Molly in the Middle

We will find you snow

2012-01-30T19:12:00.000-07:00

We went on an a family outing on Saturday to find snow after morning chores. Somebody forgot to bring boots for the baby. He wore his crocs, but that was not going to stop him from stomping around. The only bummer is that we did not plan enough time for them to play. They could have lasted hours. It was a gorgeous day, and reminded me that boys need to be outside to roam free and discover. It was lovely.

Resolutions??

2012-01-27T19:08:00.000-07:00

Well, it is that time of year where everybody is depressed. You know it's true. The January blahs. I always start the year feeling so inspired. If you could see my thoughts they would scream, "This is going to be THE BEST YEAR EVER!!" And then 2 weeks into January I am already done with this year. Well, not done totally, the summer still looks promising. Anyway, I would like to tell you about two resolutions I am making good on. First of all I have launched my food blog again, using that term in the loosest kind of way. Not that I ever really had a food blog. But, still, it is now gluten free/dairy free, which I'm sure all of my 10 blog readers could care less about. Oh well. It was a personal goal, and let's call it good. If you are interested, I will be posting recipes that fit my son's diet, but some are just regular meals everybody can enjoy. Enough said. Wait one more thing, I might stop doing this after about a week. Let's keep those hopes nice and low where they belong. Also, two weeks ago when I was still shouting about the best year of my life, I bought blue paint for my dining room. I decided to go blue walls, gold curtains. Those are much easier to come by, I might even be able to find the sparkly shade I have been dreaming of. If it turns out, I might post pictures. Painting is scary. How are you doing on your resolutions?

Enjoy

2012-01-18T09:44:00.001-07:00

So, I made it to the gym this morning before the Snowmeggedon began. While there I happened upon a cooking reality show. Yes, I sometimes watch cooking shows while working out. I'm sure there are some deeper issues there, but mostly I just like to pick up cooking tips wherever I can get them. Anyway, I am watching this show and they are throwing a party for somebody. This somebody is wandering around and getting annoyed why they haven't started serving the food at her fabulous party yet. Then it happened. She said something AWESOME. It went somethuing like this.

Where is the food? I'm starving! In fact, now I am just hangry. You know, like, angry hungry.

What? Angry hungry? Yes, I do know. I have been to the angry hungry place. My kids go there all the time. You can actually see the hunger turn angry. It is not good. But I just love the idea that she was talking about it. There you go, as you embark on all your new diets this year, don't get hangry. It is not pretty. Well, unless you are on a reality tv show, and then it is still pretty because you have a team to keep you pretty.

Two is Magical

2012-01-02T09:25:00.000-07:00

We had such a fun birthday celebration with Nathan last night. It was so simple, and so lovely. We had nachos, his favorite. Everyone got their own bowl of salsa and a mini bottle of sparkling cider. What a hit! Matthew made him a hat, Jeremy put two red lines on the cake and called it a baseball, and it might have been the best party ever.

Keep Reading for Resolutions

2011-12-30T15:08:00.000-07:00

Hello all! One last post of 2011. How was your Christmas? Mine was hectic, and lovely, and food-filled deliciousness. I played a killer game of uno with my boys, lovely walks with my Mother-in-law, dates with Jeremy, and I got a Kindle. I am in love. I have to eat a little bit of crow because for the past few years I have experienced some bitter feelings about books going digital. How can you not hold a book? I wanted a kindle as soon as my local library signed up at the end of November to let you borrow books digitally. What? That is crazy! I don't even have to go to the library? This is astonishing to me, and I am still giddy about it. I "borrowed" my first 3 books last night, with several more on hold. With my kindle I have read 5 books since opening it Christmas morning, along with several samples of books I hope to read in the future. I am an obsessive reader anyway, but now I might become worse. Poor children, poor husband. I did make sure to get dinner on the table last night and keep up with the dishes to give the impression I had been working all day instead of reading. Today I again did the dishes and cleaned a bathroom. That should fool them all. This morning I finished reading Tina Fey's book. I told myself I wouldn't get it, because I knew it had some questionable language. Oops. The sample had me laughing out loud, and I might have accidentally pushed the purchase button at the end. Oops. Today I am reading a book about the first ladies and the florist that worked at the white house. Intriguing.

Now, onto resolutions. Well, besides maybe not reading so much. I am happy to say that I accomplished all of my resolutions from last year. At least I think I did because I can't find where I wrote them down. But, I am sure I did. Why wouldn't I? This year I am excited about some new projects. I am switching my cooking blog over to a gluten free/dairy free blog. I want to try and post regularly. But I'm not sure my heart is in it mostly because I don't like taking pictures of the food I cook. What a pain. Because they need to be really good pictures, and I don't have time to cook the food, feed it to my family, and take amazing pictures. Ok, so scratch that. That is not a resolution, just a thought. Next, paint my living room wall. I have been thinking about this for at least 2 years. I can't pick a color. I wanted blue, but my sister in law convinced me to try gold. It is really hard to find gold. I want actual gold, sparkly gold on my walls. Is that too much to ask? So, don't count that one either. I don't know if I have the stamina to find the right gold color this year. Let's see, eat more vegetables? Pinterest keeps shouting at me to go on a 60 day juice diet. That could be interesting. I don't have a fancy blender. So, forget that. I guess I will try again next year. Good luck to all of you. See you in 2012!

Card Me

2011-12-16T12:54:00.001-07:00

A friend gave this card to me for my birthday. I love it so much I can't even stand it. Obviously we are BFFs. She totally knew how much this would crack me up. Do you love it? Wait, don't answer that. No really, do you love it???

He comes back every year

2011-12-15T10:13:00.000-07:00

Samuel the Lamanite always makes an appearance in our nativity scenes.

Holiday Cheer for Me

2011-12-13T17:24:00.002-07:00

I bought this for myself today at Target. Because, well, do you know how much time I spend shopping in the boys and mens departments? Holy cow, it is unbelievable actually. I mean really, really. When I think about it, and how many more years I will spend shopping for these men in my life I just have to run directly to the girls section and throw things in my cart. There was a sign above this nail polish. You know how I love a sign attached to my product telling me how to use it, because I don't have time to figure these things out. This nail polish claimed to dry in 45 seconds. Sold. Because that is about all the time I have to get my nails dry before I need to go fold more boys clothes. Did it work? Like a miracle! So dry, so fast. Go buy yourself some, they had fabulous holiday shades like grey, purple and a lovely deep blue. Treat yo' self!

December Pics

2011-12-07T14:09:00.004-07:00

Northwest Tour

2011-11-27T21:27:00.004-07:00

What did we do for Thanksgiving? We got rained on, a lot. I mean, a lot. And it was the BEST week!! We had so much fun on our Northwest Thanksgiving Tour Week. First we headed to Portland, and the boys decided to play outside despite the constant downpour. The boys had fun with their grandparents and fabulous Aunt Stacey. Then we headed to Seattle for Thanksgiving with our friends the J family. They have four girls. We are a perfect match, obviously. They were amazing hosts, and we had so much fun and stayed up way too late. We had one glorious sunny day in Seattle and got to hit the downtown and ride on the ferry. We also made it to the aquarium. This past summer Jeremy and I drove 16 hours to Seattle in a 24 hour period to hit the U2 concert. I decided I really wanted to take my kids to this fantastic city and added it to my bucket list. Cross that off, we did it!! Rain, Schmain, we don't care. Thank you to both cities and households that hosted us, we couldn't have had a better week!

It's Gone

2011-11-15T16:32:00.003-07:00

Anybody know anything about crop rotation? I can't wait to see what we get next year. I just hope it's not Wal-mart. Oh, that would be a good post.

The Dipper

2011-11-10T18:55:00.001-07:00

Nathan likes to dip his food. He will eat just about anything if there is something to dip it in. I will not own up to how much ketchup this child has consumed.

Peaches

2011-11-09T11:30:00.002-07:00

I am still catching up on some old blog posts I meant to do. Sometime during the summer I canned peaches. We took the whole family to the peach orchard for a nice family outing. We hit the Jackpot because the farm had just finished picking, and they said we could go glean whatever was left on the trees or ground. I became a crazy peach lady. Free peaches? I went totally nuts. The boys were done after about 10 minutes, but I could not walk away. I only brought a box or two, and they were falling apart because I overloaded them. I just started filling my shirt and carting them to the car and dumping them in the truck. Jeremy kept trying to get me to leave. Probably because of the whole filling my shirt thing which was pretty embarassing. But how could I? There were these lovely peaches they had left on the trees, but you had to climb pretty far to get one lone peach left there. Jeremy and I were climbing trees and the boys climbed some too. Not safely. It was weird, dangerous dangling, monkeys should only do this, climbing. It was great fun. When I finally got the resolve to leave, I kept making Jeremy stop the car as we drove away. "Wait, I see one more. Stooop!" He would stop(love him!), and I would run over and start grabbing again. Can you believe I hate shopping at Ross? I should love that place after this behavior!

Brothers have good toys

2011-11-08T08:50:00.003-07:00

Nathan loves playing in Spencer's room. Of course he knows it has the best toys. Spencer has more of a toy collection now, but Nathan knows they must be the best since they are kept up high on a shelf just calling his name. He sneaks in every day when the boys are at school and yells, Mom, Mom, while pointing until I give in and hand him a toy. Nathan loves playing with his brothers. He is obsessed with Beeeeeeeeee! That is short for bumblebee. He prefers him in car mode to robot mode. Too cute.

