The Woods Family

Something to Blog About!!!!

2011-06-22T11:33:00.005-04:00

I have been a very poor blogger lately. It's for a couple of reasons. 1. Things have been pretty mellow around here (thank heavens!!!!- and by mellow I mean, no major catastrophes; standards for mellow are extremely low when you have 4 small kids). 2. I can't seem to find time to blog (and let's be honest, when the kids are down, I would way rather read than blog). However, last night was an experience I wouldn't miss blogging about for the world. Here goes...

Our family loves living in Arizona. The weather is wonderful, we love our neighborhood, we have a great ward, good schools, etc. We are happy here. My biggest complaint about Arizona is that I don't have any family that lives here (aside from my Aunt Sylvia who is simply amazing and a couple of cousins). Luckily, I get to see my family pretty often considering they live on the other side of the country. Some days though, I miss them alot!!! Tyler had her first vocal recital coming up and it really made me wish my parents were here to be a part of it. The night before, in the middle of the night, I was thinking about all this and sent my parents an email voicing my love for them and how much I missed them. Although it's a really personal email, it's part of the story so I will post it.

Hey guys,
Its times like these (and always) that I hate that we don't get to live by you. My Tyler has her voice recital tomorrow night. I wish so much you guys could be there. She has invited her uncle Sam, Aunt Sylvia and cousin Annie to come and unfortunately, none of them can come. We are going to see if maybe her friend Tatum or Ammon's grandma can come. If not, it will be ok. I tell you this not to have you guys do anything (you don't need to fly out here or call Aunt Sylvia) but just so you know that we miss you guys and love you and know if you guys lived here, you would make sure to come. Adam's kids are lucky little babies that they get to have that relationship with you! I'm glad you guys get to have them close. I hope you had fun with them tonight- I'm sure you did. We love you guys so much. Thanks for your love and support!!!!
Boo

That arrived at about 3:00 am my parents time. I went to bed and awoke the next morning to my dad saying he wished he could be there too and asking if I would record it so they could see it. That night, as I sat in the recital hall waiting for the recital to begin, in walked my dad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Of course, as soon as I saw him, tears filled my eyes. I was overwhelmed with what a selfless, kind gesture he had made. Tyler saw him, and jumped out of her seat and ran across the aisle to him. Tyler's teacher was up at the front welcoming everyone and announced that we had a special guest with us who had come all the way from Atlanta (where he had been in meetings that day). It was a moment that I will remember as long as I live! I am amazing by my dad- always. He is the kindest, most generous, loving, thoughtful man ever! I guess when he got my email at 5 in the morning, he told my mom, as he was on his way out the door to the airport to head to Atlanta, that he wanted to try and come to the recital. My mom went to work on figuring out flights and between the two of them, they made it work. In the meantime, my dad told Ammon what he was doing and Ammon went to work on our end, making sure my dad knew where to go and made Tyler's teacher aware of it so she could move Tyler a little later in the program so he wouldn't miss it. It still chokes me up to think about it. I am so blessed to have my dad. During the recital, I called my babysitter who was at home with my other kids, and asked her to keep my kids awake as we had a big surprise for them. At the conclusion of the recital, we headed home to surprise the other kids. To say they were ecstatic might be an understatement. It was so much fun for me to watch their faces as they realized who was in our home. We made a quick stop at Nielsen's, obviously, and then took my dad to his airport hotel where he had to be up at 4 am to catch a flight home. We saw him for a total of 3 hours. He flew across the entire country to spend 3 hours with us. Some might argue, the length and cost of the flight make it not worth the 3 hours. I disagree. This moment meant the world to us.

Here are a few pictures from the experience:

A Ray of Hope

2011-04-21T14:17:00.002-04:00

Ok, so Ammon is a really good swimmer. Like, he still holds City of Mesa records that he set like 25 years ago. So, when we moved to Arizona, the first thing Ammon did was sign our kids up for swimming lessons with the same teacher who taught him how to swim- she is good!!! Ammon was quite devastated when he learned that our kids weren't the blue ribbon type (they got my genes in that area- shoot! And PS- did you see that Ammon? It's not always your fault. I can totally take the blame and admit fault when our kids have a less than ideal trait. ). Anywho, last week, Scarlett started swim lessons. She LOVES it. Ammon may have just gotten his swimmer- but maybe not. Time will tell but looking good so far.

Key Lime

2011-03-29T23:23:00.001-04:00

Brooke has perfected the home made keylime pie. She has gotten way too efficient at squeezing the limes, making the crust, and assembling them. I open the fridge looking for something healthy and boring and BAM! KEYLIME and of course I have to taste it to make sure it is safe for the rest of the family to eat. Dang you keylime, I hate/love you.

A Run for Our Money

2011-02-21T21:56:00.004-05:00

Scarlett Groovin!

Her reaction when it was time to stop the dancing and put some clothes on.

This girl is TROUBLE!!!

A Perfect Gift for Your Neighbors, Friends, Kids' Teachers, Those You Visit Teah, Those You Home Teach, or Anyone Else

2010-12-17T05:50:00.003-05:00

Ammon kept asking me, "What are we going to give or neighbors this year for a Christmas gift?". I couldn't come up with anything so I was so excited when Ammon found this idea and organized the whole thing. In fact, loved the idea so much it also ended up going to our kids' school teachers, those we home and visit teach, and a few other special people. See pictures below.

They are monogrammed coaster if you can't tell from the pics. It was so much fun to work on these together as a whole family. Props Ammon!

Good Night, Sleep Tight- You Know the Rest!!!

2010-10-14T19:55:00.009-04:00

There are so many other names I could have entitled this blog entry:

The Most Interesting Vacation Ever (and By Interesting I Mean Awful)

The Yuma Bake

Musical Hotels

Etc, Etc, Etc- you get my point. So without further adieu, let me present The Woods Family Vacation 2010.

It all started out so promising. Our family had planned a little vacay to San Diego for 5 days. That in and of itself is exciting but to add to it, Ammon was taking the whole week off work! Sunday afternoon, we got or bags loaded into the car and started on the 6 hour drive. After a few potty breaks, a Del Taco stop, and some caffeine for Ammon, we arrived at the condo where we were going to stay at 11pm. We hurried and unloaded the car, got the kids bathed and by 12:30am had everyone asleep. Whew! Ammon and I crawled in bed and I decided to read just a few pages in my book to wind down. About half a page in, I noticed a little bug crawling across my book. Gross. I wiped it off and continued reading. 20 seconds later, another little bug. I jumped out of bed and turned the light on full blast. Ammon and I did a quick inspection of the bed and found lots and lots of the little bugs. We did an Internet search and determined that they were BED BUGS!!!!!!!! GROSSSSSSSS!!!! We flew into action. We got all of our stuff out of the place, forfeited a couple pillows and blankets, and woke up the 4 to load them back into the car. It was now about 2am. We found the closest Marriott and checked in. By 3:30am (after all of our PJ's and anything that had left the suitcase had been washed and dried), everyone was back asleep. At 5am, Ammon had to wake up for work ("Just a quick call and one email to send out."). By 7am, we were all awake. We were still a little freaked from the run in the night before. We decided to check into a different hotel because it had cheaper rates and had 2 rooms to a suite instead of one. Once there, we decided the vacation was finally underway. We went to breakfast, then to the beach. It was a really fun day until.... We came back from the beach and went to go into our hotel room but the key wouldn't open. We went to the front desk and they informed us that they had found in one of the rooms in our building, not ours, BED BUGS!!!!! Are you freaking kidding me. They decided to treat the whole building and move us to another room. So, we were now in our 4th room in 16 hours. We finished off the night and woke up the next morning pretty stressed out. We felt doomed. How could we avoid these nasty bed bugs- the LAST thing we wanted to do was bring them home. We decided this vacation just needed to end. At this point, calling us paranoid may have been an understatement. So, we decided to finish off our vacay in Scottsdale and along the way, KILL any and all bed bugs that may have possibly hitched a ride on our luggage or car or anything. So, we loaded up all of our clothes in black garbage bags and duct taped them up. Next, we loaded our suitcases into black garbage bags and duct taped them up. Lastly, we loaded everything else we had with us in black garbage bags and duct taped them and loaded them up. Paranoid? Yep! A car full of duct taped garbage bags, good luck at all the border control check stops!

Step one- done! Step two- drive to Yuma where its still hitting 100 degrees a day and park the car with all our garbage bag goods in the sun for a couple hours and let them bed bug suckers BURN!!! Apparently, an hour at 113 degrees kills them. By the way, ask Ammon or me anything about bed bugs, we've done our research. So, we pull into the Yuma Target parking lot, leave everything in the car except for us and what we are wearing and start the bake (we had an hour to kill, of course I choose Target- no brainer). In Target, we picked out a new outfit for each of us. What an adventure! The low point was when all my kids were fighting over which color of bra I should get. Finally, we all made an executive decision- green (TMI). Along with the clothes, we purchased a thermometer- we needed to see 113 degrees with our own eyes. Paranoid? Yep! So, once the purchase was made, we all headed for the family dressing room and changed into our new 100 percent bed bug free clothes. Another low point was when Boston kept repeating "Oh, I just feel so clean" over and over in the dressing room. I can't even imagine what those around us thought was going on. Then, we took our clothes we had been wearing, loaded them into a black garbage bag, duct taped it shut and put it into the car oven along with the new thermometer. We then decided to give the bake another hour. Next we moved onto Chili's in the parking lot for some food. The exciting news is, that stop had nothing exciting happen there- give thanks for little blessings. Once dinner was over, we went back to the car. The thermometer read 133.4.

Whew!!! Step 2- Done. Step 3- drive straight to the laundry mat and wash and dry every piece of clothing we had on the trip with us. Paranoid? Yep. The dryer also reaches hot enough to kill any lingering bed bugs.

While our clothes were drying, we moved onto step 4- wash and vacuum the car. Once all that fun-family-vacation-fun was complete, we checked into our 5th lodging (well, technically 5th and 6th because it was 2 rooms but then we had to be moved because the rooms weren't adjoining so really 7th and 8th rooms- but who's counting?). I have to be honest, it was a little awkward walking into the hotel with black garbage bags as suitcases. But no worries, after Target, all of our pride was already gone. We got all kids bathed and in bed (after a lot of work trying to find bedding for the crib the hotel brought up for Scarlett) when Tyler comes into our room crying because her ear is killing her. Ammon make a trip to Walgreens to get some Tylenol and ear drops and we fixed her up and sent her back to bed. Ahhhh, piece and quiet. Oh wait, nope- Ryder then came in our room with something in his mouth. When I asked him what he had, he opened his mouth to show me. Throw up. Sweet! It was at that point that we decided, we had had it. No Scottsdale resort. This vacation had to be over. ASAP!!!! Once all the kids were asleep, Ammon and I folded the mountain of clothes and then called it a day too.

We woke up the next morning, took the kids to Chuck E Cheese's (cause after all, this is our family vacation for the year)- who knew they open at 9AM??

While in there, we brought out the thermometer to do another bake, just in case. Paranoid? Yep. Then, we headed home. We made it home around 5 pm last night. Everyone was relieved to be here. The kids ran into the playroom, excited to be home- but not before we made everyone strip down and get into the shower and put all their clothes straight in the wash. Paranoid? I'll let you decide this time. Oh, all the original suitcases? Out back in black duct taped garbage bags for the next few weeks. Heck, let's be honest, they'll probably end up in the garbage can in a few months when we get sick of looking at the garbage bags.

On the bright side,

1. We got to see our friends from Kentucky, the Garners, while in Yuma. That was really fun!

2. We got to go to the beach.

3. Who knows what we avoided by all of this. Things happen for a reason. This adventure/nightmare may have been really minor compared to what could have happened had we stayed in San Diego. Who knows, maybe this was a blessing.

