Monday, December 8, 2008

Spreading Christmas Cheer

I absolutely love the holiday season with all the fun things to do. One of my kids favorite things to do is to help create an advent calendar or if they don't help make it just to help eat the treats! This year I created one with my sister-in-laws, it was so much fun to make and we are just loving it.



Usually I add a scripture or a thought on Christ to each day but this year I only had time to put treats in it. So tonight for Family Night I'm going to allow each of my boys to help me fill the calendar with thoughts or kind deeds that they can do for each other or scripture stories that they love to hear told. It always seems to be more meaningful when you help so I'm trying to make this years calendar more meaningful for them.
Another great idea is to choose a family or friend to do the 12 days of Christmas for and to think of ideas to give them on each day. I've been pondering this for a few weeks now trying to decide what family we can do something for. So tonight is the night we choose the family and then we'll spend this week getting preparations done so that we just have to deliver something every night and it doesn't turn into a big hassle.
Happy Holidays everyone! For more ideas on Family Moments Monday visit Motherhood for Dummies.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Look what I got today!

So I went to a little craft type boutique today with one of my friends and let me just tell you it was awesome! They had bags, shirts, jewelry, watches, and tons and tons of baby stuff. Mostly for little girls, which I have none of, but my sister-in-law just had her first girl. Soooooooooo you know what that means, yep presents from the favorite aunt (that's me in case you were confused *S*).
So here is what I bought


Isn't this so stinkin' cute? I love the big bow to tie up the bottom


and of course a little girls outfit is not complete without bows, so bows I bought.



I also got a cool watch but the lady didn't have the right fit so she is going to make me one and mail it on Monday, I can't wait to get it. I've been looking at the for a while but hadn't found one I loved until today! Yipee for craft fairs!

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

I'm all blogged out

So I know my blog has been a little lonely these days or should I say weeks on no more like months. I'd do the cross out thing but then I'd have to call my sister to figure out how since it's been so long! :) I have another family blog and I haven't been posting there much either. I guess it's because of the holidays and trying to get everything ready plus I just got put in charge of the girls youth group at my church so I help with all their activities and teach their class on Sundays. It's the best place to be in the world since they are awesome and so much fun but it's really busy and I am just not getting to everything, if you don't believe me you should take a look at my laundry room. It is out of control and it's not getting any better.
Anyway, just thought I'd post a little bit and again it's about Tyce since he's one of the funniest kids on the planet!
So we were at my church the other day and when we finished I took my kids out to the car. After we got in Tyce turned to me and said, "Mom I left my toys in the church." I said, "You did? Did you leave them in the classroom?"
He turned to me and said, "ahh damn it!"
That's right, my 4 year old swore right then and there. I should have been shocked except for the fact that hubs has had a little bit of a potty mouth lately, I'm pretty sure it's due to the market and business and all but nonetheless not acceptable.
So then I asked Tyce where he learned that (as if I needed to but thought I'd humor myself).
He said, "Dad says it all the time!"
So when he father got home they had a little chat and then pinky promised they'd try harder not to say that anymore!

Friday, October 10, 2008

My daddy's . . . . .

So my 2 1/2 year old, Kaden has had a speech delay and is just barely starting to talk in sentences. It really freaked me out at first because my other two were so advanced in speech that I felt horrible and helpless with my last baby. I ended up getting him tested and getting him into an early intervention program and now WOW he's talking up a storm. I really think it's interesting to have him just start spouting off now since his brain is so much further ahead and he didn't really start with a couple words or this and that it was nothing to sentences in a couple months.
Here are a few examples of our conversations.
So we bought this action figure since my husband won't let me call it a doll but pretty much it looks like a boy barbie to me. Take a look





It was sitting on my dresser when Kaden found it. He of course thought it was daddy's since everything is daddy's to him. He came out holding it in his hand saying, "My daddy's Jesus is scary." That's right because he has long hair my son thought it was a doll of Jesus. I quickly corrected him to let him know it was a pirate named Jack Sparrow and not Jesus.
Kaden has decided to wear pull ups in stead of diapers since he's a big boy and I have to say he's actually doing great at the potty training. So we've had a lot of discussions on potty training and the like. We were driving home and from the back seat of the SUV he yells, "My daddy's potty trained." Yep here we go again with the daddy talk.
My last story happened just today. He was holding my cell phone in hopes that he would be able to call his daddy. He looked up at me and said, "Calling daddy!" I just let him play with it but when he held it up to his ear and no one answered he looked at me and very annoyed said, "My daddy's a moron!"
Aren't 2 year olds so much fun! :) I just love the little stinker!

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Is he talking to someone?

So this morning I was in cleaning my Kaden's room (2) while Spencer was getting ready to eat breakfast. All of the sudden I heard him talking and wasn't sure who he was talking to. I listened a little closer and realized he was saying a prayer, talking to his Father in Heaven. He prays all the time but for some reason it just hit me that even without my prompting, he was out in the kitchen by himself and he took the time to pray.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

My audition for Hell's Kitchen

So in my family I'm known as the best a great an okay a horrible cook but hey I try. It was a bit chilly here today and some of the leaves have started to fall so it really felt like fall weather. My kids and I decided to make chocolate chip pumpkin bread. They were excited since I rarely let them help in the kitchen do to my exceptional lack of cooking skills, I need to concentrate to make the perfect eatable meal.
So I mixed the sweet bread mix (yes I make nothing without a mix) together and then grabbed the can of pumpkin filling to put in and realized I'd left my can opener at the condo I stayed at this past weekend. Now when I packed it I thought to myself, "Self, I'm sure they have can openers at the condo." and then my self talked back to me and said, "but you love your can opener and it doesn't take up much space so you might as well take it." I don't know why I ever listen to myself because you know what I did? Ya I left my can opener at the condo (of course you knew that I already told you that). So since the sweet bread was already mixed up and a can opener isn't really something you borrow from your neighbors (although again I shouldn't listen to myself I should have sent my oldest over to the neighbors house to borrow a can opener, you'll see why if you choose to read on).
So here are the tools that I tried in order to get the pumpkin out of the can and into my bowl.
Yes let's see we have