This never looks like This

2011-11-04T12:57:00.003-06:00

Ok, maybe it does. But why? Why? Why does my family room always look like this? I have tried so many different organizing tips. It just doesn't matter how well I organize or store things. They dump it all out. They love pulling the couch cushions off. This drives me crazy. CRAZY!

The costumes

2011-11-02T19:52:00.007-06:00

I do need to showcase Jeremy here because he made that Captain America shield from a kitchen pot lid and painted it. Fantastic. Also, Sam's costume ripped after the first Halloween event and I stitched it back together. That's practically like making his costume, right?

Corn

2011-11-01T12:48:00.003-06:00

So, in case you noticed I got a little behind on my blogging. Everything got crazy when school started, but I feel like we are finally settling into our routines. Except here come the holidays, so whatever. Anyway, the other excuse is that my computer lost it's ability to download pictures from a memory stick thingy and we can't find the plug for our camera to do it that way. But Jeremy finally tackled the problem for me, and there you go. Now I have a few blog posts I want to get out of the way. We did not have onions in "our" field this year. Whew. They planted corn, which was lovely. Although they still haven't harvested it and now it all looks dead. The whole situation has become down right perplexing. Jeremy thinks they are growing popcorn. What do you think? Is that how we get popcorn, they grow it? That seems very strange to me.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T13:24:00.007-06:00

Passion, you got it?

2011-10-20T11:51:00.007-06:00

Things I'm passionate about.

Being Passionate. Seriously. Get excited about something, really excited. Get mad about something, get seriously bummed out. Whatever, just feel something!

Bold Statements. I love these things. I make them all the time. They get me into trouble sometimes. But in general I believe if you feel something, say it. If you say something, stand behind it. Be Bold.

Being a Dancer. In my mind. I am awesome!

Food. There are no words.

Music. In my soul. Deep, within my soul, love, need, crave music. There is a soundtrack to every moment in my life, not just the big ones.

My Faith, my Religion.

Jeremy.

I am Flawed.

2011-09-22T09:45:00.002-06:00

I am sooooo flawed. Doesn't that word sound weird when you say it a lot? Flawed, flawed, flawed. Remember how I told you how much I love a good pity party? Well, you are all invited. I am feeling the weight this month of a lot of responsibility to be a good Mom, Wife, Sister, Friend. And of course, I seem to be coming up short. A lot. Now remember, a good pity party does not require you to make me feel better. In fact, you are uninvited if you feel the need to tell me how awesome I am. I know, it is tough to hold back. If you want to come to my pity party, you need to tell me why you feel you stink too. Because you do. We all do. Ha, ha, ha. I feel better now. Thanks for coming!

Questions with some Answers

2011-09-09T11:04:00.004-06:00

Well, I feel like it is time for another post about my son Spencer, who has autism. I had some interesting discussions with family members this summer and realized there are so many questions and relatively little knowledge about my son's condition. Which stems mostly from the fact that the medical community feels the same way. There are so many unanswered questions, they don't even know the cause of autism and why it is spreading like crazy. And every child with Autism is completely unique. The saying goes, If you have met one child with autism, you have met one child with autism. So, here is my update about my son.

Spencer is starting 5th grade this year. He is in a regular classroom, at a public school. He does very well academically, which is becoming more clear as his brothers have begun school as well. He is the most amazing speller. Maybe some of you parents can appreciate this, but we basically have never gone over his spelling list with him through all the years, and he aces his test every week. Lets not talk about vocab, but if you say any word to him, he can probably spell it. Fun, huh?

We have the highest hopes for Spencer. The FAQ's I get all the time, will Spencer go on a mission, will he get married, will he do well in college? I understand why these get asked, I ask myself these questions all the time. But really, can you answer these questions about your 5 year old, your 7 year old, your 10 year old? I'm sure he will do all of that, and more, or maybe not, because you know things happen in life and don't always work out the way you plan or dream. I am learning to roll with things. This is hard for me, but he is the most amazing kid! Spencer is our best job kid. Maybe its his age, maybe not. You give him a list of jobs, and BAM, they are done. Done really well. Spencer goes to scouts, he has gotten all of the awards, no thanks to his Mom that's for sure. Spencer plays the piano, he skis, he swims, he is the best older brother. Spencer loves babies. Thanks goodness my sisters are keeping that going because he is loving it! He cooks, he cleans, he asks to have sleepovers.

He may not always answer your questions when you ask them, but keep talking, keep asking. He is not ignoring you, he doesn't always know how to respond in social situations. And the truth is, if he doesn't find the conversation interesting, he just won't participate. He is not great at social small talk, but that's ok, right? He doesn't really understand vague questions like, how are you? How was your day? If you ask specific questions, you will get a lot more answers. Spencer loves to talk about all that stuff that 10 year old boys love to talk about. Start that conversation with him, and you are golden. If you don't know what that is, take a look around his room. It is all Spencer.

Chalk Art

2011-08-29T20:18:00.007-06:00

So, sidewalk chalk art is the thing now. Did you know that? It is. All the rage. Get on board. We did for family night. Each family member was given a sidewalk square. There were prizes involved. I wanted to go for the graffiti look. I won the most emotional and passionate award. Spencer decided to make his about symbols. He won best effort because he was into it the most and really tried to be creative. You can also see Spiderman made an appearance. Very cool.

Sam finished first with his tic tac toe board. He won for best use of space and lines. Matthew drew me watching fireworks. How can you not win a prize for that?

Jeremy drew our house. And of course wins the prize for most artistic. Nathan made contributions to all the drawings. He really liked to use his feet to blend the colors.

Phone Wars

2011-08-18T15:21:00.005-06:00

I wanted this phone from pottery barn for many years. Then about 5 years ago Jeremy bought it for me, for my birthday. It has been sitting in a cupboard up in my bedroom for the last 4 years because I, I, I don't know. I love it. I am going to bring it out of the dark. And on top of that I am thinking about switching all of my phones back to corded ones. Let me tell you, me and cordless phones have not had a good relationship. You can never find them. They are always out of batteries. They beep at you, and get fuzzy and weird. Did I mention you can never find them? The latest corded phone set I have has 4 phones. FOUR, and trust me I can never find a single one. I can't even blame the kids because they don't talk on the phone. It is me, I have a problem with phones. I have heard rumors of a friend who went back to a corded phone. I was thinking of doing this in at least my kitchen so I would always know where a phone is. Now I am thinking of putting one in every room. Tell me I'm crazy. Why should I keep buying these cordless phones? I have to think about this again because 2 of my 4 cordless phones aren't working anymore. And you know I always pick up the broken ones. Every time. I'm in the middle of a call, oh wait, I need to go hunt down another phone this one is broken, hold on. Echhhh. Lame. And what about this idea of getting rid of your home phone? Apparently I am living in the dark ages because I still have a home phone. Well, let me tell you people, I am thinking of getting rid of my cell phone and only having a phone attached to a wall, with a cord. What do you think about that?

Utah or Bust

2011-08-07T20:51:00.007-06:00

We just got back from the most incredible trip to Utah! We managed to fit in his sister's wedding, his Grandma's funeral, and an amazing week in park city with Jeremy's family, and even made it to Temple Square for a day. Hope you all are having fun trips too!

I know you agree

2011-07-20T09:18:00.003-06:00

Cream cheese and sour cream should be in the same place in the grocery store. This has bugged me for years. I just stare at all the dairy products and wonder, where in the world is the cream cheese? Oh, by the cheese. Which is always across the store from the dairy. Bug, Bug, Bug. Anybody else?

Blog it, Baby

2011-07-13T14:56:00.003-06:00

Kohl's is a super weird store. What is up with that place? I can't figure it out. Jeremy and I have this rule we try to live by, which is get the house speciality. For example, when we go out to eat, order what the place does best. If you are at a burger joint, get a burger. Do not try their fettuccine alfredo, you will be disappointed. We break this rule all the time, and we always remember why we had the rule in the first place. Get the speciality, it's what they do best. It will be good. So, Kohl's baffles me. What is their thing? First of all, the women's clothes are pretty weird there. Their shirts seem to be really drapey and they have weird designs on them. Am I the only one? Department stores in general really confuse me. I used to know exactly what to do with them. Head straight to the juniors department. Well, that's over, let's face it, right? So what is up with the women's section at these stores? They are divided into sections with weird names and take up several floors. What is the meaning behind all of these sections? Can't they just have a section for pants, skirts, shirts? I don't get it. I am kind of stuck in a Gap funk. I don't really know where else to go. Not a bad place to be stuck in, but I feel like I have been there for 20 years now.

What is up with celebrity Moms? I'm so tired of them trying to tell us what great moms they are. They always have to tell us, really tell us that they spend lots of time with their children. And they do it without "much" help. Oh, and we definitely send all the help home during the night, because we are not crazy! All of the great Moms I know have never had to tell me that they are great and then convince me that is true because they spend so much time with their kids. And I totally buy into it because I am pretty much running away from my children, literally hiding in the closet with chocolate in hand. Oh, and by the way my celebrity friends who I don't have but might be reading this blog. I'm sure you have never done this, but don't give your 18 month old a bowl of spaghettios to eat all by himself while you blab on the phone to your sister. He will smear them all over himself, and then dump the rest of the bowl on his head.

