Little Lady

My baby girl is growing up and starting to look like a little lady!!! Can I just say once more how much I love the dresses at Costco?



The drama

She is great at expressing emotion---all kinds!!!

Literacy/Arts Night

They had a literacy/arts night at school where the kids all presented their books and a drawn picture. I love my boys and am proud of all they are doing at school.
Brandon and Ethan

Brandon's and Ethan's Pictures


Ethan's Book

Brandon's Book

"I love you the mostest" -Maddie (3) will say to us as she goes to bed. She also insists on kissing everyone on the lips before they go to school, leave for work, etc. Oh, a little girl changes a family. And for the better. There is just so much love in a little girls heart that it can't help but spill over. And those are the spills I love!

Modest Maddie

We are in the living room.

I bring down Maddie's ballet outfit.

I tell her to strip down so we can put on her ballet clothes.

Maddie looks at our dog Teddy, and says to him, "Close your eyes, Teddy."

Then begins to strip down.

Don't tell her, but I don't think Teddy really closed his eyes.

Maybe she will stop stripping so many times a day for fear that Teddy will be watching. Maybe our dog is worth keeping around:)

What I love about Ethan.....

his honesty. He is seven years old and my little Honest Abe. The other day he came up to me and said, the other day I broke one of your bowls by accident. (While I was at work.) That touched my heart that he knew it might upset me and came to tell me about it, despite possible negative consequences.

Then today, he is home sick. He is upstairs in my bed resting and watching TV. He came to me and told me he couldn't find the "channeler" as we call it. I was not that concerned and told him to look for it. He then told me, "well, spongebob came on and you don't like me to watch that." I can't turn the channel until I find the channeler.

I love that he wants to obey and be honest. A great little boy. I love my Ebone.

I even appreciated his honesty earlier today when he told me I needed to lose some weight!!! Ethan is a great, little boy. He has always been one of our "lower maintenance" children. He is happy and independent. And honest.

My Very Special Life

Little Brandon wrote his book "My very special life" for school.



Awwww. The book is dedicated to Mom & Dad, and he thanks us for all the memories. How sweet is that.

I was presented to earth on May 14, 2000. My parents named me Brandon.
So true. I love how he used the phrase, "presented to earth".

I am glad the births of all his siblings are important events in his life. Uhmmm, it's probably good that he doesn't realize that it was an emergency C-section. Ethan was 5 lbs. 13 oz. I guess unless it is coming out of your body---- 5, 6, 7 pounds----it's all the same.

Brain aneurism. So sad. I will always be grateful that my husband flew home early from his job to help us handle this one. I wasn't expecting him to get on a flight, but that's exactly what he did. A stud moment for my husband. He handles crisis very well. Shelby was buried under my roses in Springville and I must say, those roses were magnificent. Shelby was a special part of our life. I loved Shelby. We all did.


It is great to see a kid perspective. Benjamin was born in Payson, Brandon and Ethan were excited to stay with Grandparents and they got Spider Bionicles. Does life get much better?

It's true. His baby sister was and is so, so, so, so, cute. And it was so great that Brandon and Ethan were able to come in and see her.

It's easy to forget how traumatic moves can be for kids. Brandon still remembers he was really sad to move from Springville to Herriman.

Baby Dylan with chocolate eyes, even though I call Benjamin chocolate eyes. They look so much alike, and I guess all three of the youngest have those beautiful chocolate eyes.

Pets are always so important to kids. Brandon loves his dog Teddy.

Disneyland made the book. Probably since it was our most recent trip.

I loved reading his book to see the events of his life which he views as important.
He didn't finish the section; about the author. I really want to read that part.

Recession Ice-Skating.