  1. a baby spoon
  2. a table spoon
  3. a butter knife
  4. a bottle opener
  5. a large sharp knife (that by the way does not cut through metal)
Beautiful I know! So here's why I have so many sophisticated okay stupd tools. I used the bottle opener to try to pry open the can one crack at a time, when it would only do part of it without ripping the can apart I then tried to cut in between the pried pieces. When that didn't work I tried to use a butter knife to get the lid to flip back a little but again no luck! So then I tried to spoon it out and eventually grabbed a baby spoon and pushed it out through the 2nd whole. Genious I know, that is what you're all thinking, right? I'm sure it's what you'd all do, right?
So here is the can after I'd won the battle.
Doesn't it look like it lost?

and here is my lovely pumpkin in the bowl after the battle


So after I battled the pumpkin I was on to the best part, putting the dough in the bread pan and cooking it. Okay so that's not quite the best part but we're getting closer. I read the instructions and realized it would take me over an hour to cook the bread but only 20 minutes to make muffins and since my boys wanted these for their after dinner snack I figured I'd go with muffins.
So after all that, here is the final result, worth all the effort. mmmmmmm yum!
Not sure I'd make it on the actual show Hell's kitchen but I tell you what this was my own personal version of Hell's kitchen! :)

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Through the eye's of a 4 year old

So I went to workout this morning and after I picked my boys up from the child care center we were sitting on a couch in the hallway. My son looked down at my crossed legs and started rubbing my thigh and then his eyes got big and he said, "mom you sure are fat!" I looked up at him and said, "no I'm not." He looked up at me and said, "Mom take a look you really are fat!" What a boost of self esteem I tell you! I just about took the boys back into the child care center and went back upstairs to workout. Lucky thing I am in pretty good shape and know I'm not at all fat but still thought it was pretty funny! No matter what I told him he just thought I was being ridiculous because couldn't I just look and see that my leg was so fat!

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Meet puppy!

Meet puppy!

We've had this little guy for just over a month now and are really enjoying him. He's such a sweet little guy and so mellow for a puppy! He's pretty smart too, well except for this little incident
where he tried to fit through the fence and ended up with his front leg and head on one side and his rear end and other 3 legs on the other. We ended up having to unscrew the board on the fence to get him out!
Here is a video of Tyce playing with puppy. Aren't puppies so much fun, well except for the house training and chewing part but other than that look at the cutie!

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Works for me Wednesday

Yeah WFMW is back!

Well school has begun and that means earlier mornings, which in my house means cranky kids! I love the summer months when we all can sleep in and stay up late! Well I get really tired of telling my son 50 bigillion times to find your shoes, get your backpack, or brush your teeth only to be pulling him out the door to get there just in time for the bell to ring yelling, "hurry hurry!" I would end up dropping my son off totally frustrated and then feeling bad leaving him because he had had a rushed morning where his mom ended up yelling at him to "hurry up!" He'd be frustrated because he was trying hard and then he'd be mad that we couldn't walk because we were so late.
Well do I have the solution for this! I mentioned it in my Monday post but thought I'd wait to go on and on about it for this post. It's called the Children's Miracle Music and it is just that a complete miracle. The website seems kinda cheesy but really it works so well. I've been using it for a couple weeks now and I heard about it from a friend who's been using it for 2 years and yes it still works. My friend has left a testimonial on the site along with others and it really is as good as they say!
I put the CD in the CD player before my kids wake up and it plays soft music to wake them up, then it has a ladies voice that comes on and tells them good morning and they start the game. They end up making their bed, getting dressed, showering, brushing teeth, eating breakfast, clearing dishes, putting pj's away, fixing hair, and doing a job (act of kindness) each morning in about 40 minutes with a smile. I really just sit back and watch or help when I'm asked. They are so excited to do everything because when they earn 100 points (about 12 per day) they get to pick the place and go on a date with one parent. It's fun because I get to take my son out with just him and listen to all the fun things he has to say. I feel so much better with it because I drop my son off at school knowing I didn't tell him to hurry once and I wasn't frustrated because he was ready in plenty of time with a happy attitude and excited because he was all the closer to his date.
I tell you it's a genius idea and totally worth the $30. That's right it's only $30, I'm amazed at the product and wish I'd found it sooner!

Monday, August 25, 2008

Another reason you know you should have stayed in bed this morning

So I just cannot believe huns luck these past few days (if you didn't read my last post about his luck click here) and so I had to share what happened this morning with you all.
I was upstairs with my boys eating breakfast when I hear a loud crash in the basement. It sounded like hun had crashed the ironing board while ironing a shirt (yes he does iron since I am not a fan of it, bonus points for him huh?). He yelled up to me and so I ran downstairs only to find him in the bathroom completely naked with the shower door shattered in pieces all around him. He couldn't really move because the floor was covered in glass. He ended up getting a big cut on his foot, hand, and stomach but luckily no stitches. He said he was just shutting the shower door not yanking it or anything. Here is a look at all the glass

I didn't even realize those doors were actually made of glass. I guess it makes sense but the people who built this house and lived here before we bought it were very cheap in everything they put in so I would think they would have put in some cheap plasticy (nice word huh) crap but apparently they forked over the $300 for these doors. I would have never guessed they cost that much but now that we have to replace them I'm quickly finding out.
This morning we locked the bathroom door so that everything could dry out before we tried to clean it up. When hun got home from work he took the broom down and ended up sweeping up more than a garbage can full of glass, I could not believe all the places it had ended up.

When I told hun I was going to go get my camera to take pictures he turned to me and said, "Why? Are you going to put this on the blog as yet another reason you know you should not have gotten out of bed this morning." He knows me oh so well since that was exactly my plan. Well I guess I'm off to go look for a new shower door!