Summer Talk

2011-07-08T13:18:00.003-06:00

Some things to chat about. I've lost control over feeding my family. They are all eating so much! Feeding a family of 6 is ridiculous. These growing boys are already eating me out of house and home. My grocery bill is out of control. kiddie meals don't cut it anymore, nobody is sharing anymore. We have moved on from 1lb. of ground beef being enough. Don't even mention couponing. Been there, done that, don't want to talk about it. Also, cooking in the summer has kind of been not fun this year. I just want to hang out at the pool every afternoon, but then we come home and everybody is starving and we just eat cereal. I know, boo hoo, I have to hang out at the pool and nobody is cooking for me!

I just switched my insurance and went from paying $150 a month to $60 a month. I know I shouldn't share such info, but isn't that crazy? We have been with Geico for 8 years, and then they hassled me over a bill on the phone and I threatened to leave. I knew that would really get them! Ha, ha! I immediately got off the phone and switched over to Progressive. Those commercials really got me. Anyway, easiest switch in the world, I did it all online in a few minutes, and can you believe the savings? Seriously. Think about it people.

I really liked summer until it hit 98 degrees. Now summer is not that fun anymore. The fighting is nonstop and nobody wants to play outside anymore. Oh, and the ants have arrived. Did you know I get my milk delivered? I have been doing this for about 6 months and I love it. No more last minute runs to the store when I run out of milk. And we drink a lot of milk, They are also drinking me out of house and home. What does that mean anyway? That saying makes no sense. It should be they are drniking me out of cute clothes and fun vacations. For them of course.

Celebrating

2011-07-05T11:14:00.002-06:00

We had a super duper fantastical weekend with family, food, fireworks, and most of all Sam's Baptism. I'm so proud of Sam and his excitement to be baptized and make that sacred covenant with his Heavenly Father. These are the moments as a Mom that make it all worth it. Too many pictures to post and not enough words to express how wonderful it all was. Hope your weekend was great too!

Summer Phrases

2011-06-29T21:12:00.004-06:00

I find myself saying these things a lot over the summer.

"No pushing, shoving, punching, wrestling, or running." Said each time before I take all four of them into a store or public place. It doesn't work, but I feel the need to say it each time.

"Close the front door!"

"Where's Nathan, where's Nathan, where's Nathan?" Said with gradual urgency. He seems to always be missing this summer because he has followed some brother somewhere.

"No."

"Go Outside."

"Put your wrappers in the garbage."

"Is your room clean?"

"Everybody get your suits on, it's pool time!" Usually I say this as I bust out of my room already in full swim gear. It gets a great reaction every time because if Mom is in her swimsuit, we might actually make it to the pool.

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-19T16:22:00.003-06:00

We were deep in Idaho back country yesterday. That's my baby holding my baby. Good times. I love letting my boys be boys when we camp. We had a lot of adventures, getting stuck multiple times, but mostly we had fun!

My Blondie

2011-06-09T12:58:00.004-06:00

I think this is how I will always picture Sam in my mind, hanging out with the trees, he loves the outdoors so much. Happy Birthday Sam! He is the kindest, most caring brother anybody could ever have. He is the ultimate protector of all his brothers. He takes on their highs and lows like any loving parent. I find myself trying to convince him not to care so much, and realize I need to let this be. But we all know as parents it is hard to care that much, all the time for so many reasons. He does, and his brothers love him for it. Sam's imagination soars, and he has mad razor scooter skills. I am so glad beyond belief that this angel came into my life 8 years ago.

Welcome Summer

2011-06-07T20:08:00.010-06:00

Target This

2011-05-25T10:22:00.005-06:00

I think I am obsessed with Target. I love it. I know most of you feel the same. I really can't get enough of Target. I could go there every day. That store really has my number. They seem to target (ha!) the young mother. By the way, can I still be called that, a young mother? I feel like I am moving out of that category. Kind of sad, and kind of glad. I love the clothes (Except for the super large assortment of string bikinis. What is up with that? Who is wearing those??), shoes, towels, toys, movies, baby stuff, cards, school supplies, holiday crap, jewelry, purses, make-up, sports equipment, well, everything. My kids love that store too. Jeremy stops by all the time without me (the nerve!), so I guess he loves it too. I feel like if at anytime I said to any of my friends, want to go to Target? The answer is always yes, an excited yes. Really the only time they say no is because they are at the store right at that moment, they just got home from Target, or they are on their way there. How do you feel about Target? No, don't tell me. I will leave on my rose colored target shades. Don't you love the shades too? Yes, the window ones and eye! Oh my gosh, they have everything!

TIme to Vote!

2011-05-23T07:47:00.004-06:00

Please go VOTE for my sister Stacey to be the next bachelorette. Sorry to bug you again, but this is serious now. This is the official vote now. Please take another second and head over to the sidebar on the right side of the site to vote for Stacey. Thanks a million!

Summer Planning

2011-05-12T11:55:00.000-06:00

So, now that I got that last post off my chest, I can now tell you why I am going to win Mother of the Year this summer. I think I've talked about winning this award before. What can I say? I am in the running a lot.

I started dreaming about my summer months ago, I go between being terrified and super excited. Obviously we are going to need a game plan. Now I am starting to think that I have already over planned and we haven't even started yet! Here are some of the things on my list. What are your summer plans?

Library Day - never tried those summer reading programs, I think it is time to try.
Piano lessons - I am going to start teaching Spencer and Sam, neither want to.
Swimming - We are going to the pool every day, of course.
Camping - Lots of it.
Doctor Appts. - Lots of them.
Quiet time every day - I am going to "tutor" the older boys while the babe is sleeping.
Gardening - So excited to try strawberries and lettuce this year.
Parks - Lots of them
Bike Rides - If we get our flats fixed
Trips to Oregon and Utah
Park City Vacation - so excited for this!
U2 concert in Seattle - Oh yeah!
Chores - Bring on the charts!
Tans and Buzz haircuts
Sam's Baptism - what another one???

Moms Bomb

2011-05-10T12:36:00.005-06:00

I need a break. A serious break. Unfortunately, this is not going to happen. I need more than a night out or a even a weekend. A year would be good.

I had a bad Mother's Day. Mostly it was my bad attitude, so don't feel sorry for me. I've been having trouble the past few months finding the joy in being a mother. Then yesterday my Mom and I had a great laugh about how ridiculous mothering can really be. We were both giggling so hard neither of us could get a word out. It felt so great! Most of all I am grateful for a Mom who allowed me to talk to her about how much mother's day stinks instead of telling her how great she is. That was her gift to me, listening, laughing, and loving me for hating our special day.

She's the One!!!!

2011-05-09T14:34:00.004-06:00

My sister Stacey is in the running to be the next bachelorette on this site. Go check it out and leave a comment, or like her, or love her like I do!!!

My Third Son

2011-04-29T09:54:00.003-06:00

Happy 5th to Matthew! He was born in Utah, but is really Boise grown. He is funny, social, and very kind. I think he has his own unique look, and definitely his own personality. Matthew is a very good friend, and will be happy playing with anybody. He is a great big brother now too!

Eating Disaster

2011-04-27T11:09:00.008-06:00

I forgot how messy these little ones are when they move on from baby food, especially since he insists on eating everything that we are. Every meal is a complete disaster. He should get a bath about 3 times a day, but guess if he does. He also insists on using this ginormous fork which is longer than his arm. The prongs are almost as long as his whole face!

My First Son

2011-04-22T07:42:00.006-06:00

Ten years ago today this angel came into my life. He is kind, thoughtful, smart, and helpful. He teaches me about life every day. He is becoming quite dashing, don't you think?

Setting Goals

2011-04-20T09:47:00.002-06:00

I believe in them. Unless they have to do with Personal Progress or Scouting. Oops, did I just write that out loud? I'm jesting, of course. I mean, who doesn't believe in personal progress? Anyway, goals are good. About a year ago I decided on two goals I would like to update you on.

First goal, have cookies in my pantry at all times. I decided I needed to buy cookies every week at the store. I would always walk down the cookie/cracker aisle and have this panicky emotional breakdown trying to decide whether to buy cookies or not. Kids should have cookies, they will just eat them all in one day, I will eat them all in one day, kids, should have cookies. Back and forth. I just decided not to think about it anymore and every single week I will buy cookies. Can I tell you how great this has been for our family and guests who come visit? Cookies are important tools for rewards, motivation, and socializing. And, cookies are delicious. I am happy to report the cookie buying is now a habit. Aren't you proud of me?

Second goal, a signature scent. We all know those people that every time you are around them, they smell delicious. I wanted to be that friend. Your delicious smelling friend. I decided that I would wear perfume every day, all the time. I would put on a spritz no matter where I was going, or how silly it seemed. I wanted to create a signature scent. This has been going on for about a year. The first few months I was really good about it. I have gotten kind of lazy in my spritzing. But, whether I was good or lazy about it, nobody really noticed. So, either people think I smell delicious and they haven't said anything, or I don't even want to consider the other option. I do get lots of comments whenever I head out and my hair is still wet. The shampoo smell seems to be much more alluring than any perfume. So, that is good to know.

