Montgomery Gentry and Baseball

What a great night! I love baseball, I love Montgomery Gentry and I love great friends. The night started out a little rough when we were ready to leave and one of our friends was having A/C problems. Not a good day for that at 115. We got a little bit of a late start, but not bad. Then while driving on the freeway, the van started shaking really bad. We assumed it got seriously out of balance somehow so we decided to drop it off at Discount Tire and eat at whatever was close to it. Turned out to be Chili's. It's also turned out to be that our tread had separated and it was about to blow. Lucky for us we decided to take care of it and not drive it any further. Also lucky for us was that they were closing down and leaving when Glade drove up but were nice enough to open back up to put a new tire on. Dinner took longer than we expected and we didn't get to the game till the 7th inning. We hadn't planned on being there at the very beginning, but not this late. I was kind of bummed.

We never even went to sit in our seats since the game was almost over and we wanted good seats for the concert. Instead we just stood outside the section we wanted to be in and watched from there. Not exactly the ball game experience. Jake and Jenny did go to our seats since she is very pregnant and didn't want to stand the whole time. Anywho, once the game ended (we won) we headed down to find seats. It's amazing how they just tow this stage out onto the field and the concert started within 15 min. Love it.

I have always loved Montgomery Gentry. I love that they are a little rowdy and for some reason I can relate to a lot of their songs. It was totally fun to sing a long and watch them perform. One of my very favorite songs of theirs is "Hell Yeah!" It's just fun. Despite the lack of enthusiasm from the friends I was with, I decided I was going to have as much fun as I wanted, so during this song, I stood up, danced and shouted the words. I'm pretty sure I was the only one in my whole section. Oh no I wasn't, the flag lady was by us. If you have ever been to a game, you know about the flag lady on the third level. Well after last night I decided I'm going to become the assistant flag lady someday because she rocks. She was the only other one that stood up and jammed with me. I was only a little self conscious at one point but then I thought, I'm doing this! Why should I care if people think I'm weird or too old to be acting like that. This was my chance to totally rock it with Montgomery Gentry. It was truly a great moment for me! I did feel a little bad after cuz I realized my rear was right in front of Jenny the whole time. Sorry Jen. At the end, they played "I wanna Rock and Roll All Night". I couldn't sit still for that one either but this time Glade joined me. I love him.

Once the show was over, they opened the roof and had fireworks played to fun country music. I loved the whole night! I'm going to seek out more activities like this. Fun and active. Thanks to Jake and Jenny, John and Tracie, and Clint and Alicen for going along with me. Especially to Glade who doesn't stifle my crazy antics. What a fabulous night!

Day of Sweets

I know you're thinking sugar sweets, but no, sweetness as in deeds. First let me start by saying I slept a solid 6.5 hours without waking up once! Rarely ever happens...truly sweet. During scripture, we noticed Jack (our dog) running on the little street behind our house. Jack barely moves, let alone runs. He was chasing a coyote. The coyotes are always in our yard and Jack always barks them away, no big deal, but today he was chasing. What we noticed was that the puppies were out there with him and the coyote was trying to get at them. Jack was totally protecting them. I ran to the door and opened it to yell for the puppies to come in. One came streaming in as fast as can be, but the other was still too close to Jack and the coyote, she was too scared to cross. Jack finally got him far enough that the pup felt safe to run inside. How sweet is that?

I had another day of "do nothing". It was a little more restless than yesterday, but I stayed home and did laundry and worked on some ordering I have been trying to get done. After preschool, Brayden came and played for awhile, had lunch then went back home. We all laid down for naps. Bo got right into bed with me, snuggled right on me and said "now for some snuggling!" Again...sweet.

After school was a little crazy, but on the way home from picking up Stephen and Nick from soccer practice, somehow we were talking about being tired. Recently Stephen and I had had a conversation about dreaming and how I dream a lot. He never dreams. I told him it was because he sleeps so deep and that I never sleep more than a few hours before waking up. So when being tired came up, I announced that I had slept 6.5 hours straight! He very surprisedly said "you did??" He reminded me that I never do that, then said....wait for it....it's good....he said "I have been praying that you would get a good night's sleep." How SWEET is that?? Bout made me cry.

Had homemade pizza for dinner, spent some time on the ordering of jars and then a dear friend had read that I might be buying a treadmill and offered to let me borrow hers for awhile to see if I would like it at home. I'm surrounded by sweetness! A girl cannot complain.