4. We got to spend lots of time together as a family.

5. Ammon had a few days mostly off work.

6. We all got some cute new Target clothes (especially the green bra).

7. We found the bed bugs so we were able to prevent the spread of them to our home.

8. It's still 100 degrees in Yuma and for that, I will forever be grateful.

9. We found a REALLY good frozen yogurt place in Yuma!

10. We made some memories we will NEVER forget!

A Whole New World

2010-10-06T15:24:00.004-04:00

This one is for the grandparents (and uncle Dan and aunt Loo). Tyler's school talent show (sorry the sound is so poor!).

Cruising, Climbing, Waving

2010-09-28T17:41:00.004-04:00

It's starting! Help!!!

Scarlett 10 Months.

Hall of Frame

2010-09-08T13:53:00.004-04:00

I have wanted to do this for so long- so I finally made it happen. My talented neighbor Susan took the pictures. My amazing Uncle Mark made the frames. I am so happy with how the pictures are frames turned out. Every time I walk down this hall, it makes me happy! The pictures I took do the whole display no justice so just trust me on this one- it looks cool!

Another First!

2010-08-16T13:31:00.006-04:00

Tyler has had so many firsts in the last 2 weeks (lost her first tooth, learned to tie her shoes, and started first grade)!!! It's exciting and sad all at once. Her newest first? She got her ears pierced on Friday. She worked REALLY hard at earning them. Yeah Tyler!!!

First Day of School

2010-08-13T16:10:00.004-04:00

Wednesday was Tyler and Boston's first day of school. Tyler is in 1st grade, Boston is in half day private kindergarten (next year her will do full day public kindergarten). Here are some pics of the event.

(this is the only pic I have of Tyler at school because she got all brave and wanted to go alone)

(Boston showing Ryder the snakes at school- notice Ryder's backpack- he wants to be just like his big brother)

Big News (no! I'm not pregnant)

2010-08-06T13:08:00.001-04:00

Tyler is so excited!!! She "finally" lost her first tooth. I have to admit, when it came out and she showed me her new smile- I got a little teary eyed. She's getting too old too fast.

Utah: Week 4

2010-08-01T11:28:00.007-04:00

Sadly, the Utah trip is over. We had such a good time. The best part of all was spending time with my family. It was great to see cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc. I loved hanging with my mom and my sister. So here are the final week pictures:

Lagoon!!!! I would choose Lagoon any day over Disneyland. My kids had so much fun. It wasn't too crowded and it wasn't too hot. All in all, such a fun trip to Lagoon. My kids all agree, this was their favorite part of the Utah trip. My kids, who are all kind of wimps (except Ryder who is too small to go on the scary rides anyway) got brave and tried a few "scary" rides. Tyler even went on the white roller coaster.

Curry/Swim party at Bill and Cori's. You can never go wrong if you start the evening with a "Lake O' Curry". We had so much fun hanging out with my cousins. The new backyard is amazing! Thanks Bill and Cori for the fun, fun night.

The final night in Utah was so fun. Ammon and I went out to dinner at Market Street Grill. My mom watched Scarlett. Lacey (of course above and beyond!) took the other kids on a tram ride at Snowbird. Next they enjoyed a dinner at IHOP. Followed by a sleepover with their aunt Loo. Thanks mom and Loo for letting us escape for a few hours!!!!

Utah: Week 3

2010-07-25T18:08:00.011-04:00

This week was packed with so many fun activities. My dad was in town for the week and we made the most of everyday. Here goes:

My cute daddy holding Scarlett

On Monday night we did a triple date night. We ate at Ruth's Chris- so good!!!

On Tuesday night we went to the rodeo. My mom bought the kids some real cowboy/cowgirl getup. President Monson was at the rodeo wearing a cowboy hat with his suit- so cute!

Wednesday night we went to the most amazing birthday party I have ever been to! There were reptiles and magicians and snow cones and face painting and a huge blow up slide and snow cones and cotton candy and cupcakes. Happy Birthday to my cousins Tucker and Megan. Thanks Joanne for hosting the event!

Friday night we went up to my Grandpa's cabin. I wish we had more pictures of the tinfoil dinners and s'mores made in the fire pit or our game night or french toast with homemade syrup breakfast or our trip to the spring for ice cold refreshing drinks or platform swing jumps etc, etc. Instead, I have many, many pictures of Ammon and Steve trying for over an hour to catch a mouse. Unfortunately, the end score was mouse: 1, Ammon and Steve: 0. I hadn't been to the cabin for probably 12 years so it was good to get up there and to share it with my fam. Loo- always fun to hang with you. All in all, it was a great adventure. We went to the demolition derby on the way home. Fun times!

Utah: Week 2

2010-07-18T22:49:00.010-04:00

Again, another great week!!! This week I got to see my fun sister-in-law Sarah, my brother-in-law Sambo (who I forgive and love once again :)), my gorgeous (you're gorgeous, alright) cousins Squemmy and Lyndsey, my Aunt Suzi's fam, and spend time with my mama and my sister and my little family. It's been so fun!!! Here are the pics to prove it. Oh, and I also made an exciting purchase this week- you'll see!

There was also a waxing party that Loo lead but no one would let me post pics (EVERYONE waxed at least something)!

A trip to the children's museum with my cousins Squem and Lynds and their cute kiddles. It was so much fun to see them!!!!

Curry Night!!! It was so fun to see my Aunt Suzi, my cousin Deedles, my cousin Lar Lar and their families. Good food, good company!!!

My sis-in-law Sarah and Tyler doing some serious coloring!!!

Cute Nana and Ry Guy T

Skipbo with Grandpa Wallin!!!!! Brings back such good memories from when I was a kid.

My mama and her cute parents!

My Kiddles got bug catchers. So far their brave mom has caught a moth, an orange beetle, and 4 rolly polly bugs (or as Ryder calls them Rolly Coasties).

One night Ammon and I took the kids over to Gateway to play in the fountains. I love hanging with my little fam!

My best friends!!!!!

Ryder has spent so much time on my mom's ipad this week that Ammon has officially changed the name of it to the RyPad. He LOVES it!!!!

Sambo!!!

And finally- I BOUGHT A SCOOTER!!!!! It has been so fun taking rides with Ammon and my kids. Loo and I even got to take a ride on our bikes together.

Utah: Week 1

2010-07-11T12:09:00.009-04:00

We decided to spend all of July in Utah. Why not? Ammon works from home, my parents have a house in Utah, Utah is within driving distance, my mom is spending July here too so we can hang out!, Loo Loo lives here, we don't have church callings yet in our new Mesa ward, and it's a good 20 degrees cooler in Utah than Arizona in the month of July. It just made sense! We have had SOOOO much fun. I have been able to spend time with my relatives which has been such a fun experience. So, here is a recap of the first week in Utah. Pictures tell it best.

Last Sunday, we spent the day visiting my grandparents. I LOVE that my kids got to spend time with time. It was such a fun day.

Fourth of July- everyone enjoyed the fireworks at Sugar House Park (especially Scarlett).

My baby girl and me!

At Iceberg, we decided to order everyone a mini shake because we had already had so much junk during the week. Apparently their idea of mini is a little different than ours.

On Thursday, we spent the day at Cowabunga Bay- a really cool water park for kids. We had the privilege of going with some of our good friends the Andersons who just moved to Utah from AZ. I was worried about taking all 4 of my kids without Ammon being there to help but Heidi is superwoman and made it all ok. We love this fam- hurry back to AZ! Thanks Loo Loo for setting it all up!!!

Ammon and I decided to take the kids up Big Cottonwood Canyon to explore. The kids loved it. Boston was in heaven. The had so much fun chucking stuff into the creek and getting all muddy. I forgot how completely beautiful it is up there. It was a really fun family day!

Loo Loo has a scooter. She took us all on rides and then let us all take rides. I now want a scooter!!! We have been looking around :)

Wednesday night, we got home from swimming at my Aunt Jill's house and found this package sitting in our house. Auntie Loo left a box filled with camping gear (sleeping bags, candy, flash lights, etc) and a note inviting my kids to have a camp out with here Friday night. To say my kids were excited may just be the understatement of the year. Seriously, could you find a better aunt anywhere??? Her "friend" Steve was such a good sport and participated too. Even cousin Robby stopped in for the excitement. They played skipbo, made s'mores, told kid-friendly-ghost-stories, did fireworks, ate pizza, and on and on!!! Every kids dream! Tyler and Boston actually made it the whole night in the tent. Love you Loo!!!!!

Now THAT is embarrassing!

2010-06-30T15:20:00.002-04:00

Disclaimer: OK, don't read this blog if you are a former Y.W. of mine, or if you're a former bishop of mine, or if you're someone who would never believe me capable of saying a naughty word- don't want to shatter the image :)

So for the last 6-7 months, we have been dealing with an issue with one of our kids. I won't go into detail but just say that this issue can be very frustrating, to say the least. So one day a few months back, Ammon was out of town, and the said child was at his/her worst- giving me a big fat run for my money (not sure that expression even makes sense as I am an unpaid stay-at-home-mom but you get the point)!!! I had reached my limit. I had just finished dealing with an episode and I was so angry and frustrated I was literally shaking. I promise, it takes quite a bit to get me to that level- WE WERE THERE!!! I climbed into my car and reached for my cell- I was in serious need of some vent-age! Ammon and I leave our IM on all day and that's pretty much our form of communication from the hours of 5:30 am to 5:30 pm. Keep in mind, I was MAD as a hornet. So I typed, "I am not doing this anymore. This is B*LL S#!T!!!!" But I didn't use cute symbols or abbreviate or omit letters- I didn't want there to be any confusion!!! Now, keep in mind, prior to having kids, I had only said 2 bad words in my whole life and they were on accident (not in anger or frustration, just a slip up). Well, a few seconds later, my phone rang and it was Ammon- calling to talk me off the cliff. After we got to a better place, right before we were about to hang up, Ammon said casually, "Oh listen how funny, when you sent me that IM, I was giving a presentation and so my computer screen was projected on the board. I was laughing pretty hard." Well, if my bad words earlier had not been justified (although I still stand by my choice to use them) I now had a really good reason to swear. OK, so now I get to be the crazy wife at home having a nervous breakdown. Hope the people in NY whom Ammon was meeting with enjoyed the spectacle!!! Ammon still promises me he clicked it closed before anyone saw. I wonder if he made that up so I wouldn't do anything drastic to the kids or myself before he could get back in town. I love life!

You Know You're the Fourth Child When...

2010-05-05T12:57:00.003-04:00

You know you're the fourth child when on a Wednesday morning, a month and a half after your actual blessing day, your mama puts you back into your blessing dress, then gets on her church clothes, so she can take pictures of your blessing day since none were taken the actual day of the blessing. STRUGGLE!!!!!! For the record, Scarlett Woods was blessed on March 21, 2010 in Lexington, KY by her daddy. It was a sweet blessing. One of my favorite parts was when Ammon blessed her that she and her sister Tyler would be close. I have such a big place in my heart for sisters. I LOVE that relationship (maybe because I have the BEST sister ever!). Anyway, it was a very sweet day. I love you Scarlett!!!