All you need are cans of soup and a laminate floor. Three toddlers are also recommended, as the game can turn into bumper-ice-skating. Who needs toys---I am always amazed at the games kids come up with. Boredom can be a good thing sometimes. And having a bit of food storage can be good, especially if it is in cans which kids cannot open (unlike sardines, sugar, and flour---you may remember some of the stories). Just look at my "kid messes" tag on the left for more details.
I wouldn't have called it "ice-skating" but that's what my children declared this new activity!!! (I hope it doesn't scratch up our floors!!! There may be a reason you go ice skating on a rink.) From Maddie's outfit, you can probably tell we were about to go to ballet.





And they all fall down.

Marshmallow Plants

My husband and I were talking about planting our garden and trying to decide what all to plant. Benjamin (4) had a suggestion. He says, "I want a marshmallow plant. I really do." He didn't believe us that there was no such thing. I think he thinks we are being mean. So please, if you see him, resist the urge to tell him about your marshmallow plant and how many big, luscious marshmallows you have growing on it right now.

Iphone Apps

I love some of the apps for the iphone. So fun, convenient, and fabulous.

One app I love is istake. It costs $9 for istake but gives you all the names and numbers for everyone in your stake. Great when you need a number on the go. I love that all these applications are so specific. It's also great to have the scriptures on your iphone. And you can also just get iward if you want.

Another app I enjoy: People Magazine (I think it's $2.99)

I also enjoy Amateur Surgeon. SO funny! I love it. It's in cartoon form. Someone gets in an accident, and you are the surgeon. You use your pizza cutter, among other things to open them up and perform surgery.

I am embarassed to say ifart is pretty funny too. It can be amusing to place it by someone at dinner and press it. Immature, but fun.

I have a ton on my phone to amuse my children. So many are free----and the apps can help you as you wait for a Dr's appointment, or any time where kids grow impatient. No more need to lug around toys or other amusements. Just bring your iphone. Someone needs to invent a fake phone which is cheap for kids that will just hold all the iapps----as I need five.

So what are your favorite apps?

Oh, Costco.

My schedule has been crazy busy lately, so I haven't had time for my fave Costco. I didn't realize how much I missed it until I saw the concrete floors, the welcoming sign, the employees at the door, and little girls dresses that I love to look at. All of a sudden, I had this feeling of love enter my heart. I love entering their "cold room" to get some salad and asparagus. Never mind the fascination of choosing out our frozen meals for the week. If my family is lucky, we may even get a rotisserie chicken. So many items. I love to look at all their summer stuff, even if I don't buy. And the flowers/plants---so beautiful. I even bought Larry King's new book (who I have a fascination for). I also bought a cookbook from wards everywhere. (If I buy a cookbook once in a while, it makes me feel like I cook.)

Costco.....comfort. Happy. I may need to see if there are Costco support groups. It is a little disturbing how great this experience is for me. Especially when my husband is with me getting to herd the five children. Added bonus. How dreamy for a Friday afternoon. All until you get the receipt. OUCH. Then they put a cute little smiley face on your receipt and almost everything is all better. Almost. Until the kids begin fighting over who gets it.

"I want to get married next"

Well, to my cousin's daughter, Sarah, a big thank you. You have inspired my 3 year old daughter. As we were looking at some of the beautiful photos of Sarah's wedding, my daughter Maddie says, "I want to get married next." She also asked me "Who is that princess?" LOVE it.

Except that Maddie is never allowed to leave home and get married. Except for that, it is really cute.


My cousin Shirleen's daughter; Sarah's wedding. Hope you can follow my great freestyle writing. Cute little Paisley looking at the butterflies. What a great idea. Enough to inspire many princesses to get married. And I am sorry some of the photos are so small. I am not computer saavy so I have no idea why.

A Girl Likes Me.....

Little Brandon (9) came home from school and told me that a weird thing happened to him today. He tells me that on their walk home from school, a girl in the first grade told him she liked him. He was embarassed, felt weird about it, and instantly told me, "I'm walking a new way home."

Oh, the akwardness of crushes.