My Great Day

I mentioned that I had nothing to do and I was really happy about that. What I decided to do was a few loads of laundry, because I love my husband, and sweep and mop the floor. That made me feel productive and improved my living space. Then I dressed the babies in their swimming attire and headed out for the outdoor mall. We stopped and got a $5 pizza on the way and took it with us. The kids had a blast running through the sprays of water and would occasionally come and nibble on some pizza. I say nibble, but what I mean is that out of the 8 piece medium pizza, I had two, Bo had two and Katy had 4. She was a little pig. When it was the last piece, she took a few bites, put it back in the box and started to go back in the water. She stopped and pointed her finger at me and said "you don't eat my pizza!". Then the same thing to Bo. We assured her we wouldn't, but she repeated herself about 3 times before she went back into the water. I didn't even buy anything at the mall! Not true, we had ice cream. Does that count? We came home and had naps, well not Katy, she power napped on the way home.

It has been so long since I just had "tot time". I wasn't running errands or picking up things for someone or planning stuff out in my head. I was just there, enjoying the time with my kids. I've really missed that. I think I decided it might be labeled "cabin fever". Typically people get this in the winter from being stuck in side for so long. We get it in the summer. I'm tired of our indoor activities. I want to just go out and do stuff. Come on cool weather, I'm ready!! The afternoon was the same driving everywhere as always, but I did more laundry in between and got dinner and bathes done.

I may have talked Glade into getting a treadmill. In ten months, at the same rate that we pay our gym membership, I could own it. I would really love that. The kids would be bummed, they love the gym. But I would do it so much more, really. So, after a really stress free...superdeduper day, I'm off to bed. Hopefully my night will be just as perfectly restful. Night!

Nothing to do

I have nothing to do! I'm still in my jammies and haven't brushed my teeth. Part of me thinks I should put some clothes on and go do something fun, but the other part just wants to stay smelly and undressed. I mentioned doing something fun to my little ones and they both yelled "the gym!" Not exactly what I had in mind. I'm sure a trip to the gym would be beneficial to me, but not really feeling it. They say stress makes you gain weight, but it sure seems like it should work the opposite. With all the thinking and rethinking I have had to do the last few days, it seems like I should have burned a million calories!

Yesterday went much better than I anticipated. Bo had preschool so I spent the morning finishing up some projects I didn't want hanging over me and getting things organized for scouts. Mid day, Chelsey called and said her ear hurt so she wanted me to come get her. Not really in my plans. Then I decided having one more helper around here today might be a good thing. After quiet time, notice I didn't say nap time, I showered, got around and headed to the church to get things set up for Pack Meeting. My kids were very helpful and it went more smoothly than I had thought it would. My big kids scouts all got cancelled so I didn't have to worry about all of their stuff as well. Glade had been out of town for two days and was just getting back so I hadn't had his help with all my craziness. Because mutual got cancelled, Whitley really wanted all the girls to come hang out at our house for awhile. That was about the last thing I wanted. I told her she had to clean the house really well and decided that would make it worth it. As always, they were nice and it wasn't bad at all having them over. Other than not having any treats, Pack Meeting went off without a hitch. As I sat and talked to Glade before bed, I realized I had nothing planned or hanging over me for the time being. It felt weird. I'm sure it's temporary. How's that for a bunch of random thoughts all thrown together?

Keep on Keepin on.

Holy crapness, this day is never ending. I don't even know if I can remember all the way back to this morning. Let's see, got dressed to go to the gym, had the kids loaded up and was driving there when I made a call to the Dr. to see about apts for the two boys who need sports physicals. Amazingly, they had two appointments today. That was actually really good since they couldn't go to tryouts this afternoon unless we got them. However, it also meant I needed to head home to change and get the boys out of school. I decided to quickly go get my van washed since I still had a free wash from before our Fl trip. After, I got the boys and dropped my babies off at my mom's house. Unfortunately, they only had apts at 10:30 and 1:30. I took both to the 10:30 and asked if they could possibly do them both at that time and they did, yeah!

They were seen separately, Stephen was first. When they got to the "turn your head and cough" part, he was giggly embarrassed, but fine. When it was Nick's turn and she mentioned she needed to do that, his whole face went blank and white. He has never had to do that before, Stephen had. He just stared at her while she tried to explain why and that all boys had to do it. He just said, totally cold and in disbelief, "Seriously?" I tried to stifle my giggle, but his face was priceless. I left the room and gave them some privacy. Oh yeah, the Dr. was a woman. Poor thing.

We got them back just in time for lunch. The babies and I went home, had lunch and then laid down for naps. I have a million things I'm trying to accomplish so my mind had a hard time settling down. Finally I just decided to get up. I looked at the clock...what??? I had been asleep over an hour. That never happens. I jumped up and got around just in time to go pick up the kids. I had to take Nick back for soccer tryouts and pick up Dalin at 3 pm. Had to be back to pick up Rhett and Brooklyn at 3:40 from orchestra. That's where I found out I had to buy new books for both of them and Brooklyn had a $20 broken string. Got home just in time to turn around and go get Nick and Stephen at 4:30. That's when I found out they needed new cleats and shin guards. Does it ever end?? I really need to find that money tree!