Happy Birthday Brookie

2010-02-06T12:25:00.002-05:00

Today is Booke's birthday and I am so thankful I get to spend it with her. She is so amazing in every way. Here are the 32 things I love about Brooke

1. Brooke is such a nice person
2. Brooke is very unselfish
3. Brooke is really good at being pregnant (meaning she doesn’t complain)
4. Brooke looks good in anything she wears (Nordstrom all the way to Walgreens)
5. Brooke always magnifies her callings
6. Is an awesome mother to our 4 children
7. Is my best friend (sorry guys)
8. Is a Christ like example
9. Is a good family member
10. I love her dimple
11. Is funny
12. I love that she loves to read so much
13. Is a great cuddler
14. Is a good sport (e.g. kayaking in the ocean with Tyler and pregnant)
15. Is a good kisser
16. Is amazing at keeping our house on schedule
17. Is fun to travel with
18. Is good at saving money
19. Brooke is really good at getting ready fast
20. I love Brooke’s laugh
21. I love going on dates with Brooke
22. I love walking with Brooke to take Tyler to school in the mornings
23. Is good at teaching our children
24. Is thoughtful and considerate
25. Looks good as a blonde or brunette
26. Is a good friend to her parents and siblings
27. Is very organized
28. I love that Brooke will watch action movies with me
29. I love that Brooke puts up with me
30. Is fun to hang out with
31. Is beautiful
32. Brooke makes me a better person

Just Because (I actually wanted this to be titled Just Cause but that looks like Just Cause and not cuz- anywho, it's now Just Because)

2010-02-03T14:41:00.004-05:00

The point is- I posted these pitures because I love my daddy and my sis and I love how amazing they always are to my kiddles. I wish I had a pic with my mom and the hoodlums but that will have to come at a later date. Love you Dad and Loo.

Is There Any Way This Can End Well?

2010-02-03T14:37:00.004-05:00

I must say, it was quite a tricky trip to target. I bought the kids some popcorn as a distraction. The good news is, we left a trail for anyone looking for us. The bad news is, the person that has to clean Target hates us about now. The other good news is we found the headband we were looking for for my Young Women Activity. The other bad news is the dress I was sure would be the cutest thing ever just wasn't. Oh well, I still love Target.

Scarlett

2010-02-03T14:25:00.004-05:00

Our baby girl is two and a half months now. She is such a sweet little baby. The first couple months were a little rough but she seems to be mellowing out some (not crying all the time anymore!) and she sleeps for 6 hours at a time (yay!!!!). We are so blessed to have her. Boston especially loves taking care of his sister. He holds her and helps here when she's sad (binkie, blankie, etc). It's really fun to have her in our family. Here are a few pictures of our little princess.

Tyler is 6!!!

2010-02-03T14:07:00.005-05:00

Our princess Tyler turned 6 on January 13th. We love Tyler so much. She is such a sweet little girl. For her birthday dinner, she picked a shrimp boil. For her cake, she picked Red Velvet (going strong for a third generation- I love it!). For her birthday "party", she took two friends from school, one from church, two cousins, and Boston to go see The Frog Princess. It was a really fun outing. Then we followed up with ice cream. We are so happy that we get Tyler! She is the best sister and daughter. Happy Birthday baby girl.

The Snow

2010-02-03T13:50:00.004-05:00

Last weekend, we went to the snow. It's amazing to me that we can leave 65 degree weather, drive an hour and fifteen minutes and be in knee deep snow. The kids had a really fun time. They made snowmen, snow angels, snow balls, etc. When we finished up and loaded everyone into the car, Tyler cried hysterically for 30 minutes because her feet were "just so cold." Isn't it amazing how kids are oblivious to cold until the fun ends? Anywho, here are some pics.

"Never a Dull Moment"

2009-12-11T13:11:00.004-05:00

My dad often says, "Never a dull moment" in reference to our crazy lives. I don't think that statement could be any more true. On Tuesday afternoon, I went to pick up Tyler from school. Her gym teacher walked her out and told me that Tyler had fallen on the cement and hurt her head during gym class about 30 minutes earlier. Tyler was crying and had been since it happened. He said she didn't want to go to the nurse (dah!- who's the adult here?). Tyler and I started walking home and she kept saying, "Mom, I'm just so tired. I just want to go to sleep." Obviously, major red flags went up in my mind. I figured she had a concussion. We got home and Tyler started throwing up blood. SCARY!!!!! Ammon was working from home, THANK HEAVENS!!!!, so he got off his conference call and rushed Tyler to the hospital. In the meantime, I was freaking out!!!! I called my friend Heidi who lives in my neighborhood and asked her if she could pick up my boys and take Scarlett and me to the hospital. She came right over and helped us so much!!!! Thanks Heidi!!!! Once I got to the hospital, Tyler was getting a CT Scan done. When they brought her back into the room where I was waiting, her whole eye was turning blue. Poor little baby!!! The doctors explained that she had fractured her skull but luckily, it didn't look like there was any bleeding or swelling in the brain. They said they would transfer her by ambulance to the children's hospital to the ICU for the night to be closely monitored. It is so hard to see you baby hurt!!! She and Ammon spent the night at the hospital (I had to be home to feed Scarlett every 2-3 hours). My mom (what would I do without her???) flew in to town Tuesday night to be with us for support and also to help with the kids. Tyler was released on Wednesday afternoon from the hospital. She has to take it really easy for the next 6-8 weeks. She may have headaches for the next 6 months. She has an appt. with neuro doc on Monday morning to see if she can go back to school. Overall, we feel really blessed that she is ok!!! We love our little Tyler girl so so much. She is still not feeling great but doing so much better. We are grateful to all of our friends and family for much needed words of encouragement and prayers. Below are some pictures of Tyler. The ones with her friends were taken Wednesday night. Heidi brought her daughter Tatum (one of Tyler's best friends) and two of her other friends from school over to bring cards from her class and also some cute PJs (which she is still wearing two days later) and a DVD. It meant the world to Tyler (she kept saying, everyone is so nice to me).

Scarlett Woods

2009-11-28T12:14:00.013-05:00

Our sweet little baby girl was born Thursday, November 19 at 12:42pm. She weighed in at 7lbs, 12 oz (almost an 8 pounder! She weighed almost a whole pound more than our other kids!!). We are so blessed to have her in our home. We are so in love with her!!! Below are some pictures from the last week and a half.

9 Months

2009-11-07T13:09:00.002-05:00

I've had a few of my KY, a couple UT and, one NJ friend ask to see some pics of how my big belly looks these days. Soooo, as scary as it is, here you go. 12 days til c-section. Wish me luck!!!

Staying True to His Roots

2009-09-27T21:08:00.002-04:00

Ryder's hair has gotten a little long and wispy over the past few months so I asked him if he wanted a hair cut and he said yes. I asked him what kind of hair cut he wanted and he said a mullet, so we started with a mullet, then about half way through he said, "dad, I think I would prefer a sweet rat tail like we saw on all the kids at Canyon Lake." So I crafted a little rat tail, and in the end he settled on a good old fashion buzz. Who knew 2 year olds had such opinions on hair style. Okay, in reality poor Ryder just has a mean dad who wishes he himself could sport a mulli!

T-Ball 09 Plus a Concussion

2009-09-08T23:53:00.004-04:00

So this day was an eventful one for our Boston Boy! He started out this morning falling off our counter head first onto the tile floor. After listening to Bos cry for 2 hours straight mixed with watching him on the verge of falling asleep- we decided it would be best to take him to the ER to be safe. He has/had a concussion- poor little buzzard. Of course, once we got to the ER, he fell asleep pretty quickly and then woke up a whole new man. By the time we left 4 hours later, he was running around the room and wresting with Ryder. Sometimes I truly believe the only way for your kid to truly recover from an injury or sickness is to take them to the hospital. If you stay home, they will continue to be injured or in pain until you go to the hospital and pay a copay, then the recovery begins- usually before the doc even arrives. Anywho, I'm just glad he's ok! Tonight, he had his first T-ball practice. Normally we probably would have sat it out due to the events of the morning but Boston has been looking forward to T-ball for weeks and plus, you can't miss the first practice! Here are a few pics from T-ball.

Did Ammon Really Just Go to Church Basketball Dressed Like That???

2009-08-06T00:22:00.001-04:00

The answer is: YES! We will be the ward outcasts in no time!!! The thing that makes me slightly nervous is that since Ammon is the new guy at basketball, they will have no idea he is totally kidding. Tyler's reaction- "Dad, why do you look so tall? I think those shorts are a little too small for you." Well said Tyler.

Boston's First Day of Preschool

2009-08-06T00:18:00.002-04:00

A Day to Remember!!

2009-07-27T13:44:00.010-04:00

Today was Tyler's first day of school. It was a bittersweet day for us. Tyler will do great in school and I know she is ready to start learning and socializing in Kindergarten. BUT, I'm sad I don't get to be with her all day, every day. The house won't seem whole until 2:50pm each day when she comes home. I'm so excited for all the adventures she will have in school but also nervous about all the junk and outside influence that comes with going out into the world. Tyler girl, we are so proud of you. We love you so much!!! Now hurry home to us!

Lunch Time

Home from School!!

Pictures from the Last 2 Months Since I Will Never Get Them All Blogged. A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words Though, Right?

2009-07-26T12:40:00.005-04:00

He Just Wants a Backpack So Bad

2009-07-26T12:31:00.003-04:00

This last week, Tyler and Boston received backpacks in the mail from their nana in anticipation of the new school year starting this week. I love these new backpacks because they have offered hours of entertainment. Unfortunately, Ryder also loves these new backpacks. He has been following Tyler and Boston around in hopes of getting a turn to sport the new backpack. Tyler and Boston have been really good sports and have shared really well but sometimes, kids just want their own backpacks. Luckily, Ammon is a quick thinker and with his own two hands and with materials from around the house, made Ryder his very own backpack. I'm impressed!
Loo- I think Ryder is still going to take you up on the backpack offer when we are in Utah.

And We Will Call Her Diamond

2009-07-26T12:07:00.003-04:00

No! Not the new baby!! The lizard. Boston's new favorite hobby is catching lizards in our backyard. He LOVES it! Everyday, he says, "Dad, is it time yet to go catch lizards." It's kind of Ammon's and Boston's after work activity. So last night, we had a curry party (those who don't know the Blodgett family will need an explanation. We make a big ol' batch of chicken curry and eat it with friends and family- we've done it for 30 plus years. I will talk to friends who we lived by 20 plus years ago and they will ask if we still make our curry.) Anywho, our guests last night were Ammon's sister Rachelle and her family, and Ammon's brother Nate's wife Marie and her kiddles. It was quite the group! Boston caught a lizard and immediate the girls (Tyler, Annie- 7 yr old cousin, and Olivia-4 year old cousin) took the lizard upstairs in a cup to play with. I warned several times- "Tyler- DO NOT LOSE THAT LIZARD UPSTAIRS!" The good news or the bad news first? The good news, they didn't lose the lizard. The bad news, well let me just show you.

Enough said on that topic because I don't really know why 3 little girls would think it was a good idea to paint with nail polish a lizard... other than it looks pretty- maybe that's reason enough.