Sunday on the River

2011-04-17T20:47:00.007-06:00

Babies that Swim

2011-04-07T14:44:00.002-06:00

Nathan is a crazy baby swimmer. You can't believe it until you see it. Last night he was doing back flips over and over. And we taught him how to blow bubbles so he would stop sucking up so much water. He caught on immediately. Most of the time he rides around on Jeremy's back and helps him chase down the other three. If you are holding him in the pool it is really hard because he is just trying to jump out of your arms the whole time. If you put him on the stairs he crawls as fast as he can to dive off the stairs into the deeper water. This is not my first crazy baby swimmer. It is my fourth. We get lots of stares. Especially when we throw him out into the middle of the pool. I know it seems nuts, but he loves it so much. He comes up smiling with water pouring through his gap teeth. Oh my.

It's a Monday

2011-03-21T13:58:00.003-06:00

So Matthew was in the shower last night. I walked by and heard him belting out "I'll catch a grenade for ya. Put my hand on a blade for ya." Do you know the song? Bad parenting, or totally awesome parenting?

I was at Fred Meyer today grocery shopping sans kids. At the checkout the clerk casually asks me, "Do you have any plans later?" I gave him a blank stare. "Are you doing anything fun the rest of the day?" Ummmm, no was my answer. That was so weird. Am I supposed to have fun plans later on a Monday afternoon? I guess I should have told him all of my real fun plans. I am hoping to make it home in time to unload the groceries and scrub two toilets before my kids get home from school. Then I am going to do homework and make dinner all with a baby attached to my leg. Does that sound fun? Do you think he was asking me out? Ha, ha, ha!!!! Now that would be fun-ny!

What's Baking?

2011-03-17T15:30:00.004-06:00

You see these cookies? This is art. love. brilliance. These are gluten free snickerdoodles. Oh, I can't even say enough about them. They are divine. I can't help it, I have to tell you how brilliant I am at gluten free baking. It's weird too because baking was never really my thing. I am all about the savory. But for some reason I am really good at making delectable gluten free treats. For the most part I come up with my own recipes, like these cookies. Ah, and it just makes me so happy. You should see Spencer's face when he comes home to a new batch of treats. Really, you should see it. It would make your day.

We decided to try going off the gluten free/dairy free diet in December. After doing the diet for two years we were all ready for a break, and I was starting to wonder, does it really work? It was a great month because there were so many yummy treats and parties he could partake in. By January it was very clear that we needed to go back on the diet. But, I kept putting it off hoping maybe things would still turn around. I remember one day in January and I looked at my 4th grader basically in a ball crying on the floor. I realized he had been a crying puddle on the floor for most of the last few weeks. Everything was so upsetting to him. Anything we asked him to do resulted in tears and yelling. Everything, anything, all the time. That was a huge moment for me. I went back on the diet the next day, and within even 24 hours he started doing better. I didn't want to put him back on the diet because it felt mean. But I realized not putting him back on the diet was more mean. He needs it. Spencer was a little reluctant, but the only thing he asked was if he could take a break every December. I thought that was pretty thoughtful.

Another Book

2011-03-03T08:16:00.003-07:00

I just finished this book, and I thought I should throw this one out there too. This book is really three stories in one because he was an Olympic athlete, a plane crash survivor, and a pow in Japan during WWII. The book was riveting, but I have to warn you. It was one of the most brutal POW stories I have ever read. It was extremely detailed and unsettling. At one point I only kept going because I had to get through it and make sure he would come out the other side.

Oh, and I only like stories with good endings. They don't end up together, one of them dies, they both die?? Don't even think about recommending one of those stories to me. One place in my life I am a true optimist is in my book and movie choices. And this book has it right on the cover. Survival, Resilience, and Redemption. Perfect.

Biographies

2011-03-02T14:39:00.005-07:00

I love them. I love reading books about WWII, Mt. Everest, the Holocaust, and so much more. Real life is almost always better than fiction. I mean when crazy things happen to you, (strange baby in your bedroom???) you just can't make that stuff up. I have been surprised to find out through the years attending different book groups that a lot of people avoid Biographies. Here are two great ones I wanted to share.

The Bob Woodruff story is amazing. He was the news anchor embedded in Iraq when a bomb hit the tank he was in. I love that they wrote the book together. They switch back and forth during the book, and each give their own unique perspective. Their life was fascinating to me. And the way they supported each other during a massive crisis was really inspiring.

Now I am a big Bush fan, but especially a Laura Bush fan. I have always been fascinated how the two of them ended up together. I think they are the real deal and I wanted to hear her side. I loved reading her story. Her book was better than his, although I enjoyed it too.

Winter Blues

2011-02-28T16:28:00.005-07:00

The "stink" face. My boys have perfected this look. You have to have attitude, and this kid is full of it!

The blue eyes!

The gap tooth smile!

I got this idea from my sister. Bust out the popsicles in the middle of winter. Why not? I was done with winter this year on January 1st. Not good. It has been a looong one. This is Nathan with his first popsicle. I know I post too many pictures of my baby. I can't help it. I didn't have such a cool camera with my other babies. So, I guess our 4th child is actually going to have the most pictures taken of him. I am tired of long sleeve shirts. So, I went out and drastically highlighted my hair. Seriously streaky, with dark and blond highlights. Too bad the grammys are over. I'm not sure how I feel about it, but I am going to try and rock the look anyway. I can pull it off. Right?? Whats that? You want to see a picture? Not likely!!!

Temple Grandin

2011-02-26T09:24:00.002-07:00

Jeremy and I read this book about a year ago, but we finally got up the courage to watch the movie last night. It took me about 6 months to get the courage to add it to our netflix queue, and then 3 weeks sitting on our table before we finally watched it. You see it takes courage because watching and reading stories about autistic people can be really hard. Sometimes it is just too hard.

The book was so fantastic I knew we had to give the movie a try. Especially because it has been winning so many awards. In her book Temple so clearly explains what is going on her mind and how she processes information. She has helped unlock some of the mystery behind autism, not to mention her contributions to agriculture.

Anyway, the movie was good. It was an emotional roller coaster, and after it was over Jeremy and I just looked at each other and said, "We made it through the movie." Can I just say how painful it is to see how people treat people who are different? We all do it. Ugh. Through the years you learn to not think about it too much. I can't worry every second about Spencer getting teased at school. It happens. It will continue to happen. So, most days I just think about the good moments he is having at school. And thankfully, there are plenty of those too.

Of course for me the best parts of the movie were the angels that came into Temple's life right when she needed them. The roommate, the professor, the Aunt. We all pray for people to help our children when we can't be there. You celebrate small victories when you have a child with autism. You celebrate things most parents take for granted. What was so inspiring about this movie was that she had big victories too. Not only going to college, but graduating, and then going on to have a career. Which is why my motto has always been, don't underestimate my kid. Don't do it. He will show you every time. Every time.

Bath Angels

2011-02-11T08:55:00.007-07:00

The Misters

2011-02-09T12:44:00.004-07:00

Nathan is Mr. Demanding. We cannot figure out how a fourth child can be so high maintenance. I thought they were just supposed to blend in with the crowd. Not this one. He is taking steps, but not walking yet. He refuses to eat baby food anymore, or do anything but sit up to the table and eat exactly what we are eating. He is my first true blankie baby, insisting on taking that blanket everywhere he can. Nathan loves his brothers and feels very sad if he wakes up from his nap and they are all gone. That makes me sad too, because why is he awake when they are all gone?

Matthew is Mr. Techno. He moves from the wii to the ipad to the leapster to the computer. Trying to keep this under control has become a full time job for me. He is also very excited to learn how to read and is our first child to start making these efforts on his own. Matthew asks me every day to have friends over to play. He tries so hard to keep up with his older brothers. Matthew also goes around calling everyone and everything a weirdo. I'm hoping this phase will pass soon.

Sam is Mr. Imagination. You can always find him in his room telling stories he makes up to his brothers. They love to hear every day what he dreamed about. Apparently he has amazing dreams every night and he can turn them into full blown stories that go on and on. He has a great group of friends at school. They also make up elaborate games during recess. Sam is a whiz on his electric scooter. He is just waiting out winter until he can spend all his free time outdoors. He is so protective of all his brothers, and loves to carry Nathan around the house.

Spencer is Mr. Skier. He is spending his Saturdays on the slopes at Bogus in ski lessons. He is doing great, and really enjoying it. Spencer is having another great year in school and working hard to earn his Bear for Scouts. He is very excited for some new movies coming out this summer including Kunfu Panda 2 and Transformers. He has also gotten into music, and his favorite two songs are "The Cave" by Mumford & Sons and "Break Your Heart" by Ludicris. He likes to control the radio in the car now.

Jeremy is Mr. Busy. He is spending long hours at his job and teaching another semester of Business Law at the local community college. He is also excited to spend some time on the slopes this winter. Jeremy has been reading Harry Potter and The Chronicles of Narnia to the boys every night and they love it! He also spends a lot of time going on dates with his wife, and she loves it!

Love Month

2011-02-02T12:37:00.004-07:00

Jeremy and I went to lunch today and when I got in my car to go home I found this on my seat! Aren't I lucky? Matthew and I had a photo shoot, and then I accidentally deleted all but this one. So, this is what you get. And I get a perfect pink rose to start February. Thank goodness we have moved on from January!

Dennis

2011-01-28T09:52:00.004-07:00

This week marked three months since the passing of my Father in law. I have been mulling over this post for a few weeks, trying to figure out how to express my feeling for this great loss in our family. I can only express my feelings as a daughter in law, and know that they are not the same as the feelings of his children.

