Home Grown Home

Happy B-day Gabe!

2010-05-12T14:02:00.003-06:00

Another birthday in the house. Gabe is turning 8 years old today. He has been counting down the days now for a few months. He is so dang cute! Everyday he talks about getting baptized and that he can't wait to get his own set of scriptures. I can't believe it has been 8 years! Again, I know I say this all the time, but I don't know where the time goes. The kids grow up too fast!

A few facts about Gabe:

He likes to be called G-Man
He is very caring and concerned about others
He loves to play out in the dirt
He is very good at his school work, he gets it done as soon as he gets home from school without me asking him to.
He loves to ride bikes and race BMX
He is a good swimmer
He loves to dance crazy! Not a trained dancer, just a crazy dancer
He loves his family
He loves church and has a testimony of the gospel
He is very creative
He loves Legos

I could go on and on but I won't. I just want him to know how much we love and appreciate him. I am so glad that he is part of our family and I love him sooooooooo much!

Happy Birthday G-Man!!!

Happy Birthday Eli or Enoch or Nicholas!

2010-04-22T21:39:00.005-06:00

Today is Eli's 6th birthday! Wow I can't believe my baby is 6. Where does the time go? We had a great but busy day today. We decided to head to Vernal because Troy had to finish up a job and the kids are off-track. We thought it would be a fun, but quick, trip. Down and back in a day. So for Eli's birthday we drove all day. No really, we had a great time (pictures to follow in a couple days).

I just wanted to take a minute and wish Eli a Happy Birthday and to let him know how much we love him. He is such a sweet and funny kid, all at the same time. I honestly don't know what I am going to do without him next year when he starts first grade. I love having the afternoons with him, just the two of us.

So, on our way to Vernal today we talked about the day I had Eli. Every...last...detail. The kids wanted to know everything. Since we had a 3-hour drive, we had plenty of time to cover everything. We told Eli that we didn't know if he was going to be a girl or boy, so we didn't even have a name picked out for him. We told him some of the options and he decided that we should have named him Enoch. Then, later on this evening, Gabe called him "Ridiculous Nicholas", so then Eli wanted to be named Nicholas.

So...whoever he is right now, Happy Birthday! We love you and hope you had a wonderful 6th birthday!

Off-Track Education...

2010-02-09T14:41:00.004-07:00

We went to the zoo yesterday. I love the zoo in the winter! The animals are more active and there are less people. I feel like I don't have to watch my kids so close because I can always see them. I don't lose them amongst the crowds! Yesterday, the animals were way more active, especially the Penguins. The kids sat and watched the penguins for about 15 minutes just wondering what they were doing inside that rock! They were making all sorts of noises...and there was a line outside waiting for their turn. Our kids just sat and watched and wondered. Eli said..."Maybe,....they are having a baby?" I don't think they were having a baby right then, but maybe in the spring?!? (I don't know how long the gestation of a penguin is?)

Here are the penguins lining up for their turn!

Kids attending class.....

Anyway, it was a good day at the zoo with some education too!

Oops!

2010-02-08T10:27:00.003-07:00

My kids have been off track for a couple weeks now. It seems like I am always trying to find something to do to keep them busy. We do a lot of fun things, aquarium, dollar movie, play with cousins and friends, parks etc. etc. One of the first days they were off track we went to visit Troy at work. We planned to go to lunch but Troy had to pour a little bit of concrete first. We met him at the job and watched him smooth out the concrete. It was just a little ring around a man-hole cover in a parking lot. Not big, we didn't have to wait long so we just watched. My boys love things like that! Madison, not so much. She was ready to eat and waiting in the car.

Finally, it was time to get in the car. Troy was done and we were ready to eat. Eli headed to the car and Oooops...

We had to wait a few extra minutes while Troy smoothed out the concrete again! We did eventually get to eat lunch with dad, that was all we wanted!

Beeep!

2010-01-20T21:42:00.006-07:00

Please leave a message after the tone.....

I have been a little preoccupied lately. Troy was sick all last week (and he is a miserable sick person, poor thing, he was sooo sick). Madison and I got it this week (sorry, Keli, we spread it to Emma too). We have also had science projects, Relief Society visits, family get togethers and lots of homework!

Hang on, I might be back soon!

Here is just a funny video to keep you coming back. We went sledding with Heidi and Jason and kids on New Years day. Troy, Jason and Jamison went down together.

Notice, Jason is holding Troys legs. This is when I noticed that somethings never change!

Never mind, the video won't play so you will just have to use your imagination!

**stupid thing, now it's working! Does it usually take 24 hours for videos to upload?

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2010-01-02T21:13:00.005-07:00

Since I haven't posted for so long, I should probably just get it all in. So here are a few pics from the Holidays.

Here are the kids at Grandmas house on Christmas Eve. They all got their new PJ's and were ready for Christmas.

Madison got this cool watch that Aunt Jill and Gracie made. She loves it...

Eli wanted a stop sign...don't ask me why. However, it has alread come in handy. He took it to Classic skating and held it out to the people who were skating on the oval track. He thought that was pretty funny.

Gabe got the legos he wanted. He put that whole crane together in just one day.

We had a great Christmas. We stayed busy with lots of family and friends. Thanks to Jill and Meg, we had the traditional breakfast and for lunch, ham and potatoes, and lots of other scrumptious food. I think we ate all day long. The best part of Christmas was that we stayed in our pajamas all day. And, that the Johnsons hung out with us all day. Thanks guys!

The other best part of the day was the gift that Jill gave us. She drew both of our names. So she gave us tickets to the Bon Jovi concert in Vegas. (Is it just me or does everybody think John Bon Jovi is a good looking guy? Even Troy thinks he is.) And, the best part is it comes with babysitting. We get to go spend a weekend in Vegas, how fun is that!

For New Years Eve, we spent the night with Heidi and Jason Rich. I mean, we actually spent the night with them. They only live half an hour away, but we had a sleep over so we wouldn't have to drive home. It was pretty entertaining. Here are a few pics from that night...

The kids watched a 3D movie. I think it was Monsters vs. Aliens, I don't remember!

Here are the kids ready to go make some noise... 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.....

Here is Madison and Eli with the silly string. We had silly string and cow bells and pots and pans and ...lots of noisy and messy things.

Eli wasn't so sure about the silly string. He liked spraying the others but he didn't like getting sprayed.

Happy New Years, Heidi! Thanks for letting us crash your party!

Halloween Madness

2009-11-02T20:36:00.003-07:00

Here are a few pics from Halloween. Costumes weren't great but the kids were happy and had a fun time. It's hard to get excited about costumes when the kids are off-track for Halloween. Actually, Madison and Gabe just wanted to wear their costumes from last year so I was pretty happy about that.

Here are the pumpkins we carved this year. I hate carving pumpkins! Can I just get that out there. Honestly, this year my kids fought and fought about who got to dig the guts out and who got to use the spoon....Finally, I just had to kick them out and finish it myself. I was so glad when they were done. And, if I do say so myself, I think they turned out pretty good!

I saw this idea on someones blog, so I stole it. I thought it was really cute so we got Troys drill and attached a hole saw to it. That was fun except my kids tried the drill and they did it so fast that the pumpkin guts went everywhere!

And, last but not least, the fantastic costumes you have been waiting for. Eli was Batman, Madison was a baby and Gabe a skeleton. Gabe looked better with his mask but he hated wearing it.

Hope you all had a great halloween...

Happy Birthday Troy!

2009-10-21T14:46:00.004-06:00

I just want to wish Troy a happy birthday. I am so lucky to be married to such a wonderful man and father. I couldn't ask for anything more. I wish I could have him help me write this because he is such a good writer. He always knows what to say, especially lately, to make me feel better.

Things about Troy...

He is funny
Not a picky eater (he would have cold cereal for dinner)
Takes good care of us
Hard worker
Very considerate of others and their feelings
Loves to spend time with me and the kids
Loves to ride any kind of bike (even has a bikeroom with I don't know how many bikes)
Honors his priesthood
Puts up with my crap
And he looks great in a speedo for an old guy! hehe!

I could go on and on....

Happy Birthday Troy! And, DON'T FORGET!

**This is one of his favorite things to do, wash his bikes. Actually, he is washing my bike. What a nice guy!

U Rock!

2009-10-20T17:53:00.002-06:00

Troy and I went out a couple weeks ago and saw this...

I thought this was pretty funny and this is what I have to say to Troy, Jill and all the others that did the Tour de St. George over the weekend. Good job guys!

Happy Birthday Nunn!

2009-10-05T21:45:00.006-06:00

I know I did this same post last year but this is our new tradition. Every year on Nunn's birthday we send her hugs and kisses by way of helium. The kids are pretty sure that she gets their messages and so am I. We miss her sooooo much and this is our way of never forgetting.

Happy Birthday Nunny!

The Cutest Thing Ever!

2009-09-28T21:54:00.006-06:00

Gabe gave this to me tonight, and I must say it is probably the CUTEST THING EVER! He told me it didn't turn out quite right but I think it is perfect.

Happy Birthday Madisonironi!

2009-09-18T07:00:00.000-06:00

I can't believe she is turning 11! I remember the day she was born, it seems just like yesterday. I remember being huge and swollen, the Dr. had just told me that I had toxemia and he put me on bed rest. I went home and laid down for a couple hours and started having these funny feelings. I had no idea what was going on. Troy came home from work and started cooking dinner. Noodle chunt (or noodles with cream of chicken soup and tuna fish)with the tri-colored noodles. I still remember! I didn't eat any of it because by the time it was done I was in full blown labor. My contractions were 2 minutes apart so we ran to the hospital. I was checked in and the Nurse checked to see how far I was dilated. She told me I was between a 9 and a 10. Madison was finally ready to come and she didn't want to wait any longer. At 10:59 pm she was born. She weighed 7 pounds 13 ounces and had a lot of crazy hair. She was the cutest thing I had ever seen!

Eleven years later she is such a wonderful young lady. She is such a good girl, I don't know how we got so lucky to have her in our family. A few things about her:
*She loves to read. She is just like her Nunny!
*She hates the heat. Again, just like Nunny!
*She has beautiful strawberry blonde hair.
*She is very spiritual and loves to go to church. She definitely is an example to us.
*She is friends with everybody.
*She loves American Girl dolls.
*She already knows what car she wants when she turns 16. A Mini Cooper!
*She loves strawberries. Plain strawberries, strawberries dipped in sugar, strawberry ice cream, strawberry suckers. Everything strawberry!
*She wears hearing aids....What? And she just got new earmolds. They are adorable and just as bright as always.

There is so much more I could write about her. I could go on and on. Instead I will just give you some pictures and you can see for yourself what a wonderful girl she is.

We love you Madisonironi! Happy Birthday!!!