Swim Lessons

2009-07-01T20:06:00.002-04:00

Before I even start, I have to admit, I was warned! I was warned that the first 3-4 days of swim lessons would be a bit "difficult". Well, they were! Last week, Tyler (5), Boston (4), and Ryder (2) had their first week of swim lessons. We went to the pool Tuesday with high hopes of Olympic swimmers in days. Ryder was first. He cried and tried to get out of the pool for the entire 30 min. By the time his lesson was over, I was soaking wet... and angry and tired. Next was Tyler. She did great. Last was Boston. During the hour that he waited for his lesson to start, he went from excited with a pinch of nervousness to scared out of his mind and ready to go home. Ammon warned him if he didn't get in the pool, he would lose every privilege he had. He didn't care. We finally corned him and handed him over to his teacher Kim who I must say is AMAZING. She taught Ammon to swim 30 plus years ago. She's a pro and has dealt with many a sad/scared/angry kid. She doesn't take any crap- I love it! During Boston's lesson, he escaped from the pool and said, "Dad, can we just say a prayer." It was actually pretty sweet but didn't buy him more than about 30 seconds out of the water. We survived day 1 and I was feeling pretty OK about life. Then, day 2 came. Boston started on the way to lessons telling me he didn't want to go. We got there and as I wrestled Ryder into the pool, Boston was telling me over and over how much he didn't want to do his lesson. I was a bit flustered and told him to please go sit on one of the chairs and I would talk to him in a few minutes. Well, a few minutes later, I realized Boston was no where to be found. I checked the pool first. Then all around the pool and Kim's house. I even opened the door into her house and yelled "Boston, you get over here RIGHT NOW!!!". No answer! I handed my screaming Ryder over to my sister-in-law Rachelle who luckily has kids in the same classes as my kids! Thankfully, she dealt with him for the next 20 min while I searched frantically for Boston. I drove the neighborhood, walked the premises of the house, looked in the house. He was NOWHERE!!! Finally, after about 20 min, he came walking into the backyard saying, "Mom, I have to go potty." He later showed me where he had been hiding (across the street, down a few houses, in the bushes!!!). He really didn't want to go to swim lessons! Ironically, that was the day it all changed for him and he ended up loving swim lessons. Ryder had a change of heart the next day. So, by the end of week 1- I had 3 kids anxious and excited for swim lessons!!!

As a side note, we decided to let our kids go try out what they had learned from lessons that week at the public pool by our house. All were playing and having a great time until Boston came over to me and said, "Mom, I frew up in the pool." What! He was right next to me. I would have seen if my kid chucked in the pool. I was trying to get the story straight when I heard a lifeguard yell, "Will everyone please clear the area; there has been an accident." They couldn't possibly be doing this because of my kid, right? He swallowed a little too much water and spit it up. Oh geez!! Then over the load speaker I hear, "Due to an accident, will everyone please evacuate the pool. Repeat, due to an accident, will everyone please evacuate the pool." And by everyone I mean, all 200 people!!

It was a rough swim week. Let's hope for better ones to come as we now live in AZ and that's what you do when you live in AZ- you swim!

Happy Birthday Boston

2009-06-12T22:42:00.003-04:00

Before the day ends in about an hour, I just wanted to give a big birthday shout to my baby Boston. Because we are in the middle of a move (our house is completely empty and we are living out of suitcases), I can't post any pictures of my big 4 year old because the camera is somewhere between here and AZ on a moving truck. But I didn't want to let the day slip by without letting my Bossie know how much I love him! He is such a funny, sweet, cute little buzzard. We are lucky and blessed to have him as part of our family. Here are the first 4 things I can think of that I love about Boston-

1. He is very sensitive to others' feelings. He hates to see anyone sad or upset. He makes it his job to make sure everyone is always happy.

2. He is my big helper. He always asks me to give him jobs to do. He is killer at laundry!

3. If you don't know Boston very well, you think he is a really quiet kid. He is not! I love all the noise he brings to our house (sometimes I forget I love it but when it's quiet at night and I think about it, it makes me smile).

4. He loves his daddy so much! Boston wants to be just like Ammon and I love that about him because that's a good person to want to be like.

Boston- you're my sweet angel. I love you so much. Happy 4th!

Again???

2009-05-29T17:26:00.002-04:00

Yep. Third time in a year.

Happy Birthday to My Sweet Ryder T

2009-05-14T21:22:00.005-04:00

Today is Ryder's 2nd Birthday. He is such a sweet little guy. He is always so cuddly and he loves to make us laugh. We love having you in our family Ry Guy!! As a side note, there were 3 different colors of cupcakes and he picked pink. I did not purposely have my son's birthday cupcake pink.

Oh Geez!!!!

2009-05-11T11:36:00.002-04:00

As parents, we know it's inevitable that our kids will at some point make a comment that will be so embarrassing we will want to crawl under a rock. It's just part of being a parent, right? We've had a few "moments" at this point in our parenting careers that were cringe worthy. Like when Tyler once saw my friend nursing her baby and pointed to my friends breast and asked, "how come my mom's are bigger than yours?". Or the time we were at the grocery store and Tyler pointed to a woman with really short hair and asked, "Is that a boy or a girl." It's embarrassing but we hope no one has heard and try to get out of the situation ASAP. Well, yesterday we reached a whole new low. We were over at my parents house for dinner. They had the missionaries over to eat as well. During dinner, Boston turned to one of the Elders and said, "You look like a rabbit." "Yeah" he said. "Why?". Boston's very observant response was, "Because your ears are really big and they stick out." Oh geez!!!! Luckily for me, I was in the other room. My dad was right there though and afterwards, I asked him what he said to soften the blow and make it less awkward. His response to me, "There wasn't anything to say." Oh geez!!! Luckily, the guy was a good sport and said, "And I like carrots too." So Sad!!!

On a more positive note, Happy Birthday Stephanie (my SIL)!!! I love you!

Excuses, Excuses

2009-05-09T12:23:00.003-04:00

OK, so I know it's been a while since I last blogged. Although I must say, I feel totally justified in my absence from the blogging world. I have lots of really good excuses. Let's start with the fact that of the last 50 days, Ammon has been out of town 40 of them. Good excuse, right? That leads me to my next excuse, with Ammon gone, I'm responsible for the care of my kids 24/7- I don't know how single moms do it! Another good excuse. How about the fact that my house is on the market and a good portion of my time is spent trying to keep my house perfect JUST IN CASE someone decides to drop by and take a peak. What about I've had a sick, fevery, barfing baby that needed all my time and attention. Still not convinced I'm justified in my hiatus. OK, then what if I said I were pregnant (like first trimester, so tired, always nauseous pregnant)? I have my reasons for not being up to date in the blog world. I think they're good excuses. Maybe one day we will finally get to AZ with Ammon and my life with return to semi normal and I can once again become a regular blogger. Who knows. Maybe I had my blogging run and the rest is downhill from here. Only time will tell. K well I better run, kids are screaming. Let me quickly leave you with a story from the other night. On Wednesday night, Ammon jumped on Skype and the kids and I crowded around the computer and we all had a little talk. We told our kids that not only is Thanksgiving coming up in November but around that time we will be having a new baby. The kids immediately asked if it would be a boy or a girl. We told them we didn't know yet. They asked what we would name the baby, we told them we didn't know yet. We finished off the conversation by saying our prayers (over Skype, weird but sometimes we have to do weird things to keep some sort of family unity). The kids and I then headed upstairs for bed. As I tucked Tyler and Boston in, I explained to them that sometimes when you have a baby in your stomach, you feel really tired and sick. Tyler said, "wait, you have a baby in your stomach?". I was a little confused. "Yes, Tyler, that's what daddy and I were just talking to you guys about." Tyler explained that since it wasn't coming until Thanksgiving she didn't think it would be in there yet. I concluded by saying, "Yes, that baby is in there. It's about the size of a bouncy ball. That's why I haven't been feeling that good lately. " I can't remember if it was Boston or Tyler but one of them said, "Ohhhh, so that's why you're always on the toilet." Interesting what kids pick up on and what goes straight over their heads. Anyways, as of right now, I think the kids and I are on the same page. Little tiny baby in my tummy. Going to come out around Thanksgiving.

Weak Easter Performance

2009-04-12T21:16:00.004-04:00

I owe my children an apology. Thankfully they are young and will forgive me, but this Easter was the weakest one yet. I have been in Memphis for almost a month now receiving some training so Brooke has been holding down the fort solo (and doing an amazing job might I add). I flew home Friday night late. We spent Saturday running around as a family and celebrating my Father in Law's birthday Saturday evening in true Blodgett fashion. Yes Curry party. Around 8pm we decided we still needed to color Easter eggs which took about 20 min because we only boiled 12.

Our Easter morning started with me and Brooke rushing around the family room hiding the 11 eggs (yeah Boston broke one) and one bag of mini candy bars and discovering our camera battery wwas dead. The kids didn't have Easter baskets just a weak 11 eggs hunt in the comfort of their own home. We will do better next year. I did manage to have a quick quiz and refresher course with them on why we really celebrate Easter and what Resurrection means before family prayer so it wasn't a complete failure.

Got Annoying???

2009-03-30T13:13:00.002-04:00

I just have to get this off my chest. It's been bother me for a few years now. It seems that it just keeps coming back into my life. You know the milk slogan: Got Milk? Can I tell you how annoying it is that EVERYONE uses that slogan for their various companies. It DRIVES ME CRAZY!!! First of all, I didn't even think it was that good of a line when Milk used it but for some reason, everyone else in the world loved it so much they decided it would be their slogan for their various companies too. Got Termites? (for a pest control company). Got Hair? (for a hair loss product). Got Jink (for a junk removal service). I even saw one today that said, Got Pregnant? (for some helpline for teen mothers- are you kidding me??). Here's a rule all should follow- if you have a company of your own, find your own tag line. Got Milk? is milk's tag line. STOP USING GOT then whatever the product is. Be original, be creative. OK, I can now move forward with my life.

Daddy Daughter Date

2009-03-18T22:45:00.004-04:00

This last weekend I went on the best date with Dad! Life is so busy and crazy all the time so it was really cool to be able to spend some one on one time with just my dad! He picked me up Friday morning at 5:50am and we headed to the Lexington, KY airport. We boarded the plane headed to Atlanta and then onto Miami. Unfortunately, the plane took so long to de-ice in Lex that by the time they were done, Atlanta had stopped all planes from landing there because of weather issues. By the time we made it to Atlanta, our flight to Miami had already left. Normally, we would have just jumped on the next flight out but quickly found that that would not happen as it was spring break and every flight to Miami and surrounding airports were oversold for the rest of the day. With some hard work, my dad was able to secure us two seats to Sarasota, FL. Once there, we rented a car and drove 3 hours to Miami. We stayed at the Trump International Hotel and after dropping our bags off in our room, headed to the spa. We both got massages which were so relaxing and awesome!! After that, we went to an Italian restaurant for dinner. Next, my dad asked my what I was going to bring my kids home from my trip. I hadn't figured that out yet so we went shopping and he picked out some really cute clothes for my babies. It was so sweet to see him pick things out for my kids because normally that is something my mom and I do. It was fun to have that experience with my dad. After that, we went back to the hotel and crashed! The next morning we had breakfast by the beach. Following that, we went and got pedicures. Then, we headed over to the American Airlines Arena for a Utah Jazz/Miami Heat showdown. Unfortunately, the Jazz lost in triple overtime! We then headed to the airport and flew back to Lexington. I had such a fun and relaxing weekend. I will remember it FOREVER!!! I love you dad and I am so grateful for the person you are. You always put your family first! Whenever I am upset, you always know the right things to say and do to help me feel calm (not that I was upset this weekend, it's just a quality in you that I really love!). I love the papa you are to my kids. They adore you and so do I! Thanks for the fun weekend!!!!!

PS- I also have to give a huge thanks to Ammon who stepped in and took over my responsibilities so I could have such a fun weekend away. I love you Ammon!
PPS- And as always, thanks to my mom who always helps with whatever needs helping with. I don't know what I would do without you mom!!! I love you!

Mother Knows Best... or Not

2009-03-09T16:50:00.002-04:00

Brooke: "Boston, get over here right now!"

Boston: "I can't!"

Brooke: "Yes you can. Now hurry."
Boston: "Mom, I can't!"

Brooke: "Boston! Now!"

Boston: "But I can't."

Brooke: "If I have to come get you, you're going to be in big trouble. Now get over here!"

Boston: "I'm stuck."

Brooke: "That's it! I'm coming up there and you're in trouble."