Saturday, August 23, 2008

The importance of working together

Family Moments Monday
Have you noticed lately how little kids know about work? It's concerning to me since my parents taught me how to work yet my baby sister (9 years younger) moved in with my oldest sister (9 years older) when she was 16 years old and had no clue. One night my two sisters were cleaning the kitchen together and my older sister said, "okay I'll wash the dishes, you rinse the dishes." My older sister started washing the dishes and they began to pile up in the opposite sink when my younger sister picked one up and looked cluelessly (is that a word?) at my sister and said, "So do I just get the bubbles off these or what?" Imagine my older sister having a really good laugh at this point. My youngest sister was 16 years old and had never rinsed a dish in her life. Of course after living with my oldest sister for 2 years she learned quickly. Needless to say it made a great point for me of making sure I teach my children how to clean. So for a great Family Moments Monday I have decided to have a BBQ with my boys and then as a family pick up the yard together. It's amazing how much younger children are willing to help if you just give them the opportunity and make it fun. My boys are more likely to clean if I'm right there by their side helping them out than if I just tell them to go do it on their own. I think it's really important to teach our children to work and Family Night is a great time to get started. During the day my boys and I like to turn on music and see if you can get an entire room or floor or whatever cleaned before the song is over. As a side note, I do this with my kids in the morning (Children's Miracle Music) and it is a fabulous stress free way to get your kids ready and out the door with a smile on their faces and at the same time teaches them responsibility. So look around your house or yard and see what needs to be done and then get the family together for dinner and after the dishes are cleared put your work gloves on, turn the music up and have at it!

Friday, August 22, 2008

The bigger picture


Is there some unwritten rule that when you enter the 2nd grade you must turn from loving school to spouting off comments like, "I hate school, I don't want to go today" or "School is so boring, I don't even like it." Or when they return from school and like a good mom you ask, "Honey, how was school today?" only to get a response of, "Dumb!" So I follow up, with a smile of course, "Well what did you do today that was so dumb?" response, "Nothing!"
Seriously, where did this come from? It's been nearly a month since Spencer started 2nd grade and last week on the way to school he said, "Mom I don't even want to go to school today because it's spelling test day and I don't like spelling tests." Really? In 2 years there have only been 3 tests that he hasn't gotten 100+% on, but apparently, yep you guessed it, "They are boring!"




I have to say I was starting to get concerned but thought with a little more sleep and a little time maybe things would get better. Well, yesterday he told me that he's starting to like 2nd grade because he was the first one to finish his word search. He went on to tell me that at first 2nd grade was so fast but now he's getting the hang of it because he's getting really fast.
I guess it's like everything in all of our lives aren't most of us resistant to change? When we have done something before and therefore know what we are doing we feel confident, we are creatures of habit and new things can be scary. Four years ago when we moved to this neighborhood I have to admit I was a little scared of the unknown. Would I fit in with the people at my new church? Would my children have friends here like they did in our old house? How would my children adjust? I remember sitting in church almost crying when my son turned to me and said "Mom I don't like it here, I miss my friend Colby, can we move back to our old house?" I felt so bad since I was sitting there feeling alone too.
Fast forward four years and I can't imagine living anywhere else. I love it here! I love the people at church, love my neighborhood and love where we live. We are so close to the mountains that it's just a short drive away yet we live close to the city so we have all those conveniences as well. Spencer found a new best buddy that he plays with several days of the week, they attended preschool together and have been in the same class in Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grades. Tyce is the same way, not long after we moved in another family moved in with a little girl his age and they hit it off immediately, when they were almost 3 years old they would leave the family meeting at church hand in hand and walk to their class. How cute it that? and except for a few moments like these, they get along great and love to play!
So I sit here typing feeling blessed knowing that even though we are afraid the Lord sees a much bigger picture and even when we are scared he helps us with what we need and helps us to find happiness.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Can you believe this?

The other morning I walked outside and this is what I found
(Take note of how far up on the curb the car is, that's how my husband parks it so there is hardly any of the car on the road, yet someone managed to hit all that was in the road).














That's right, my husband's car had been hit in the night while we were sleeping. Now we live on a dead end street with very little traffic especially in the night so I was perplexed by how this happen. Considering he was parked in the north side of the road and the car was traveling east. So the car was on the wrong side of the road and apparently driving super fast since our car was bounced a full car length. Luckily there was a note left on the window. Thank goodness for honest people! When my husband called the number on the note he found out that this number belonged to the newspaper man and he had been delivering newspapers when he plowed our car. Can you even believe that? It was the newspaper delivery man first thing in the morning. That morning my husband got up and said, "I'm pretty sure that if your car gets hit first thing in the morning you should go back to bed." I told him, "I'm pretty sure if you hit someone's parked car that early in the morning you shouldn't have gotten out of bed."

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Listening to Bits and pieces

Last Sunday in Sacrament Meeting (family meeting) the speaker talked about Peter walking on water. We were sitting in the very back and my children were a little restless so I didn't expect that they had listened to much of it. Apparently Tyce was listening because today while we were looking at pictures of our summer fun on the computer I pulled this picture up of Spencer jumping off the diving board.




When Tyce looked at it he turned to me and said, "What? Spencer knows how to walk on water?"

Friday, August 8, 2008

Yeah the Olympics have finally arrived!


I'm back! I had so much fun on vacation, I pretty much roasted on the beach every day. The water was so shallow that my boys could all play in it and I didn't really worry much. They all had fun as well and Kaden (2) would wake up every morning and say, "moma wimming wimming." Which if you couldn't tell is his version of swimming! Anyway, enough about that.