Came home, made dinner and did a little homework. Decided to skip FHE cuz I was just too tired and grouchy. Seems to be my state of mind too much lately. I took Stephen in to Sports Authority for new cleats and shin guards for both boys. Luckily Stephen's old cleats fit Nick. Luckily for me, the music store was open and they had the book I needed for Brooklyn. That felt like it made the trip worth it. Got home around 8:30, had some ice cream and put the kids to bed.

I think part of my grouchiness comes from my desires to do so many good things and then life happens and I don't. Every Sunday I come home from church with goals and desires to do more and be more involved and helpful to those around me. Then Monday comes and so does school and kids and laundry and errands and I never get to the other stuff. It's frustrating. There is a song I love called "In the Meantime" that basically sums up what I feel. I'll get my day.

Tomorrow is crazy pack meeting night and I really just want it to be over already. I'm trying to remind myself that it's just a meeting with people I know and love with boys that don't really care if things go as planned. I have really grown to like my calling. I need to do more and do it sooner than the week before. Takes self discipline. That's not my strong point! Breathing, it's all good.

It's a Doggone shame

I am sad to say that I'm not going to keep the puppies. They are super cute, BUT they still crap on my floor. We were working on that and maybe even making a tiny bit of progress, but the real BUT is that Bo is just too allergic. I have had to give him Benadryl every day and it sucks for him. He gets big red blotchy spots and his eyes get red and puffy so he rubs them all day. He just looks terrible. It's not worth it. I feel bad that I brought them here and got everyone excited and now I'm taking them away, but I love Bo way more than those dang crapping pups. My kids have handled it really well so far.

Saturday was a really great day. We did all sorts of cleaning including the inside of my car. The kids all had play practice or some other sort of activity so by noon, it was just me and the babies. We took naps and then I needed to get ready for our Stake Conference adult session. We always meet with friends before hand and have dinner. 6 couples showed up. We then went to the session, which is always my favorite. After, they all came to our house for ice cream. It's so fun to just get to know people on different turfs.

Today was actual Stake Conference at 9 am. I woke up early so I could still get breakfast made. Normally we only take kids that are 12 and up. It's two hours of just sitting so it's hard for the little ones. Right before breakfast Glade announces that he thinks we should take everyone. Not that I totally minded, but I hadn't bathed or gotten clothes for all the little ones. We flew through breakfast and got everyone around in time. I sent Glade an hour early to make sure we got to sit in the benches. The kids were really pretty good, I was pleasantly surprised. After, we came home and had home made salsa and chips then headed for naps. We were forgoing regular Sunday dinner tonight so we could go in to town to Glade's cousin's house to hear a cousin report on her mission. We ate a really early dinner, then we..me, Glade, Nick and Stephen..headed out. She is really cute and has an amazing voice. It was nice to see family that we haven't seen in a while.

Still setting new goals that I can't seem to stick to. It's very frustrating. I'm feeling quite cheated about a few things lately and it's hard to not act like I'm two and yell "that's not fair!". I'm trying to keep perspective, but..truly...life isn't fair. Get over it.

I like blogging

Yesterday was a great day of "joy in your trials". I have to say trials really lightly, but in trying to figure out a way to get around it, everything just fell into place. The trial is still somewhat there, but it's almost been fun. Weird, I know. My point here is that I'm grateful for the way things work out and the insight you can gain when they don't work out perfectly. I am blessed.

Last night we went to dinner and to see Julie and Julia. Yes, we drug our husbands ...but in the end, it wasn't so bad for them. It was very refreshing. I can't say I thought it was the funniest movie ever like some had stated, but it was very entertaining. I think the best part was that there was no third party evil person. No one to ruin the fun. I like that. But watching the movie made me remember how fun it can be to blog. I'm sad to say that most of my friends have let it go by the wayside, but I have decided to renew my efforts and be more diligent about it. There are so many things I have thought to blog about and when I actually sit down to do it, I can't remember it. This is, after all, my journal. So here's to blogging! I wish I could say I also came home with a desire to cook, but....I didn't.

In the spirit of writing things that I wanted to remember, here are a few kid funnies.

Bo and I were laying down for our naps, he sleeps in my bed with me, and I was trying to get him to lay still. Finally he was motionless for a short time. Ahhhh, then he stands up on the bed and I ask rather impatiently "what are you doing?". He says, much to my delight, " I don't want to sleep in my pants. I'm taking them off." Chip off the ol' block. True bonding moment.

Sunday I was getting Katy ready for church. which is always a chore, and I had to wrestle her to get her dress on her. She loves church, just not the wearing clothes part. I got the dress on and was buttoning up the back when she started to try to get away from me. I told her to hang on I needed to button it. She quite excitedly told me "I need to spin!" Another bonding moment. A dress isn't a dress unless it can spin.

