes.....so we really had to use our imagination this week to make the kids think it was the Special Break they were deserving. I didn't make them do much homework. And they didn't have as many chores. So that was special.  We went to 3 different parks. We went to the track. We went on a bike ride. We went to the library.
But we did manage to sneak in a few trips that were more than 10 miles away from home.
****The BYU Museum of Paleontology AKA The poor man's Thanksgiving Point

My sis and I went with 10 kids. Then we went to the Bean Museum because we hadn't gone insane enough.

Couldn't resist this picture of Sammy crying. He wasn't a fan of the poor man's dino museum.

***Hub took a day off to accompany us to Discovery Gateway. This one was on Isaac since he scored a 6-person-pass at school. Good thing because I can't imagine paying 60 bucks to fight with the rest of Utah County to play with some legos. Just kidding. It was a fun place but waaaaay too crowded. It was fun running into a couple of neighbors there.

(yes, Ethan is wearing a Santa hat in the above pix. He wore it all through spring break. I'm picking my battles, people!)
**We also had a couple soccer practices and a soccer game where the sun actually shone. It was a little bit of heaven after enduring games where it was snowing.

 ** And the week capped off with Ethan's Birthday party. As you can see and probably know from your own experience with birthday parties, it takes everyone to open up a gift.

And that was our spring break.

Misc. Meanderings

Exciting news for Ethan. After running around like Nanny McPhee (snaggletooth anyone?) his two front teeth are now the property of the Tooth Fairy. They were dangling from his gums for several days but he wouldn't let us just pull them out. I tried to 'accidentally' bump into him a couple of times, but that didn't even work. Weirdly they both fell out in his sleep, one night right after the other. Probably from his forceful snores!

In other Ethan news, please note his great haircut. He loves to have a buzz and I finally gave in. Kindof. I couldn't quite go as short as a buzz because of some mental issues I have, so instead I opted for the 'starting-to-grow-out' buzz look. And apparently I missed lots of spots and Hub has banned me from any future buzz cuts that occur in the family. 

And after 21 days of being potty trained, Syd finally voluntarily told me she needed to go. I finally feel confident about her future in unders.

And lastly, I think I am emotionally ready to start my own Facebook account. I've been missing out on way too many coupons..... I held out from reading Harry Potter for years because it was too trendy and that's why I never did read the Work and the Glory series. But  it's time to pick a new cause to boycott. Maybe it'll be Walmart again? Anyhoo, get ready to friend me!

Where I've Been If You Even Care

We have had some busy times. I’ve been partying hard-- hanging out at the Hale with some oldie but goody friends, chillin’ with some ward gal pals,  rocking out at the Battle of the Bands in support of my talented nephew (I missed out on the groupie thing as a teen so I’m just doing it now that I’m 34. Never too late!), sneaking into the dress rehearsal of our local beauty pageant, cheering on my boys at the Derb (actual photos of that one), my continued love affair with Jimmer and last but not least----POTTY TRAINING. So it’s good all those other things were in there or I would have declared myself criminally insane and gone off to live in the land of straight jackets and forced meds.

My life is consumed with Syd’s bodily functions. Is she crossing her legs for fun, or is it because she has to go?  What has her input been compared to her output? How many little princess unders can I wash I one day? After a whole week of power struggles and creative diversions to make her actually stay on her Elmo potty seat I think we’re getting the hang of it.  Can I hear a Hallelujah?

And here are the aforementioned Pinewood Derby pix. Hub was so disappointed in himself that after 3 years in cub scouts Ike has never had a winner. Ike didn’t really care, so it was nice that Hub felt bad enough for the whole family.

                   Isaac's face of excitement and Mitch's famous hotdog car that was actually fast.

 Checking out the competition....Mitch's hotdog car and Ike's retro car are in the middle

        Ethan wanted a part of the action so they let him race his stuffed triceratops.

    Syd wanted to disrobe while we were there. She just gets away with what the rest of us want to do.

Trying to make Lemonade.....

Let’s break down last week, shall we? Our washing machine became a leaker. Being as it’s a senior citizen my hopes aren’t high on how we can maintain our relationship. Our microwave died right after heating up the cornbag that I put in my bed every night to warm up my toes.( Hmmmm, maybe I’m the senior citizen?) Then there’s the chunk of fence Ethan pried off because he couldn’t quite remember how to use the latch…..And last but not least, Noelle ran around the house with a broken pen.  Inky fingers weren’t enough and she somehow managed to step in the ink as well. I will be googling ‘ways to remove ink from all flooring surfaces’ when I get up the stamina.

However, on the good side Hub and I left the house sans children for several hours to see the Jazz lose. A loss doesn’t feel as bad when you’re sitting on the front row and get complimentary food…. And Sydney got a new dresser for her Birthday to help alleviate our bloated dresser problem. Sure, we actually put Noelle’s clothes in it, but when you’re two you don’t really care about those things.    Isaac started a spring soccer league, Mitch was invited to do a basketball shootout, Ethan went on a field trip to the Scera Theatre that caused him to lose sleep because he was so excited…..so I guess there have been a few positives around here as well.   And tomorrow I get to go hang out with Isaac at school while he learns about his ‘physical development’. Wait, that should probably go in the top paragraph  with the trials. Pretty sure this is going to rank right up there with broken washing machine. Especially in his mind.

Anyhoo, this here is our life as we know it. Anyone relate?