YNP '09

2009-09-14T14:26:00.003-06:00

We made our annual Yellowstone trip at the end of July. We had such a great time! The weather was great, the company was great and the time together as a family was great. As I said before, we had McKinley with us. It was so nice to have her there to keep Madison company. She balanced us out, two boys and two girls. We did so many fun things. We went to Mammoth hot springs and then up to Gardiner to our favorite restaurant in the whole wide world, Petterino's (I think thats what it is, I get it mixed up with one in Chicago). We eat there every summer. Troy starts craving it about 2 months before our trip. We also eat breakfast by the Madison river every morning. I think Kinney thought we were CRAZY but we have these things that we ALWAYS do. How sad is it that our trip kind of revolves around food. Dinner at Petterino's and breakfast at the river. Thats not it either, everywhere we stopped Troy insisted on icecream, Kinney didn't think that was so crazy!

Other things we did:

Hikes, Harlequin Lake, Canyon, Tower Falls, etc.etc.

Swimming in the firehole river

Skipping rocks in the river

Old Faithful Young Scientist badge (this took all day, the kids were exhausted after they were done)

Saw a ton of waterfalls

Hot pots, dragons mouth is one of their favorites but Eli thinks a dragon really lives in it.

Saw tons of buffalo and elk, missed a bear by seconds.

Got eaten by mosquitos

Stayed in the park at Grant Village right by Yellowstone Lake

I could go on and on. We had so much fun and I am already getting excited to go back next year!

Thanks Kinney for coming with us, we hope we didn't scare you too bad!

Summer '09

2009-09-13T17:32:00.004-06:00

I know it is now almost fall and for quite some time I have tried to post about summer. My problem is there is always something else to do. Whether it is mow the lawn, or weed, or go to the aquarium or splash pad or zoo. There is always something else. So here is a quick update of our summer.

Here are my kids being crazy as usual. We have this park in Park City that we call the John Deere park. The kids absolutely love it. We make a few trips there every summer.

Here are the kids at the Riverton Splash pad. We went a few times this summer with cousins and friends. The kids love it because their Dad and Tyson built it! Eli goes around telling everybody that...pretty funny.

Here we are at the Aquarium. We had Madisons friend Brittany and her brother Collin with us. I bet we went 5 times this summer. We bought a family pass and it is only 5 minutes from our house. Cheap entertainment! We love to pet the stingrays!

Here are the kids in Yellowstone. We had our niece, McKinley, with us. I would have traded all of my kids to keep her. She was so fun to have for 9 whole days. (I will put more pictures of Yellowstone later. I took a couple hundred or so...)

We had a wedding this summer too. Troys dad got remarried. Here we are at the wedding. It was fun to all be together. We were missing Aaron and Carter, but I am sure they were there in spirit....right Aaron?

Here are the kids decorating Papas truck and Troy and Lorin drinking beer so they could hang the cans from the bumper. Funny thing, the next week Troy was called to be the Elders Quorum President. Good thing he really wasn't drinking the beer!

Troy did a bike race as part of the Tour of Utah. It is one of the hardest stages in the United States and he finished it. You can see how excited he was to finish! I was so proud of him.

And here are Troy and Jason crossing the finish line together. Troy says there is no way he could have done it without Jason. This is kind of how they are in life. They don't go very long without talking to each other. Jason and Heidi have been great friends forever. Thanks guys!

Thats just a few things we did this summer, I forgot my camera for the others, but we had a lot of fun! And thanks Jill for spending a couple weeks with us and keeping us busy!

Reading makes me tired...

2009-09-11T14:43:00.004-06:00

I am not much of a reader. I can read for a few minutes here and there but not for a long time. It makes me too tired! Every night my kids read before they go to bed as their school homework. Well, Eli just started kindergarten so he thinks he needs to read like Madison and Gabe. All I care about is that he stays in bed. Some nights he will be reading his scriptures, or Go Dog Go. Apparently, he takes after me and this is what he was reading last night.....

I went in before I went to bed and this is what I found. He was snoring so loud, probably because he couldn't breathe. I wonder what he was dreaming about...maybe, a boy named Max who wouldn't eat his dinner!

PS, This is for Kinney. Madison keeps bugging me to put a picture of her doll for you so here it is! For those of you who don't know, Madison worked all summer to earn this American Girl Doll. She absolutely loves it!

Back to school...

2009-08-28T13:04:00.003-06:00

It has been a busy summer. We did a lot of fun things and took some fun trips. I promise, soon, I will post some pictures of our crazy summer. For now, here are a couple pictures of the kids and their first day of school.

Madison and Gabe started on August 17th and they both have male teachers. This is new to us. In all the teachers we have had, we haven't had any male teachers. So far, 2 weeks into it, the kids love them.

Eli started on Tuesday this week. He absolutely loves it, I THINK. He loves to go but doesn't talk much about it. This is wierd to me because Eli usually doesn't stop talking. Some of you know, Eli rarely shuts up.

Enough, blah.....blah....blah....here are the pictures:

Madison and Gabe right before we left for school, they love posing for these pictures. They always tell me where they want to stand or squat like in this one.

Madison and her friend Katie. They were so excited to see eachother!!!

Gabe was a little nervous but he did OK. He cried, as usual, but his teacher gave him a hug and reassured him it would be fine. After a few days of crying I had to bribe him with a prize. So far that has worked pretty well.

Eli was so excited. He even picked out his outfit. It wasn't my favorite but you can't fight this kid. He is sooooo persistent.

And last but not least, the token picture taken in front of the school. I think they should probably have some feet painted on the sidewalk...saying stand here for school picture. After I took his picture I noticed a whole bunch of other moms taking the same picture.

So, there you go. It's a little late but the school pictures are finally posted.

Lagoon and the Holy Ghost

2009-07-10T09:48:00.004-06:00

We went to Lagoon on Wednesday for our stake Lagoon day. It was so fun! We went with just our little family. Just the 5 of us. It was fun to have a day to just hangout with eachother and have fun. The day was perfect, mid-80s weather and shorter than normal lines. Who could ask for more? Eli of course...

At the end of the day we were getting ready to leave. We decided to go on the Terror Ride. It's not too scary and there are no hills. As we stood in line Eli kept hearing screams, you could see he was getting more and more nervous. Finally, it was our turn so I made him get in with me and he immediately put his head in my lap. He wouldn't even look around. I finally talked him into lifting his head up. Right then something scared him, so back down went his head. He didn't like it until it was over.

Once we got off the ride, Eli and I had this conversation:

Eli: "Mom, it wasn't too scary except for the Holy Ghost."

Mom: "What do you mean the Holy Ghost."

Eli: "The Holy Ghost was tickling my legs the whole time."

Mom: "Oh, really and that was the scary part?"

Eli: "Yep, that was the scary part."

I have no idea what he felt in that terror ride, but he is pretty sure it was the Holy Ghost.

Eli wanted to dress just like Dad! I had to get a picture, it was pretty cute.

(I just realized I have no pictures of Madison, sorry Madison we will get some next time).

Absent....

2009-06-30T11:39:00.002-06:00

Sorry about my absence on the blog lately. I have been a little overwhelmed with everything that I am supposed to be doing. I say "supposed to be" because I should be doing everything and I am not even doing it all. I am doing what I can do, and the blog, obviously, isn't one of them.

I have had:

Sick kid stuff (Madison missed most of the last week and a half of school)
Work stuff (Yuck!, I even quit again...)
House stuff
Summer stuff
School stuff (Yes, we are still in school but Thursday is the last day)
Church stuff
Friend stuff (I went to dinner with friends I haven't seen for at least 15 years. Fun!)

I have had a lot of STUFF, so please forgive me and I will be back shortly. Maybe I could have the Dr. write me a note while she is writing one for Madisons absences from school.

Rain Rain Go Away!!!

2009-06-17T09:47:00.004-06:00

Even the ducks don't need to swim in the creek because there is so much rain

I am so tired of the rain! Anybody else with me here? We watch the news and read the paper everyday and it always says: Monday/Rain, Tuesday/PC and rain, Wednesday/lightning and rain, Thursday/TS and rain, Friday/freaking more rain. I like rain but not when it rains for 15 days straight. A nice afternoon summer thunderstorm is nice but not every single day.

However, my boys have come to like the rain. The new thing they like to do is take their shirts off and run around in the rain. I try to make sure they don't run around when it is thundering and lightning but sometimes I can't stop them.

Boys being crazy in the rain, you can tell they haven't had much sun.

Our creek keeps flooding because there is so much water.

Little Red

2009-06-08T14:35:00.005-06:00

For the third time I rode Little Red. A woman's-only bikeride up in Logan. We decided we were going to do the 62 mile ride. A couple of the girls in our group wanted to try for the 100 miles. I knew I wasn't ready but I rode with them anyway. We had a great time until 1.5 miles in. My bike started feeling funny. I was hearing funny noises and feeling every bump. FLAT TIRE! We stopped and thanks to Sunny's friend, my tire was fixed in a jiffy and we were back on the road. Things were great until we got up into Idaho and the wind hit. We battled the wind for about 15 miles (it seemed like forever, but maybe it wasn't that long) until we stopped for lunch at about mile 60.

So, we continued and the next stop was at mile 81. Somewhere in between my knees started hurting and my legs started cramping. I was not in any shape to think I was going to ride 100 miles. Then, at about mile 78 my tire went flat again. At this point, I was done. I called Troy and said come and get me. I have never had my knees hurt like that before. So, thanks to my wonderful husband, Troy, within minutes I was sitting on my nice comfy seat in the car (and not on my bike) drinking Diet Coke and eating a snickers. I am horrible, all I wanted was something sweet!

The rest of my group finished the century. Liz, Sunny and Sally. Good job girls and thanks for dragging me the last few miles!

I was a little bit sad at the finish line, it was a bitter-sweet moment for me. This ride benefits womens cancer research. I wanted to ride across that finish line so bad but I knew I couldn't do it this year. Maybe next year!

Sunny, Liz, Sally and me. At the finish line, I love the banner behind.

Sunny and Sally getting Lei'd. So cool! Sunny just had a baby 7 months ago and Sally's baby is 16. It is so cool that they finished.

Good job girls! Thanks for the ride and we will be riding again soon!

***Oh, and Heidi was there too but she had to leave. Heidi I need the picture Jason took of all of us so we can have you on here too. Just so you all know, Heidi is the driving force behind this group. She is the one that got us all there. Thanks Heidi!

Updates

2009-06-05T10:19:00.003-06:00

It has been a while since I wrote. Things have been crazy busy with work and school and play.....Here are some updates:

Madison

She is growing up so fast. She loves to babysit and earn money. She always begs us to go on a date so she can be in charge.
She is doing really well at piano even though I can't ever get her to practice.
She has had testing at school this week and next week so she has really been working hard at school.
At school she is trying to pass off all the things for the Presidential Fitness award. She is killing herself to get them all done.

Gabe

He is getting ready to start 2nd grade. I can't believe it.
On his birthday he moved up in BMX from 6 novice to 7 novice and then the next week he was moved up to 7 intermediate.
In his 2 races as a 7 intermediate he has made it to the main both times and has placed 3rd. We are so proud of him.
He is always doing something, whether it's digging in the dirt or eating or legos or riding bikes. He is always doing something.