Upon entering the room, the guilt set in immediately. Who knew he really couldn't come and wasn't just being a 3 year old.

The World is a Playground

2009-03-04T10:27:00.006-05:00

Up until last Thursday, my kids favorite new hangout was the garage. They discovered that even if it's freezing cold outside, it's not so bad in the garage. Usually I would back my car out so they had lots of room to play but on that day, my car was in the garage just innocently parking. My kids like to spend garage time riding bikes and scooters, pretending to go fishing, or turning the music up in their power wheels and dancing. There was also another activity in which they were engaged, one I didn't know about but would soon discover. I was peacefully reading a book on my bed. Ryder was asleep; Tyler and Boston were playing in the garage. I was just thinking about how nice it was to have a few moments to myself when all of a sudden I heard a loud thud and then Tyler screaming at the top of her lungs. I lunged off my bed, slid in my socks through the hallway, and threw open the door to the garage- nervous to see what I would find. Tyler was screaming but was also walking over to me so that was a good sign. I shouted over her screaming, "Tyler, what happened?" Her response? "It was Boston's idea." Boston was just watching the whole mess unfold looking a little nervous. After I took inventory of both of my kids, I noticed my car. The top of it was covered with shoes and fishing poles and bike helmets and rain boots. I started to piece things together. I figured, Tyler and Boston were playing on top of my car, and she feel off and landed on the cement garage floor. I was terrified. I was thinking what if she would have landed on her head or her neck or her back? I was a little freaked out. At this point, Ammon came out to see what all the commotion was about. Once he knew everyone was OK physically, he started to take all the items off the top of my car. While checking my car for scratches and dents, he noticed that the back windshield wiper had been broken off and was hanging from the back. Still, my kids hadn't fessed up to what happened so based on the evidence, we concurred that my kids were using the garage door ledges to hoist themselves up onto my back bumper. At that point, they would use the windshield wiper as a step to climb onto the top of my car. Tyler was mid climb when the wiper broke and she skidded down the back of our garage til she landed on the ground. Seriously, what are kids thinking?? Luckily, my windshield wiper got the majority of the injuries. It makes me sick to think what could have happened. Needless to say, the garage is currently off limits for playing until further notice.

Again???

2009-02-16T08:41:00.005-05:00

What is it about a box of cereal that screams, "dump me out and step all over me repeatedly"?

Something like that!

2009-02-13T13:02:00.002-05:00

Brooke- "Tyler, I have a big job for you. I need you to put on your shoes and coat and put a card in Stephanie's mailbox and Patty's mailbox."

Tyler- "WOW, Mom! That's a big responsilation."

Where's Ryder?

2009-02-09T13:39:00.002-05:00

My kids were playing outside in the backyard, and when I went outside to tell them it was time to come in the house, Ryder ran into some bushes and hid behind a power box thing. I was laughing so hard. He was seriously trying to hide from me so he wouldn't have to come in. It's so scary kids do this at age 1!

Happy Birthday Brooke!!

2009-02-06T10:49:00.003-05:00

Today is Brooke's Birthday. Brooke is amazing in so many ways, but today since she is turning 25, I will list 31 of my favorite things about Brooke.

Brooke Is;

Hot! (thought I would get the shallow one out of the way first)
one of the most thoughtful people I know
really funny
A great mom
very organized
always on-time, which is amazes me with 3 small children
wicked smart
a good friend
creative (even though she doesn't think she is
hardcore in the gym
a fun date
compassionate
great at her church calling
addicted to reading
better than me at changing diapers (my favorite line "Brooke does Ryder smell to you?"
fun to travel with
one of the fastest getting ready girls I know
looks amazing in heels
patient with me
forgiving
a great Christlike example
good at remembering to say her prayer
very good with money
makes cheap clothes look expensive
really 31 today but still looks 12 :)
good at giving compliments to people
hot as a blond, a brunette, or a redhead
a good cook
an awesome wife
a great kisser (any ex-boyfriends blog stalking knows what I mean)
my best friend

Mild KY Winters

2009-02-02T22:26:00.004-05:00

When I moved to KY almost 7 years ago my Father-in-law was bragging about the mild KY winters. That winter we had one of the worst ice storms Lexington has had, so we like to tease him about the mild KY winters. Last week we had another ice storm. You may have seen it on the news. The good news is this one was not as bad as the first one we went through. We were very fortunate to keep power the entire time and only had a little damage cause by trees falling down in the back yard. Here are some pictures of our mild winter.

Brooke's Pre-Birthday Birthday Party

2009-02-02T22:03:00.006-05:00

We celebrated Brooke's birthday tonight with her family since her favorite sister Lacey was in town. Her real birthday is on Friday so I will wait and brag about how awesome she is on Friday. I love her more than anything and think she is pretty cool. Here are some pictures from the night.

Lacey, Tyler, and Boston doing a puzzle

Brooke blowing out the candles

Lacey, Tyler, and Ryder getting ready for cake

Brooke, and my hot mother-in-law. She makes the best cake

Brooke opening gifts

Brooke, Tyler, and Boston

Boston getting in on the picture action

Brooke opening present from Ty and Mindy

Tyler so proud of the card she made Brooke

And I Quote

2009-01-31T15:11:00.001-05:00

In regards to the noodles with Parmesan cheese we were eating the other day, Boston asked Ryder: "Hey Ry, you want some of that action?"

Go Suns!!!

2009-01-24T21:46:00.008-05:00

OK, well maybe not so much last night (Suns:76 , Bobcats:98) BUT-it was still so much fun! Ammon and I left Friday morning for Charlotte, NC. It's about a 6 hour drive from Lexington. We arrived at our hotel, relaxed for a bit (oh wait, that was just me- Ammon was on a call), went shopping at Nordstrom (had gift cards from Christmas), ate at Cheesecake Factory (me chicken tacos, Ammon chicken chili, me chocolate raspberry cheesecake, ammon fresh banana cream cheesecake), then went to the big game! Ammon and I were both clothed in Steve Nash jerseys (Ammon because he's loved Nash forever, me because he's just so nice... and he play really well- take it from Nelly Fertado if you don't believe me ("game MVP, like Steve Nash!")). We came home the next morning so it was a rather quick trip but so much fun!!!! Below are some pics of the fun date!!!!

We tried so hard to get a picture of the two of us pre-game but could never get it quite right

So we resorted to this

At the game- a little embarrassing walking out at the end

Grant Hill and Shaq

Hill and Nash!

Again

We had to take this picture because we thought it was so funny! Look at the poor rookie to the left of Shaq. Last week he made him move to the end of the row when he came to sit down. This time, Shaq let him stay but I bet he wishes he was at the other end of the bench. It was so sad, rookie kept trying to look around Majerle to see the game.

PS- Of course you can't just go away without kids without mucho help. So, mom and dad- thank you so so much for watching out kids. We didn't have to worry even once about them because we knew they were in great hands. My dad took the two older two kids to Chuck E Cheese's and Madagascar 2. My mom took great care of Ryder who wasn't feeling very good. Plus here is the extra above and beyond bonus! Ready? When we got home, my house was spotless including laundry all done!!!! It was a dream come true!!! Thanks mom and dad! I love you!

Also- thank you so much Adsie for all the help with the tickets. Lovies!!!

Happy Birthday Tyler!!!!

2009-01-13T21:23:00.005-05:00

Today my baby girl turned 5 years old! I can't believe it! Here are just 5 reason why I LOVE TYLER!

1. Tyler has the sweetest laugh and smile. She has a pretty mature sense of humor for her age so she laughs along with Ammon and me at the funny things her brothers do. I love when I am out and about with the kids and one of my boys does something so wrong and Tyler is looking at me shaking her head and smiling because she gets it. It's nice to have someone to laugh with!

2. She has such a talent for singing and is willing to share it with EVERYONE. I like that she will preform on command (usually). Her singing makes me smile.

3. She helps me ALL the time- even when I don't ask. If I am changing Ryder's diaper and Boston needs something, she doesn't wait for me to ask her to help him, she just does it on her own. If she hears Ryder crying, she usually has the problem solved before I can get to him.

4. She says such good prayers. Whenever we ask her to pray, Ammon and I love to hear the things she is thankful for. The other day in Primary she said during a prayer, "we are thankful for the opportunity we have to have love in our hearts." She comes up with stuff like this on her own all the time. Her prayers come from her heart.

5. Tyler is such a good friend to me! I love that I get to be with Tyler every single day. I enjoy her company. She is funny, sweet, obedient and so loving. I look forward to how our friendship will continue to grow over the years.

I LOVE YOU BABY GIRL!!!!

Here are a few pictures from her birthday.

Something Doesn't Add Up

2009-01-12T22:47:00.003-05:00

Today while I was in our office, Tyler came running in yelling, "MOM! You have got to see what Ryder did! It's really bad." When I walked into my bedroom I found the following:

It seems a little odd to me that Ryder can't even draw a straight line on a piece of paper and yet he was able to make smiley faces on his forehead and cheek. I guess Tyler just couldn't resist.

Tyler and Mindy's Adoption Blog

2009-01-08T15:26:00.003-05:00

My little brother Tyler and his wife Mindy are getting started with the adoption process. They have been trying for 3 years to get pregnant. They have done artificial insemination multiple times and in vitro multiple times with no success. Tyler and Mindy were made to be parents. They are so good with my kids, and I know they will be the best parents! Mindy has created a blog about them and their desire to be parents.

Check it out- Spread the word
http://mindyandtyler.blogspot.com/
I love you TT and Mindles!!!!!!

Don't You Hate...

2009-01-04T21:07:00.002-05:00

when you are cleaning up your house and there is a pick where it isn't supposed to be so you stick it in your hair with the intention of putting it away when you make it to the bathroom to clean it up and then get doing other stuff and forget about it until you happen to walk by a mirror an hour later and see it and wonder why no one thought it out of the ordinary so didn't bother to mention it???

Love/Hate

2008-12-29T21:45:00.004-05:00

I do love when my parents buy my daughter a pink Escalade Power Wheel for Christmas.

I don't love when it's freezing rain outside when the Escalade is given so the vehicle has to be stored in our house until we can find a better parking spot for it when the inclement weather subsides, and during the brief indoor storage, my one year old decides to gun the gas repeatedly during the day so that when we move the Escalade the following day just an hour before we are showing it to potential buyers we discover the following.

That's just not fun. All the way through the finish down to the wood!

Punked

2008-12-26T19:15:00.005-05:00

Last summer, we were driving out of our neighborhood and noticed a sign hanging on the front of our neighbor's house that said, "Congratulations, It's a Girl." We were a bit confused because we had just seen the neighbor that lives at that house a few days prior, and she definitely wasn't pregnant. A few days after that, we noticed a For Sale sign at the next house over from the Congratulations, It's a Girl house. We didn't think much of the For Sale sign until the next day when it wasn't there any more. A few nights later Ammon, the kids, and I were on a walk and the two neighbors who had had sings at their houses the previous week were outside talking. We decided to get to the bottom of the whole confusion. They told us that whenever they go out of town, their neighbor across the street plants signs in their yards as a joke. Ammon and I think that is so hilarious. I swear you can't just put someones house on the market for them. Well, Ammon and I laughed about it and came up with ideas that we thought would be funny for the neighbor to use. We hadn't thought about it for months until we were on a walk today and noticed the following on one of their porches. So wrong and yet so, so funny! When I noticed it, I could barely tell Ammon because I was laughing so hard. I would love to see the faces of the people who own that house when they get back in town. I love it!