Special tribute alert

Syd had a big Birthday today and I wanted to do a special tribute post, but then I felt bad because Hub’s B-day was two weeks ago and I never got around to his….and you know how he gets about that sort of thing.  So I think I’ll play it fair and just mush them together. That way everyone gets ripped off a little bit.

                              bad picture of Hub in front of the Jefferson Memorial

Hub took off to DC the day after his Birthday so his celebration included packing and going to bed early.  But that does bring to mind one of his great hidden talents. He is a super packer. Whether it be luggage, cars or meals----that man knows how to fit it all in. I like to just stuff and squish stuff into bags, but Hub has super powers of spatial cognition where everything fits just right.

He’s pretty fun too. He often will ask the kids what they want to do (dangerous territory so I rarely ask such open-ended questions) and then he’ll actually do what  they say. Even if it’s horrible like playing Chutes and Ladders.

Unfortunately Hub is not a showoff so his many skills and talents may be surprising to some. Did you know he is great at math and writing and Frisbee golf? He’s good at most sports but he is also artistic and likes to draft house plans. He enjoyed framing our basement and using power tools. He also can sing and dance. But those skills probably won’t be shared outside of the home…. I could go on, but we’ve got to get onto Syd….

                                 Syd and her new baby with matching 'creepy big eyes' as Ike puts it....

Who is now 2! She showed off her age by climbing out of the crib yesterday with nary an injury or a nap. Aarrrgh.  She looks like an angel, but definitely is more on the devil’s side of late. She can hit, pinch, scratch and scream like a girl twice her age. She’s mastered saying ‘my turn’ even when it’s not, and can blame others for her messes and smells.  She’s also very sweet and will give great hugs and kisses when we’re sad.  She’s Noelle’s shadow most of the day and I love watching them play kitchen, house, church, beach, dance class, etc.

 Syd spent her birthday playing in the snow, cleaning bathrooms with me, hanging out at Ethan’s class, not napping, and playing at the McDonald’s playland with her sibs. She’s going to be getting a new dresser when we get around to ordering it. I am enjoying her being two and not knowing she’s supposed to have a big shebang birthday party. Unlike Ethan, who knows that his Birthday is in exactly 53 days and wants another dinosaur party or go to Chuck E Cheese or Disneyland….

So that was my Birthday twofer tribute. Hope it was awesome for you.

Evidence of my domesticity

Some of you may not believe I have great homemaking skills. Maybe due to the fact that I can't thread a sewing machine, I don't use exotic spices and my craft supplies consist of a box of crayons and a tablet of construction paper? Well, today I am going to prove you wrong with my photo evidences (is that plural? or should it be 'evidi' as in 'cacti'? ehhhhh, I'll google it later). Anyway, enjoy!

EXHIBIT A: Proof that I do not let a penny go to waste. After spending LOTS of pennies on this jar of Nutella (those commercials where the kids eat it on whole wheat toast sold me!) I made sure that we didn't prematurely throw the container away. I think after this picture was taken I still managed to make it last on another whole loaf of bread.....

EXHIBIT B: Hub had a Birthday and wanted some weird fruity thing called pineapple upside down cake. Bless his heart though-- he remembered he was going out of town the next day for several days and the rest of us would not be able to consume the leftovers so he opted for a more family friendly mint ice cream cake. I think the picture actually makes it look prettier than it really was....

Exhibit C: Valentine's Day containers. Ethan wanted a simple box that he basically mauled with markers. And by the time it made it to school on Monday he'd added pirate flags and toothpicks and all sorts of paraphernalia. Ike went for the classic milk jug look. Replete with blond wig, Santa hat, and warthog teeth. Mitch was the smart one who kept his from last year. I even think there was still candy in it...... 

Exhbit D: I am most proud of this accomplishment even if my jealous sister said they looked 'homemade'. I found an online tutorial for no-sew tutus and made some for my girlies for V Day. It was embarrassingly easy and quick and I'd make some for the whole family if I could get my boys into ballet.

 There are a ton more ways in which I am a homemaking goddess and would induce Martha Stewart into salivating with envy, but I only had pictures of the above. Use your imagination to wonder what I do with my ground wheat.....

For Real?

 Yesterday Noelle came running to me upset. “Waaah! He isn’t turning off! Throw him and my zhu zhu pet in the garbage!” After a few more dramatic sobs (she knows it’s Oscar season) she was able to tell me that she was referring to her FurReal dog. You’ve seen these? Cute, little creatures whose heads and tail vibrate upon touch? Not really for real, but close enough for our purposes. Anyway, I tried to push it’s little button to turn it off but it didn’t work. The dang tail kept on wagging and the loud vibrating noise was starting to get annoying. I started hitting it against the table hoping to abuse it in to submission. I threw it on the floor. I read the tag for instructions. Nada. I couldn’t take out batteries because there are none? (How the heck does it vibrate then?? Magic?) This thing was possessed! Just like her zhu zhu pet—months ago Noelle received a zhu zhu pet that was beloved. Until it started going off and on by itself. In the middle of the night.  So Noelle’s love turned to to hate. Nobody likes a possessed toy. And now she had two!

I really didn’t know how to fix it. I tried putting it under the couch pillows to muffle the sound but you could still hear it. Naptime was here and figuring out the possessed FurReal wasn’t high on my priorities, so I did the only thing I could think of. I put it on the porch and hoped it would die or some neighbor kid would come steal it.  6 hours later it was vibrating loud and strong. Still on our porch. Hub arrived home, picked it up, tweaked the tail and fixed it. How come he is always the hero?