Eli

He is learning to not play with knives. Two weeks ago he cut himself and had to get stitches. Yes we are great parents and let our kids play with knives. They will learn sooner or later.
He is done with pre-school and is so ready to start Kindergarten. Maybe it is me that is ready for him to start.
He gets to go to play with his cousin, Megan, 4 days a week while I go to work. I think he really likes it (Thanks Lori). He also goes to Grandmas 1 day a week, he loves to go and eat her cookies.
This kid is like Gabe and is always doing something. However, he is usually doing something a little more mischievious.

Troy and Kelli

We have been busy at work. Troy has been bidding jobs like crazy and I hope that will end soon.
Troy has also been racing a little bit of BMX and getting some Mtn. Bike and Road biking in.
I am riding Little Red tomorrow and I am not ready. Hopefully I will still be able to walk after it is over.

Here is a little video of Gabe's race last night. He has the silver helmet on and is in 4th place most of the time until the last straight before the finish he passes for 3rd.

Poohdles!

2009-05-22T10:05:00.002-06:00

Eli and I were driving to work today. Eli was talking my ear off about who knows what! During one of the conversations he started talking about all the dogs he knows. He started naming all of them. Then he started talking about what kinds of dogs they all are. So, here is what he said:

Eli: "Mom, I know why they call them poodles."

Me: "Why?"

Eli: "Because they poop a lot! They are always pooping. You know poooohdles."

No, lie. That is our exact conversation. The kid really believes that is why they are called poooooohdles.

Happy Birthday G-Man

2009-05-11T20:24:00.003-06:00

On Mother's Day, May 12th 2002 at 12:35 am, I became a mother for the second time. It was a wonderful Mother's Day present. The best thing was to not be pregnant any longer. I don't think I could have handled it for one more second (for those of you who saw me know how huge I get).

Gabe has been such a good boy. He has always been a momma's boy. When he was about three or four he would come in our room in the middle of the night just to tell me he loves me. Here are a few more things about Gabe:

He has always loved tractors (you name it and he knows what it is)
He loves to dig in the dirt
He is my vanilla kid (blonde hair and vanilla icecream)
He is a good eater
He is very loving and kind
He makes friends easy
He loves to do anything outside
This year he has learned to play basketball with his friends (Of course his dad doesn't teach him)
This year he started BMX and has 14 trophies (I don't know what I am going to do with more)
He loves school (reading, math, science etc.)
He is a thinker, he thinks about everything

I love this kid, he is such a good kid. I just want him to know how much I love and appreciate him. He is my little G-Man!

A few pics:

Happy Birthday G-Man!

Nunn's Day

2009-05-08T16:19:00.003-06:00

To my sisters, from Vegas to Chicago and back to SLC, it will be a rough Mother's Day. However, I am trying like you to remember the fun times. The memories that she brought us. I learned so much in the short 15 or 16 years that I knew her. I learned a lot from my mom too, but I learned different things from Nunn. Here is how we celebrated Mother's Day last year...

We opened Mother's Day gifts. Of course, the token picture frame that had pictures of all her grandkids (It even made her cry). What else would you give someone that had everything. I think she liked it though, she hung it on the wall and it is still there.

Then we celebrated Gabe's birthday. Of course she had a cake for him and she was right there with a spatula and paper plates ready to dish it up.

Then we went outside to play with some of Gabe's presents.

Then....this is the last thing she saw....

...until Eli came charging at us with the hose. We were all fast enough to dodge the water, except for Nunn. She sat there and got soaking wet. I think she was a little bit mad but she laughed about it too. So this year I am hoping that she had a good Mother's Day last year because I know I will never forget it!

Happy Birthday Eli!

2009-04-22T08:57:00.002-06:00

I can't believe my baby is 5! How does that happen? This kid is a funny kid. He always says funny things. Here are a few things he has said just in the past couple weeks:

Mom, do we have a local Geico representative?" (he heard a commercial on the radio while we were driving)

I asked him how he hears these things and he said, "I don't know how to turn my ears off." (He hears everything, and I mean everything)

"Hey, I know which cows make chocolate milk. The cows with brown spots."

I love this kid so much and we are so glad he is a part of this family. Troy especially loves him when he talks the whole six hour drive home from Las Vegas. He never shuts up. He loves to talk and talk and talk. However, we wouldn't trade him for anything! So....

Happy Birthday Eli!!!

Trying out for the Police Academy

2009-04-09T17:49:00.003-06:00

So I took Eli to the doctor the other day for his Kindergarten check up and he had to get 4 shots. Our doctor always gives them tokens that they can redeem in little machines. This is what Eli chose...

...need I say more?

Stories

2009-04-03T08:54:00.002-06:00

So I found out at Gabe's Parent Teacher Conference that he is a good story writer. His teacher says he just writes and writes. He writes three stories to the other kids' one. Last week he came home with this one. I think it says it all:

My Grandma

By Gabe Noorda

My Grandma died July 26th at midnight and it was so sad. I loved her.

We slept over a lot. I mean a lot, a lot with my cousins.

She bought us a lot of things, too.

We went over every Sunday.

She would read us a lot of stories.

She got sick, very sick.

She would do anything for us and she was very nice.

I thought this story was so cute. It proves to me that my kids still know her and miss her as much as we do. I hope they never forget how much she loved them.

One year

2009-04-01T16:20:00.002-06:00

So it has been a year since I started my blog. I am not good at blogging, or writing or posting or whatever you want to call it. This is definitely not my forte. However, I started because some very close relatives moved far away and I was kind of forced into it to keep them up to date (you know who you are). Also, my mother-in-law wanted me to so she could see pictures of the kids even though she saw them almost every day. So one year ago I gave in. A lot has changed as most of you know (everybody reading this blog knows). Nunny is no longer here to read the blog and look at the pictures. I started this for her and she isn't here anymore. It sucks! However, we finally got her headstone, it is beautiful. So for Jill and Keli who aren't here, here it is.

And to Nunny, we love you and miss you more than words can say. Who knew so much would change in this short year. One year ago today, Nunny thought we were buying a minivan and now we are posting about her headstone.

Few more pics...

2009-03-30T14:39:00.003-06:00

The rest of the vacation was fabulous. Our next stop was in Grand Cayman. We went to stingray city and swam with the stingrays. We also did some snorkelling. I didn't like the stops we snorkelled but I got to hold a huge starfish. It was pretty cool. The stingrays were definitely my favorite but I don't have any pictures yet because I need to get them developed. We had one of the old fashioned, waterproof cameras. I will show those pictures at a later date.

Right on the side of the ocean was a little neighborhood with their own little canal. Along the canal live a whole bunch of huge Iguanas. It was crazy....they didn't even look real.

We also went to Hell! (Hell, Grand Cayman) It was a little town named Hell. We mailed postcards to the kids so they could get something from Hell. It was pretty dumb! I wouldn't recommend going to Hell....now or in the future.

Our last stop was in the Princess Cays, Bahamas. It was dumb and we were ready to be done. The best part of the day was when Troy sported his speedo. Thanks Jill...never thought I would ever see Troy in one of those. So...here, for all of you to see, Troy in his speedo (he is so embarassed but knew he would never live it down if he didn't dare do it).

He looks pretty good, doesn't he?

Last but not least, I had to put this in here for Lorin. The day before the Bahamas we had an at-sea day and Lorin fell asleep in the sun. He got so sunburned, look how fried he is. He had to walk around like Yosemite Sam because even his armpits were burned. Poor Guy!

Vacation is over, now it is time to get back to reality!

Thanks Jill, Aaron, Lorin, Jackie, Art, Amy, Nate, Stacey, Justin and Lisa for a great trip! See you next time...but not on a ship!

More from the cruise

2009-03-26T19:10:00.006-06:00

First Stop....Jamaica

I absolutely loved Jamaica. The scenery was beautiful, the people were so nice and the beef pattys and Jerk Chicken were yummy! We had such a great time we hit Dunns River Falls and the Chukka Canopy Tour. Here are a few pics:

* All the girls in the falls. So fun!

*The whole group. All 12 of us with one guide to get us up the falls.

* Here is our guide. They call him Superman! He was, he got us all up there and he did it with no shoes on.

*On our way to the canopy tour we passed many houses that people live in. They don't have running water or windows. It was amazing.

* Here is Jill on the zip line. It was so beautiful!

* The beautiful walk back to our shuttle.

* Zip line....If you didn't know.

So thats Jamaicamon! Sorry, that was bad...I never claimed to be Jamaican and it shows!

Post-Vacation Post

2009-03-22T16:10:00.003-06:00

So I have been reminded by many people that I need to post. So here I am. I have been a little busy getting ready for vacation, work stuff etc. Honestly, I need time to stop just so I can get caught up on everything. But, here I am back from a nice warm vacation sitting in my filthy house wanting to be back on vacation.

Pre Cruise

A little about our vacation. We had such a great time. We started out in Ft. Lauderdale Florida. We flew in at midnight so I reserved a hotel close to the airport so the taxi ride wouldn't be a fortune. We showed up and it was a dive. I was affraid to walk around the room without shoes on and I thought someone was going to rob us so we double locked the room (dead-bolt and chain). Then the air-conditioner would kick on and the whole room would vibrate. It was sooooo loud! We had to lean our suitcases on the door (it helped with the vibration of the ac and so nobody could break in). Pretty sad. To say the least, we will never stay there again.

The next day, I was glad to get out of that hotel and get back to the airport to meet the rest of our group. Jill and Aaron, Lorin and Jackie and many others met us there. We were ready for some adventures and they were all tired after an all night flight.

Later that day we headed out to the everglades (if you read Jills blog you will just hear more of the same, blah!blah!blah!). We saw 5 or 6 alligators. And, did you know that alligators can go under water for up to 19 hours. That is what our guide told us! It's true I promise because everything he says is true. He even told us that there are 11 million people in Ft. Lauderdale that are out or work. See, I told you it is true. We had fun even if everything he said was FALSE!

*Did I tell you the boat was really loud. We had to wear ear plugs. What! It was nice to wear the ear plugs so we didn't have to listen to the lies from Chuck the tour guide.

* Here I am holding a baby alligator. I loved it and Troy wouldn't touch it. Maybe he was scared!

Saturday morning before boarding the ship we drove to Miami. We had no idea where we were going but just wanted to find a beach. We found one. It was loaded with jelly fish that Jackie was playing with and naked ladies. This time we weren't even looking for the naked people, they were just there staring at us with their big, giant, sagging, tan headlights. It was nasty!

* Here we are in Miami, it was a beautiful beach with cute life guard shacks....

* And a lot of people.

**Zoom in if you would like to see the nasties.

* Or you could just look at Jackie giving her impression of the nasties.

So, that is the beginning or our vacation. I will post more later, and I promise it won't take me a month to do so.

Fire! We're on fire!