Another cute thing about little Brandon; today when he returned home from school, he told me he had learned how to put together a pen. He disassembled the pen (about 7 pieces) and put it together again. He was so excited and proud. He has always loved Transformers, puzzles, and anything that involves putting pieces together---and he has a talent for it.

One of these days, I hope Daddy can buy an old junker car for them to have fun tinkering on. That would be great Daddy-son time. And I know they would all love it.

Beware of the Easy Open Sardine Cans

with toddlers around. Just a flick of the wrist, and our whole home smells like sardines. I need to go light a candle. So much for food storage. Am I the only person who likes sardines? Something about crunching up the bone really adds to my day. They seriously do taste good. You do have to be in the mood though and I definitely was not craving sardines for breakfast.

Garage Sale Tale

Last summer, in one of my garage sale hunts, I found a sports jersey. My kids LOVE jerseys. So, of course, I paid the fifty cents for the jersey. A total score, or maybe not. Now granted, I was aware that VICK was the name on the back of the jersey, and I was aware that he was in jail for his involvement with dog fights, etc. He seems to be a fairly despicable fellow, but hey, it's a jersey and it's cheap.

I may have forgotten about the fact that little Brandon, now 9, may be getting old enough to be aware of the situation---rather than being the young kid who is just excited to be wearing a jersey.

So, this Fall, Brandon went to school with his "new-to-him" sports jersey on. He comes home a little concerned. "Mom, the guy on this jersey was sent to jail" etc. I didn't really know what to say. So, I waited till Dad came home to discuss this concern/issue. Dad always comes to the rescue. Dad told him, "oh, yeah, this jersey is worth more, because they are really hard to find now. Vick will be coming back into football in a couple years and this jersey will be worth so much." I was impressed with my husband's ability to pull this one out. Although, I haven't seen Brandon wearing the jersey since.

It goes back to what my husband will sometimes tell me, "There is a reason it was at a garage sale." Another favorite phrase he has, "You get what you pay for." So true. My husband is not lacking in wisdom.

But hey, VICK is getting out of jail soon, so maybe he is on the upswing.

The moral of the story: you may want to leave the VICK jersey at the garage sale, or hope that it will become a collectible----just like Beanie Babies (ha-ha)! I am just ahead of the curve, right?

Or maybe it can be a Halloween costume. So many options, and all for 50 cents. Even the worst decisions can be rationalized!!!

Columbine Beauty

I love Columbines. So beautiful, a great perennial, they come up every year and are magnificent. In past years, I have gotten a bag of 40 plants from Costco for $12-$15. Score. The gift that keeps giving. May be a great Father's Day gift----for you. Cause aren't you truly his greatest gift? Making you happy, makes him happy? A happy wife makes a happy life? OK, totally kidding. I am on one.

Zauschneria

No, it's not an exotic fruit or vegetable, but a groundcover, new to our area. It was on the news last night and I am excited about it. Another indicator I may need to get a life. I never thought I would express excitement over ground cover. Does that indicate I am getting old? Don't answer that please. Anyway, I was thrilled. This ground cover thrives in dry, hot climates. It only needs to be watered once or twice a month. It may be ideal for my rock wall. It displays beautiful blooms from mid July through frost. I am all over this one, if I can find some. I will let you know as you will be on the edge of your seat until you find out. I won't let you down. If you find some, let me know where, I am on the prowl.

According to Wikipedia:
As a genus name, Zauschneria also included Epilobium septentrionale.
"Hummingbird flower" redirects here. For flowers visited by hummingbirds, see the Hummingbird and Pollinator articles.
Zauschneria

Zauschneria (Epilobium canum) is a species of willowherb, native to dry slopes and in chaparral of western North America. It is a perennial plant, notable for the profusion of bright scarlet flowers in late summer and autumn.

A group of Zauschneria in flower. The name reflects that in the past it used to be treated in a distinct genus Zauschneria, but modern studies have shown that it is best placed within the genus Epilobium. Other common names include California-fuchsia (from the resemblance of the flowers to those of Fuchsias), Hummingbird Flower, and Hummingbird Trumpet (the flowers are very attractive to hummingbirds).