I LOVE the Olympics! That's right, I love every bit of it and am so excited to watch the Olympics this year. So tonight I am having an Olympics party. I have a few different families coming over with their children. We are going to have an international dinner and then play Sonic Olympics on the Wii (one of my favorites) and then watch the Opening Ceremonies. Well at least part of the Opening Ceremonies since it's like 4 1/2 hours long I'm not sure the little kids will be up for all of it!
Anyway, I'm so excited about it but wanted to check in and say hello but I have to run as I need to get my house ready and my food cooked! I have other things I want to post but they'll have to wait until tomorrow or Monday. Happy Olympics watching!

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Now that can't be comfortable


I'm headed to the beach for the weekend. Yahoooooo! That's right just me and the beach, okay so not just me I'm taking my kids and meeting up with my parents and sisters and their families. I'm so excited since I will get to see my cute little (oh wait did I say little because I swear the chic was 20 lbs by 6 months) niece! Which reminds me of all the other times I've been at the beach with cute little girls and doesn't it always seem like their swimsuits end up stuck up their little fanny? It always makes me laugh as I watch the mom's running over to help them adjust their suit and they are thinking, "mom leave me alone can't you see I'm busy building a sand castle here, quit bugging me!"
Well being the mother of 3 boys I have just the opposite problem, yep instead of worrying that their swim suit is riding up I'm worried about the low riders. You know they look like little hoodlems with there pants down around their thighs where they can hardly walk and in Kaden's (2) case he has the swim diaper sticking out the top. Here are a few pictures of what I'm talking about.




On that note wish me luck keeping my boys pants and not coming home looking like a lobster! Ahhhhh I can't wait!

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Voluntarily, Optional School supplies


So school started this last Monday around here! Ya I know it's so super early and it snuck up on me, I was not at all prepared. We ended up running out Saturday night to get a backpack and a lunch box. We also had to go to get Spencer's haircut for school since it was obvious his mom had been neglecting him in the haircutting area! :)
In the state where I live the school is supposed to provide everything for the students (pencils, crayons, etc.) and it is covered in taxes. Well Spencer came home the 2nd day with the following note.

We are happy to have your child in 2nd grade! The following items are used by students in the 2nd grade. We encourage you to voluntarily provide these items if possible. We have found that some of these items the children enjoy using at school and having as their own.
*Pencils
*Pencil Box
*Scissors
*Tissues
*Band-Aids
*Back Pack
*Glue
*Glue stick
*Colored pencils or markers
*1" three ring binder
Please remember that these items are optional!

I had to laugh as I read the note since they've asked that I voluntarily (have to say that but really I mean bring them as soon as possible) provide these items because "children enjoy having them as their own."

Spencer asked me, "Mom why do you need all that stuff anyways."
I told him, "well, because some kids enjoy having them as their own."
He said, "I don't really care if I do" and then he walked away.

That's right he doesn't really care. I just thought it was funny that they made sure to let you know that it was "voluntary and optional" because they have to tell you that. I am more than happy to provide these items for my son because I know if I don't it will end up being the teacher who pays for the supplies. Just thought it was amusing and worth sharing.

Monday, July 28, 2008

Mother Nature has a tantrum

I have been enjoying summer and especially now when all the flowers are in bloom

the garden is growing, the tomatoes are starting to ripen, squash is looking good, my corn is growing, and well the pumpkins and watermelon are trying. It's hard to see in this picture but trust me on this one, it is looking good! *S*


The kids are playing outside in the water and on the slip-n-slide. I even went out and slid a few times with them myself. I should have made a video of that as it would have been worth watching! :) Take note of the trees still standing in the background.



And Then The Wind Started to Blow and . . . . . . . . . .

well that garden I've worked so hard on. . . . . it now looks like this

yes that's right my corn blew right over on top of the rest of my plants and it refuses to stand back up no matter how hard I try (sounds like parenting my 2 year old).


and then if that wasn't bad enough the wind came crashing threw my yard and took out what was left of our tree. This poor tree has gone piece by piece but alas it is gone. We are left with a gap in our landscape and a large stump that we just aren't sure what to do with. Any ideas?


Sunday, July 27, 2008

Family Moments Monday


I have always felt that it was important to thank people for everything.I love making little homemade thank you cards for people I love. I send them out to thank people for doing something nice for me or for one of my children. I send them out when I appreciated a lesson given in church or just to let someone who is having a hard time know that I'm thinking about them. My mom always encouraged me to be thankful and I am trying to pass it on to my children as well. So here is one way I try to teach them.
I have each of my boys (ages 7, 4, and 2) sit down at the counter and draw a picture of what they have learned form their teacher at church (or whoever), my 7 year old can write so he'll write a sentence about his favorite thing about the person. We then make some kind of treat together, cookies, brownies, rice krispies or in a pinch we just use a bag of candy bars. Then we attach the picture and the treat and we take them to their teachers houses to let them know how much we appreciate them. The teachers love to see the kids and it's always nice to get a thank you just because and to have a little picture to tell them what they love. I hope that this has helped my boys be grateful for people and taught them a little about making sure we thank others and at the same time it's been fun!
Check out more Family Moments Monday at Motherhood for Dummies.

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Like Father, Like Son

One of huns favorite sayings is, "Rules are kinda like guitar strings you have to bend them a little to make music."
Yesterday we went to an amusement park with my sister and her family. We took Spencer (7) but not Tyce (4) since he wanted to stay home with his aunt who was going to babysit Kaden (2) for the day. It over 100' so towards the end of the afternoon we decided to head on over to the water part of the park. We had 9 of us in our group and we all lined up to go down this tube slide that dumps you into about 4 different pools on the way down. There's a lifeguard in each pool to help send you down the next slide. Well the first round we got in and the lifeguard told hun and I to take off our glasses. So I did and then right after my husband went down the first slide he put them back on, well the lifeguard blew his whistle and told him to take them back off, so he did and then proceeded to put them back on. Hun thought that was the stupidest rule since he couldn't see so well without his sunglasses. I swear boys don't ever grow up do they? Anyway, he was going off about it and I kept telling him that it was the lifeguards job and I was grateful that he was doing his job.
The funny part was on the way home Spencer turned to me and said, "Mom at the water park we couldn't climb on the rocks. We tried but the lifeguard blew his whistle at us. That is such a stupid rule, huh!" So again I had to explain that rules are made to help people blah blah blah you know the drill. I turned to hun and just laughed as I said, "Like father, like son!"