I miss him. This has surprised me a little bit. The first month was hard, lots of memories and feelings, and so difficult watching Jeremy. But then the next month I just kind of moved on. He was not a part of my every day life anyway, so I just didn't think too much about it. This last month has been hard again. It is time to see him again, time to be in touch.

I saw a great movie this past weekend. The first person I wanted to tell was Dennis. I loved talking movies with him. And politics. He was not the easiest person to talk to, and over the years we found topics we were both comfortable with. Most conversations were on the surface. But on rare occasions movies and politics helped us talk about deeper issues that were important to us. And funny. I loved to hear him laugh about a funny movie scene or an idiot politician.

I think my favorite memory with Dennis was going to the Harvard Law School graduation with him. Just the two of us. Jeremy only got two tickets to the big Harvard ceremony for all the colleges. We were the lucky two, and I loved being in that moment with him. He was dressed to the nines, as he usually was. And he was so proud of his son. It was awesome. And then we headed out to the Cape that weekend. He was so at home on the beach. Best weekend with my father in law ever.

The other thing that has surprised me is my anger. I know, so cliche. To be angry in your grief. And that makes me mad too. To be so predictable. But I am mad, maybe at God a little bit. I know, I shouldn't think that. But I am.

Because we all have a few people in our lives that define us. These people are so important to us that we need them like air. Always there to keep us breathing, even when we can't feel it. And God took one of my husband's people. His dad was one of his people. And he took him from my love. And that makes me mad. Really mad. Jeremy needed him.

So, that is how I feel right now. Life throws you these weird curve balls. And sometimes you forget to duck. Slam. Right in the face. Great.

What? When? Why?

2011-01-23T19:10:00.002-07:00

These are the questions I am constantly asking my kids.

What are you doing?
When did you do that?
Why are you doing that?

And the answers are the same, EVERY TIME.

Nothing.
I didn't.
I don't know.

Obviously I should have made a resolution not to ask these questions anymore. I am constantly amazed at the things I have to ask my children. I just can't believe they didn't come to this earth with any idea about anything. I just keep thinking some things will come naturally. Like not licking the trash can. Isn't that obvious? No, it's not. Don't drink the water out of the gutter. Come on, really? Don't put your head near people's rear ends. I know, I know. But these are conversations that happen regularly at my house. And I know I am not alone.

Tv and Me

2011-01-05T10:49:00.002-07:00

After an inspiring weekend early in October I decided to make some changes in my tv watching. I have tried this many times before, but I just always gave in because they would automatically record on my dvr and it was just so easy to give in after a long day. But this time I decided to get serious. I decided to just eliminate a couple shows every few weeks instead of going cold turkey. I am just so tired of all these shows pushing their social and moral agendas all the time. I immediately deleted the worst offenders from my recording schedule. I kept taking one more off every few weeks. I finally eliminated my last two guilty pleasure shows last week. I am excited about the shows I am still planning to watch. Hopefully I can find better things to do with my time this year besides all the junk tv I used to watch. Here are the shows that have made the cut.

The Biggest Loser
Community
The Office
Parenthood
The Amazing Race

I love watching these two shows with the kids.

Extreme Home Makeover
Wipeout

Anybody have any shows they like watching with their family? I feel like I need another series to get into. No more reality shows. Believe me if it is not on the list, I am not interested in watching it. Don't even think about mentioning Dancing with the Stars.

The big ONE

2011-01-04T14:09:00.007-07:00

The Scene

2010-12-17T20:01:00.003-07:00

I had my first official piano recital at my house tonight. It was intimate and fun and so rewarding to see my students perform. They did wonderful and I might have cried at the end when I told them how well they did. Not very professional, but what a blast!

Happy Wandering Baby

2010-12-08T10:47:00.006-07:00

This morning I found Nathan sitting in front of the tv with this pile of crackers he had brought over to enjoy. Are babies supposed to be eating Saltines? Are they a choking hazard? I have no idea. To be honest I seem to have gotten stupider with each child. I have no idea what they are supposed to be doing at what age, and what I should or should not be allowing them to do. Nathan just wanders the house getting into all kinds of things. Yesterday I found him after he had tipped over the garbage and was rummaging through it trying to find something yummy. Nice.

Happy December

2010-12-01T14:58:00.006-07:00

Black Friday

2010-11-20T09:05:00.003-07:00

I love it.

I really love it. I have developed a strategy that has worked wonders over the years. And now I am going to share it with you. First of all, I don't really Christmas shop on black Friday. I shop for myself. For me it takes away most of the stress and is just the most fun shopping day of the year! I enjoy the crowds, meeting people in line, finding amazing deals. These are three things I do not really enjoy on any other shopping day. Well, I like finding amazing deals, but I am not willing to put in the work.

So, that is what you should know about me. I am a snobby shopper. I hate stores like Ross, Marshal, TJMax. Ugh, shoot me now. I know there are amazing gems in the junk at these stores, but I just don't have the patience. But one day a year I am willing to enjoy bargain shopping, mostly because the stores make it so easy.

I have discovered the perfect time to go shopping on black Friday. I have tested my theory in Virginia, Utah, Oregon, and Idaho. So far it has passed the test in these four states at several different malls. Now that is another thing you should know. I like to mall shop that day. I avoid the big superstores and electronic stores. I'm sorry, but that is where the crazies are headed. Most days if I make it to the mall it is with some kids in tow, and I have to get in and get out in record time. Black Friday is my day to hit any and every store I want.

Now, the perfect time. There is a secret window of shopping time. It is between 9am and noon. The crazies are heading out by then because they have been there since 4am. And the families that are sleeping in start to arrive around noon. Most early bird specials last until 11am, some even until 1pm. So you are getting the same deals as the crazies that showed up at 4am. You can find a parking spot easily, and there are usually not lines at checkout.

I realize that some of you are ready to write comments defending the crazies. Because you are one of them, and it is the only way to get the best deals. Fine. You might be right. But do you love black Friday as much as me? Are you having as much blissful fun as me? Pleasantly strolling and enjoying every moment of the holiday shopping experience? I refuse to race someone to the back of the store for that perfect deal. How about you?

Buds in Stripes

2010-11-17T17:42:00.006-07:00

This week has been a tough one for many different reasons. Mostly because being a Mom is just hard. But look at these pictures. I mean really. Really. I am so lucky!

Halloween

2010-11-12T10:54:00.006-07:00

Well, life moves on. And that is difficult, but refreshing too. I have been amazed at how many little blessings we have seen in the past few weeks. For example, getting to spend Halloween with our Utah family! We continued the super hero theme. Nathan did not dress up. I don't do baby dress up. Sorry! See? I am supposed to be a boy Mom!

I was so impressed with their cousin Josh going trick or treating with his much younger cousins. What a sweet kid! He was so helpful with Matthew when he was having trouble keeping up. Love that!

This is Jeremy's Omi, she is always so sweet and loving with our boys.

One Week Ago Tonight....

2010-11-01T20:18:00.004-06:00

We got the very unexpected news that Jeremy's Dad had passed away. The grief is overwhelming and deep, and especially to witness through Jeremy's eyes. I love this picture today after spending the last week with his siblings and appreciating their great strength and grace in dealing with their Father's passing. The funeral was a beautiful tribute to him and his life.

Soccer and Onions

2010-10-05T09:32:00.005-06:00

I love this picture of Sam playing soccer. This pretty much sums up his soccer season. Running on the field with a smile on his face. He loves to run the entire length of the field smiling and waving at us. He has a good season with much improvement getting into the action. Sam is a defense man, and he is especially good at tripping any opponents who try to score a goal!

This year the farmer behind our house decided to plant onions. It has been one big stink bomb around here for the past few weeks during the harvest. They finally finished the job this weekend. Our house is covered in dirt. I can't get away from the smell of onions. The dumbest part of my weekend was buying onions while this was going on outside my window.

30 seconds of Nathan

2010-09-22T18:53:00.004-06:00

Saturday Morning Classics

2010-09-18T09:19:00.003-06:00

This morning is the neighborhood yard sale. They have one every Fall and Spring. It has started to become a tradition in our family to do our family yard sale walk.

Matthew woke up and came down the stairs and said, "It's yard sale day! I need to go to the yard sales."

Sam said as we were walking along, "Happy yard sale day Mom!"

The boys always end up with a few more toys. We added to Spencer's spiderman action figure collection. It is getting quite impressive. Until We realized one of them we bought was a Burger King toy. I felt conned even for that quarter.

After we got home I heard Sam yell at Matthew to go away because he didn't want to play with him. Matthew immediately yelled back, "Ow! That hurt my feelings!"

Labor Day

2010-09-14T13:26:00.002-06:00

Here is our annual Christmas card reject. Although I do love this picture of all my boys. We had a great holiday hiking, swimming, and ice skating in McCall, Idaho.

My Man

2010-09-10T13:16:00.002-06:00

Handsome
Artsy
Persuasive
Pleasant
Yowza

Brilliant
Intoxicating
Respectful
Teacher
Happy
Dashing
Affectionate
Youthful

Joking
Entertaining
Refined
Energetic
Molly's
Yes

The Skinny

2010-09-09T11:57:00.004-06:00

Yep, I did it. I took a giant fashion leap forward, or backward depending on how you look at it. I bought some skinny jeans. Actually leggings. If you must know, the pants I bought came with a vocab tag attached. When I shop I like to get smarter and cuter at the same time. Jegging: a jean-legging hybrid with the look of denim but the fit and comfort of a legging.