It is a subshrub growing to 60 cm tall. Native populations of these plants exhibit considerable variation in appearance and habit. The small leaves may be opposite or alternate, lance-shaped or ovate, with short to nonexistent stalks, and range in color from green to nearly white. Overall shape may be matting or mounding, the plants commonly spreading via rhizomes. The racemes of tubular or funnel-shaped flowers are terminal, and colors are mostly reddish, ranging from fuchsia to pink to red-orange.

The wide degree of variation has led to the description of many subspecies, mostly no longer recognised as distinct due to the extansive intergradation between them; the following are still recognised:

We may need to mow the lawn.....

but then the kids couldn't play Jungle Book as easily. Yeah, we are doing it on purpose. We are not procrastinators at all. That's another reason to get a fence. From the front you cannot tell the overgrown nature of the backyard. Sweet.

And one reason not to buy cowboy boots at a garage sale (last summer)? They will be the only shoes your son will want to wear. Every day. Rain, Snow, Sun----it doesn't matter. The boots are on. We are always losing shoes, but never these charming boots. Never. They are always highly visible and often the only option we can find readily. It is hard to decide if that is a blessing or a curse.

My little Benjamin is such a sweetie, boots and all.

You know it's bad when.......

you dread the ring of the doorbell. You know the three toddlers will beat you to the door, open it (no matter what state of dress or lack of it), and the dog will run out, the kids will run out, and it will take a half hour to regain control of the situation.

And the best part is when the solicitors start their sales pitch even as they see all hell break loose. Do they really think at this point I am going to make a purchase? Seriously?

Have you ever been in that situation where you have to decide whether pants or your child's safety is more important? (As in running outside to try to round up the children before they run into the street?) I am clearly not Mom of the year, cause I actually have to think about it (but that's out of respect for the public, seriously, be grateful).

And after that, you have to herd all three kids into the house, and hope they obey your stern declaration to not leave the house (and please don't lock the door on me) while you try to catch the hyper pomeranian dog that you thought was such a great freebie on KSL. HA! I love Teddy, but yeah, free only pertains to money, not hassle. But that's another story.

Oh, the joys of motherhood and dog parenthood.

You would think by now I could purchase a no soliciting sign or get a lock for the top of the door. But then I wouldn't really have a 3-ring circus and the amusement that comes along with it.

Oh, I better go, the doorbell is ringing......

Kid Destruction

You know it's bad when you begin throwing things out before the toddlers (2, 3, and 4) find those items, make a mess and/or destroy them. Maybe that's why God sent them to me, to help make me a minimalist rather than a maximizer. Change is slow, but is happening.

Long Term Relationship

I clearly need to get a life because I get WAY too much pleasure from reading my shampoo bottle. It gives me validation, security, and support. Shampoo bottles may be the new therapy for life. I am seriously tempted to buy various types of this brand just for the amusement factor. Talk about great marketing. Brilliant.

So, this is Herbal Essences "Long Term Relationship".

Here is what the bottle says on front:

Shampoo for long hair with a fusion of red raspberry

Satin

Our love grows longer (What does this really mean? But it sounds soothing, and touching, and I am for taking it.)

The back of the shampoo bottle:
"I'll help your hair live a long, healthy life."

Long story short. I'll strengthen your hair against split ends and breakage. So, get lost in your length with my velvety fusion with red raspberry & satin. It lavishes every inch of your hair, protecting against damage and leaving it so luscious, you'll love it up & down, all around town.(I am all for the lavish & luscious part.)

Then it says, "Use me: Massage me into your hair, lather up. if you long for more, rinse and repeat." (This is specifically for Moms who are feeling a bit used up at times and are looking to return the favor.)

Seriously, can I have the job of writing the description on the back of shampoo bottles? It looks like so much fun.

