The Book of Morgan

Another'n...

2011-12-07T19:32:00.002-07:00

Anyone else notice a disturbing pattern?!

Sara's eye met Alexis' head at the ward Christmas party . . .

once again, the head won!

so sue me . . .

2011-11-10T19:05:00.003-07:00

Happy Halloween.

Yes, I know I'm late.

Please refer to the title of this post...

Also, I'm in a bad mood.

If I have to listen to my 2nd grader WHINE about homework

(that I DID NOT ASSIGN. the teacher did... whine to her)

ONE MORE TIME...

I'll shoot both our eyes out.

With the bb gun Joey got for his birthday.

WHAT?

You want birthday pics, too?

pwoo, pwoo, pwoo.

(that was the sound of the bb gun - shooting someone's eye out.)

grrrrrrrrr......

My First Shiner...

2011-09-29T09:32:00.002-06:00

First word: check

First steps: check

First popsicle: check

First day of pre-school: check

FIRST SHINER:

CHECK!

Joey's head met Sara's face, and Joey's head won.

Though, to be quite honest, you're never fully dressed without your black eye.

And as you can see, we dress to impress!

PRE...

2011-09-14T10:41:00.002-06:00

SCHOOL!

Sara started preschool on September 6th. I stewed and fretted over whether or not to have her go, as I am not necessarily ready to be by myself yet. But, when you have a great little preschool two houses away, with friends from nursery and a great teacher, how could you NOT send her? She LOVES it . . . and it turns out I actually AM ready to be without children for a couple hours a week ;)

Obligatory . . .

2011-08-25T20:07:00.007-06:00

And . . . commence obligatory first day of school post/pics.

I might be annoyed by the fact that I'm being so "trendy" and predictable - -

MIGHT BE. If they weren't so dang cute!

7th grade. That's right . . . SEVENTH.

Bring on the hormones, endless appetite, and Algebra.
I'm totally ready. (?)

Tommy and his BFF Riley. They're studs. They told me so.

Joey, 5th grade.

Rockin' the Chucks and a faux hawk. And yes, he CAN pull it off!

Anna, 2nd Grade.

If this picture doesn't scream "Sugar & Spice & Everything Nice" to you,

then likely no picture will!

Sara, Sass Grade.

If this picture doesn't scream "SASSY" to you,

it's likely no picture will!

Sara really wanted to be twins with Anna. And she was, until she started accessorizing!

And the picture she's holding, she carried around almost the entire day.
It's a picture of Tommy, Joey, and her cousin.
Not exactly sure why she was so attached to it on this particular day!

And this last one is just for good measure.
Sometimes, when you're full of sass, it's hard to keep your sunglasses on straight.

HAPPY NEW SCHOOL YEAR!

It really is the most wonderful time of the year!

Pardon Me . . .

2011-07-28T14:56:00.004-06:00

as I wax philosophical ...

I've decided I really have some work to do in the "Christlike" area. (SURPRISE.)

Yesterday I spent some time with some women that I had never spent time with before, and only one of whom I will likely spend time with again, as we are the only two of the group that will be "working" together. These women are presumably in the same stake and/or ward, which is apparently to go through some BIG boundary changes. Now, we all know how this sends us MORMONS into a big fluttering tizzy- - WHAT WARD WILL I BE IN? WHO WILL THE NEW BISHOP BE? OH MY HECK, MY LITTLE WORLD MAY FALL APART WITH ALL THIS ANTICIPATION AND THE UNKNOWN. THERE'S SUFFERING, STARVING, OR DYING PEOPLE OUT THERE? THAT CAN'T POSSIBLY COMPARE WITH WHAT'S GOING ON IN MY WARD/STAKE. (!) Perhaps I exaggerate . . . a little. Anyway, these women I barely know (and am obviously about to judge. Strike one.) then went into a lengthy discussion about those whom they WOULD NOT want to be their bishop. One because he didn't say hello when he jogged by the house in the morning, another because he wasn't married to an angel. And on and on, which then led to talking about others in the ward. All the while, one of these ladies, who was not "active" because of work and maybe other reasons, would occasionally jump in with a comment (to her teenage daughter who was hearing all of this) like "Don't worry. It'll be okay - there's good girls in the other wards if the YW gets broken up." "Don't worry, I'll try to get Sundays off and I'll come with you."