2009-02-19T10:41:00.002-07:00

So we are slowly finishing our basement and we had our guys down there yesterday doing some framing. I was upstairs with the kids, and yes they are still off-track. I was playing a game of Life with Madison, Eli was helping me. He is such great help.

We have a very, I mean very, sensitive smoke alarm way up in our vaulted ceiling. Anytime I burn something just a little bit the smoke goes up in the vault and sets the alarm off and then you can't get the alarm to shut off until you get the smoke cleared out.

Well, yesterday during our game of Life....the alarm goes off. It didn't scare me because I knew it was probably some dust or something from down stairs. No big deal, I went over to where the alarm is and started fanning a paper to try to get the air to move around. At this point, the kids are nervous. They are all standing right under my feet (moms, you know what I mean)! As I am fanning I notice flames down in our return air vent. You know, those big vents by the floor. There were flames shooting up in there. So I ran down stairs and yelled, "Fire, We're on fire!"

As I got down there, I realized one of the guys was grinding on a piece of steel right under the return air vent. No, it wasn't fire but only sparks. Tyson ran upstairs to make sure everything was okay. Sure enough, no flames just sparks.

The alarm was still going full blast so the guys grabbed some big mats and started waving them around. We opened all the doors and finally the alarm went off.

Thanks Tyson, I'm an idiot! You can make fun of me if you want but it really looked like flames.

Madison was so funny too. When I ran down stairs I told all the kids to go outside and of course they followed me. Madison started screaming because she was so scared. The first thing she did was turn off her hearing aids, smart girl that'll at least save her ears from the alarm!

Off-Track! Aaaaaahhhh!

2009-01-29T10:10:00.004-07:00

My kids are off-track and I swear they were just off-track. Where does the time go? We have 3 1/2 weeks of off-track time. What am I supposed to do during off-track time? My kids get bored, how do I entertain them for 3 1/2 weeks? Off-track time makes me want to scream!!!
(I just wanted to see how many times I could mention off-track in one paragraph).

Any ideas? I need ideas of what to do with kids in the winter. Yesterday we went to the dollar movies and saw Madagascar 2 for the third time. I probably don't want to do that again. Please, any ideas are welcome especially if they are paid airline tickets to Chicago or maybe somewhere else that is warmer.

Out of the cold

2009-01-26T16:57:00.004-07:00

Last week we decided to head south. The kids had Martin Luther King Day off so we headed to St. George to get some sun and warmth. We loaded the bikes and headed south. It's sad that all of our vacations revolve around biking. We always find other things for the kids to do. I think they had fun. The kids played at a park, went on a walk, watched birds in a pond (thanks to Heidi for naming the birds), Madison took pictures with her camera, fed lots and lots of ducks and geese (about 4 loaves of bread), and went to Zions. We packed a lot into 3 days! The kids were ready to come home. However, I am ready to go back. I am so sick of the snow and yucky air.

Few pics from the weekend...

Look closely in the background to the right and you can see a Blue Herrin (not sure on the spelling).

Eli and his cute hat hair. He was looking good!

Troy and the kids going for a walk in Zions. Like father like children...

What's so exciting Gabe? Oh yeah, he is always like this.

Madison in Zions.

Zions was so beautiful, I wish we had more time to spend.

I didn't get any pictures of the bike rides but Heidi, Sunny and I were getting mad air...

So fun!

Swimming pool vs. Puke

2009-01-23T19:24:00.002-07:00

I'm back! It has been almost two months since I have written. Sorry, but I have been a little overwhelmed with everything that has been going on. Christmas, weddings, school, work, BMX, church callings etc. etc. I will try to be better but I can't guarantee anything. Honestly, I haven't even been reading the blogs or even turning on my computer. The only reason I have even turned on my computer was to delete emails or do work and then it gets turned off.

I read some of my sisters blogs (you know who you are) tonight and realized how much I need this. I realized that everybody struggles and gets busy and this is an outlet to make them feel better. Sorry, I am just rambling......blah!blah!blah!

Okay on to the title of the post. What do you think would win, the simming pool or the puke. Well, let me tell you that I found out if someone pukes in a pool they will shut it down. So, I guess the puke would win. Do you want to know why I know this?

Okay, okay I will tell you. Last night we decided to go swimming at a swimming pool nearby (I will withold the name for certain reasons). Troy was going to workout upstairs and I would swim with the kids. Troy would join us later. Well, as soon as Troy left we got in the pool. We were all swimming and having a great time. All of a sudden Eli swallowed a whole bunch of water. Immediately he starts gagging. This has happened many times with him (not in the pool but other places). He is my really good puker (Clisty, Meg, Jill, Sean, you all know first hand). I now realize that he is going to puke so I put my hand by his mouth and try to get him out of the pool. He starts puking, I catch what I can. Almost immediately we are on the pool deck. I don't know how we got there but mothers turn into superwoman when something is wrong with their kids. Now, on the pool deck he continues to puke. Mostly, the dinner that we ate about an hour earlier. At this point, I am looking around for some help. I am all alone with three kids, what to do? I flagged down a life guard, and she's like"You want me?" And I'm like, "Yes! Duh!"

She came over and immediately grabbed someone else to help. Obviously, she didn't want to clean it up. While all this was happening I was still standing there with puke in my hands and puke all over Eli's face. Not a pretty site! To keep the story short....we got it cleaned up with some stuff like kitty litter sprinkled on it and a nice big, bright orange cone to warn people that there is puke on the pool deck.

The girl asked me if any got in the pool and I just told her I don't know. Then she told me they would have to shut the pool down if it got in there. So I said, no I am pretty sure there wasn't any and she couldn't see any. I didn't want to be the reason for the pool shutting down. I have been there before when they have shut it down for poop, everybody gets mad.

So there you have it, puke would win. I think from now on it will be called the Puke Deck!

(Sorry if this doesn't make sense, I was just rambling on a bit and I am not even going to reread it before I post it)

Guess what he wants for Christmas!

2008-11-29T21:21:00.004-07:00

Sorry, it has been a while....I have been a little busy. Things probably won't slow down now until after Christmas, that I do know. I know one other thing. I know what Gabe wants for Christmas.....

HIS TWO FRONT TEETH!

I've been tagged, Part dos!

2008-11-07T20:17:00.002-07:00

I have never done this tag before, it is a SWEETHEART Tag. For those of you who know my husband (or sweetheart) you know I am pretty lucky. For those of you who don't know him you might learn a little about him. Here goes...

What is your husbands name? Troy

How long have you been married? It'll be 14 years in March (never thought we would get there)

How long did you date? About 1 and 1/2 years. We were off a couple times but always right back on. I couldn't live without him and still can't. (Okay that was really cheesy, sorry)

How old is he? 38 (ooh, he's gettin up there)

Who is taller? He is (6'2")

Who can sing best? He can. We sing Happy B-day at his families house and they all harmonize. My family, not so much!

Who is smarter? I say he is, he will say I am.

Who does the laundry? I do, everytime he puts clothes in the washer he has to ask me how to do it.

Who pays the bills? I do, we would be in bad trouble if he did. When we were dating it took both, his mom and myself, about 4 hours to balance his checkbook. Not good!

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I do. I'm not trading, I won't I won't!

Who mows the lawn? I do, he wants the credit for doing it but I usually do it. He mowed more this year than he has our whole marriage put together. However, I still did it more than he did.

Who cooks dinner? Usually I do but he cooked tonight (Mmmm, Bajio!)

Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Him (atleast that is what he says). I think we are about the same.

Who kissed who first? He so kissed me first.

Who wears the pants? We both do. (He says I can only wear pants if he tells me I can, so I guess he wears the pants. Ha Ha!)

Now I tag...Kathie P, Nikki, Clisty, Keli, Kristi and Jill. Have fun girls, it was fun asking Troy what he thought the answers should be. He always had some smart alec comment of course.

I've been Tagged!

2008-11-06T21:18:00.002-07:00

Okay, Okay, sorry Larissa. I have been meaning to do this all week. However, it has been a crazy three weeks. My kids have been off-track and we have had one activity after another.

I can't think of 8 things for each of these so I hope you aren't mad that I am going to only do 4.

4 Favorite TV Shows:

Amazing Race
Biggest Loser
Grays Anatomy
My Name is Earl

4 Favorite Restaurants

Cheesecake Factory
Pei Wei
Spaghetti Factory
Z-Tejas

4 Things that happened yesterday

I made clam chowder (about the first time I cooked this week).
Took the kids to swim lessons
It snowed and I watched the kids sled in the back yard all day long
I showered two times (don't ask!)

4 Things I look forward to

For my kids to go back on-track (don't get me wrong, I love being with them but I am tired)
Spring
Our cruise in March
Being with family for the Holidays

4 Things I love about fall

The colorful leaves
Looking forward to the Holidays
Soup (notice, yesterday, first snowfall, clamchowder)
Not having to mow the lawn anymore

4 Things on my wish list

To be skinny
To have my house paid off (that will never happen)
To have my basement finished
To go on a European vacation. I don't care where just somewhere far away.

I am supposed to tag all you readers but I have to do a tag tomorrow, thanks to Barb, so look out. I will probably tag you then!!!

*Sorry it took me so long Larissa.

Hey, out there in Blogdom!

2008-10-26T22:05:00.003-06:00

*This was a Halloween picture from a couple years ago. Just thought it was cute.

I want to know what your favorite Halloween movies are. I haven't watched Halloween movies forever. Around this house we don't like things too scary. Last year we took the kids to see Monster House and the whole time Eli and Gabe wanted to leave. Eli was covering his ears and saying..."OUT!" Remember, this is a cartoon and they were both crying the whole time. It was a great time!

So, first I want a good Halloween movie for my kids to watch but remember.... not too scary. And, second I want to know your favorite scary movies. I always loved the Nightmare on Elmstreet movies. I haven't seen them for years, they are probably pretty funny now.

Have a spooky Halloween everybody!

Happy Birthday Big Daddy!

2008-10-21T17:56:00.004-06:00

For all of you who don't know...it is Troy's birthday today. His sisters did a good job on each of their blogs wishing him a happy birthday. He even shed a few tears, thanks Jill. I just want to let him know how much I love and appreciate him.

Things about Troy:

He is the best husband and father I could ask for.

He is actually a great boss ( I have learned that just recently).

He has a lot of patience with me. Because I can be a pain in the neck.

He is happy with cold cereal for dinner if I don't have time to cook.

He is the best big brother to his sisters (check out their blogs).

He is a hard worker. He has never been afraid of a little hard work.

Everybody loves him. Everywhere we go all the girls fall in love with him. Turns out he is always the Hot married man in the ward.

He imitates me really well. Call my cell phone and when you leave me a message that is Troy saying my name.
He was the best son his mom could ask for. He misses her Sunday Pie. She made it for him every birthday.

I could go on for days. I am so lucky and I just want him to know that. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BIG DADDY!

Just FYI

2008-10-19T15:45:00.003-06:00

FYI, the flat tire that Heidi and I fixed was on my car. I felt I needed to clarify because a few people thought it was my bike. My bike went a little flat too, we pumped it up and it was fine. But my car tire had a hole in it.