Now, don't go judging my jegging. I wore them on my date Saturday night and I felt like a million bucks. Mainly because I really needed some new clothes, and because I felt like I had just jumped into the now. Or maybe I jumped into yesterday because the skinny has been in for so long and I just got on board. Anyway, I wear hybrid pants. With a very long shirt, or a dress depending on how you look at it.

When I bought my fancy pants the lady at the store asked if I was going to wear them with heels or boots. I was holding a baby in one arm and had another attached to my leg. How about flats or running shoes? Would that work? Maybe next year I can make that leap.

Thursday Morning Mystery

2010-09-02T10:09:00.003-06:00

This morning I went on an early morning run to the Maverick for some milk. Have you had Maverick gas station milk? It is really creamy and good and cheap! Anyway, Matthew and I needed milk for our morning hot chocolate and we were out. Jeremy had already taken Spencer and Sam to their bus on his way to work. We headed out for our breakfast of champions.

We got back into the house, and I unloaded the milk. Matthew and Nathan were playing in the family room. All of a sudden I heard crying. I looked over and both of the boys were happy, it wasn't them. The crying was really loud. I figured it was coming from outside my windows. I started to walk around the house, and it became obvious that the crying was coming from upstairs. I walked back in and looked at the boys again, because it had to be one of them if their was a child crying in my house. Nope, they were both fine. My mind was spinning. The child sounded in distress. Did one of the boys get left behind from school? No, it sounded more like a baby.

Slowly I started to walk up the stairs. I was nervous, what would I find? Was it a toy gone crazy? As I got upstairs I realized the sound was coming from the master bedroom. It was obvious there really was a child crying in my house. Who could it be? I was really nervous! I walked into the bedroom, and then headed to the master bath where the cry was coming from. I paused because I was so nervous. Was this a trick?

I turned the corner into the master bathroom and there was a baby boy lying there in his pajamas crying on the floor. I had never seen this boy before. I didn't know what to do. He looked to be about 18 months to 2 years old. I figured I better pick him up since he was obviously distressed. When I picked him up he stopped crying. He seemed to be in a deep sleep.

Right as I picked him up I remembered something. When I came home I had seen a lady on a cell phone a couple houses down looking worried. I had taken note because it was odd so early in the morning. This had to be his Mom. I went downstairs and out the front door. The lady was gone now. I wandered down the street a bit. I started to head back to my house. The boy was heavy and poopy. What to do next? And then I heard the Mom talking on her cell phone in a panic. I called out to her down the street. She came running. The pure relief of a Mother. She told the police he had been found.

We tried to piece together how this happened, but I think it will always remain a mystery. She woke up and he was gone. I came home and he was in my master bath. My garage was closed. The front door was closed. He must have closed the door behind him? The whole thing is just too weird. And crazy. Totally and absolutely crazy.

I am glad he found his way to my house. I am glad he was safe. There are two large ponds in our neighborhood one block away. He has epilepsy and was probably sleep walking. He was so little and his Mom was visiting her parents in our neighborhood. I'm glad he found refuge in my bathroom so I could take him back to his Mom.

His Turn

2010-09-01T08:01:00.005-06:00

Matthew headed out for another year of preschool. He showed me some of his dance moves.

Can you see the "cheese"?

Oprah

2010-08-29T21:12:00.002-06:00

I love her. I hate her. She is brilliant. She is literally the Devil. We have a very tormented, complicated relationship. I tried not to watch her this past season. I am feeling a little torn with this "last" season coming up. She said on her website she is trying to create moments for this last season. Moments, people. Is that worth my time? No, I hate her! But....

I do have to say that she did give me the gift of my favorite all time TV moment ever. Do you remember when she gave all those cars away to every member in the studio audience? And they were all teachers? I'm sorry, but that was awesome.

We were living in Utah at the time, and the season premiere of Oprah was on a Monday. That had been advertising for weeks, maybe months about a big surprise. I was mildly intrigued. When I was at church on the Sunday before a lady from my church told me her daughter was going to be on the show, who was a teacher. The show was about teachers. So, she had ruined the "big" surprise, but I decided to watch anyway since I practically knew one of the people on the show! Do you remember the moment? First, she gave away cars to about 10 people on the stage who were all teachers and had sad, sad car situations, if any at all. It was great, they all get cars. Then she said that one lucky audience member would get a new car too. Check under your chair for a box and the one with the key wins! They start opening. Their is screaming and confusion. And then, Oprah is screaming and jumping. I am crying and smiling so big. They all get a car. EVERY BODY GETS A CAR!!!! I'm laughing and crying at the same time. This is so fun!! Then she walks the entire audience out to the parking lot and there they are. All the cars. It was great. I love her. Maybe. not.

Two Down

2010-08-26T17:56:00.008-06:00

Fourth and First grade this year. They are only two years apart, and they wear the same size clothes.

Matthew waiting for the bus to arrive in the afternoon. It was 20 minutes late, I was getting a little nervous. Apparently the Kindergarten teacher had to have a long discussion with their bus driver. At least that means it wasn't about one of mine. Phew!

Gifts from my hubby this year

2010-08-18T11:26:00.004-06:00

A Garden A Book

and A Baby

Jeremy has always been a very thoughtful gift giver, but this year might take the cake!

Who is Harry Potter?

2010-08-11T17:04:00.005-06:00

In May Jeremy told Spencer that if he reads the first Harry Potter book he would buy him the lego Harry Potter video game. Although he was drooling over the video game every time we went to the store, Spencer refused to open the book. We just let it go, and then this weekend he picked up the book and read the whole thing in two days.

With Spencer's autism he has a hard time with reading comprehension. He is an excellent reader and his spelling abilities are off the charts. But chapter books are just words strung together for him because he has a hard time visualizing them without pictures. We are trying to help him with this. We have been trying different ideas, and he usually needs strong motivation.

After he finished the book, I asked him about Hogwarts. Spencer immediately looked at me funny and said, "Hogwarts? What's that?" Hmmmm. Then I asked him what he thought about all of the magic in the book. "Magic. What magic?" Oh boy. So he basically missed the whole book. Jeremy and I have asked him on separate occasions what the book was about. His description seemed a little too rehearsed. Then we realized he had memorized the summary from the back of the book. Brilliant. Do you think that ingenuity deserves a video game???

and Sisters

2010-08-10T10:05:00.007-06:00

Jeremy has four sisters too. We hit the sister jackpot when we found each other! Rachel is the oldest sister. We have been on a journey together, and I think it is going really good places. There are so many things I admire about Rachel. She seems to have found the perfect balance between being a mom and friend to her kids. She is an amazing party planner including finding the best treats for any occasion. Rachel is artistic and thoughtful. She is super smart and funny.

Anne is next and so kind and good. Her voice is soft and reassuring. Anne will always be on your side, whatever side that is. It is so lovely and refreshing. I love her hair. Anne is stylish and athletic. She is a brilliant decorator and quilter. Anne is good at all things artsy and crafty. She has an amazing eye for color and organization. Anne is caring and easy going.

Kjerstin is the academic extraordinaire. She is so gifted in so many areas it is hard to describe. She loves to experience life and all its little splendors. Kjerstin is independent and has the best smile. Her cooking skills are amazing and artsy. She has an adventurous spirit that she actually follows which is extremely inspiring. Kjerstin has gone out of her way to be my friend in her hectic life.

Melissa is the youngest sister. She is a gifted artist. Melissa is very compassionate to people and animals. She has such a kind heart and will always be there to listen. Melissa is really fun and open to trying new things. She is super cute and has great taste. She has always been very sensitive to my needs and looks out for me. I know she does the same for all her friends and family.

Sisters

2010-08-07T13:54:00.016-06:00

I feel so lucky to have so many wonderful sisters in my life. Since they are really the most loyal and consistent readers of my blog I thought I would give them a shout out. This is Katie. She is the oldest sister. Exactly two years older than me because we share the same birthday! Katie has always been there for me. Katie has the biggest heart and wants to help everyone around her. She is hands down the most creative and fun mom you will ever meet. And I know a lot of moms. And she beats them all. Seriously. Katie is a fixer and loving and doesn't care if she looks silly. She just loves life.

Stacey is the sister just younger than me. The creative and artistic genes skipped right over me and landed on her. She is a total babe and is really good at doing creative things with her hair. Stacey is a strong independent woman who can accomplish goals like nobody's business. She has a killer sense of humor and is really good at organizing parties and games, definitely the one you want to hang out with at the party. She is also very good with Spencer, which has been a gift.

Karen is the fourth girl in the family. My mom used to call her the sunshine girl. Because that is what she is. She brings happiness and light into every room she enters. She is tons of fun and really fashionable. Karen is really good at making friends. She is good at remembering birthdays and sending cute cards she has made. Karen is generous and giving and wants to make sure people around her are happy.

Sally is the youngest girl in the bunch. We are almost exactly 10 years apart. I cannot imagine our family without Sally because she is the cutest and most kind person. She loves all of her nieces and nephews, and they love her. She is really good with children, and will be the best elementary teacher this year! Sally is easy going and always willing to lend a hand with my crazy life.