Bo and I were watching some videos on YouTube that were religious songs put with video. He just sat quietly on my lap and watched. Then he says "I would like it if you could please make that full screen." Alrighty then.

Lastly, while going through Costco, I noticed Katy's nose was quite, uh....full. I made a face and said ewww. Bo looked at her and loudly says "Oh crap! that's disgusting!". I hate when my kids talk like me, but this time it was a litte amusing. He used all the right reflections in his voice to make it funny.

Sick and in tears

So this morning I was cleaning up the kitchen before I headed out for the day and was "tidying" a little spot we throw stuff we will someday deal with, when I found a poem written on a piece of paper. It was Whitley's hand writing and she is notorious for writing poems and leaving me messages when she feels it's easier than talking. When I read it, I was sick to my stomach. I couldn't believe what it said and felt like I needed to talk to her right away. I texted her a little snipit of the poem with a bunch of "?" after it. She didn't respond. I texted her again demanding an answer even if she was in class. This is the poem:

Look at me
I will never pass for a perfect bride
Or a perfect daughter
Can it be
I'm not meant to play this part?
Now I see
That if I were truly to be myself
I would break my family's heart

Who is that girl I see
Staring straight
Back at me?
Why is my reflection someone
I don't know?
Somehow I cannot hide
Who I am
Though I've tried
When will my reflection show
Who I am inside?

Really scary!! My mind was swirling with all the possibilities and I couldn't contain a few little tears. I was ready to head out to the school and get her out of class to see what the heck was going on with her. She finally texted me back and this is what it said:

"Those are the lyrics to the Mulan song "Reflections"." Silence. Relief. Laughter. Holy Crap! She sang this for auditions for the musical they are doing. That was her cheat sheet. Took me a while to shake the sick feeling from my stomach, but totally laughable. I'm sure she got quite a kick out of that at school as well. Being a parent is rough!

PS. What a terrible song!

Tuff Guy

Yesterday I had to take Rhett to get some shots or they wouldn't let him back to school. Our Dr.'s office hasn't had any openings so I sought out one of those free clinics close by. It didn't open till 9 so Rhett had to be late to school. While we were talking about why Rhett didn't go with the rest of the kids, Bo asked if he could get some shots. I asked him why he wanted some and he said "cause I want to see how much they hurt." Technically since he is 4, he could get his kindergarten shots right now, so I dug out his card and took it with us. I figured he would change his mind once we got there. Nope. Hopped right up, pulled his sleeves up and sat totally still. They did one in his left arm and then one in each arm after that. The first one, he flinched and his face crinkled a little, but nothing else. They when they did both, it kind of surprised him, but it was over before he realized what happened and he was good. Not a tear or a whimper or a lip quiver or anything. He took his lollipop and headed out. I was in shock. I think Stephen did about that good when he got his, but not one of them has asked for shots before. Katy thought she would like a turn at first as well. She put the little ID bracelet on and watched Bo. When they pulled his sleeves up to "clean his arm", she pulled hers up and waited. Then after his first one, she says "me no want shots". She liked the lollipop though! Glad to have it done.

After shots, I ran to the scout store to pick up awards for next week. Then Glade and I met for lunch while my mom had my babies. She brought them to work with her and I picked them up there. We came home, had naps, did homework, ate a quick dinner and headed for our first play practice. This was a parent night so it was pretty much just informational. First real practice is on Saturday. They are all really excited. Looks like it's going to be lots of fun. Came home to find Glade sound asleep by 7:30. Crazy. I had a hard time going to sleep. Not sure why, I wish I liked TV. Most things just irritate me.

This morning, after Bo went to preschool, Katy and I headed to the gym. Today I went 4.5 miles. I really need to stop being a wuss and just push myself. Tonight is Bunko so that is something to look forward to. The puppies are mostly doing well. Just one is having potty issues. Not sure how long to deal with that. Would it be bad to separate them and only keep one? She is a doll, the other is crazy and craps in my house. The kids love her though. Gotta think on that one.

Pet Nighmares

That's what I had the whole first night we had the puppies. Actual nightmares. They have been really fun so far. The littlest one keeps wanting to poop upstairs. Makes me really nervous because we had to get a rid of a really great little dog a few years ago because she just wanted to go in the house. She would hold it until she got in, then run to a closet and go. We just couldn't break her of this. Jaz is the same way. We take her out, let her run all over, she comes in and goes to a room to pee. It's weird, while we are outside, she acts like she wants to go, but doesn't want you to see her. We took them to a little pet place down the street and had them checked for ticks, fleas and ear mites...NONE! That's a big bonus. They said they were actually the same age, a year and a half or so. Last night they barked a lot in the night. I even took them outside around 1 am. Again, the little one came in a peed in Brooklyn's room. I was not happy. They finally settled down and were OK the rest of the night. When they play together, they are totally wild. It's fun to watch.