And just so you know, it has now been over a week and it is still holding air. We are still pretty proud of ourselves and my dad is proud too.

One more thing. We had a BMX race last night and guess who walked away with a First Place
Trophy! You guessed it....Gabe. His first one ever. He had the loudest cheering section too.

More from Moab

2008-10-16T10:36:00.003-06:00

As most of you know, we usually race a 24 hour race in Moab every year. This year the guys didn't want to put themselves through such misery so rather than race they just rode and rode and rode some more. The only problem we had with the weather was that it was just a tad windy. I'm not talking a light breeze. There were gusts that would blow their bikes across the parking lot. While they were riding it would blow them off the trail. You can say it was a little windy, or a lot windy!!!

*Here the guys are leaning forward into the wind so they don't get blown over.

While they were riding we took all the kids to a big sandy hill to climb, play and to, most importantly, make them tired. The kids loved it and for the little while we were there it wasn't too windy.

*Here are Heidi and Jasons girls, Adi and Eliza and Madison (falling on her face) and Gabe running down the sand hill.

I'M LOSING AIR!

2008-10-14T19:00:00.003-06:00

So we went down to Moab for our annual 24 hours of Moab trip last weekend. We were expecting bad weather so the guys decided to put on their skirts and not race. We went down anyway and rode our cans off (the guys did at least). Heidi and I only got one ride in but that was better than nothing.

We went out to a trail named Klondike Bluffs. It is about 15 or 20 minutes outside of Moab. We started riding and it was so windy we thought we were going to just blow over. Once we got out a ways the wind subsided and it was beautiful. It turned out to be a great ride. My tire went flat and we had to pump it up but we can handle that.

After the ride we started heading back to town, all of a sudden my tire pressure warning light came on. So I checked to see what my tire pressure was and it was going down fast. I said to Heidi, "IM LOSING AIR." There is a gas station a few miles outside of Moab so we hurried there to put some air in my tire. The air came out as fast as I could put it in. So, Heidi ran in and grabbed a can of fix-a-flat. We put that in and it started bubbling out. We thought maybe we needed to drive around so it would plug the hole. So we started driving around in circles in this dirt parking lot. We probably looked like idiots. It didn't work, the air kept coming out. We hurried and put more air in the tire and tried to make it into Moab so someone could help us there.

We got into town and all the shops were closed. It was after 6 pm on a Friday night. Of course nobody is open. So we went to a parts store and we asked the guy what to do and he had a plug kit. Well, working at my parents shop for most of my life was good for something. I have seen my brothers plug tires a million times. So I bought the kit and decided to fix it myself.

We drove down the street to a gas station so I could use the air. I put the plug in it just like my brothers do. I was worried it wouldn't work but guess what? The air stopped leaking. And now it is 4 days later and still holding. How many of you out there can say you plugged a tire? This is coming from someone who, while on a bike ride only takes her cell phone if she gets a flat tire. Troy would always come and save me or fix my flat. Heidi and I did it this time. We are pretty proud of ourselves.

Birthdays, birthdays & more birthdays!

2008-10-06T21:33:00.004-06:00

We have a lot of birthdays this week. We have Nunn, two nieces (McKinley and Maggie), one nephew (Johnny), two sisters (Meg, Tracy), and one Grandma. Happy Birthday to you all!

On October 7th, my dear sweet Grandmother turns (drum roll please).......99!

She has always meant a lot to me. I have always enjoyed spending time with her. When I was born, my parents already had two girls and they didn't know what to name a third daughter. So, my grandma found my name in the newspaper. So, yes, I am named after someone we don't even know. That doesn't matter, it is still a cute name right? Anyway, on with the birthday celebrations.

On Sunday, we celebrated Nunn's birthday by sending her balloons with messages on them. This is going to be a tradition. Every year you will find us sending balloons. Hopefully, at least one will make it to Heaven.

And we celebrated Grandma's by making her blowout 99 candles. Just kidding, I think there were only eight but she did it.

First Birthday

2008-10-05T08:36:00.003-06:00

It is hard to celebrate this year. Today is Nunn's birthday, the first we have celebrated since she passed away. This year there will be a lot of firsts, hopefully we can get through them. We love her and miss her more than words can say. So here's to her....

*Hey Nunny, look for your balloons with messages from the kids!

I've been tagged!

2008-10-03T15:21:00.002-06:00

What does this mean? I don't know but thanks to Keli (with one L), I guess I have to tell you 7 random things about myself. There are not many random things that people don't know about me but let me see if I can come up with some.

I love to pick my kids noses. Only if I can see big boogers. I don't give up until their noses are clean. This drives Troy crazy. Who likes to see big boogers in their kids nose?
I am stubborn. I hate to give in. I am always right, always. Just ask Troy.
I love to pick at my dry feet. I could sit and pick the dead skin off for hours. It is kind of gross.
I love rollercoasters. I can't do the rides that go around and around and around unless you want me to puke. But, I loooove rollercoasters of any kind.
My bestfriend is Troy. I may not be his best friend but he is mine. We actually work together quite well. I don't mind working with him and seeing him everyday.
I enjoy doing yardwork, only if it is not too hot outside. Honestly, I don't mind weeding and mowing the lawn. My friend Clisty told me the other day that she has mowed her lawn once in the time that I have mowed mine 4 times. Sometimes I get a little obsessed.
I love jeans and T-shirts. I am a casual dresser and don't like to get dressed up all that often. Don't get me wrong. I don't mind getting dressed up but I would prefer jeans and T-shirts.

Sorry, these are kind of boring random things but when you are put on the spot it is kind of hard to think. Next time I will just have Keli write them for me. She is much more creative than I.

So there you go Keli, I think you can log onto my blog and post for me. I would love to see what random things you come up for me.

Miscellaneous Happenings

2008-09-27T10:18:00.004-06:00

This week we have had a lot of random things to keep us busy. From BMX practices and races to birthdays and fieldtrips. So here are a few pictures of the happenings around here.

Here is Madison trying on her birthday outfit from Poppa. Thanks Meg!

Madison in her birthday outfit from us. She went shopping and picked it out!

Here is Gabe racing his second moto. He placed first in this moto and notice how far back the other racers were. He did so good.

Gabe took second in the main. He was battling with a kid for second. He won by just a hair!

Here is Eli at Wheeler Farm. He had so much fun feeding the ducks and geese.

Last but not least, here I told Eli to look at me. He said he was. What do you think?

He was nervous about the big pig behind him.

Blog Slacker...

2008-09-24T20:50:00.002-06:00

Okay, yes I am a blog slacker. I have reasons though. So I am writing this for someone who should remain nameless (Keli with one l) because I have been chastised for not blogging ALL THE TIME.

First of all, I am not creative. Like some of my very close family who live not so close. I can't make something boring in my life turn into something that people want to read about. Honestly, my life is boring. I don't have a creative bone in my body.

Second, I don't have time. And when I finally do have time I am tired and want to go to bed. Here was my schedule just for today.

6:30 get up and shower
7:00 get Madison in the shower
7:30 get Madison breakfast and get the boys in the bath
7:45 get the boys breakfast
Leave for school at 8:30 after getting backpacks and teethbrushed etc.
9:20 Leave to take Eli to Preschool
9:40 Get to work and get a whole days work done in 2 hours
11:40 leave to pick Eli up
12:05 head to post office because I need to mail about 50 bills and buy stamps for work
Then head to a job to get a signature for a draw (blah, blah, blah)
Get home at 2:30 start laundry and planning achievement days which is held at my house at 4:30. (note: it hadn't even been planned yet)
Finish cleaning the house and laundry before kids get home from school at 4:15
4:30 achievement days
5:30 girls leave and I start dinner

I will stop with the boring minute-to-minute details of my crazy day. But did you notice something? I didn't notice until 5:30 when I started dinner that I never even stopped to eat lunch.

So to my dear blogging buddies, I will try to be better but I can't guarantee anything.

Is he abused?

2008-09-19T16:03:00.003-06:00

The answer is no!!!! I do not abuse my kids. Sometimes they push my buttons but I would not do this.

He was stung by a wasp or yellow jacket. He was fine yesterday and this is how he woke up this morning. I ran him over to instacare and after about 5 minutes and a $25 copay the Dr. says he is just fine. A few days of prednasone and benadryl and he will be just fine.

This was on the way to the Dr. and he was trying so hard to open his eye. Notice how big the other one is.

Happy Birthday Madison-i-roni

2008-09-17T22:21:00.005-06:00

Happy Birthday Madison! Here are a few pictures of the best daughter you could ask for. We are so lucky to have her as part of our family.

Happy 10th Madison!

*As a sidenote this is one of Madison's favorite songs!

The life of a Mom

2008-09-15T21:53:00.003-06:00

On Thursday, Madison, my first baby will turn ten. I can't believe I have been a mother for ten years. I look back and life has changed so much. We still do a lot of the things we used to do but we also do so many more things. There are so many challenges and blessings when it comes to being a mom. I am constantly worrying about my kids. Is this a normal thing?

Honestly, I worry if my kids have friends, or if they don't like their school lunch, or if they get in trouble at school (no, not Gabe and Madison but maybe Eli). I shouldn't worry about them but isn't that what a mom is supposed to do?

Even with all the worry and challenges, I love being a mother and wouldn't change a thing. I love my kids so much and here's to Madison for making me a mother and for being such a good girl.

Happy Birthday Madison, we love you!

I will do a birthday post Madison on her birthday. Stay tuned for pictures.

Third Place!

2008-09-05T16:17:00.002-06:00

Gabe started racing BMX in the middle of July. He would go out and race just like he would ride. He didn't realize for a long time that if you came in first, second or third you would get a trophy. Once he learned that he really kicked it into gear and came in third. Well, last night again he took third place. He was so excited and Troy was a proud Dad!

Now on his dresser sits a second trophy. If this continues Troy will have to build him a trophy room! :)

Back to school!

2008-09-03T14:25:00.008-06:00

Today was a great day. My last child finally started school. It was so nice to be able to go to work without one or all of the kids in tow. Since I have been a slacker I decided I had better get the first day of school pictures up. So here goes:

Madison started on August 18th. She was so excited to get back to school and she loves her teacher.

Gabe started on the 19th of August. Gabe was a little nervous for all day school but he did so good. He also got a great teacher. We got lucky in that department this year.

This is one of Gabes best friends, Kingi, from Kindergarten. As soon as he saw Gabe he came and gave him a great big hug.

Last but not least, Eli started today, Sept. 3rd, at pre-school. He goes to the same pre-school he went last year. Eli was so excited to be "back-on-track". He thinks pre-school has tracks but it really doesn't. Shhhh, don't tell him!

Fun times! I am definitely relieved that summer is over and we can move on.

Jellystone

2008-09-01T21:41:00.004-06:00

We went on our annual trip to Yellowstone this past weekend! We were affraid we might not make it this year because we were preoccupied with other events (Duh!). We had such a great time and got to see a lot of fun things. The kids loved sleeping in poppas motorhome. They fought over who got to sleep on the floor (only our kids would do that).