Then, at the end of the conversation (most of which occurred, LOUDLY, at a bank) one of the women turned to this less active mom and said "You guys need to come to church more often so we can see you." :-O

Now, this lengthy epistle is not to make you want to scratch anyone's eyes out. I'm sure in most situations these are LOVELY, KIND women. I simply want to give the background (and there's more! but I will not include it here.) as to why I suddenly realized that I need to be more Christlike. Am I ever like that?! Do I ever make others feel uncomfortable because of my harsh vocalized judgments? WHEN I MAY NOT EVEN KNOW THE STORY BEHIND THE REASON I'M BEING JUDGMENTAL?! Never again, my friends, never again. And think of the poor less active friend - - WHY IN THE WORLD would she want to come more often after all of that? So, I began to think . . . have I ever made someone think "I'll never go to church again" because of any of my actions/words? EEK. How TERRIBLE would that be.

Then, today, as I was bagging my own groceries at Winco (which, by the way, is BRILLIANT. Though, I do feel a lot of pressure when the next person's groceries start down my side and I still have all my produce to bag. :-) a lady behind me began talking to the lady on the other side of the bagging belt. They were obviously of a different faith than mine, as the conversation began with "I just talked to the pastor on the phone this morning!" These ladies then engaged in a conversation that filled my heart with joy. They talked about how the church was handing out "treat" bags today, so the one lady had run down to get a few things for the bags. And how she promised to get the other lady her pictures, but "So-and-so collapsed the day of your mother's memorial, and had to go in for a quintuple bypass, so we've been taking care of his 70 lb. dog, which is why I'm covered in dog hair!"

I interrupted the conversation right there and informed her that she was a SAINT for that one act alone!
This conversation was between three other ladies, with me listening in, as was the conversation yesterday. WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES. Lovely ladies, all of them, but the three I saw/heard today made me want to be a little better. However, I did realize that I might not be willing to help anyone with their 70 lb. dog (strike two) - - which is why I believe I have A LOT of work to do in the "Christlike" department. A LOT.

One conversation made me want to poke my eyes out with a fork - - the other made me want to buy the world a Sprite, and go frolicking through a field of flowers with all mankind and a 70 pound dog.

But, which conversation am I most frequently engaged in?

A lot of work to do, people. A LOT.

2011-07-01T16:05:00.002-06:00

Every now and again I have to remind myself that the images I see from other parts of the world are, in fact, real. That some people wake up to nothing. Or, they wake up to what once was something ... but, because of forces outside of their control, is now nothing. That some people wake up far from anything beautiful, lovely, or of good report. That some people don't wake up at all. I forget sometimes that I am only a VERY small dot in a VERY large picture. I sometimes forget that what I do or say really doesn't matter to more than maybe a handful of people.

But MAN!

I'm glad I get to be here.

He is . . .

2011-05-18T09:20:00.004-06:00

the very model of a Modern Major General

I heart . . .

2011-05-11T15:39:00.000-06:00

THIS GUY!

Let me tell you a little about me . . .

I have difficulties falling asleep. It has much to do with the fact that my brain does not have an "off" switch. Also, the fact that I tend to worry about things . . . things past, things present, and even things future that may or may not actually happen. sigh.

I once had a full blown panic attack, complete with accelerated heart rate and hyperventilation, while trying to fall asleep one night, over thoughts of what in the world I would do if my mini-van plunged into a large body of water and sank. With me and my children in it. ? Where, anywhere near me, is there a large enough body of water that I could possibly plunge into? This should not be a worry of mine, yet there I was, PANICKING about it. Again, sigh.

To combat this and other such IRRATIONAL thoughts, I've taken to "pretending" myself to sleep! *cuck-oo*

This means that, to occupy my mind and not allow it to wander to such dark places, I imagine myself in a different life scenario. Now, this does not mean that I'm in any way not content with my current life situation . . . it is simply a tool I use to prevent ending up in the loony bin compliments of a wandering mind.