Friday, July 25, 2008

Do I really need a fairy Godmother?

I know stress is part of life but dang I wish I could get rid of it with some magic flip of a wand. Where is my fairy Godmother? I'm just stressed out for my husband right now as he owns a title company, which from my earlier post you know isn't going so well. He has to go talk to 4 offices today to discuss the cuts that he has to make on Monday. He's such a sweet guy and takes it to heart, he cares about every employee he has and worries and prays for their families. He is more stressed than I've ever seen him and I so wish I could just take it away. I really hope the economy starts to get better soon and that he can have some sort of relief.
I think I'll skip the whole flip of a magic wand and stop looking for my fairy Godmother and just continue what I'm doing. Continue to pray to my Heavenly Father and know that we are in his hands and he will take care of it all. I'll look for the ways he has blessed my life and enjoy my 3 sweet healthy boys!

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

The pet of the day





So Kaden (2) is obsessed with rolly polly bugs. You know what I mean right? They are these small bugs that when you drop them or scare them (I guess) they roll up into a ball. Well whenever I'm not sure where Kaden is I know I can step outside and he'll be right out the backdoor digging between the sidewalk and the grass trying to find rolly polly bugs. He carries them everywhere and has been bringing them in the house lately. A big No! No! at our house since we have plenty of ants living with us. We sprayed to get rid of them and yet they still seem to think they own the place. Okay so they aren't as bad as they were at the beginning of the summer but still I don't need anymore creepy crawly things in my house. So yesterday I see Kaden with this little measuring cup, it looks like the one out of a formula bottle (where he found it I have no idea) just carefully carrying it around the house. I walk over and what do you know he has 3 little rolly polly bugs in it. Oh wait did I say little I meant 2 little ones and then he has the King of all rolly polly bugs crowded in there with the others. Yep that's right his little friends in there very little home. Although it could be worse as you remember Tyce loves daddy long leg spiders because they "tickle" him. Yes I'd have to say I'll take rolly polly bugs any day if my other option is spiders!

Monday, July 21, 2008

You've got to love Blonde moments



One's for washing one's for moisturizing but when you are totally out of it after a month of summer vacation sometimes you forget, which is what I did, so I ended up giving my legs a little bath in the sink in order to get the hand soap off of them and then I got to try again but luckily the 2nd try was a charm so my legs ended up clean and moisturized. :) (Wow that probably sets the record for the worlds longest run on sentence. I'm out of breath just typing it!)

Friday, July 18, 2008

Boys, little or big, I still don't get it!



Tyce has his friend Ella over today. Ella is the same age as him and soooooo cute! I just love that girl, she cracks me up every time I'm around her. Pretty much her and Tyce are 2 peas in a pod. Well today I'm so sad because when Tyce called to see if she wanted to play she wasn't so sure she wanted to come over because as she said, "Tyce doesn't have any girl toys." She did end up coming over with her princess dress in hand. At first they were having trouble deciding what to play but then Tyce suggested that she be the princess and he'll be the guy who has a sword and kills the princess.

Are you kidding me?

I really don't remember being a little girl and wishing I could play the game I'll be the princess and you be the knight that kills me. I'm not sure I've ever heard of any little girl wanting to play such a game? I'm thinking next time we call to see if she wants to come over to play instead of not being sure she wants to come over because Tyce doesn't have any "girl" toys it's going to be, uh mom I really don't want to go play because last time Tyce tried to kill me when I was the princess.
This just makes me realize that I am completely clueless as to how to raise boys, where do they come from?

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Changing my point of view

My husband owns a small title company and with the economy the way that it is right now let's just say it's not going so well. We've been struggling as we try to make decisions together. It's been hard to watch him come home from work stressed out yet trying to put on a happy face for his family. One night neither one of us could handle it anymore and we weren't sure where to turn, I asked my husband if he had talked to his father. I meant his father that lives a neighborhood over from us but he took it as his Father in Heaven. So that is what he did, he knelt in prayer and talked with his Heavenly Father and felt peace at least for a while. We decided to make a list of our assets and liabilities both physical and spiritual. We started with the assets and realized we have 3 great kids who are healthy and who all get along well with each other, we have each other and a strong marriage at that, we have both of our families who are very supportive, and then of course we added our house and other material things like that. As I watched the list grow I felt a surge of gratitude run through my body. I know that no matter what happens with the economy and with his business we are blessed and if everything falls and crumbles we will still have each other and we will still have our children and our families.

Monday, July 14, 2008

I've been tagged

I've been tagged by Julie at Jujukats World.
Since my blog is all about "surviving in a house of all boys" I thought I'd ask my son, Spencer (7) to tell me 3 random things about me. Here goes,
Spencer said, "Well mom, 1st you change a lot of poopy diapers, 2nd you love going to Disneyland with me and have been so many times (I have to admit I am a little obsessed since I live 670 miles away yet we go there around 3-4 times a year) and 3rd you type on the computer a lot." Later he added that I loved them all! (Is that really that random?)
So there you go! "Phtphtbt!!"
I'm going to tag SweetAbbs at Folded but not put away. Have fun with it, and again don't forget to put Phtphtbt in your post!