My Lunch Hour

2008-12-18T15:20:00.006-05:00

People always talk about the wonderful things they do during their lunch hour. Here are some examples, "During my lunch hour today, I went to this really trendy new restaurant- the food was exquisite." OR "During my lunch hour, I went and got a fabulous spa pedicure." OR "During my lunch hour, I ran over to the mall and did some shopping- great sale going on at Nordstrom." I was feeling left out so let me tell you about my lunch hour (complete with pictures). During my lunch hour today, I wished I was at a trendy new restaurant or getting a fabulous spa pedicure. I also wished I was doing some shopping at Nordstrom. Instead, it started with me standing in front of the garbage can peeling an orange for my 3 year old. While peeling the orange, my 1 year old who was standing right next to me was promptly throwing all the peels I threw into the garbage out onto the floor so it didn't get in the way of the bag of popcorn he was working on (yes, the popcorn was in the garbage, apparently 1 year olds don't let all the specifics get in the way, popcorn is popcorn, garbage or not). In order to distract the 1 year old, I gave him a slice of the orange. He loved it- I am so smart. At least, I thought I was until about 10 minutes later when I found chewed up wads of oranges all over the floor in various little piles. In fairness to my 1 year old, sometimes there's just too much extra chewy stuff in an orange and it's just so much easier to spit it out (I really wasn't that ticked by the wads on the floor because I've had the too much pulp orange before). My lunch hour continued with me playing chef and giving my 4 year old 2 bowls of Ramen and 1 bowl of cereal (she was hungry today plus we had just gotten back from the grocery store and it's always fun to taste a little of everything that's new). I then continued my giving my 3 year old 3 bowls of Trix (like his sister, he was super excited about the fresh groceries, especially the new cereal I let him pick out- thus the 3 bowls). Finally, I gave my 1 year old some Trix and some Ramen and some fishies (let's be honest, new groceries or not, he loves to eat!). When that was all done, I sighed knowing the lunch hour was about to come to an end. I surveyed the damage then hurried and did up the dishes and cleaned the floor and wiped the counters. 2 minutes left of the lunch hour. What should I do to enjoy it? I'm thinking hide in a room and enjoy the darkness and quiet. Oh wait, no, Boston just asked if I would make him a peanut butter and honey sandwich because he's STARVING!!! Tomorrow I'll do the pedicure!

Disclaimer- I usually don't let me kids have a free for all at lunch. We usually all eat the same thing and even make sure there is some nutritional value involved. Today was just a special day (grocery day).

Another Disclamier- Although the lunch hour is hectic and not always super enjoyable- I feel so blessed that my babies always have food to eat. The craziness of the hour seems a small price to pay for the peace of mind knowing my kids don't have to go hungry or wonder where their next meal is coming from.

It's a Full House!!!

2008-12-16T11:21:00.003-05:00

I had to get my car serviced last week so I have been driving around Ammon's car. For some reason, seeing my kids all side by side jammed into his car, it seems so surreal that they are all mine. How do I have 3 kids all in car seats??? I love these babies!

Now That is Ugly!

2008-12-14T22:24:00.004-05:00

Last weekend we had an EQ Ugly Sweater Party at out house. Ammon and I went to Goodwill to find ourselves some sweater treasures. I was pretty sure I was getting lice the whole time I wore my sweater but whatever. Here are a few pics.

Ammon and me- HOT. I love the shirt tuck in Ammon has going!

My friend Denisha and me (as a side note, Denisha is like the most stylish person EVER so it was pretty funny to see her in the Santa sweater- a little off from her usual style!)

The group shot- I wonder if Denisha feels at all awkward nursing in this pic???

Touché

2008-12-11T15:08:00.006-05:00

Ammon- "Tyler, can you please go put your shoes away in the closet?"
Tyler returned like 2 seconds later.
Ammon- "Tyler, did you put your shoes away in the closet or did you just throw them in the hallway?"
Tyler- "I just threw them in the hallway right next to yours dad."

The Skinny on the Specs

2008-12-09T21:31:00.002-05:00

OK, ignore the goofy picture but a few of you mentioned that you didn't know I wore glasses when I referred to them in a previous post. SO, here's the story about the glasses. A couple of months ago, for a few weeks in a row, I kept getting these weird headaches behind my eyes. I decided to go to the eye doc to see if it was because I needed glasses. After checking my eyes, he informed me that my eyes are good enough that I can do fine without glasses but bad enough that glasses would help me see more clearly and maybe help with the headaches. I was pretty excited because as he was telling me about my pretty good but not great vision I was thinking, this means I have an excuse to buy some really cute glasses but I don't have to wear them unless they go with the outfit. SO, I now have glasses that I wear when they accessorize well- otherwise, I just leave them home. It works out well.

My Little Project

2008-12-08T15:42:00.005-05:00

I have been a busy girl this last week. A few months back, I learned how to make these cute bookmarks. I love them because even if you have zero creativity (me!), the finished product still looks great. I made my sister Lacey one for her birthday and she decided to hire me to make some for her friends for Christmas. I'm thinking yeah, I can make 4 or 5 but as mentioned in a previous blog post- Lacey is the most generous person ever so she informed me there would be 19 of them! Sheesh. Anywho, it all worked out and even by deadline. Below are some pictures of the finished product. Each girl told Lacey her favorite color (so I knew what color to make the bookmark) and then to personalize them even more, I attached the first letter of her name to the bottom of the bookmark with a little silver charm. This makes no sense- just look for yourself.

You Have the Longest What???

2008-12-03T09:23:00.003-05:00

Boston can't say his "st's". It comes out as a "D". So for example if his is saying Star, it comes out Dar. Or if he is saying Stamp, it comes out Damp. The other night we were at dinner. The waitress brought my kids some glow sticks to play with. Boston had a chain of 5 or 6 going, and was running around the restaurant yelling, "I have the longest stick! I have the longest stick." Awkward!

Well That's Embarrassing!

2008-11-20T21:08:00.002-05:00

Tonight we had an Enrichment activity at church. When it ended, we all pitched in to help with clean up. I grabbed a couple of dirty dishes and headed for the kitchen. In the kitchen was my good friend Linda. She had just had the privilege of getting a pedicure the night before at my absolute favorite pedicure spot so of course we had to discuss. Now, let me just say that when I feel passionately about something, I can talk a little loud (OK fine, I talk loud anyway but extra loud when the topic warrants added enthusiasm). If you know me at all, you know I have some very strong feelings about pedicures. I LOVE PEDICURES (and that's an understatement). The conversation went something like this (spoken at a pretty loud volume because not only is it a very exciting topic but Linda was washing dishes so we had to speak over the water).
Linda- "OK, I LOVED Nail EnVogue."
Brooke- "I KNOW!!! It is the greatest. The leg and feet massages are AMAZING and last forever."
Linda-"And, they have that stuff that is a scrub that turns into oil- that was so wonderful."
Brooke- "OH, and I LOVE the color you choose. I'm so excited you went and loved it."

I was about to continue with the necessity of getting a pedicure regularly for mental health when someone gently grabbed my arm and said "Excuse me, could you guys please be a little more quiet. We are having an institute class in the next room over and we can hear everything you guys are saying."
Brooke (face turning bright red and starting to get panicky)- "So when you say the room next door, do you mean the one connected to the kitchen separated by two double doors that have an inch opening between them?"
She smiled and said, "Yes."

Are you freaking kidding me???? Not only is that so embarrassing (if we're going to be honest, we sounded like two teenage valley girls) but due to the nature of the room setup and doors, the people in the class could probably catch a glimpse or two of us as well. Do you think if I dye my hair back to brown and stop wearing my new glasses they will still recognize me?

PS- I pretty much left at that point. Linda, on the other hand, stayed and finished the dishes- she's better than me (plus she talks quieter too so maybe they didn't hear all her stuff).

Did You Really Just Say That?

2008-11-17T12:59:00.002-05:00

Over the past few weeks, I have heard some bizarre/interesting/totally incorrect things. Let me share a few:

The other day I was at the store buying some nylons. I already had a bag in my hand from a purchase I had already made. After I had paid for the nylons, the cashier said, "Do you need a bag for these or do you want to just put them in your other bad?". I said, "They can just go in my other bag; that's fine." The cashier enthusiastically replied, "Great! Save a tree!" This would have been totally valid had we not been dealing with plastic bags. Hmmmm.

The other day I was at my kids' preschool and I had all three kids with me. Boston was already next to me so I called out to Tyler and Ryder to come to me. Some lady asked, "So, do all of your kids' names rhyme?" Seriously???

Finally, the other day Tyler said, "MOOO-OOMMM, Boston just called me a pumpkin pie." How do you discipline for that?

Heaven Help Us

2008-11-13T15:43:00.003-05:00

Tyler learned to whistle a few weeks ago and has been practicing 13 hours a day since (she's asleep the other 11).

Tyler's Anatomically Correct Picture of Her Daddy

2008-11-09T20:53:00.003-05:00

Tyler drew this picture about a year ago. My mom thought it was so funny (and cute) that she hung it up on her fridge immediately. I have been meaning to post it for a while but always remember when I'm not at my parents' house. Today we were over there for dinner and I remembered! I slyly took the picture down and as I was leaving out the door, my mom called, "you better bring that picture back as soon as you're done." At least now I have a copy of it here on our blog.

If I Weren't 100% Sure Ammon is the Dad, I Might Be Worried!!!

2008-11-06T21:48:00.006-05:00

The other night Ammon told me Ryder looks like Daniel Craig (the latest James Bond). He really does have a point!!! But Ryder's cuter, right???

leftovers snob

2008-11-05T12:01:00.005-05:00

I am maybe the world's biggest leftovers snob (Brooke will confirm). For some reason I just don't like eating things I've already eaten the day before. Today I learned there are a couple of exceptions. How I came to this realization you ask? I came home for lunch opened the refrigerator and low and behold I was confronted with a serious dilemma. Usually my lunch time dilemma is am I going to make a quesadilla (cheese crisp if you grew up in AZ) or a Peanut Butter & Honey sandwich?, but today the difficult choice I was blindsided with was; Do I eat left over chicken curry from last night or left over pizza from Monday night? I went back and forth back and forth (while shoving one of the delicious orange rolls Brooke made last night in my face). After standing in front of the fridge ruminating for what felt like forever and after several half grabs I did what any guy would do and decided to just eat both. Yes folks I am now in a food coma.

Halloween 08

2008-11-01T23:04:00.006-04:00

The Costumes

(Loo- this pic is for you, check out Bos)

The Loot
I had to add a few others because I'm so impressed my dad, brother and sister all dressed up for work!

(Love the Hooves)

Finally, this was what my parents looked like for their ward party. Boston said, "Papa, you're batman!" as he put on his cape. Tyler said, "Nana, princesses aren't supposed to have horns." They didn't quite get it! Probably for the best!

Now THAT is Crazy!

2008-10-29T22:17:00.003-04:00

Okay, maybe not THAT crazy but in honor of Halloween, I am going to share some crazy coincidences. Weird!

1. I have two brothers, one was born on my grandpa's birthday, and the other brother was born on my great grandpa's birthday- both on the maternal side. A little freaky, right!
2. Back when I was a dater, I was dating two guys at the same time (it's OK, they lived in different states so no foul there- Sam, Briggie- don't even TRY to call a "trashy" on that one!) and they had the same birthday (a decade apart). What are the odds? When that birthday rolled around, I absolutely gave them the exact same gift. It's hard enough to think of one good gift, I wasn't about to over exert myself and come up with two great gifts.
3. Ammon's mom and my mom have the SAME birthday- year and everything. Crazy!
4. My kids' birthdays fall on the 12, 13, and 14 of their birth months- trying keeping that straight when someone asks you spur of the moment for your child's date of birth. I usually just pick one and if it doesn't come up in the system, try another- worst case, it takes me 3 tries. OK, that's a bit of an exaggeration (I don't want my kids to think I don't know when they were born), but when Ryder was first born I really did keep giving the doctor's office his month with Boston's day with Ryder's year. I'm getting really good at it now.
5. There is another good one about Ammon's social but he won't let me share it- party pooper! I mean, what's the worst that could happen? Some people are SOOOO paranoid. Just kidding babe!