Then they have "herbalhead games" with questions---to get the answers you have to look at the conditioner bottle. (Which sorta' stinks cause I didn't buy the conditioner. It's rough living without the answer to the question, "how long is the longest hair ever recorded?") I may never know. It sorta' kills me.

And then to really punish me, they give me the "herbalheadgames" answer for the conditioner bottle. The answer is: 31 hours, 30 minutes. Torture me. What is the question? It's a bad game of jeopardy.

Anyway, boredom can be consuming. I can't wait to try some other varieties, except maybe next time I will splurge on conditioner too.

So, if you see me looking lavished and luscious, with velvety fusion and satin, you need not ask. Just wanted to save you the trouble.

I would be curious about the branding for men. Probably says "short term relationship", "for your cave", and talks about "one night stands" with shampoo where the effects will last for a week. "Get your fix" would be a great motto. Or maybe it could be called "The Solution"; since so many men have all the answers. So many options, I could go off about this for a week---but I will spare you.

Not that I am making generalizations about male and female gender roles or anything. I am so open minded.

Now for the metrosexual branding.............

And Mom......

Before Brandon's 9th birthday party:

His request:

"And Mom, please don't embarrass me at my party. That's what Moms do."

Uhmmmm---I will try, but it's hard not to be true to myself. In every thing to thyself be true. A conflict of interest. What to do?

Blue Kool-Aid or Antifreeze?

You have to admit it looks suspect

So, I was thirsty tonight, about to grab a glass of water. My husband says: "there is blue kool-aid in the fridge." Blue kool-aid scares me. It was created for boys and does not look in the least bit tempting. He keeps suggesting. I pour myself a glass. I drink some. My husband comments: "Refreshing, huh." I am thinking: It does the job, I don't know if it would make any "top" lists. I then start thinking: It looks like antifreeze. Hmmm.

Granted, I may watch too many crime dramas. Maybe. But, if I am gone tomorrow, you know it wasn't an accident.

(Totally kidding, except for watching too much crime drama. I did drink blue Kool-Aid tonight at Brandon's suggestion and it did look like anti-freeze, but luckily there isn't much insurance out on me.)

$300 lost

So, my husband and I are infamous for making bets with each other. We love to bet on everything. It is part of speculation. We love to speculate on things and then "bet" on their probability. I know, good thing we don't live in Vegas.

Anyway, so the other day I was writing something, and I wrote, Noone. So, as my husband is reading what I have written, he told me I needed to correct that word. I was like, "noone is a word". Immediately, my husband makes a wager with me. I knew he really thought he was right, by the amount of the bet. I mean, usually our bets are about $20. But $300? I was like, Score. I just won $300. So, we made the bet, did spell check, and-----I know, you are shocked. I lost. So, it only cost me $300 to learn something new. No one is the currect spelling.

Good thing all our money is together and we never really call in the bets. For the first couple years of our marriage I was up several thousand. Now I am down. What does that mean?

Ward Party!

A great ward party. So much fun. There were big blowup slides for the kids, a sand volleyball court, playground, food, and water balloons. Kudos to the planner of this church party. It was a great time for our family! Thanks for all the fun!

Ethan the volleyball player

Maddie loved terrorizing everyone with water balloons. She somehow got a small hole in it, and it was like a water gun. She sprayed everyone for the longest time.

They are almost the same height and do look like twins; even if they are Irish twins.

My handsome baby. Dylan always stills my heart. Must be a youngest phenomenon.

My friend Angie and the slides

Benjamin and his magic smile.

The terror twins, once again.

Oh, they sure had fun with the water.

My husband pushed the merry go round

Ethan, Maddie, and Dylan. Maddie clinged to it after falling off.

Brandon and the water balloons

Evil laugh, like his Daddy.

My little Ebone. So handsome.

A serious look for me.

Daddy and Maddie, balance beam in the shadows.

More blowup fun.