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

So close yet so far

I don't know if I told you that my sister-in-law is pregnant? She is having a baby girl in December. Baby girls are rare in all of our families, in my family there are 15 biological grandchildren and only 4 girls and then my sister has 3 step daughters, my husband's family there are 11 grandchildren and only 1 girl and my sister-in-laws family (the one that's pregnant) there is something like 15 grandchildren and 1 girl. Needless to say we were all so excited to find out she was having a little girl. Although excited I was also a little shocked by how I felt. Let me just give you some background information. About a year ago my brother-in-law called my husband and said on his recent trip to Guatemala he had talked with a friend there (he lived there for 2 years) and that his niece was having a baby girl that she wanted to adopt out but she wanted the baby to go to a Christian family, I guess in the U.S.A. So my brother-in-law called my husband and asked if we wanted to adopt this baby girl. I did not hesitate at all but said yes I would take the baby. So since my brother-in-law spoke Spanish he was dealing with the legal aspects. He found an attorney that started working on the case and we were discussing what all we would have to do, we'd have to find a nanny to take care of the baby while the paperwork was being done since we would be unable to take our baby home immediately. I was really excited and then a month after we had had the above conversation my brother-in-law called to let us know that the mother had decided to keep the baby (it still makes me cry today). Even though the baby wasn't born yet I felt horrible and felt like I had a baby just out of reach that I would never get. So since then I've been thinking about adopting a baby and lately I've been thinking it's time to start the paperwork. We'll see how it goes I haven't even begun the process and I know it's typically a long process.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Motherhood defined

Ya pretty much I don't have much to say today as I'm running on very little sleep. I'm staying with my mom this week (ya hoo!) and so last night I stayed up talking with my mom for a while, we went to bed at 10:30. I know you all are thinking what's the big deal that's not very late. Well I read my book for about an hour and then went to bed. I was in the same room as Kaden (2) who at 2am woke up screaming. I sat straight up in bed in a panic wondering what that horrible sound I was hearing was and why was my sleep being interrupted (isn't that called motherhood?). When I realized what it was I got him out of his bed and let him lay between me and Spencer (7) who was also sleeping in the same room. He would not go back to sleep and insisted on getting up to get a drink of water. So I got him a drink of water and then got him back to sleep. Only to have him kick his foot over and land smack in the middle of my face 3 times during the night. He was sleeping at the head of the bed right where my pillow should have been but you know it's kinda like that saying let a sleeping dog lie. I think it goes the same for toddlers, let a sleeping toddler lie! So I scrunched up on the bottom of the bed and tried to catch some Zs. At 6:45 Tyce burst into the room to tell me good morning. I quickly jumped out of bed and shushed him as we went out the door. So I didn't get to sleep in after that and then I took my 3 boys and their 2 cousins swimming this afternoon and I'm beat! I'm thinking I'll sleep in Tyce's room tonight and try to get more sleep, but anyway there is the reason that I'm not thinking so well so I don't have a great post. OH wait that and the night before I stayed up until 2am cleaning my house, washing laundry, and packing in order to be ready to leave for my mom's house first thing this morning.

Saturday, July 5, 2008

The difference between girls and boys



So yesterday we got together with some other members of our family for a good old fashion BBQ and fireworks. There is a big parking lot across the street from my in-laws house that is perfect for fireworks. One of our favorite things to do is "tank wars." You know the firework tanks you can buy that roll forward and then shoot in front of them. Here is how you have a tank war. You each get a tank and line them up facing each other, then on the count of three you both light your tank and then sit back and watch. A lot of the time one will catch on fire and then that one obviously loses. Well this year I challenged my brother-in-law to a tank war and when he set his little tank down on the ground I surprised him with a BIG tank that my husband and I had bought just for this occasion. Long after his tanks were out mine kept whistling and turning and shooting fire out. The kids thought it was so much fun and laughed and played the whole time. They were fascinated with the tanks and three of the boys took all of them (about 7) that were left out of the packages and lined them up in a row. All of a sudden the one little granddaughter in the bunch comes up to them with one of the BIG tanks in hand and says, "Hello boys mommy is here" and she proceeds to put the BIG tank up with the little ones.

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Spider anyone?

So yesterday I was sitting at my computer and Kaden came up to me (remember he's 2) and put his hand toward my face, I look over and see these long legs protruding from where his thumb and finger were pinched together and he says, "Mom 'pider." Yes that's right the kid was holding a spider in his hand. I tried not to jump or do anything of the sort since he's such a little tease and then he would have put it up to my face and laugh. Yuck! I wondered where he learned to just pick up spiders since his dad is terrified of them. Seriously he is a tough guy in other aspects of life but put a spider near him and he'll jump right out of his seat.
Well today I found out exactly where he had learned that spiders where our friends. I was outside weeding my garden. Yes I have a garden and it is looking so beautiful and I'm so excited! Tyce came in the garden and said, "Oh mom look it's a daddy long leg." He promptly picked it up and then said, "I sure like petting these guys." Then he dropped it and said, "There you go buddy!" The story continues when I was weeding another part of the garden and Tyce was standing behind me, he said, "Hey mom there is a spider on you, could you hand it to me." Are you serious? I'm thinking gross, smash it, quick get it off, but I didn't panic I just stood up and asked where and then we found it because it had fallen off.
I'm not really afraid of spiders but I don't want them as pets and I surely don't want to pet them. It must be another one of those boy things I'm learning about since I definitely did not play with spiders when I was a little girl!

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Chocolate Eclair Cake

WFMW
This is a quick and easy dessert that my family loves! I do not like to cook so I'm so excited for all of these recipes

Ingredients

2 packages graham crackers
1 large box vanilla pudding prepared
1 container cool whip
1 container chocolate frosting


Mix prepared pudding with cool whip.
Cover the bottom of a 9X13 pan with whole graham crackers. Spread 1/2 of the cool whip mixture on top of the graham crackers, add another layer of graham crackers, 1/2 pudding mixture, another layer of graham crackers and then frost these graham crackers with the chocolate frosting. Refrigerate for an hour or 2 to let the graham crackers soften. Cut into squares and enjoy!

Monday, June 30, 2008

I didn't know church could be so dangerous!