Yesterday I did my Gunner Peterson ball workout. It's only 20 minutes and I always feel like I should do it twice. So glad I didn't. My behind is really sore today. I'm feeling all sorts of muscles I was unaware of in my butt and legs. After I got Bo from preschool, we came home, had lunch and Katy was really ready for bed. She has been getting up really early because of the dogs. I had just put them down when the phone rang. Nick needed a ride home. Two days in a row, he has had a flat tire. We even replaced it with a brand new expensive one and for some reason, the whole actual tire burst. What a pain.

After I got scouts started, I went to cash in on a few coupons I had gotten for Albertson's. In the end, I got three boxes of cereal and a pack of gum for 85 cents. I also got a rain check for 79 cent fruit snacks. If I had the time and dedication, I think I would like doing the coupon thing, I just can't commit to the time and travel. Had an idea for a business venture, but couldn't find the info I needed on the internet. Hoping I found some lead information, but not sure. It's very frustrating to not be able to find what you are looking for!

This morning we are taking Rhett to get shots and then probably to the scout store. Tonight is the kids first practice for the play. This one is one I have to go to as well. This year might actually be quite nice, Chelsey can drive now so I may not have to make the trip!

Jazzy and Jessy (I AM crazy)

I had to have one last bout of psychosis so I agreed to take two puppies a friend of a friend found nearby their home. We know virtually nothing about them. They are female lapsa ahpsos. One is bigger than the other and someone gave them a terrible haircut. They look awful. She had them for 3 days and assured me they were great with her kids and other dogs and house trained. I didn't tell my kids they were coming just that we were having two cute girls come stay for awhile. They were so excited and frustrated when I wouldn't tell them more specifics. They asked me all sorts of questions to which I gave mostly truthful answers that made it even more confusing. In the end, they couldn't believe that I would let two girls I met on FaceBook come stay with us when they didn't even speak English! Before I got home, I called to tell them to all sit in the living room and to remember their manners as to not overwhelm anyone. Then Nick (who went with me by luck of the draw) let them go so they ran into the living room. It was really fun. So we played for awhile and had FHE treats then sent everyone to bed. The dogs weren't very happy to be left alone. The would bark periodically so we just ignored them. Finally I went out and one of them had pooped in the hallway. They were just standing by it barking. We put them back outside for a few minutes then I locked them in the laundry room. They did fine the rest of the night.

look at Chelsey's face. Stephen just saw them coming and did a big gasp. She is looking at me in disbelief.

Katy was histerical. She didn't know what to think and they were a little rambunctious for her. She kept yelling and squealing. She would touch one and run away.

Bo got his first kiss. By the end of the night his eyes were really red. I hope hi's not allergic.

To Sum it up..

This weekend was one of sheer craziness. I mean that I'm crazy. I was crazy, I dunno. It wasn't good. I think I'm over it now and I can continue on in a normal fashion. I actually had some good things occur, but then it was always followed by the craziness. Friday night I saw The Time Traveler's Wife. It was good, but not as good as I had expected. I love Rachel McAdams so that always makes a movie better. I also had to replace a tire on my van on Friday. That makes 4 tires in the last two months...ouch. Saturday was productive. We cleaned really good, then I headed out to get groceries. Lots of add matching and a little store hopping to get some pretty good deals. That's always fun. Then Glade and I headed to Julia's for haircuts. Feels so good to have my hair gone. I think that was part of my grouchiness. Glade got his cut really short. I mean really short. I like it. Came home and tried to take a nap. I have had such bad headaches all week it was hard to relax. Glade decided he wanted to grill out and invite some guests. So we had a couple of families over and cooked hamburgers. I always enjoy company so it was a nice evening. I was really tired by the end and just wanted to go to bed. Sunday morning we had a big breakfast and were on our way out the door to church when I noticed the yard filling up with water. We haven't gotten irrigation in a while so I thought that was weird. I called Glade to ask what he was doing about it and he said we weren't supposed to be getting any. Turns out one of our valves broke. I went in to call the guy to let him know and when I came out, Bo was wet up to his knees. I had already pulled him away from the edge twice and told him to stay away from the water. Stinkin kid. He went to church in jeans and tennis shoes. Had Sunday dinner that night and even though we had a rough start, I enjoy family so it was good.

Chelsey had invited Bo over again and they seemed to be cute and having a good time playing out with the kids. When I told her it was time to send him home, she came in crying. I guess it has been bothering her for awhile. She just feels like she shouldn't have a boyfriend right now. She has been praying about it and talking it over with some of her close friends and decided to tell Bo she just wanted to be friends. I guess he took it fairly well and thanked her for helping him to understand. I felt really bad for her, she was very sad, but I was also so proud of her for how she handled it and how mature she is. Love that girl.