These "different life scenarios" often include living in New York. As a stylish, classy New York citizen (and that, my friends, just proves how far fetched these "pretending" sessions have to be! The word classy, stylish and myself are not mentioned in the same sentence under normal circumstances!) meeting other stylish, classy New Yorkers. Including, but not limited to, Isaac Mizrahi. This guy is a HOOT! I'd love to spend an evening over dinner with him. Fascinating.

I feel another good night's sleep coming on ;)

FREE . . .

2011-04-04T10:53:00.003-06:00

or 3 !

Tomato, Tu mah toe.

a nutshell . . .

2011-03-17T09:56:00.006-06:00

Moving Tommy and Joey to their new room means Anna and Sara

also get to make a move!

First night in the new bunkbeds.

(It was not as hard as I thought it would be to move my last baby out of a crib! Not even one single tear was shed. That's progress . . . .)

Anna turned 7 . . .teen. ;)

And, because I still have influence, it was a donut cake again!

It was SO FUN to watch her open her presents. SHE WAS THRILLED.

Completely and genuinely thrilled! With EVERYTHING!

We got her a pretty new dress, and because we can, got Sara a twinner dress!

Anna got to open both, then give the little one to Sara. And they both wanted, immediately, to wear them!

Valentine's Day:

My funny Valentine! And, quite frankly, the only really good thing about that wretched day!

Tommy's soccer team had a tournament in St. George President's Day weekend. And, OF COURSE, it was the one weekend that the weather was bad ;)

I've never been to St. George - still- and am kinda glad that the girls got to stay home!

I do intend to make it there someday, though. :)

Tommy Turned Twelve.

unbelievable.

Because T.R. was taking everyone down to my brother and sister in law's house later that day (I had the second of two weddings to do flowers for, and Tommy had a merit badge pow wow in Provo early the next morning. So dear of dears, T.R., took all the kids. And dears of dears Robert and Rachel {mostly Rachel!} hosted them all. THANK YOU, THANK YOU!)

we celebrated in the morning. This meant ICE CREAM CAKE FOR BREAKFAST!!

How cool am I? Letting my children eat ice cream cake for breakfast!!

They all informed me that they never wanted ice cream cake for breakfast again ;)

Tommy and his loot. Not pictured is the camping backpack/sleeping bag/tent combo. For scout camps. I have a child old enough to go to scout camp. NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

His favorite gift (besides the camping stuff...) was the cash!!

I do not recall giving him permission to turn 12. And it's a little upsetting.

And finally:

would you please check out the head of hair on this young lady.

I grew up with, and continue to have, the worst hair. EVER. Day after day of bad hair days.

AND LOOK WHAT SHE GOT!! I hadn't even brushed it yet in this picture!

Further proof that Heavenly Father does love us - - AND has a sense of humor!

Lately . . .

2011-02-24T10:46:00.004-07:00

We've been up to some things - -

some things that took WAY LONGER than originally planned.

Darn you, HGTV. Darn you for making me believe that a room transformation can

happen in a reasonable amount of time.

I could've had a BABY in the time it took us to move Tommy and Joey into their new room.

((*SHUDDER*))

But now it's done - and they've officially moved in - and now on to the next room.

See ya in nine months :P

Tommy won 2nd place in the DISTRICT Science Fair!

I will refrain from inserting numerous "nerd" jokes

'cause dang, I'm kinda proud!!

and, well, let's face it. This kid's gonna be rich one day.

And momma needs a new pair of shoes! ;)

B is for bathroom . . .

2011-02-16T12:50:00.004-07:00

I DESPISE cleaning the bathroom. (who doesn't? I know, I know.) But I think I've done it. I've come up with a solution to my current method, which is "putting it off and putting it off until it's an even more undesirable task". I've devised a plan that helps me clean the bathroom to a "T" without having to spend hours at a time... it shall henceforth be called "Cleaning by the Letters", and it goes something like this:

Monday: Mirrors

Tuesday: Toilets

Wednesday: Walls/Window

Thursday: Tub/Shower

Friday: Floors

Saturday: Sinks

Genius, right?! I haven't decided if this makes it better or worse, since my least favorite chore will now have to happen DAILY! But, I'll take ten minutes a day over hours and hours of talking myself into just doing it, and then hours of doing it!! And this way, at least PART of the bathrooms will be clean whenever my parents come over!!