So yesterday we we all went to church, we made it there on time and of course hubby and I were assigned to say the prayers as we do about every 5 weeks or so. Apparently we still haven't gotten it right because they keep asking us! :) Sacrament meeting was the normal 1 hour and 10 minute wrestling match, hearing bits and pieces of the speaker and counting down the minutes until Primary starts, we begin a quiet little chant, "song and a prayer, song and a prayer, song and a prayer" when we hit the closing song and then the kids are off to their classes. Hubby and I go to Sunday School where we can actually listen to the teacher and participate. At the end of Sunday School hubby took off to go teach the youth and I decided I'd move up a few rows to sit with another lady, Holly, who's husband teaches the youth. I was just beginning to catch up with Holly's life the past week when the Primary president came in and gestured for me to come out into the hall. I set my stuff down on the seat with every intention to return, and quickly went out the door. In the hallway I found Tyce waiting for me, being held in his teachers arms with some blood running down his face coming from a cut that was right on the side of his eye. I wondered what happened since I didn't realize Primary was so dangerous. His teacher informed me he was singing, "Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam!" and when he jumped up he fell and hit the chair in front of him. It seemed like a freak accident to me and then when I examined his eye I realized he was probably going to need stitches. Luckily there are a few doctors who go to our church and so I went to find one of them to see what he thought about Tyce's eye. He agreed that Tyce would need stitches, he offered to do them at his house but then decided he probably didn't have the right numbing medicine so I'd better take him to the insta care. So I grabbed hubby and we were off to spend the next hour and a half at the insta care where Tyce ended up getting 3 stitches. He was very brave and didn't cry until the doctor started giving him stitches but when the doctor was finished the tears went away when the doctor informed Tyce that she had a popsicle for him. On the way home he informed us that he was definitely braver than Spencer since he hardly cried at all. Thinking back I would have to agree since it took hubby, a nurse, and I to hold Spencer still while the doctor stitched up his foot and he laid there trying to get up and screaming the entire time. It was horrible.
Needless to say I think I'll send Tyce to church with a helmet, elbow pads, knee pads and a mouth guard next week! :) And as all great parents do, we taught him that when someone asks him what happened to his eye he should respond with, "You should see the other guy!" Aren't parroting kids fun! :)

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Dead and Bomb, what other words should a 2 year old know?

So Tyce wanted me to play sword fighting with him. He had 2 tinker toy sticks and handed me one saying mom this is your light saber. Then he proceeded to stab me and say, "Mom you are dead. . . . . Okay you are back alive!" I stabbed him and he pretended to be dead, then all of a sudden he threw some little toy at me and said, "Bomb, you're dead!" It didn't matter what I did, he would tell me that wasn't the rules and I couldn't do that and he had a force field around him so nothing worked. Pretty much I just needed to stand up, get stabbed, play dead, and repeat! Then Kaden, my 2 year old, came over and stabbed me and said, "Dead!" Then he turned to Tyce and stabbed him and said, "Dead!" Then he turned to my sister and did the same thing. A few minutes later he walked around saying, "Bomb! Bomb! Bomb!" Lovely, I know. In case I didn't mention it he's in speech therapy right now because he's a bit delayed for his age so I'm sure his therapist will be thrilled to know that he now knows the words dead and bomb! Glad we aren't going to the airport anytime soon or my 2 year old might not make it through the screening process.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

WFMW cribtent


Works For Me Wednesday
I have to give all three of my boys credit for being some of the best baby climbers ever! When Spencer was 1 he climbed up onto the couch and then climbed through a little cutout in the wall that led to the kitchen then walked around the counters to find a cup to get himself a drink. Tyce had more of a sweet tooth and at 1 years old he would pull out the bottom freezer and climb in to eat ice cream. I came out of my bedroom to find him sitting in the pullout freezer with a giant spoon and a gallon of ice cream going to town! Kaden decided he would climb out of his crib at 20 months, I know it was all a plot so I wouldn't get any sleep. Isn't that what kids do? I was not ready to have the sleepless nights of returning him to a "big boy" bed 50 bigillion (that really isn't a word is it?) times so I looked online for a solution and what do you know I found one. It's called a crib tent. This ingenious device saved us and continues to provide much needed sleep while I work up the energy to move Kaden to a "big Boy" bed. It attaches to the top of the crib and then goes under the mattress to provide a dome around the top of the child's crib and then it zips closed. I love it so much that we ordered a 2nd one for our play yard and it is the first thing we pack when we go out of town. I think I bought mine at www.onestepahead.com but I found them online at Walmart for the cheapest price. It's been a life saver for our family!

Daisies at my mothers doorstep



This past weekend I found out that my uncle has cirrhosis of the liver. This is my mother's brother and the only member of her immediate family still living. She lost her parents 18 years ago. Just a little bit about my uncle, he was in and out of different treatment facilities as a boy, he was shipped off to military school to try to help but with no avail. In his adult life he was married and had 5 children (one of which died as a child). He is now divorced and pretty much has been on and off drugs his entire life. It's really sad but at the same time I'm not sure there is much any of us can do. My mom tried to help him, took him into her home, helped him find a job and an apartment but he was fired and ended up going back to where he lived before which is across the country from us. Needless to say my mother was very sad when she heard the news and I just felt like I should go visit her (it's a 4 hour drive) and take my kids to help her smile. Right before we were about to leave Spencer's friend called to see if he could come play. I overheard him on the phone telling his friend that we had to go see his grandma because her brother was going to die because he drinks so much. I'm not sure how the rest of the conversation went because I was busy packing up the car but I'm sure it would have been really interesting to listen to. We drove the 4 hours, which was quite an event. For some reason there was traffic in the middle of nowhere and then it seemed like the semi trucks were purposely driving side by side to see how many cars they could back up. I doubt that was really the case but when you are in a hurry it sure feels that way. My husband was so frustrated and at one point said, "Uhhh morons!" In the back seat I heard Kaden in his little 2 year old voice say, "Ahh moron!" We all started laughing and so he did it again and again. Moron seemed to be the word of the day! When we arrived at my moms we parked behind her house so she couldn't see our car. Then I gave each of my boys a daisy (her favorite flower) and sent them up to the door to surprise grandma. When she opened the door there they were, as cute as can be with flowers in hand and a grin on each face. She was so happy to see them and at least for a couple days could put a smile on her face.
Apparently moron continued to be the word of the day into Sunday. We went to church with my parents and as to keep my children quiet during the service I gave Tyce a picture of Jesus and 2 fishermen. Tyce turned to me and pointed at the 2 fishermen and then said, "Mom, who are those 2 morons anyways?" He caught me a little off guard and I may have laughed out loud as I explained who the men where.
Needless to say we had a great weekend and it's so nice to have family that lives close so you can all come together in times like these. It makes me grateful for my parents and for my brothers and sisters and that I'm lucky to have them all in my life!