Swingin'

That would be my moods this week. I feel like I'm bi-polar or something. I can go from perfectly fine and happy to grouchy and mad in an instant. It's rather frustrating. I will be fuming and going over it in my head and think "weren't you just happy 5 minutes ago?" Once I have a few days like that, I'm exhausted and just want to crawl in a hole where no one can find me. I went to enrichment where we had a clothing exchange last night. I was able to get rid of a whole tub of clothes and came home with a few choice pieces. We didn't really need much so I felt bad taking anything. Everything that was left went to DI. I got Katy a little pink Dora jacket. When I showed her, her eyes got big and she clenched her fists and all the veins in her neck were popping out. She loved it. I came home to a dirty kitchen which always makes me mad. They know better and always blame someone else for why it didn't get done. I crashed pretty early.

I woke this morning to a naked two year old wanting a new diaper on. I wouldn't put one on her (she needed undies) so she threw a screaming fit. I guess I'm up! Glade stayed at work all night so I had to take the big girls to school at 6 anyway. Not a great start to my day. I had intended to go to the gym, but decided to have a cupcake for breakfast instead. Very counter productive, but it went along with my mood. Fridays are one of my favorite days, not for the same reason as most though. Glade gets paid on Friday so it's like the beginning of the week for me. Bank is full, gas tank is full, pantry is full...you get the idea. It's a good feeling. My visiting teachers came and that's always an "up" moment then I had to go get Nick. We hadn't had lunch yet so it was off to McDonalds. Totally unproductive for my weight and my new budget, but again went with my mood. Now I'm ready for a nap.

The Bunny

Once there was a bunny who loved to play in the water and be wet. In his travels, he often had to cross a little stream in which he delighted in splashing and playing. As time went on, the stream became dirtier and the bunny got older and it wasn't good for him to splash and play and be wet anymore. He was sad about this, but knew it was the right thing, so he built a bridge over the water. He built a pretty sturdy bridge and never really worried about it as he crossed the stream. Still, every time he came to the bridge to cross it, he was a little disappointed that it hadn't fallen or broken. See, if it had, he would have to go into the stream and it wouldn't really be his fault. Once he got over the sturdy bridge, he was always thankful that it held and realized he didn't really want to be in the water. But it was confusing and frustrating for the bunny to have to go through that disappointment every time he needed to cross the bridge even though he knew he would be happy once he got across. Will bunny ever NOT want to play in the water?

Ice Cream, free and Willy

Tuesday was my first day with just Katy while Bo went to preschool. We went and ran some errands and it was fun just the two of us. It's a little hard because Bo is done by 10:30 and some of the places I like to frequent don't open till 10. Nick has been bored to death coming home mid-day. They are testing this week so he hasn't had any homework. I skipped the gym, but worked my arms at home. Scouts went fine, got home and really just wanted some chocolate. I made a few phone calls, waited for my big kids to leave for mutual and headed out to Cold Stone for a way too big Chocolate Devotion. Tracie, Amy, Ashley (Amy's friend) and I all stayed and chatted till 10 pm. It was really nice to just chill and eat cold gooey ice cream.

Wednesday had me right back to the gym trying to undo the night before. Katy was naughty in the playroom which isn't really like her. We came home, cleaned a little and had lunch. I needed to shower so I told the two kids to sit on the couch while I showered. I took a very quick shower and when I came out, I couldn't find either one of them. They were out in the garage on top of the blue car. The only reason I knew this was because when I asked what they were doing, Bo said "playing". It felt weird so I pried a little more. Finally Katy said "on top of car" and pointed up. She was very excited about her answer. I gave Bo the death glare and told him to never do that again. That afternoon, we went to the temple with the Johnson's and then to dinner at our favorite ice cream parlor, Nielson's. Two nights in a row, not good! It was really fun and all was well when I returned home.

Today Katy and I ran more errands while Bo went to school. I have to brag about my $50 Vera Wang jeans I got for .....FREE. Kohl's mails out a $10 off anything card every once in awhile. Lots of times it's "when you spend $50" type thing, but not always. The jeans were on clearance for $10 so I got them for nothing. We also checked out a new "used" children's store close by and that was a waste of time. After, we picked up Bo and drove into town to another "used" store. I don't know why I do that, they are always rude and overpriced. While there, I got my oil changed. I have been leaking, but they couldn't find a leak anywhere. Had lunch with mom while there and then headed in to get Nick. It sprinkled the whole time, love that. Tonight is enrichment and I feel a little guilty for going because I have been gone the last two nights. I need to take stuff though so I have to get there at some point. I'm sure they will be fine. There hasn't been much homework this week so it's been pretty breezy.

Play update - All the kids got parts in the play Willy Wonka. Chelsey is Mrs. Bucket (charlie's mom), Stephen is Augustus Gloop, Whitley is a dancing Candy and the other three are Oompa Loompas. They start next week, should be a good time!