At the Playground

2010-07-26T09:51:00.005-06:00

Nathan in the Summer

2010-07-07T19:07:00.002-06:00

Nathan celebrated his first fourth of July. He is 6 months old, and I can't believe it!! We just got back from our second trip to Utah in two weeks. The week before that we went to Oregon. We jam packed all our summer travel in three weeks and now we are ready to kick it by the pool and have lazy summer days. Hope you are enjoying yours!

Summer Truth

2010-06-28T09:23:00.003-06:00

There was an old woman who lived in a shoe.
She had so many children she did not know what to do.Lets face it. We are living fake lives during the school year. We go to the grocery store with one, maybe two kids. We might even go to a doctor appointment and sit in the waiting room leisurely reading magazines like that is our real life. Sitting around reading magazines. And then summer hits. Reality check. I am dragging four kids everywhere with me. And people are stopping me, are those all yours? Doctors are surprised to realize I have this many kids. Where did they come from? Have you always had this many kids? There are people in my life that have no idea how many kids I have. And they are shocked. Because I guess I had them fooled. But summer comes and there ain't no more foolin'. This is me. This is my real life. Kids everywhere. Toys everywhere. Doors always left open. Shoes everywhere. Snacks. More snacks. Sticky floors. Bikes on the front lawn. Did I mention they need snacks? Mismatched clothes. Garage doors left open all night. Broken screen doors. Bugs. Oh, and you can push a cart with four children on it. But, you block traffic and you get stinky looks. So then you make them follow you in a line. And then you really get looks. Me, pushing my baby boy with three boys following me in a line. But then I look back and the three boys are on the floor wrestling. This is my summer life.

The Big 7

2010-06-09T09:44:00.005-06:00

Happy Birthday Sam! He is so excited about his new "trick" bike.

I'll Walk with You

2010-06-07T20:08:00.006-06:00

If you don't walk as most people do, Some people walk away from you, But I won't! I won't!
If you don't talk as most people do, Some people talk and laugh at you, But I won't! I won't!
I'll walk with you. I'll talk with you. That's how I'll show my love for you.
Jesus walked away from none. He gave his love to everyone. So I will! I will!

I was going through our children's songbook from church when I came across this song. I guess it can sound kind of silly, but this song has new meaning to me now. I love the exclamations in the song. My life has a lot of exclamation points in it so I am a fan.

My boys finished their last day of school on Friday. It was a sad day because Spencer has had the most spectacular year in third grade. His teachers were so fantastic and really helped him grow in ways we couldn't have imagined at the beginning of the year.

One of the best moments came for me last week. Spencer has talked about a girl in his class all year that he says is his best friend. I was never quite sure what that meant, but I was glad he had someone to call a friend. When I was at school for the Author's Tea on Tuesday I met his friend's Mom. She seemed to be as anxious to meet me as I her. She was so excited to meet the Mom of her daughter's good friend. She expressed how much her daughter loved Spencer and hoped they would be together in class next year. She told me how much she enjoyed watching him read his story and thought about what an amazing man he is going to become. I kind of stood in awe. I wasn't sure how much she knew about Spencer, but it was obvious she had spent time in the classroom getting to know him at some point. Nice things were said about how well behaved he is and how smart he is. And then it became very clear that she and her daughter had no idea why Spencer needed an aid in the classroom. She asked if it was because of his eye. I didn't know what to say. She didn't seem to know about his autism. I was debating what to say and then Spencer came up and she looked right at him and told him how grateful she was for his friendship with her daughter. That he had been the best friend to her this year and they were so glad he was in her class. Spencer beamed so big and I just looked at her with all the gratitude in my heart. And I realized that she knew enough, and she just gets it.

We have been wanting Spencer to feel more comfortable riding his bike. He has not had enough practice to feel comfortable yet, and it has been a bit of a battle for him even to try it. We decided to give it one last push this summer and hope it will catch on. Today a little miracle happened. He just went outside on his own and started riding. And then the neighbor kids from across the street came out and started riding with him. And then his brother joined him. And there they were the four kids riding around together. And my little angel neighbors who just knew that Spencer needed some buddies to ride with right at that moment. And probably no words were exchanged, but they just rode out there with him. Spencer came in and was so excited to tell us how he rode with his friends and brother.

Spencer's book that he wrote and illustrated was about friendship. About two dinosaurs Rexy and Cooper that decide to go on a picnic. And a dinosaur they didn't know shows up and they decide to share their picnic with him. Then they all go swimming together. That was what his story was about. Reaching out to another friend. It was beautiful and very telling.

Spencer was spotlighted the last week of school along with a couple of other kids. One of the questions on the sheet was, what do you want to do someday. Spencer immediately answered, go over to a friends house to play. That is what he wants to do some day. Perfect.

The greatest love

2010-05-28T10:17:00.007-06:00

Nathan is soooo in love with me. It's like he is obsessed with me. He just has to be around me and constantly needs my attention. When I walk into the room he just feels better. I mean, he just can't take his eyes off me. And I have to say the feeling is mutual. We are having a serious love affair. Can you see why?

Motherhood is...

2010-05-25T15:24:00.000-06:00

Giving into the moment.

A truckload of patience.

Turning off lights all day long.

Laundry.

Pausing after you back out of your driveway to remember who you are taking where.

Saying things you never thought you would say.

Laughing.

The smile you get from your kids when you walk into a room that was meant only for Mom. That smile that makes your heart melt and his face almost burst. That smile is and always will be only for you. That smile is motherhood to me.

And so it goes

2010-05-06T10:28:00.006-06:00

We hired a lawn guy. Good decision. Last year when I found out I was pregnant Jeremy hired cleaning ladies for me. He just called me from work one day and told me what time they would be showing up. It was true love let me tell ya. So I decided to cancel the cleaning ladies in hopes that I can get my act together now and I hired Jeremy a lawn guy. Happiness, except I might have cried a little when I had to scrub the bathrooms myself this week. I know you feel really sorry for me.

So the lawn guy told me our grass is stressed. Really stressed. And that just sounds about right, doesn't it? I mean who isn't stressed around here? I guess everything and everybody feels the stress when a new baby arrives.

On another note, I've been thinking about how money can't buy happiness. I mean, everybody knows money can't buy happiness. But money can buy food (and cleaning ladies and lawn guys). And food is happiness. What? Is that Bob and Jillian knocking at my door? Before I get busted try these. Alexia Waffle Fries. So good, and usually in the organic section of your grocery store.

Big Gulp

2010-05-04T14:51:00.009-06:00

That is me swallowing my pride. Because I want to come back even though I said I was done. And I can't believe how much I missed my blog. And my people. And I became addicted to facebook, and I don't really like it that much. So... I am back. Here are some old school pictures to celebrate my return. Enjoy.This is Jeremy and I just hours after he proposed. I love the look on his face. And my high waisted pants and cropped shirt.

This is my apartment at BYU the year Jeremy and I met. We were not in love yet. Maybe I can see why. Hmmm. Also, that is Greg for those of you in the neighborhood. And I adore everybody in this picture.

My sister Katie and I got married two weeks apart and then had a joint reception.

I love this pictures. It looks even better in black and white. Lets not talk about the jewelry and veil.

One of the best days of my life. Graduating from BYU after I had Spencer. Both of my families came out to support me. It was such a great accomplishment. I am so happy for my sister Sally that just graduated and Stacey coming up soon!

Don't Worry

2010-04-01T12:29:00.002-06:00

I just want to let you all know that I did not make my blog private and not invite You. I needed to turn my blog off and I wasn't ready to delete it yet. So, I just made it private and didn't invite Anybody. Ok? I keep trying to have my last post, but then I just keep going... Maybe it's a sign.

And the winner is...

2010-03-28T16:43:00.001-06:00

Sally!

Aren't you excited?? You won! We put all the names in a hat, and now you get a delicious dinner this week while you are here visiting! Any requests??

First and Last

2010-03-24T14:53:00.002-06:00

This will be my last post. I am done with my blog. I started in March 2008 and it has been a fun two years, but this fat lady has sung. Hmmm? What is that? You would like to hear some parting thoughts? Alright, if you insist.

I think that people who see their glass as half-empty have gotten a bad rap. I love that I look at a glass and see that it is half empty. You know why? Fill 'er up! That is my motto. If you are just sitting there thinking that your glass is half full, then suddenly it is empty. You didn't prepare, and you are left thirsty. Not me. I look at that half empty glass and say, I better make some plans and keep that thing filled up. You know what I am saying?

Projects I am hoping to work on this coming year: Organizing pantry, again. Organizing office, again. Personal journaling. The summer of Sam. Running in my first race, and probably some walking. Delivering random treats to friends and neighbors. Having more families over for dinner.

And on that note, my first giveaway on my last post. I will do a drawing to have your family over for dinner. You probably should live in the area unless you have plans of visiting soon, which is always welcome! Please leave a parting comment and I will do a random drawing on Saturday morning. Can't wait to see who wins!

Thanks for all the comments, happy blogging!

My little man

2010-03-07T12:11:00.002-07:00

Nathan has started smiling, and it is pure joy!

Some Thoughts

2010-03-03T12:45:00.002-07:00

I really love crystal light. It is delicious and a healthy way to drink lots of water when I am really craving juice.