OK, now tell me your best one- leave me a comment with some freaky she-haw!

Who is That Crazy Woman???

2008-10-25T18:14:00.006-04:00

Sometimes Ammon takes his work conference calls from home. I love having him home BUT it presents an issue as my kids are obsessed with following him around when he needs them not to, and thus I have to work overtime to keep them away from him. The second I turn my back, they sneak into wherever he is on his call which then presents me with the near impossible task of trying to retrieve the perpetrator without making any noise (which doesn't seem that hard since kids tend to be so compliant when told NO- I just haven't mastered it yet, what's my problem??? I'm still waiting for the time when the child will smile at me sweetly, mouth the letters OK while making the OK gesture with their fingers and follow me out of the room). All in all, the situation is wicked fun! A few weeks back, Ammon was in our office on a call, and I was going crazy trying to keep my kids (especially Boston) away from him. In the midst of it all, Ryder desperately needed a diaper change. I changed him as quickly as I could but since I lack super powers (at least in diaper changing area- and keeping kids out of the way during conference calls area), Boston had seized the opportunity and was living the dream in the office, right next to Ammon. When I walked in he was busily playing nickjr.com (I wonder how the people on the call were enjoying the Diego theme song). I decided my best way to retrieve Bos with the least amount of noise would be by way of sneaking up on him and hoisting him over my shoulder- all of this done at mach speed so that by the time he realized what was happening we would be only seconds from the door. I was mid sabotage when I heard Ammon say the magic words, "Great, thanks" and then push the hang out button. This gave me permission to get Boston out of the office as loud as I wanted (now THAT is liberating!). I was SOOO frustrated that I said loudly (I promise it wasn't a yell- I think I missed the cutoff by a decibel or some sound measuring bit since I'm not really sure if 1 decibel is a lot or not), "BOSTON I HAVE TOLD YOU 30 TIMES TODAY NOT TO COME IN HERE WHEN DADDY IS ON A CALL. GET. OVER. HERE. NOOOOWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!" (said in that mean, scary mom voice that makes me wonder if just maybe I may be part witch). I was getting ready for part two of the reprimand when I heard Ammon say into the phone (which now that I looked realized it was indeed still held up to his ear), "Hold on, one second." ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME????????? So, I noiselessly picked up Boston, tiptoed out the door and looked for somewhere I could hide for the REST of my life!!! Seriously! Seriously! A few minutes later, Ammon came out and I was bawling saying, "I am so sorry! I am so embarrassed!" repeated like 20 or 30 times. He tried to make me feel better by saying that during the alleged "hang up" most of the people on the call really did hang up. I asked who had heard me and he said he thought it was just him and his friend/coworker Cory (who is the father of 6 so I hope that means he's heard this sort of tirade many, many times but knowing his wife (superwoman Lori) he probably has never heard her yell at the kids which then leaves me looking even more psycho!!!). I was also concerned, and still am to this day, that Ammon wasn't positive no one else besides Cory was still on the phone. I'm wondering if he couldn't remember because he didn't want me to be devastated further by letting me know his boss and boss's boss along with a couple of clients as well as Cory were deep in discussion before they were rudely, and shockingly interrupted by some nut job yelling (I mean speaking loudly) at her innocent baby who was just trying to enjoy a quick game of Diego. In the end, I'm left with asking myself repeatedly, why? Why does this happen?

Nothing Much to Tell

2008-10-23T21:46:00.007-04:00

So, basically, Ammon is out of town, my kids are sick, and I'm feeling overwhelmed. Doesn't really make for a great week, right? Tonight one of my friends asked me why I haven't posted in a little while and I decided that the reason is, I'm no good at writing unless I have something funny that happened (thus, as much as I would LOVE to write a book it ain't gonna happen because I'm awful at making up stories- just ask my kids!). So, I looked through my pictures on my camera and decided there are a few pics to post and stories to tell. Here goes:

First of all- Happy October to everyone.

Second, yesterday all three of my kids were crying at the same time (the sad thing is, it's pretty common in our world). I wanted to capture it on camera so one day in a long, long, long, long time, I can look at it and think, "ohhhh, the good ole days". BUT, as soon as I got my camera out, everyone stopped crying, of course. I tried to get them to reenact it but it just looked like they were laughing. And YES, the majority of the time, my kids don't have pants on- they're just so restricting (you know you wish you could be pantless too!).

Third, what is it about the fake, nasty teeth that I find so incredible? I think they are hilarious (joke NEVER gets old!). It reminds me of high school. I had this good friend who had really jacked teeth (bless his heart- it's OK to rip on someone if it ends in "bless his heart", then it's not mean spirited) and one night he and his buddies came over to my house. My friend's teeth looked especially jacked that night (like I was pretty sure they were fake but not positive) so I decided not to say anything, just in case. His friends were all laughing and I was trying not to laugh, just in case. He kept trying to kiss me and his friends thought it was hilarious but I was too nervous to say "dude- what's up with your teeth" just in case. Anyways, I love the fake, nasty teeth.

Finally, what is it about a pedicure that can bring almost any day up a whole letter grade (like if you're having a solid C but then get a pedicure, it becomes at least a B, maybe even a B+ if the foot massage portion of the pedicure is above and beyond). Seriously, they're stellar!

Still Trying to Master the Difference Between Accidents (as in Car Crashes) and Accidents (as in Peeing Your Pants)

2008-10-17T21:21:00.003-04:00

Brooke: "Wow, look at all those fire trucks at Jacobson Park; there are 5 or 6 of them. I wonder what happened."
Boston: "Maybe somebody peed."

Counting My Blessings

2008-10-14T11:37:00.005-04:00

Today at the grocery store (my least favorite place besides Garden Ridge because that place gives me a headache), we had an incident. In the midst of it, I decided to try and look on the bright side. Here's what I came up with:
I'm really grateful Boston threw up at the grocery store because that means I don't have to clean it up AND I'm happy that I was wearing my flip flops as opposed to some expensive fancy shoes because when the throw up landed all over my feet, at least it didn't ruin my best shoes AND I'm thankful that the throw up was really sticky because that helped me to not forget to clean them once the barf had dried when we got home and I was racing around trying to get Boston in the bath and cleaning off his clothes, I didn't forget that my flip flops needed a good once over as well AND I'm grateful that when the incident happened and we were trying to find someone to clean up the mess and Tyler tripped and ended up sprawled out on the floor of the store screaming at the top of her lungs, at least I knew she wasn't unconscious AND I'm thankful that Ryder doesn't barf easily because the whole way out of the store, including the check out, Ryder was trying to make the same sound as Boston, and kept gagging himself and yet no vom ever made it out AND I was really grateful that the guy we found to clean up the mess thought I was cute so he was REALLY nice about the whole situation (which at this point besides the throw up on the floor included a screaming daughter and gagging baby) AND I'm grateful the store wasn't too crowded so only a few lucky people were able to witness the event and stand there with their eyes bugging out of their heads at us AND finally (and seriously) I am so grateful that we can go to a grocery store that is ALWAYS stocked with food and that if Boston gets too sick he can get medical care and that I get to be a mom and learn so much every day!!!!!!

Poor little sickie- he's at that age where he doesn't want to miss out on anything but he just feels miserable. PS- he's potty trained but underwear when stomach issues are involved just feels a little too risky!

I Get No Respect!!!

2008-10-11T20:02:00.004-04:00

After watching this clip, you may wonder what is SOOOOO funny. It's got to be something hilarious, right? Well, here's the truth- Ryder's laughter is in response to me telling him "NO!" because he keeps splashing water all over. That's it. All I have to do is say, "No Ryder!" and he stares me right in my face and laughs. This can't be good! (sorry about the bum bum shots)

That's Not Something to Brag About

2008-10-08T21:53:00.005-04:00

Every morning when I open my pantry, on the side of my granola bar box, I see a picture of a man in a navy workout suit, smiling at me. Underneath his picture it says, "Bob Greene- Oprah's trainer." Now, granted, Oprah is the richest women in the whole world and very powerful BUT for some reason, I'm not sure he's getting his "healthy living, get fit" philosophy across by citing Oprah as his client. Sorry that may be harsh but to me it feels as wrong as it would feel hearing someone bragging about being the hair stylist of Amy Winehouse or the etiquette coach of Britney Spears. Personally, I think some things are better left unsaid. Now, tell me you're Heidi Klum's or Cameron Diaz's trainer and I will eat the granola bars for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Sign me up!

Denisha Sproul Photography

2008-10-05T21:24:00.004-04:00

Yesterday we had family pictures taken by my friend Denisha (denishasproul.com). She is amazing. She is SOOO talented! Anyways, she sent me 5 for a sneak peak. Here they are. I am so happy with how they turned out. I was so stressed about these pictures. I have wanted for so long a family picture that I love (where everyone looks at least semi-normal, ya know). I can't wait to see the rest! I also need to quickly give out a couple shouts- first to Rodney for being the BEST Kertech (PLEASE tell me I finally got the name right!) holder and keeping my kids thoroughly entertained. Second, my friend Linda came with us and did such a good job keeping shirts pulled down, hair straight, etc- AND keeping my kids happy while Ammon and I had a few pictures taken. Linda truly is one of the NICEST people I know!

TAGGED!

2008-10-04T20:53:00.006-04:00

This is a fun one I have never done or seen before. My friend Lori tagged me and the rule is, you have to post the 4th picture in your 4th folder in your pictures folder. Then give a brief description before tagging a few more of your friends. Here's mine:

This picture was taken this previous summer in Arizona at my in-laws house. The kids were running around being goofy and this was Boston's pose. My kids ALWAYS have such a fun time when we visit Arizona especially because they get to see their grandma and grandpa and cousins! OK, I tag Rachelle, Deedles, Lacey S, Lacey B, Erin P, Erin S, Chimmie, Mindles, Linda, Sarah, and Amy P (is that too many??- those are the people who comment most on my posts so I'm hoping to get a good response).

Randoms

2008-10-01T19:51:00.002-04:00

General Relief Society Meeting
I love the quote by Elder Uchtdorf from The General Relief Society Meeting this last weekend (and unfortunately I'm going to have to paraphrase because on lds.org it has the other speakers' talks but not his. Weird!) when talking about being compassionate and serving he says- More important than the number of prayers we say may be the number of prayers we answer! I love it! I really enjoyed this meeting- as I always do. I always leave this meeting refreshed and grateful to be a woman and a member of the church!

Tyler's Joke
OK, you have to think really hard about this one but once you figure it out, it's hilarious!!!
"Why did they make the American flag into medicine? Because they wanted to hang it from the food!"
Alright, I was just kidding, I have no idea what it means! I was just hoping someone smarter than me would sit and ponder it and come up with some deep meaning that makes it the funniest joke ever. No?

Walmart Special
We were at Walmart last weekend (not by choice but rather out of convenience) and some lady yelled at her kid (who was probably about 5 years old), "You better stop touching that or I am going to beat the crap out of you." Seriously, if she's yelling that at a crowded Walmart, what does she say, or do, in private. SAD!

Maybe Not Quite
Last night Ammon and I were watching TV and there was this lady that looked familiar on the show we were watching. We were both trying to figure out what she was from, and Ammon was like, "I know, she's from that prairie movie you watch." I'm thinking, I never watched Little House on the Prairie. Then he was like, "Ya know, um, Pride and Prejudice." Hmmmmmm???