Yeah for School starting

Sunday was a nice relaxing day. We had Sunday dinner with a small group. Chelsey had her boyfriend, Bo, come for dinner so we got to know him a little better. It was a nice evening. The kids were all pumped to go to school the next day. Of course, they were up and ready by 6:15 am. Kind of a long morning when everyone is sitting around ready and impatient. The time finally came to take them. I went straight to the gym to get back to my training. It has been so long since I have been diligent, that I decided to kind of start over with what I can do. I'm going to start a little slowly and build back up and try to improve at a faster rate than I used to. It felt good to be there and I even worked my legs on the machines, which I never do. Probably won't be able to walk tomorrow. Katy and Bo had fun together with no big kids around to bug them. I got a shower and cleaned my kitchen and had a nice chat with my mom. Speaking of Katy, a week or so ago, she wanted to take a bath so I told her she could and I would be right in. I kind of forgot and a little while later she came out naked saying it wouldn't work. I assumed she meant the water. I went in to get her started and found a full tub of perfectly warm water full of bubbles. I asked everyone in the house who started it for her. No one. She did it all by herself. Very scary. She could have run some pretty hot water. Then, today she wanted her computer turn. I told her in a minute and Bo said she could do it herself. I told him she couldn't, but I would help her. I went to the computer just in time to witness her click on the Internet icon, wait for it to come up, click on the favorites star, wait for the drop down and then click on PBS kids. Her mouse wasn't even wiggly or anything. She is amazing.

We had lunch, then went and got Nick from his half day. He hurt his ankle last night on the tramp so he is on crutches for the time being. He didn't love his classes, said he was about the only 8th grader in them. I guess that's what happens when you fail all your classes in 7th grade. We all laid down for a little nap then got up to get around and go get the rest of the kids. Everyone had a great first day. They all seemed to like their teachers. We had a really early dinner so the three could get to callbacks in time. I hate that I don't get to watch, but I guess it makes sense. The rest of us are just hanging out now, getting some laundry done and wishing there was something on TV to watch. Tomorrow Bo goes back to preschool. Those days between Thursday and Tuesday are long. I'm going to have to figure out what my schedule is going to be with Bo in preschool and having to pick Nick up mid day. A few more weeks and I will probably make him start riding a bike home. We'll have to see.

Saturday Auditions

Saturday morning started early with cleaning the church. We went straight from the church to auditions for the fall performance at the community theatre. Luckily, we were almost the first ones there. Took about an hour to get all 6 through the auditions. They don't let the parents watch so I had to go on the word of the other kids on how well everyone did. Rhett fell and hurt his rump right before he had to do the dance. He came out crying and said he did terrible. Stephen said he sucked as well. Dalin was really excited because "someone" had told him he was terrific.

We went home and the kids had lunch and quiet time while I went and got the rest of the school supplies. I got a call from Chelsey telling me she had rear ended someone at a stop light. Apparently we got the worst of it which was just a hole in the bumper the exact shape of the guy's hitch. They didn't exchange insurance or anything so we will see how it turns out. She was heading to the movies with some friends and called me a few hours later sobbing. She had stood up when the movie was over and forgot about her phone. She remembered before she even got out of the theater and went back to get it. Gone. They called it and searched, nothing. I went back a few hours later to check again and still nothing. She had to go to work right after the movie and for the second day in a row, the girl who worked before her didn't do her job so Chelsey was stuck doing everything. She called crying saying it was the worst day of her life! I assured her it would all be fine and told her get a hold of herself.

Glade was going to the gym to run his 18 miles for the day so I went with some friends to an Ambassadors of Light performance. It wasn't what I expected, but it was fun. After, I ran to a reception right before it ended and chatted with some friends there. It was a very fun and busy day. In conclusion to the auditions, Whitley, Chelsey and Stephen all got call backs. They were very excited.

All the little things

I have to say that all the little things sure do add up. I know this is not new news to most, but sometimes you forget. Today we tackled my room, Brooklyn's room and the mud room. AND my vacuum is fixed! Nothing looks quite finished until it's vacuumed. I even made my bed which I never do. I put laundry away and am dehydrating onions as we speak. Not bad for a June Cleaver wanna be. Now to get my nails done and shower. Or probably the other way around. Last night Katy was running around in one of her typical "outfits" so I told her I should take a picture of her. She bolted to my camera, so I had to do a little photo shoot with her. She is topless much of the time. If she even drips the slightest bit of anything on her shirt, she takes it off. It's quite annoying. But here she is in all her glory (Matkutu's Island socks and all).