Here are a few pictures of the trip:

We went to Bear World. The kids loved it!

Sleeping bear...look at that tongue!

Baby bears.

This pig was named Annabelle. Everytime the kids would even get near her she would grunt. She was their favorite part of the whole trip!

Madison on her sign. We do this every year.

Old Faithful. Duh!

Eli was being his typical, uncooperative self.

Notice the name. He really thought there was a dragon in the hot pot that was going to eat him. He wouldn't go near it.

Eli was poppa's buddy.

And the token picture of the buffalo. Eli had a hard time saying it so he kept calling them "Buttafo". We liked saying that much better.

Here's to Yellowstone, next year!

Vocabulary Words

2008-08-17T14:08:00.002-06:00

This summer we learned a lot of new words. From the time we got out of school on June 6th until we go back to school tomorrow we learned a whole bunch of new words. Some of the words we would rather not know. Others, I am so grateful I learned. Many of them, we knew but had never really learned until this summer. Here's the list:

pancreatic cancer
hospital
stint
biliary tubes
family
prayer
love
eternal families
Fathers Day
oncologist
pain doctor
the color purple
Heavenly Fathers plan
funeral
viewing
S*!t
Wake
No, OK, Any time.

Some of these vocabulary words won't make sense to some of you. But for the wonderful family I spent my summer with, they will understand. We will never forget these words. I am sure I missed a lot of words that could belong on the list but I will never forget this summer spent with such a wonderful family.

Feel free to remind me of some of the words I forgot!

Where's Eli?

2008-08-05T21:53:00.002-06:00

Last week we had a little excitement around here. On Wednesday, after all of the funeral events, we decided we hadn't had enough of each other. The whole family came over to our house for dinner. We made Japanese food and Tempura. Yum! Did you know you can deep fry anything, including chocolate kisses?

After dinner, we cleaned up and everybody started heading home. First Keli, left. Then Jill. We sat and talked to Meg and Josh for another 15 minutes or so. During that time I said, "Where's Eli?" I just figured he was in the house getting into his PJ's. Why would I think that, I always have to force him to get in them?

Well, Meg and Josh left so we went into the house. No Eli. No Eli down stairs. No Eli in the backyard. Pretty soon we realize there is no Eli anywhere. Gabe told me that Carter told Eli to get in their truck. I thought there was no way because Jill would have seen Eli and brought him right back. Now it has been about 20 minutes since Jill left. Surely she would have seen Eli by now.

So I called Jill. I asked her if she had seen Eli. Her answer: "No, why?"

Me: "Are you serious?"

Jill: "Yes but let me go check!"

Turns out Eli was there. The kids snuck him into the truck and didn't say a thing. Jill even stopped and got gas on the way home.

I don't know how they did it but they got Eli to be quiet that whole time. I want to know their secret because I can't ever shut the kid up.

We are glad to have Eli back but if anybody ever wants to kidnap him again, just tell us first!

It's never easy to say Goodbye

2008-07-30T07:59:00.003-06:00

When you say goodbye to someone, you usually expect to see them again. Maybe, tomorrow or in a month or year. But you usually see them again. We had to say goodbye to an amazing woman. Troys mom, my second mom, my kids Nunny, Paula, passed away after a courageous fight with pancreatic cancer. She was such an inspiration to so many people. We had to say goodbye and know that we would not see her again.

I just want to say Thank You to so many people who have helped us out during this difficult time. We have had so many tender mercies rendered on our behalf by so many people. So....Thank You!

Thank goodness we know that our Goodbye's are not forever. We will see her again but until that time we hope to always have her presence with us and to never forget her example.

We love you Nunny, can't wait to see you again!

If you would like to read more about this amazing woman please visit our Cancer Sucks blog at http://www.paulanoorda.blogspot.com/.

Mamma Mia! Or not

2008-07-20T15:28:00.002-06:00

Before this crazy summer started I had the opportunity to go to Mamma Mia in Las Vegas. It was a girls night out on the town. We had such a great time. Seven of us crammed into one car teaching Nunn new words and June's ears are probably still burning. Anyway, we went to Mamma Mia and it was so fun.

Since then I have been so excited to see the movie. Yesterday, Keli asked me to go with her and her mother-in-law to see it. We took the girls and went to the movie. It was definitely not as good as the play. It was pretty cheesy! When Pierce Brosnan would open his mouth to sing the whole audience would start laughing. What's sad is that it wasn't during a funny part of the movie.

Who out there has seen the movie? And what did you think? Did you laugh at Pierce too?

Thank's to Keli for inviting me to go. However, I would suggest a short 6 hour drive to Las Vegas to see the play instead.

Things we love about Nunn

2008-07-08T10:12:00.003-06:00

In the last four weeks there has been a lot to happen in our family. What has taken over our lives is that our Nunny is sick. Cancer is a vicious mean disease that can ruin people. In our family it has definitely brought us closer. We want to spend every minute together.

I decided I wanted to find out what my kids love about their Nunny. I don't want to dwell on the cancer but on the things she has taught us and given to us that we will never forget. Here are a few of the things my kids mentioned with a few of my own:

Uno Games...Gabe loves to play uno with Nunn. Whenever I would go to pick the kids up they would be playing uno with Nunny.
Sequence...She wouldn't always let Eli get the dragon. She played by the rules.
Reading books...Especially Spooky Old Tree. I loved to watch her read this to the kids. She even made them get the shiverings! She is the best at reading books because she knows how to cut out the boring parts and the story still sounds good. The kids never even notice.
Cookie drawer...bottom right hand drawer in the kitchen. Everybody knows where this is.
Treat shelf...there is always something chocolate on the treat shelf in the fridge. She always has it stocked with yummy treats.
Backyard...The kids love her backyard. The huge sandbox (with water), the swingset and swimming pool. She always has something fun for the kids.
Going to McD's...She would take them to get cinnamelts and cookies for a late breakfast.
Love...My kids always knew that she loved them. She always told them and they will always know that.Nunny's food...The kids mentioned her open face cheese sandwiches, enchiladas, augratin potatoes and her homemade chicken noodle soup. I don't make any of these quite like Nunn.
She always knows what to say in any situation. Whether it be good or bad she always has the best advice.
Fun Girl trips...Just in the last year we went to Seattle and Chicago. We always have so much fun. The picture up above is from Seattle.
My favorite saying from her is: "This too shall pass."

Thanks Nunny for being such a great influence on our lives. We love you soooo much!

BMX Etc.

2008-06-28T09:51:00.005-06:00

We have had a lot on our minds the past couple of weeks. We decided that it is important to keep our kids schedules regular. Keep their lives as normal as possible. So, Troy has been taking Gabe to BMX practices up at Rad Canyon. They just love it. I was finally able to go this week and watch. It was soooo cute! Gabe just rides as hard as he can and his face turns bright red. And then he rides some more.

A few pics:

Troy and Gabe (Like father like son)

Isn't he cute?

He still has a red face because it was soooo hot!

A few more pics of the other festivities this week:

Kennecott with a whole bunch of kids!

Family pictures, Nunn and Poppa with all their Grandkids

Gabe gave me the flower. It went well with the yellow theme.

Ouch!

Sorry, Mr. Kennecott Guy

2008-06-20T16:59:00.003-06:00

The past two days I have been hateful. I am definitely in the angry, pissed off phase. This morning, Jill and I decided to take the kids to Kennecott. We figured the kids needed to get out and do something fun and exciting. As we pulled up to the gate I was on my cell phone talking to a friend. I told her to hold on so I could talk to the man. He immediately told me to put my phone down. I wasn't even talking to her. He said "You need to put your phone away while you are on Kennecott Property." Whatever, so I told my friend, "This man is getting mad at me, so I will call you back later." In kind of a rude voice he said: "I'm not mad at you, you just need to relax!" So, I piped back: "My mother-in-law was just diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and you are telling me to relax." I don't think so! He felt bad and then told me to go on my way.

Sorry, Mr. Kennecott Guy. I usually don't snap at people like that, but cancer sucks and makes us do things that we normally wouldn't do. Everything bothers me. If I am mean to any of you, just remember that cancer sucks. Blame it on the cancer!

*ps. We did have a fun time at Kennecott. The kids loved the binoculars and the huge dump trucks. We even watched the movie and all the kids watched the whole thing.

The Surreal Life

2008-06-17T18:08:00.002-06:00

We are living a surreal life right now. Last weekend, we spent 4 days in St. George with Troy's whole family (minus Sean). We had a great time but Paula was sick and not feeling well. We came home and after receiving a blessing she finally went to the hospital. Honestly, she was the color of an egg yolk. She did not look well. We thought it was hepatitis. We were soooooo wrong. At about 1 am we got the news that it was cancer. Pancreatic Cancer!!! We stood there and wanted to puke and scream and cry and..... We couldn't do anything! After just moments we were crying and haven't stopped yet. We just don't understand why. This is not how it is supposed to happen. Our kids are supposed to have their grandparents forever. We shouldn't even have to think about telling our kids that their grandparent might not see them get married.

Through all of our emotional rollercoasters over the last few days Paula has been so strong. She is such an amazing woman holding us all together. She has such grace and dignity. I just wish that I could face challenges like her. We love her so much and don't know what we will do without her. Right now we have her and we will spend as many treasured moments as we can.

This still feels surreal. Thanks to everybody for their love and support!

We have started a blog for her, Cancer Sucks, if you would like to keep up on the situation. Feel free to comment and leave her messages.

When is Madison coming home?

2008-06-10T17:09:00.003-06:00

Last friday we went to Las Vegas for Olivias baptism and Carters ordination. It was a fun weekend. We packed a lot of things in in just two days. Madison decided to stay there for a few extra days with her cousins from Vegas and Chicago. I have only talked to her once and she didn't even really care to talk. She just wanted to go play.

Well, since we left her, Gabe and Eli have been asking, "When is Madison coming home?" Everyday, about a hundred times a day. They miss her so much. This is the first time she has every really been away from home. I miss her too! She is always such a good girl to help me with things.

Can't wait to see you in a couple of days, Madison!

What's for dinner?

2008-06-03T21:13:00.002-06:00

Well, it's Tuesday. Every tuesday is a crazy day for me. So at six o'clock, on our way home from piano, it's Little Caesars Hot and Ready pepperoni pizza and an order of crazy bread with no sauce. The funny thing is that Nunn (Troy's mom) got the same thing. She was leaving as we pulled up.

See you next tuesday Little Caesars and Nunn too!

The Tie Grab

2008-06-01T14:24:00.002-06:00

This past week we have had a crazy week. It seems like we run from place to place and I feel like I never get anything accomplished. Troy took the kids camping with the ward and I went out on Friday night with some friends. Troy said the kids were up until midnight. Then on Saturday they were all tired but it was date night. So they went to Jeff and Lori's house (my bro and sis-in-law) and we didn't get home until late. The kids were sooooo tired.