The sweet life . . .

2011-01-25T09:24:00.003-07:00

Haunted . . .

2011-01-24T09:20:00.006-07:00

Sara likes to "revisit" Halloween.

It it not unusual to have a Spooky Green Spider costume

running around our house, filled by a cute little girl!

However - it becomes really frightening when it is, instead, your

oldest boy sausage stuffed into said costume!

(tired of simply stepping over the discarded spider skin, he decided to don it!)

1.1.11...

2011-01-11T13:54:00.005-07:00

Four ones? I can work with that :D

I've spent the day with this princess . . .

who dresses to dance . . .

to Bruno Mars!

(one of his songs plays in the movie Tangled - thrilling when you're almost 3!)

These next few pictures are of some signs that have brought me great joy as I walk past them multiple times a day!

Tommy, Joey, and Anna made up a game to play with Joey's rubber duckie collection (20+ and counting!) It has something to do with the duckies earning points/money - and then they can choose where to spend it. They each opened some "stores" in hopes of the other duckies coming and spending their points/money there. :) I have put them in order of amusement:

This is one of Anna's...

Another of Anna's .. . (cold = called, hou = who)

Joey's . . . (please note the fine print at the bottom! It says:

price $15. holiday store is not responsible for the injury of you, or your kids. No refunds.)

hmm - - is his dad a lawyer or something?

Anna's . . .

(the only thing she asked for help with, on all of these signs, was

"how many zeros come after the 2 in 2 billion?")

And, MY FAVORITE!

Anna's swimming class:

:D Joy, I tell ya! Just Joy!

shhhh. . . .

2011-01-03T14:29:00.012-07:00

don't tell . . . but mom didn't make any resolutions for the New Year.

That way

*Target can keep that feeding tube - it's attached to the checking account*

*the laundry can stay in a clean, mangled, wrinkly pile in the dryer*

*those extra 6 pounds don't have to pack up and move - 'cause really, who likes to move?*

*all those unread books can keep that cozy layer of dust*

*as a matter of fact - it's safe to assume that the whole house will keep it's cozy layer*

*the candy can stay in the cupboard*

*and, seriously . . a big fat savings account for braces, college, weddings, and/or rainy days is overrated*

LIFE IS GOOD - WHY shake it up just 'cause there's a new calendar?

Plus, it's an odd number year . . . . no good can come from making resolutions in an odd year.

HAPPY NEW YEAR ;)

Hope it was Merry and Bright!

2010-12-28T11:54:00.002-07:00

Just wish it could've been white . . .

These are a few . . .

2010-12-01T15:26:00.006-07:00

of my favorite things . . .

Four of the cutest kids I know ...

Never met a See's chocolate I didn't like . . .

I LOVE Target . . .

Do you know how fun it is to play with flowers? Heavenly . . .

The Primary Songs . . . LOVE, LOVE, LOVE them...

Oh, how I LOVE Target . . .

Nothing beats a cloudy day . . . except maybe a rainy day . . .

I have recently formed a bit of an addition to this stuff . . .

and this place . . .

Any kind of pie = dessert heaven ... LET THEM EAT PIE . . .

Fancy shoes. Well, any shoes really. Can't think of a problem that fancy shoes can't fix ...

TARGET

I'm not sure why, but this is my zen spot. I can just walk in there and feel better!

Don't even have to buy anything - for some reason this place makes me feel good. Is that bad?!

I now share a quote from Sara's prayer a few nights ago (keep in mind that she is almost 3 and now INSISTS

on doing EVERYTHING herself. Including saying her prayers . . .)

". . .thank thee for Christmas and the snow. Bless Daddy to be safe at work, and bless Mommy

to be safe at Target . . ."

oops.

Thankful the Turkey . . .

2010-11-26T13:11:00.003-07:00

I made "Thankful the Turkey" out of a cereal box

when the boys were about 3 and 4 1/2.

He's been with us ever since.

We have MUCH to be thankful for!

Updates . . .

2010-11-03T14:29:00.005-06:00

This:

Is now this:

'Twas a "no".

Lost to a girl.

(though he did get enough votes to be a vice president!)