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Is there such an Olympic event?

Spencer was burping in the car today so I turned around and told him that was enough and I didn't want to hear it again. He said okay but also informed me that he had already burped 80 times. A few minutes later he said, "Mom can you hear me burping in my mouth." I told him no, thank goodness! So a few more minutes went by and he said, "Mom is there such a thing as a burping contest." I told him that yes, he could have a burping contest with his friends but I didn't know if there was a burping contest where you actually get paid. He said, "Mom I don't want to get paid I just wondered if there's one where you could get a medal." I laughed a bit and said, "No they don't have burping contests in the Olympics."

More boy talk

So one of the sayings my husband has always used when waking up early in the morning is, "I can't believe I have to get up at the butt crack of dawn." I'm not sure if that's a common saying or if it's just him. Today we were driving home in the car with our 3 boys and I asked him what time he was leaving in the morning. He said, "So early we are leaving at the butt crack." So then Spencer says, "Dad you just said a bad word." Tyce responds with, "Mom why did dad say butt crack." I told him, "Well sometimes dad slips." Tyce looked at me funny and said, "he slips on his butt crack?"

Water balloons flying through the sky

So last Saturday my husband filled up a bunch of water balloons for the kids to have a water fight. I was laying in the hammock relaxing after a hard days work, I spent Friday and Saturday painting and decorating Tyce's room in pirates, when all of the sudden yes you guessed it out of no where came a water balloon that landed in the tree and splashed all over me. A bit later I was cleaning up lunch that we'd eaten outside and my 14 year old nephew was laying in the hammock and yep you guessed it again, another water balloon came flying through the sky and drenched him. Which reminds me of a funny story. This happened a year ago in our neighborhood. We were at a neighborhood church party that was held in the back of one of our friends yards. They had all the tables decorated and we were all sitting eating dinner, chatting, and just enjoying everyone's company. Two of the neighborhood boys showed up and ate dinner with us but then left before the program. The program started and everyone was listening to the speaker as she talked about her life and played some songs that she had written. About half way into the program out of no where came a water balloon that hit one of the tables and burst, spraying everyone at the table including a little 1 month old baby, luckily she was wrapped up in a baby sling. A few seconds later, the second balloon hit. The men started to get up and one of the fathers of the 2 boys who had been there earlier yelled, "Spencer!" (just happens to be his name too) All the men went running to see if they could find these boys. The boys were found by Spencer's father hiding in his garage and needless to say they received quite the lecture. They had to come back to the party and apologize to everyone who was there. I personally thought it was all done in fun and they are some of the cutest boys I know. They always come up with funny pranks and I hope some day my boys choose to do the same thing. I'm sure as a parent it won't be as funny but none the less I can think of a lot worse things they could be doing.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Blowing bubbles


Today we went to Spencer's last baseball game, hurray! Yes shout it out with me HURRAY! Yes we've been sleeping, eating, and drinking baseball for the last 2 1/2 months and since it's been such a rainy spring the season has lasted a bit longer due to rainouts. Well tonight they played at 8pm, yes seems late for a 7 year old but apparently it was the only time slot available. My husband wasn't home so I bundled up the kids and loaded them into the car and headed out to the baseball game. The game started and my husband met me there which was so nice since now we could each man a child since we had a little attitude going on because it was an hour past bedtime.
I heard Kaden yell, "bubbles! bubbles!" He was so enthusiastic so I looked over to see where he was finding these bubbles and lo and behold Tyce was hanging over the bleacher watching as his spit slowly fell to the ground seeing how long it could hang before it dropped. Kaden thought this was great because it looked like little bubbles. You'll have to look closely at the picture to see it but that would be the great bubbles Kaden was talking about.
Funny I really don't remember playing those sort of games as a little girl, or blowing bubbles in that manner!

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

May the force be with me

My husband loves the movie star wars and when the toys started coming out with the last 3 http://blog.kenvas.com/2007/06/movies he bought a bunch of them. You know it's that, "oh I always wanted one of these when I was a kid" syndrome, that turns you into a little kid as an adult. So you guessed it we have all sorts of little star wars characters, light sabers, the star wars ships, the darth vador talking mask and suit. You name it we probably have it. In fact one of my 5 year old nephews is obsessed with star wars and after playing with it he came and found me and the following conversation took place.
Nephew, "When your husband dies can I have all his cool star wars things."
Me, "Well I'm hoping he won't die soon."
Nephew, "I know but when he does die then can I have them because I really like them all."
With that said, you should know that not only do we have every http://parisparfait.typepad.com/paris_parfait/music/index.html
star wars toy we also have the ability to use the force. Well I don't have the ability but apparently my 4 year old son, Tyce does. For example, today we went to the store and Tyce said, "Mom wait I'll get the door." He then proceeded to run up to the automatic door and stick his hand out like a jedi and say something like, "whooosh." Then he paused in the jedi stance until I walked through the door. Then he ran up to the next door looking behind him to make sure no one was going to interrupt his use of the force and then did it again.