First thing this morning, Gabe says he doesn't want to go to church. Troy and I both knew we were in trouble. Then we get to church and Eli won't get out of the car. It took him about ten minutes to sit down in the chapel. As soon as we got in there both boys were fighting over my lap. After about 30 seconds I was done.

Then when the sacrament came around, Eli wouldn't take a piece of bread so I grabbed one for him. He still wouldn't eat it so I stuck it in my mouth because I didn't want to sit there and hold it. He started crying and Gabe was driving me crazy so I sent (okay, it was more of a throw) Eli to Troy. I said, "Take him out before they say the prayer for the water." So Troy took him out kicking and screaming through the front door of the chapel. After about a 1/2 second Eli came running back in. Standing in the front of the chapel screaming. He wouldn't come to me or go to Troy. Everytime Troy tried to grab him he would move into the chapel a little more. So Troy finally grabbed him. He got a hold of Eli's tie and pulled him out of the chapel right as they started the prayer. Throughout the whole prayer you could hear Eli screaming outside. I kept picturing him throwing up. I was sure he would puke out in the hall or a garbage can or something.

So thanks to my friend Sarah for coining the word 'Tie Grab'. As far as I am concerned, the tie grab could be a very useful tool for parents to use in the removal of an unruly kid from any situation. I think from now on I will have Eli where a tie where ever we go.

A little bit W.T.

2008-05-25T13:37:00.002-06:00

Last week when I talked about all the animals we have around here, and how I try to shoot them, I was feeling a little bit like white trash. Here are a few reasons that maybe we are a little more WT than we want to admit:

Yes, I tried to shoot a woodchuck from my deck in my pajamas (My neighbor saw the whole thing from their bedroom). For the record, I did hit it.
My boys feel free to pee anywhere outside. They think it is fun to 'water' the trees.
My kids never have shoes on outside.
We have a three car garage and only one car can park inside.
One of my kids, I won't name names (Eli), likes to pick his nose. What do I do?
Our back yard sometimes looks like a bedroom with clothes thrown all over the floor. Sometimes the kids feel like they need to disrobe outside.
Our kids like the fascinating sounds that their bodies make (You know what I mean).
Our sandbox is a big pile of dirt on the side of the house.
In some flower beds, the weeds are taller than the shrubs.
Last week, on the side of our house, we had a jacked up skid steer with a tire missing.

Do these things make me white trash? I think the only thing we are missing is the couch on the front lawn and 3 or 4 cars up on blocks.

OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF BABES

2008-05-22T21:22:00.003-06:00

We had Eli's pre-school graduation last night. It was so cute! He sang all the songs and knew all the actions. I was so proud. I think Eli was the cutest one there.

Miss Kelly had a few of the kids go up between the songs and say what the wanted to be when they grew up. It was so cute! Of course, some of the kids were scared and didn't want to do it. Others didn't even care what they said. Eli got up there and said it perfectly. He said, "When I grow up I want to be a Fireman." Both, Troy and I, thought he would have said he wanted to be a pirate. For the last few months he has told us when he grows up he wants to be a 'real pirate'. The best part of the whole program was when one of the kids got up and said, "Superman!" He didn't say "what I want to be" or anything, just "Superman." It was so cute.

I love that kids are themselves. They haven't been tainted by other people or things yet. They are so innocent. I wish I could be that way again. Instead I live through my children and pretend to be innocent again. I guess thats OK.

Is this the city?

2008-05-20T20:00:00.004-06:00

So if a skunk isn't enough in the middle of South Jordan. We looked out our window sunday morning and on the sidewalk, in the front yard, was a great big fat woodchuck. He was just sitting there wondering what to do. Then all of a sudden he took off running into a neighbors yard.

We had woodchucks in our yard last year and I don't want them this year. They dig behind our rockwalls and ruin them. I got so mad last year I even tried to shoot one. I hit it in the foot but then it ran away. I just hope they stay out of our yard this year.

Here is one of the woodchucks we caught last year. They are not very nice.

We also have some deer that come down in the mornings. The kids love to see them.

Here are some of the deer. Sorry I didn't have my zoom lens on.

With all these animals, you would think we were living in the mountains or the boondocks. We don't, we live about a mile from the freeway. Crazy!!!

Peeeew!!!

2008-05-17T14:40:00.002-06:00

Last night we decided to go to Gateway with the kids. We had a good dinner and fun shopping. On our way home we had to pick up a work truck and bring it back to our house. So I dropped Troy off at the truck and he was a few minutes behind me. It was about 9:30 when we got home and the kids were extremely tired. I got them out of the car and tucked them in bed, expecting Troy any minute to kiss them goodnight.

By the time I was done, Troy still wasn't in the house. I knew he was home, so I went out to the garage to see what was taking him so long. I opened the door and staring at me was a black and white SKUNK!

Yes, a skunk there in my garage. I guess when I got home it was in the bushes. When Troy got home he drove up and scared it into the garage. Troy was standing outside wondering what to do. He didn't want to get sprayed. When I opened the door I scared the skunk and it ran under my car. I thought for sure it would spray all over in the garage.

Troy and I were now wondering what to do when all of a sudden the skunk just ran out. Troy took off running like a girl. He thought the skunk was going to chase him. He said, "It's after me!" Thank goodness the skunk ran the other way. We hurried and closed the garage as fast as we could.

I was so glad, the skunk didn't even leave a scent. That was a little too close to nature for me.

Happy Birthday G-Man

2008-05-12T09:18:00.012-06:00

Happy Birthday Gabe. I can't believe he is six. He has grown up so fast it is amazing to me. I was pregnant with him during the 2002 winter olympics and during 9-11. I just can't believe it has been six years.

Things about Gabe:

He is so smart, especially at math. He can just figure things out.
He is very energetic. Always has to be doing something.
He loves to ride his bike.
He is very sensitive to people and tries to make people happy.
He loves tractors and dump trucks and anything that moves with wheels.
He always thinks about what is right and wrong and knows which one to choose.

There are so many things about Gabe and I love them all. Happy sixth birthday Gabe!!!

http://www.slide.com/r/wND7T42w2T-ZFo99vI71sc3XfqLUovls?previous_view=mscd_embedded_url&view=original

Sorry, my slideshow wouldn't work. Just go to this link.

Mothers Day

2008-05-11T12:46:00.003-06:00

Today I have been thinking a lot about Mothers Day! I have had such a crazy week, I think my body finally got tired and gave up. I woke up today and I can't even talk so I stayed home from church. It gave me the opportunity to reflect a little about this day.

I remembered what happened to me six years ago. I was blessed with my beautiful boy, Gabe. He was born at 12:35 am on May 12th, which was Mothers Day. I couldn't ask for a better gift. He has been such a good boy. Even at his young age, he has always been concerned for me. I think we have a special bond (I do with all my kids), but I know he loves me and I love him.

I was also thinking about the women in my life. There are three women who really stick out to me. I have my mom (Gloria), my second mom (Paula), and my Grandma Tilla. I have learned so much from these women.

My mom has taught me to be the person I am today. She always looks for the blessings in things. She is so spiritual. She has been the Relief Society President in her ward for three years now and she has had so many challenges. She just deals with it and knows that that is where she is supposed to be right now. She is also a good cook. Thanks to her, she is the one that takes the time to teach my kids how to cook. Thanks Mom, I love you!

My other mom, Paula, has taught me so many things. The first thing that always comes to my mind is that she always tells me, "This too shall pass." Sometimes I am going through hard times and she always knows the right thing to say. She has always been there for me. She has saved me in more than one situation. A couple of months ago I crashed my car into the garage door as I was leaving (the door wasn't all the way up, oops!). I was trying to take Gabe to school and she was here in about two minutes. Thank you for raising such a wonderful son and husband too. Thanks for everything, I love you too!

Lastly, my grandma Tilla. I know everybody loves their grandmas, but not like I love mine. I have always had something special with her. First of all, she named me. My name, Kelli Jo, came from her. So growing up I was always known as 'Little Tilla'. We spent a lot of time together. The five years I was in college, and years after that, I spent one lunch a week at her house. She made me lunch and we sat and talked. I was blessed with her testimony and spirit. One week, she gave me a ring that she had worn for 30 years. I have now been wearing it for about 20 years. She is such a strong woman. When her eighth child (my mom) turned one, she was widowed. She did what she had to do to support her family. It was hard and I have never heard her complain. She is now 98 years old and I still get to visit her. Thanks Grandma for all the many memories and the ring that will always remind me of you.

Thanks to all the other women in my life, my sisters and friends (you know who you are)! I love you all and wouldn't be who I am today if I didn't have you in my life.

More Moab Madness

2008-05-07T17:23:00.002-06:00

As I said before, we were so busy and didn't have a minute to spare. The bike ride was great. We got to see dinosaur footprints right in the slickrock. Our bike ride took us to a point where you can look over Arches National Park. While we were gone the dads took the kids on a hike to a tunnel. It was such beautiful weather and a great fun packed weekend. Thanks to Heidi, Jason, Gary, Linda, Mark, Heather, Crystal, Dallin, Liz, Meg, Troy and the 13 kids we had in tow. Here's to next year!!!

Don't stop 'til you drop

2008-05-05T21:58:00.003-06:00

This past weekend we went to Moab with a whole bunch of friends, most of them known as the Simkins Family. There were a few stragglers including our family and Meg. This is now the second year that we have done this. Last year we tented it and had no running water or toilets. This year we went a bit nicer and rented a couple condos. Staying in the condo didn't slow us down one bit.

A few things we did:

Took kids on a 3 mile hike (I didn't have to carry any kids)
Ate at Pasta Jays 2 times
Biking and more biking
Convinced Meg to get a mountain bike
The kids stayed up until atleast 11:00 pm each night
Saw dinosaur tracks and Indian writings
Caught lizards (will explain later)
Went rock climbing
Went swimming
Ate yummy buffalo burgers
Took Meg to Deadhorse point for the first time

We had so much fun. Here are a few pictures of the chaos.

Heidi with the kids minus the Massey's.

Madison doing her rock climbing.

More Moab craziness to come later.

Birthday Party Planning 101

2008-05-01T15:45:00.003-06:00

Gabe's birthday is on May 12th. He wants to have a birthday party for some kids in the ward and all the boys from his Kindergarten class. I figure it will be about 15 to 18 boys. I need some help with planning his party. I need ideas for games etc.

Gabe said he wants to have his party here in the back yard. My first concern is the weather. It was snowing today. I am hoping that it will be a good day but you never know. If I plan games to play outside I should probably have some backups that I can do inside, Right?

Next, I need to know what to do. He said he wants to play relay games. So I was thinking to play a few games and then have some pizza (we are doing it at lunch time). Then open presents and have cake and icecream. Is that all I need to do? I hate planning parties and worrying about what the kids will like to do.

Give me your input and some game ideas, Thanks!!!

Name that tune...