Yeah for Free

Yesterday was a CRAZY busy day. I accomplished more in that day than sometimes I do in a whole week. Today I wanted to not do so much! I started by going through the ads and making a menu for the next week. I thought maybe I would go to Home Depot and return a few things then hit a grocery store or two. Usually I just add match, but sometimes I go for certain things. As the kids saw that I was getting around, they all wanted to come with me. They didn't even know where I was going and they didn't care. They just didn't want to be home! I certainly was not going to take them all grocery store hopping. I started to wonder what we could do that would fit into my plan for "cheap". I remembered a friend saying that if you join the Makutu's Island kids' club, you get in for free. So we did. I signed them each up so they each got a free entrance coupon, a free t-shirt and a free pair of crazy purple socks. (you have to wear socks there) It's kind of a little ways away, but for free....who cares! We spent a couple of hours there and then returned all of our humanitarian projects. As soon as we got home, they asked if I would take them to the pool. NO!! Sheesh... Only four more days and three of them are filled with stuff. I told them not to complain tomorrow when we do absolutely nothing. Actually, the vacuum guy is coming tomorrow...YEAH!! I've been going crazy without my vacuum. So tomorrow we get that fixed, do a few haircuts and then I have roundtable, oh joy. Friday is meet the teacher and date night, Saturday is auditions for the upcoming kids musical and then it's Sunday. THEN.....school starts!!

First Day of Preschool

Bo started preschool today. He was very excited and had a hard time going to sleep the night before. He got around quite quickly in the morning, which is not typical for my slow crawling kid. We (katy and I), took him in where he quickly found his good friend Brayden. We stayed only for a minute before I had to pull Katy out kicking and screaming. When I told Bo I would be back to get him, she pipes up and says "bye Mom!". I knew that was a bad sign. He had a great time and is very looking forward to going back again on Thursday.

Canning Salsa

I think this goes along with my "June Cleaver-ness" but that's not why we did it. We had about 40 tomatoes left from scones night so this was our solution to not wasting them. For family home evening, we talked about learning, preparedness and provident living so I tied salsa making into all three. It's amazing how you can fit activities in to something spiritual! First we had homemade pizza then we split into groups, since we can't all be in the kitchen at the same time. The boys went first and in the end, were really the only ones who actually helped make it. The girls were sent to the store to buy more ingredients that we ran out of. Each batch tasted a little different, but what the heck. We only had a few jars break, not sure why that happens, but it did. They all sealed and now we have about 14 jars of salsa in the pantry!

This is what happens when the bottom of the jar breaks while in the water bath.

June Cleaver

This is my aspiration right now. I want to be June Cleaver. I think maybe because it's the end of summer and I'm really tired of the mess I've been living in for the past two months. I just want to clean and organize everything. I want balanced, home cooked dinners and happy "hey mom!" kids. I want to be thrifty and grow things. I want my house to smell nice and be homey. It's almost an overwhelming feeling. Not like...how can I do this...sort of overwhelming, but I need to organize and clean all the time feeling. Even in the night if I wake up, I think about what closet I could clean out without waking anyone. Now, any of you who may know me know that my follow through is never as gung ho as my desires are. However, in the last few days I have done some pretty significant cleaning! My kids go back to school next Monday and then I fully intend on having it stay cleaned for the most part. Right now I'm tolerating clutter messes so I can spend my time doing the deep stuff. Starting next week, we will have scheduled menus and bedtimes and chores.

I'm also on a mission to make money. Now, in mulling over that idea, I couldn't think of anything I could do that wouldn't interrupt my job as a mom. I know, duh! So, the only other solution I had was to save money. Isn't that like making money? So I'm really really really trying to be a smarter shopper and a less active shopper. I want to make the most of what I have and be less wasteful. We are not good about that. I even had a talk with the kids about throwing money in the garbage. None of them thought that was too good of an idea. When I explained about all the things they wasted and destroyed, and how it was just like throwing cash in the garbage, they all seemed to get that. Hopefully they will think a little more now. Anyway, they are lofty goals and hopefully I can make some things happen. I have so many things I want to blog about, but just don't have the energy to do them all. Partially because I'm busy cleaning and organizing things! Last night we canned salsa and today Bo started preschool. More on those later!

Scones!

After much persuasion (not really), we decided to do a scones night for all those old and wonderful friends who have missed our legendary scones. I sent out invites via FaceBook and the rest is history! We were going to do it at our home, but got too big of a response, so we did it at the church. Kyle made all the dough and did most of the frying. Steve did the rolling and cutting. I provided most of the main stuff and the other family members all brought other necessities. Each guest then paid $5 per couple and brought a side to share. If my math is correct, some paid more than $5, naughty naughty. Anyway, we had a grand time seeing old friends and watching everyone enjoy themselves. Unlike most church functions, most people just stayed and chatted till after 9. As always, we had great help cleaning up and ended up with way too many left overs. I guess it's scones for Sunday dinner! As per request, this may have to be labeled out "first annual" scones night. I think it was a total success!