Happy Birthday Loo Loo!!!

2008-09-30T21:34:00.003-04:00

Today is my beautiful little sister Lacey's birthday. There are SOO many amazing qualities about my little Loo Loo but I will pick one to emphasize. She is one of the most generous people I know. She gives of herself in all areas. She always buys cute little trinkets for my kiddles (she and Tyler have been best friends since Tyler's birth- just ask Tyler!). She shares her talents- I always ask her to help me make flyers for church activities because mine look cheesy or help with fixing pictures for our family Christmas cards or so I can post them on my blog. She is generous with her time- last time she visited she cleaned out our fridge for us! Yow won't find a better person in the whole world!! I love you LOO LOO!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Thanks for being my best friend! G.N.S.F.B.M.W.I.W.P.F.M.I.F.Y.B.F.F.I.L.Y.!!!!

As a side note, she's single so if you have any AMAZING guys who happen to be cute too let me know and we can make it happen!

Renee's Rolls

2008-09-28T20:29:00.003-04:00

3 TBSP dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1 heaping tsp sugar

1/2 c. sugar
1 c. powdered milk
10-11 c. flour
1 TBSP salt
3 c. warm water
4 eggs
1 c. salad oil

Dissolve yeast, tsp sugar in 1 cup warm water. Allow to stand until yeast is bubbly. Start mixing the other stuff while that is doing its thing.

In mixer, beat eggs and oil briefly. Add powdered milk, water, salt, sugar and yeast (when ready). Mix until smooth. Slowly add the flour until it's the right consistency- smooth and starting to pull away from the sides of the bowl (and when you touch it with your finger, it doesn't stick to it).

Allow to rise about an hour- covered with a towel. When ready, turn out onto oiled counter. Knead once or twice to get the air out. Grab about 1/6 of it and roll into a circle. With a pizza cutter, cut into 8ths (like you cut a pizza). Roll from the fat end to the pointed end to make crescent shaped rolls. Put the rolls onto a greased cookie sheet and let rise covered until about double the size (again about an hour). Bake at 375 for about 10 min. This makes about 48 rolls.

ENJOY!!!

The 4th C-Section

2008-09-26T21:44:00.002-04:00

WARNING- any boys reading this may want to stop right now as girl parts will be talked about in this post. You have officially been warned.

OK, so many have asked me what the high risk doctor told us about having a 4th c-section. Let me start by telling you how we ended up at high risk in the first place. I went to my doc for a checkup and he asked me if Ammon and I were planning on having any more kids. I said we would probably have one more and he said "no, just be happy with the three healthy ones you have and don't risk having another" (which I thought was a bit inappropriate). This comment came as a shock to me because when he did c-section 3, he said everything looked pretty ok and we should be OK to have another baby. I think this is the speech he gives to everyone having a 4th c-section and not me specifically which also is annoying. Anyway, he suggested I go see a high risk doc for a consult about 4th c-sections. So- the high risk doctor basically said that the risk goes up quite a bit between 3rd and 4th c-sections for developing Placenta Accreta. I am no expert so I may not say this exactly right but basically it's when the placenta attaches itself to the uterus. This is risky because when they do the c-section, the placenta could rip or get cut and cause some major bleeding. This bleeding could result in them having to remove the uterus (which actually wouldn't be the end of the world for me since this would be our last baby anyway) or it could lead in rare cases to death if they cannot stop the bleeding. He also said there is a chance the placenta could attach to the intestines, bladder, etc which also could cause complications. He said it is more common in a 4th c-section because where they have cut the uterus repeatedly in previous c-sections is very thin. Plus there is usually quite a bit of scar tissue which also complicates things. He said, in a 4th c-section, the chance of developing Placenta Accreta is 10 percent (although I have seen some articles that put the percentage lower than that). If you are one of those 1 in 10, there's a 50/50 chance it could be dangerous and thus high risk. Placenta Accreta can sometimes be seen in an ultrasound but often is discovered during delivery. Either way, there isn't anything that can be done about it prior to the birth. SO- now Ammon and I have a big decision to make! I wish my doctor (who is very conservative and old school) would have never even mentioned this and we would have been blissfully ignorant. I asked a friend of mine who had 5 c-sections if she was warned of the risks of having that many c-sections and she said- "I didn't even know there were risks with having multiple c-sections." Must be nice!

Anyway, any advice, experiences, etc would be greatly appreciated!!!

Only in Kentucky

2008-09-25T21:07:00.003-04:00

So Brooke and I went to meet with a high-risk doctor (No we are not pregnant), to see what risks are associated with having a fourth C-Section. It was an interesting experience, beginning from the moment we walked in to the waiting room. Apparently in Kentucky high-risk means white trash (I know this is why Brooke will be single in heaven). Anyway, we start talking to one girl (very country) and asked her why she was in. She said the Dr. said something might be wrong with her baby and for her to come to the high-risk Dr. I wonder if it had anything to do with the Mt. Dew she was sipping on? At this point in the experience I am like a kid at an exotic zoo, looking around soaking up all the weirdness, when the crowing moment occurred. Brooke and I were filling out the questionnaire when we came across this little jewel of a question. Sorry the image quality isn't better, but it is the question next to the pen.

Apparently family reunions out here are a great place to find a date. They wouldn't put it on the questionnaire if it wasn't a semi-frequent problem.

Boston's Dictionary

2008-09-23T20:59:00.009-04:00

Word: CrockerAligator
Definition:

Word: Donald Goose
Definition:

Word: McDonald Goose
Definition:

Word: Yucky Charms
Definition:

Word: Nem-n-nem
Definition:

Word: Nem-n-ade
Definition:

This Goes Out to My Mother-in-law

2008-09-21T17:55:00.003-04:00

After 3 attempts just this week (and several others in the past), I think I have finally figured out this whole roll thing. Renee, are you proud??? I also have to give a shout out to my friend Suzi for her wonderful pointers that made this whole successful roll experience possible. I strongly feel that homemade roles are the difference between a good meal and a great meal. Now, if only I can make them good again, we will be in business! Thanks Renee for the recipe and for ALWAYS making us such good homemade rolls WHENEVER we visit!

Journaling

2008-09-21T17:51:00.003-04:00

Every Sunday, Ammon helps Tyler and Boston write in their journals. I love that he is starting this with them a such a young age so that hopefully, they will do it consistently for their whole lives. Ammon- you're such a good dad!

How Can You Tell I'm a Mom?

2008-09-17T22:54:00.005-04:00

Is it the hair I haven't washed since yesterday?
Is it the stickers all over my arm?
Is it the spilled drink on my right breast (not really sure what to call it on our blog, but sorry I just made you all look)?
OR
Is it the smile on my face that says, "I am so tired I'm not sure I'll make it to bedtime but if given the option, I wouldn't change this for the world."

Tyler, Boston, and Ryder- I LOVE YOU!!!

This is What Happens When I Blog and Why I Should Probably Quit

2008-09-17T22:54:00.001-04:00

It Certainly Feels Like I Wet My Pants

2008-09-12T15:25:00.003-04:00

Hmmm, not a good way for a 30 year old girl to title a blog entry. Let me explain. This afternoon, I was putting Ryder into the shower. I was crouched down, trying to make sure he didn't tip over when all of a sudden, I felt my crotch get warm and wet (way too graphic!). I'm thinking, I know I'm going crazy but it certainly hasn't come to this, has it? Then, I noticed Ryder was peeing and it happened to be shooting straight at my crotch (I was wearing a skirt so it was pretty much a straight shot). Are you kidding me??? This is my life. Glamorous, wouldn't you say!

Uncle Daniel!

2008-09-09T15:54:00.003-04:00

Ammon's brother Daniel has an INCREDIBLE voice!!! I text him this morning and asked him to sing Tyler a song and email it to us since she's so into singing. Below is what he recorded for her just spur of the moment. AMAZING!!! Tyler has big singing footsteps to follow in.

Longing for the Diaper Days

2008-09-08T13:45:00.004-04:00

My little sister is in town for work for the next couple of days. We decided to all go out to lunch today. I picked up my oldest two from preschool, and then my kids and I headed over to the restaurant. We were about 15 minutes early so I decided the best move would be to all wait in the car until the others arrived (at least in the car everyone is contained). The plan was going according to plan for about 30 seconds until Boston informed me, "I have to go! I have to go!" I quickly unloaded all 3 and we raced to the bathroom. We BARELY got Boston to the toitet in time! He started doing his thing as Tyler informed me she had to go too. I got her situated on the pot and then went to find Ryder who of course had made his way to the 3rd bathroom stall and may or may not have been playing in the toilet water. I whisked him to the sink to wash his hands just in case. While cleaning Ryder up, Boston exclaimed, "MOM! Look!!!" He sounded REALLY excited. I turned and to my utter horror he was holding a used tampon applicator!!! OH MY GROSS. I'm nauseous just writing about it. I yelled for him to drop it IMMEDIATELY but of course he decided the better route would be to try and put in back in the little garbage bin thing where he found it. In the midst of all this, Tyler keeps yelling, "I'm done! Mom, I'm done" I have to repeatedly tell her, "Tyler hold on, I can't help you right now. Just sit there and don't touch ANYTHING!" They had those automatic toilet flushers at this joint so her toilet probably flushed 50 times in a row during the whole nightmare. Oh and did I mention the floor was covered in some greasy substance, so as I'm running around the bathroom in my 3 inch heals, I keep finding myself sliding into the splits. Once everyone finished up and hands were washed, I had the STRONG temptation to just call it a day and go home. We ended up staying and it was so fun to see Lacey but when events like this happen, I find myself wishing I were back in the good ole easy Diaper Days!

First Day of School

2008-09-06T20:59:00.002-04:00

Wednesday was my kids' first day of preschool for this school year. Tyler is in the orange room and Boston is in the yellow room. So far so good; two days with no tears! Boston was ticked in his picture because his shoes were bugging him! We got him back in his crocs before heading to school so all was well.

Soccer

2008-09-06T20:52:00.003-04:00

Today was Tyler's first soccer game. Ammon is her coach. She did great (although I think she liked cheering for everyone more than she liked playing. Here are a few pictures from the event. Go Momentum!!!

Donuts for breakfast!

2008-09-03T09:24:00.004-04:00

This morning as I was getting ready, Boston asked me to help him put his undies on. As I was doing it, he said, "yum mom, it smells like donuts." I knew there were no donuts anywhere in the house especially in my closet so I was a bit confused. Then it all came together, I had just put on my vanilla chai deodorant. My son was mistaking deodorant for donuts. I laughed a little and told him it was my getting ready stuff he was smelling. Then I said, "OK Bos, let's go have some breakfast." He replied, "Can we have some of those donuts?"

Superstar- Yeah, Yeah, Yeah

2008-08-28T15:16:00.007-04:00

My daughter LOVES to sing. She walks around the house ALWAYS singing (I've blogged about this before). Today the following conversation took place:

Brooke: "Tyler, sing the Song of a Bird song."
Tyler: "Mom, I'm a superstar; I ONLY sing my own songs."

She then proceeded to give me the following performance:

(I filmed this on my camera but it had to be rotated 90 degrees so the quality isn't quite as good and it cuts off part of her head during some of it- you get the idea though. Thanks Sarah for your help!)

OK so when I was little, I didn't even dare to look at people so I'm pretty sure this whole preforming thing is not coming from me. I can only assume it is coming from Ammon. In fact, I know it is- I've seen his Artist Formally Known as Prince renditions. It really is something to behold!

PS- Tyler better be nice to me for the next 20 years or this will end up on her wedding video!!!