2008-04-27T15:07:00.001-06:00

Troy and I were talking the other day about songs. He said he heard some DJs talking about songs that have had an impact on their lives. I know that songs can definitely stir up memories. Sometimes songs take me back to times in my life.

Troy and I have songs that take us back to certain trips. Every year, we make our trek to Yellowstone. There is usually a favorite album we keep listening to, over and over, as we travel through the park. One year it was Anna Nalick. The next it was Unwritten Law. Everytime we hear those songs we picture the park.

One song that always reminds me of a certain time: Indigo Girls 'Closer to Fine'.

Before Troy and I even started dating we took a trip to Lake Powell with a big group of UofU/Institute friends. The 'tape' cassette that was in the boat was Howard Jones, but we put the Indigo Girls in. All the girls would sing Closer to Fine. You all know the song, there is a part of the song where they whistle. Troy would always pretend to do the whistling part. That is what I always think of when I hear that song.

I have a million songs that remind me of things. I want to know at least ONE of your songs. Tell me what song and what it reminds you of.

A REAL PIRATE!

2008-04-24T16:06:00.004-06:00

As you all know, it was Eli's birthday. All he talks about are pirates, so Nunn and Aunt Meggie took care of that. He got a pirate cake and a whole bunch of pirate loot. Included in this was a pirate ship and a pirate dress up set. He had so much fun. The bike we gave him didn't even compare.

At pre-school he got to take a poster that was all about him. On it they asked "If you had a dream, what would it be?" His answer: To be a REAL PIRATE! Not just a dress up pirate but a REAL PIRATE. I thought that was so funny.

Here he is with his pirate cake.

Eli as Captain Jack Spaaaarow.

His new bike fits him a lot better.

For his actual birthday day he chose to go to Chuck-E-Cheese. Troy was soooo excited to go (Ha! Ha!). Eli didn't like it as much as he thought he would. He was afraid of Chuck-E and the big monster truck. However, he did like that Aunt Meggie was there. He kept grabbing her hand, it was so cute. Thanks Meg!

Get Me Out!!!

Eli and Meg getting the alligators! Snap, Snap!!!

Happy Birthday Eli!

2008-04-21T20:43:00.004-06:00

I can't believe Eli is already 4 years old. Here's to Eli and the fun times we have had over the past couple of years.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELI, WE LOVE YOU!!!

Another crazy weekend!

2008-04-21T08:22:00.002-06:00

Sorry, it has been a few days since I posted. We had kind of a crazy weekend and never had a spare minute.

Friday: I was supposed to have achievement days here, but I cancelled it. Then that evening it was date night here. That means I had my nieces and nephews here (eight kids total). We made homemade pizza. The kids asked if I would make it for them, so of course I did. They were here from about 5:30 pm until 10:00 pm. I don't know how kids can play so hard. They rode bikes, played in the sand, played on the swingset and trampoline. Even watched movies and played games. All crammed into 4 1/2 hours.

Saturday: Troy picked up some trees and plants for our back yard. We planned on going for a road ride and planting trees. We had 50 to 60 mph wind gusts. So instead of a road ride we went for a mountain bike ride. Heidi came out with her kids and we got a babysitter for the six kids and headed off. We got up to the canyon and it was windy there too. However, we felt really fast going up hill because the wind blew us all the way up. On the way down we were pelted with sand and almost blown over. It was pretty exciting. Troy and Jason finished planting the trees, even with the wind as strong as it was. I don't know how they did it. The kids continued to play outside until about 9:00.

So for two days, the kids went strong until way past their bedtimes. By the time Sunday came, the kids were drained. On Sunday, we even celebrated Eli's birthday at Nunn's house (pictures to come later). He scored a whole bunch of pirate stuff and his bike.

Sorry, this is kind of scattered but that is how the whole weekend was. One thing to the next.

Is it spring?

2008-04-16T09:58:00.000-06:00

The last few years we have had very mild winters. This year it seems to never end. So, I am wondering if it is ever going to feel like spring for longer than 2 days.

Is this what spring is supposed to be like:

snow on the ground
decrease in temperature by 30 to 40 degrees in a 24 hr. period
arctic wind gusts
frozen daffodils and tulips (they look so sad)
kids getting dressed in capris and flip flops expecting it to be warm because it was yesterday

I have a feeling we are going to skip spring and go straight to summer.

Eli the Great

2008-04-14T16:43:00.000-06:00

I need to apologize to Eli, he isn't always terrible. He is the cutest kid when he wants to be. He just doesn't sleep well at night time.

Eli gave Troy a proud dad moment on Saturday. He learned to ride his bike without training wheels. Remember, he is still three. Troy was so proud. Troy took his training wheels and pedals off so he could just sit on the seat and push it with his feet. He looked like he had great balance so I told Troy to put the pedals back on. About 1 minute later, Eli was riding down the driveway with no help. Troy just started yelling, he was sooo excited!!!

Troy thinks this must be a record. Madison was six when she learned and Gabe was 5 when he learned. I told Troy I am sure it is not a record but we are sure proud.

He turns 4 next week, guess it's time for a new bike.

Last Day of Swimming

2008-04-11T10:17:00.000-06:00

We are finally getting ready to go back to school on monday after 3 1/2 weeks off. Yeah!!! The kids are so ready to get back to their regular schedules. However, they have loved swimming as usual. Each of the kids has really learned a lot this time.

Madison's teacher told her that she is better than some of the other kids in level 5 and she is in level 4. He said she is definitely ready to move on to level 5.

Here is her teacher talking really loud to her (she can't wear her hearing aids in the pool) and her doing the butterfly.

Gabe has also done really well. He only has a couple more things to work on to move to level 3. His teacher said his backstroke is awesome. He has made a lot of progress this session.

Gabe with his teacher and Gabe doing his awesome backstroke.

Eli, he has also done well. He will finally put his head all the way under the water. Which is a big deal for him. Eli's biggest issue is that he always has to go potty during the class. Even if I take him before, he can't make it just a 1/2 hour in the pool. So, sorry to his teacher for having to deal with that.

Eli blowing bubbles with his teacher and showing me how he can go under water.

Eli the Terrible

2008-04-08T16:17:00.000-06:00

Now, for quite a while (like months and months), Eli hasn't slept well. He won't go to sleep at night time. And then when he finally does sleep, he wakes up in the middle of the night. He will want me to stand by his bed until he falls back to sleep.

There have been a few nights that were extra long. He will wake up and be awake crying and screaming for two or three hours. Troy and I both threatened him.

Nothing worked, until...Last week Troy told Eli we would get him a goldfish if he would sleep good for one week. He did really well. He would go to sleep and sleep all night. He did this for 5 days. Until last night, he woke up again and wouldn't go back to sleep. Again, Troy and I had to threaten him.

So, Eli won't get a goldfish. At least not this week. We will be starting another week tonight. Hopefully we can make it so Eli can get a goldfish and we can get at least 7 nights of good sleep.

Here is Eli, last year, sleeping in our bed on one of those terrible nights. He's a crazy sleeper.

This is where he sleeps now. On our hardwood floor. Hopefully, he is learning to appreciate the comfort of his own bed.

THIS WEEKS PET PEEVE

2008-04-06T19:53:00.000-06:00

So I have a pet peeve, and I am wondering if this drives anybody else crazy besides me. I signed my kids up for swimming while they are off track. The classes were full so I had to sign them up at different times.

Here's my pet peeve: I take Gabe in the morning and there is this mom with a boy in his class. She also has a boy in the class after his. She comes and talks really loud to people that are there watching their kids. Sometimes it is nice to talk to people, but she only talks about herself and what a great life she has. She let me know that she lives in Daybreak, and they are getting a pool this summer. Last time she brought flashcards to practice with her boy, while he was waiting for his class. And again, it was loud. She wants everybody to know what a great mother she is.

I noticed that she talks to different people everyday. Does she drive the other people crazy like me? Now I just take a book to read and don't make eye contact. Is that bad?

Don't we teach our kids not to talk to strangers? Do I have to talk to this stranger? I don't think so...

Spring has sprung!

2008-04-04T12:32:00.000-06:00

I think we can finally say that spring is here. People are finally starting to emerge from the confines of their houses. Hopefully we won't get anymore snow. We got some a few days ago and I hope that was the end of it. Since it is spring, rather than running on the treadmill I have been trying to do things outside.
So last night I went for a quick bikeride. I have a twelve mile loop which isn't very far but there are 3 or 4 decent climbs on it. So I was feeling really good, I felt like I was going pretty fast. I am usually pulling the two monsters behind, I wasn't last night, so that might be why I felt fast. I got out about 7 miles and turned to head back home. All of a sudden it hit me...(the wind that is). I had to battle the wind the whole way home. I haven't been riding since october so I am totally out of shape and the wind killed me. I found out why I felt so good going the other direction.
Even though spring has the tendency to be a little bit windy, I am still so excited to finally be able to get out and enjoy the outdoors. My kids have been loving it too.

Bored Kids

2008-04-03T08:06:00.000-06:00

Since my kids have been off track for the past 2 weeks we have been trying to find things to do. We have gone to the childrens museum and the zoo. I also have them signed up for swim lessons three times a week. They still get bored. So yesterday we went to my moms and had a cooking day. (My kids used to spend a couple days a week with grandma when I was at work. They don't see her much anymore so they miss her.) Grandma let them cook two kinds of cookies. She is so patient with them. There were different sizes and shapes of cookies but she doesn't care. That would drive me totally insane. Then we also made homemade bread, wheat and white. Yum!!! I still have 1 1/2 weeks before they go back to school and I am running out of ideas. Maybe I can keep them busy by doing yardwork!!! Ha, Ha, Ha!

Since the main reason for the blog is to keep in contact with the FAR DISTANT relatives, heres a few pictures of the kids on Easter.

I can never get Eli to take a decent picture.

Ready for the Easter egg hunt at Grandma Dowdle's

After the very profitable Easter egg hunt at Nunn's. Notice all the loot behind, that is all Madison's.

April Fools!

2008-04-01T17:28:00.000-06:00

Ok, yes it is April fools. And sorry to disappoint some of you, we didn't actually buy a minivan. I am proud of almost everybody for knowing that buying a minivan, for us, was a total joke. Could you really see Troy driving one. Troy and the kids had more fun with the joke than I ever imagined. The kids purposely got dressed in their pj's to go get their picture in the 'Kinney Van.' The best part of this April Fools joke was that Nunn believed that Keli would be pregnant before we would ever buy a minivan. Here's a couple more pictures of the kids having fun...

Hell Hath Frozen Over!!!

2008-03-31T20:15:00.000-06:00

Yes, it's true. I know, I know, minivans are the root of all evil, they suck out what passion remains in autopia, blah, blah, blah. You see, after much consideration, (and fasting & prayer), we decided the monster SUV was just too much to take. Bad gas milage, bad reliability, too expensive in general. So, a minivan it is! The deal-maker was that the kids just love it! They say they finally get their own kinneyvan!!!! What a great pair of firsts; our first minivan on our first blog entry! Thanx Keli for getting me started!