The Les Schwab Tire place here in town has a big sign in front of it promoting free meat if you go there. Hmmm. This sign disturbs me every time I drive by it. I don't want meat from my tire place. Is anyone else thinking road kill?

I have been getting really annoyed by people lately. People are annoying, and rude and stupid. So, I decided to read some self improvement books because maybe the problem is me. I don't want to think badly about people. Well, I have read the books, and I really have improved myself. But, people are still annoying. So I guess it wasn't me! ( This is supposed to be funny. If you don't find it funny you might be annoying.)

I went to go buy Nathan some little baby shoes. I am tired of his feet always been bare, and I have never really owned newborn shoes. There were about 10 racks of cute baby girl shoes, and one small rack of baby boy. I felt sad. Girl shoes are really cute, and strappy, and sparkly. I love shoes!

Spencer is having the best year of school ever! It has been so fun to get such glowing reports. This new school has been so great. We have now done public, private, and charter. Does anyone want to hear my thoughts on schools?

Nathan had his two month appointment today. He is up to 12 lbs. and I made the very difficult decision to begin vaccinations. Very tough decision....

Spring is coming.... I am so excited!! I think Sam is going to start Violin lessons soon, and Spencer will get back into piano. Spencer graduated from OT-occupational therapy. He was meeting so many of his goals we decided to let it go for now. This was a big deal, and very exciting.

Drivers

2010-02-10T14:27:00.003-07:00

Random thoughts post I have wanted to do for awhile now. Jeremy and I have lived in quite a few cities now. I have noticed something about the correlation between the general feel of a city and the way people drive in that city. Here are four cities and my thoughts:

Boston

Hands down, my favorite city to drive in. I can only use "A" words to describe the drivers here. Aggressive, Alert, Assertive, and Ambitious. When driving in Boston you have to use all the tools that your car provides you that in most cities are ignored. The horn is not rude, it is a tool to help keep traffic moving. You must use your horn in Boston. Your turn signal is your life line. You need this to communicate with other drivers. I can parallel park like nobodies business. Everyone seems to be working together to keep traffic moving and efficient at all times. I guess this can come off as rude when you first arrive, or if you are visiting. I loved the energy and excitement of driving in Boston. But this took a lot of practice. You have to learn to adapt to Boston driving, or pull over and take the T.

Washington D.C.

Oh my, the laziest drivers I have ever encountered. Maybe because the traffic is so bad there. Maybe you just give up. I think it is a cultural thing, a southern thing. You definitely feel the southern influence in Virginia. There was no signaling going on here, or any indication of what the driver in front of you might be doing. It didn't feel intentional, just lazy. Also, the HOV lane there is for 3 people. It was almost always empty while the rest of the freeway was backed up for hours. I think people were just lazy to coordinate a carpool. I just had another baby to create my own HOV 3. The day Sam was born I hit the HOV lane and was so happy!

Salt Lake City

Oh boy, Utah drivers. I had always heard about how bad they were. I never experienced this as a college student because I did not have a car. When we moved there I was anxious to figure out the mystery. I can sum it up in one word, Selfish. The most selfish drivers on the planet! Everybody is out for themselves. If you signal that you are coming over, nobody will let you in! Selfish drivers are dangerous drivers. I never really felt safe driving there because you just never knew what the other drivers were going to do.

Portland

This is where I learned to drive, and I have to say that I am kind of a stickler about following traffic rules. I think this comes from Oregon. When we go back Jeremy and I are amazed at how strictly people follow the traffic rules. The speed limit on freeways is 55, and literally everyone goes 55. It is bizarre, and a little bit annoying. Mostly this is weird to me because it doesn't really fit the granola feeling of the area. Fascinating.

Share the Love

2010-02-09T13:18:00.002-07:00

Well, things have been pretty crazy around here. Matthew loves playing with Nathan, especially when he is in his bouncy seat. He likes to pretend he is a rocket blasting off. Nathan loves it, and I know they will be good buddies. Last night we did a love themed family night. Jeremy had everybody go around and the person holding the big pink heart got to hear why everyone in the family loves them. We do this every once in awhile, and you get some pretty cute answers. I think we all felt the love fest, but here are two of my favorite answers that didn't quite fit the theme. We were all saying why we love baby Nathan. Spencer said, "He is so cute, but I really wanted a sister. I just really think we need a sister." Nice. Then Spencer was telling Matthew that he is a really nice brother. Sam quickly pipes in, "Well, he is not that nice. Actually, he is kind of mean." Lovely. Thanks for sharing.

A Circus Act??

2010-01-15T19:09:00.002-07:00

I have been in the car a couple of times now with my boy brood, and I gotta say it felt strange. Like we are a circus act. It feels like boys are endlessly pouring out of my car doors. We only added one, but it feels like 10. Other than that I have had two weeks of wonderful help from my mother and Jeremy's mother. I will now conquer week 3 solo. This should be interesting since I don't really wake up or become coherent until about 2pm. Someday I will post more pictures...

Happiest New Year

2010-01-09T10:59:00.004-07:00

In December I decided I only had one resolution for the new year. Not to be pregnant in 2010. It was a bold resolution considering my due date was well into January, but I knew that if I set a goal for myself I could meet it. By New Year's Eve I was feeling pretty discouraged, I was already going to have to start the new year with a failed resolution. My parents and siblings were all in town for my niece's baptism, and we were all just hoping. Well, I woke up on New Years Day about 6 in the morning with intense stomach cramps. I figured I had the flu going around the family. After about half hour of really bad "flu" cramps coming every couple of minutes I woke up Jeremy. We were all sleeping over at my sister's house, and I was going to tell him to take me home for a little bit until I felt better. Jeremy took one look at me and said we are going to the hospital. At this point I was literally crying with each pain but still thinking I had the flu. Hmmmm. So, we finally got our crazy car ride to the hospital Jeremy had always been hoping for. Good thing we had his land rover to navigate the crazy streets of Boise!! We got to the hospital, water broke, contractions stop, 12 hours of labor, epidural wasn't working, baby didn't want to come out, finally did, hardly any pushing, perfect, alert baby! Meet Nathan Henry born on January 1, 2010. 7lbs. 5 oz. Here he is one week old. I am going to count this resolution as being met!

Santa Time

2009-12-11T13:57:00.004-07:00

The boys did great with Santa this year. They have got the routine down. We had a pajama party with the ward this year. As you can see Matthew came in costume. He is in costume pretty much all day long now. It is his new thing. I love it. Look how old Spencer looks!

So....

2009-11-30T12:52:00.004-07:00

I have tried very hard not to complain too much about my pregnancy on my blog. I hope you have all appreciated that! Because every day I want to post about how miserable I am, how uncomfortable I am, how much I dislike being in this state. Now the end is coming near. I am really sick of all this. Here is a little tip about how I am doing, how I am feeling..

I want to wear this every day... everywhere... as clothing... maybe with some nice boots.

Santa, what are you doing here?

2009-11-16T17:44:00.002-07:00

On Saturday we decided to take one of our family mall trips. These trips have really have nothing to do with shopping. We make plans to hit all of the kids favorite stores and let them browse to their heart's content. First we hit the bookstore. This works well for everybody, and is probably the highlight. We all grab books and sit and read and read and read. Eventually we drag them all away and say we need to go and try something else. Jeremy throws a tantrum, and then we leave. Pretty much our family could hang out there all afternoon. Next we hit the video game store. Then on to the Disney Store. And then it is time for the pet store. And, that is our mall circuit.

This time as we were heading to the Disney store, we saw the Santa station was already set up and running. We all stood in shock for a few minutes. Really? Santa the second week in November? Hmmm. After getting over how weird it was I realized there was basically no line to see Santa and maybe this would be a good opportunity to get this done. Now keep in mind my kids have been writing their letters to Santa since at least July. They scour the toy ads and keep me updated on what they are adding to their lists. So, I figured they would be ready to talk to Santa. No way. They were outwardly upset by seeing Santa in November, even angry. They just could not figure out what he was doing here in the Mall. Why is here Mom? What is Santa doing? No, I don't want to talk to him. I will talk to him in December. I will talk to him when it is Christmas time.

It's Just a Cold

2009-11-11T17:59:00.003-07:00

No. No it isn't. This is the cold of death. In fact, it is not a cold. It can't be. There must be some other name for what Jeremy and I have. And by the way we have both been to the doctor, and apparently they think we are big babies and it is just a cold. Whatever!

Halloween

2009-11-03T07:52:00.011-07:00

We had such a fun Halloween this year! I was actually nervous having it on Saturday because I was afraid the kids would be going crazy waiting until dark to head out. We had a really lovely day with the boys. I'm glad we saved the pumpkin carving until Saturday. It was a great activity, and I didn't have to worry about cleaning them out that well so the pumpkins would last. Here is Jeremy's pumpkin, he wanted the brains to be spilling out... Sam really did not want to get his hands messy.

We had such a successful carving year. We decided that they each had to make their own faces, no fancy designs from books. They had to be able to draw and carve it themselves. Each of the boys drew their faces, and then did most of the carving themselves. Sam really wanted his pumpkin to have teeth.

Spencer did ALL of the carving himself. He was so proud of himself, and we were too!

Matthew had to add a tooth to his after he saw Sam's pumpkin.

We finally had something besides a superhero this year! Sam planned this costume for months!

Spencer and Matthew wore several different costumes throughout the week. These were the only ones I got pictures of, and they are the same as last year!!