'Twas a "no".

Lost to a girl.

And the run to Hawaii is still lost to this girl.

Hal o een . . .

2010-11-01T10:31:00.005-06:00

Mr. Monopoly, Zombie Scout,

S'more!

(the s'more costume was inspiration born out of desperation! She wanted to be a mummy, but I was having NIGHTMARES trying to figure out how to keep her wrapped while at school, pack meeting, and through all the other activities, including putting the costume on and taking it off! She was reading a book where the little girl dressed up as a bunch of grapes - and DING! For some reason THAT turned the light on in my head!)

Spooky Spider ... or as she calls herself "pooky pider"!!

And, as I call her - "sweats on clearance at Target = you're a green spider"!

I've saved all her past pink chuck's, but when I put them on her extra legs, they were

so heavy! They made her look silly, so we had to improvise and make some faux foam chucks

for her four new legs!

Most of the cousins at the annual Cousin Halloween Party!

The best part of this Halloween was that I convinced the kiddos (in my happiest "this is a GREAT idea" mom/primary voice) that it would be SO fun to, instead of trick-or-treating,

go to the store and pick out one or two bags of their FAVORITE candy!

Then we wouldn't have to worry about all the crap candy that some people give out ;)

(i.e. the people that hand out left over candy from all the campaigning they did at parades this summer . . . oops. THAT WAS US!! Next year we'll return to having awesome candy!)

So, we hit up our two cute neighbors, my aunt and uncle's house, and my grandma's house.

Then, HARMONS! Where we were the only customers and had the ENTIRE

Halloween aisle to ourselves! Long Live Fun Size Candy Bars!! (And pixie sticks - Anna's choice!)

The reason . . .

2010-10-23T23:26:00.005-06:00

. . .I always have to investigate when things get too quiet . . .

She decided to paint her own finger/toenails.

In the process, she also painted the toilet, the garbage can, the vanity side, the floor,

(which she tried to "clean up" by wiping it away with her hands- so her palms were covered!)

the step-stool, the rug, her pants, and shirt sleeve!

Nice.

At least she felt remorseful!

(that's brownie on her face!)

Later I found her eating toothpaste. . . (the non fluoride kind, THANK GOODNESS!)

WHAT AM I GONNA DO WITH THIS ONE?!

Road, this is Joey - Joey, Road . . .

2010-10-14T19:44:00.003-06:00

LITERALLY, the ONE time Joey didn't wear his helmet while riding his bike -

this is what happened.

Poor kid.

Six stitches, one GINORMOUS goose egg, and

road rash galore . . .

Moral of the story:

ALWAYS WEAR YOUR HELMET!!

man, I hate it when we have to learn the hard way :*(

phew . . .

2010-10-14T09:49:00.010-06:00

The following is a picture of the neck of a boy I was

once upon a time, long ago, in deep like with.

I, apparently, dodged a bullet. He did not return my feelings of deep like.

yes people . . . that's chest hair stickin' up out of his collar.

ew.

Why, you ask, have I chosen to post this?

Because, I feel it my duty to educate.

THIS is not a good look for a man.

OR a woman.

Consider yourself educated.

Check it out . . .

2010-10-07T19:28:00.005-06:00

I am OFFICIALLY in business!!

If you'd like to see what The Fancy Flower Girl is up to - - check out my new blog!!

(See the link above right)

I'm now "in the biz" - and I'd love you to see what I do.

And then tell your family, friends and neighbors so I can do it for them, too ;)

P.S. I don't really think I'm all that fancy . . .

but 'The Flower Girl' was

already taken!

That'll do . . .

2010-09-15T16:45:00.005-06:00

A list of a few things I could live without (or live without hearing about):

1. Wednesdays

(don't know why, but I've never really cared for Wednesday. Especially now.

It is "short day" at the kid's school. blah.)

2. This chick.

double blah.

This one too.

Enough already.

3. The Snuggie

This one really ticks me off. Mainly because I didn't think of it first.

Coulda' been a millionaire.

4. The Snuggie. For Pets.

Seriously?

5. Pets

Not a fan.

6. Mosquitos

I will be asking, should I make it to heaven . . .WHY?

7. Mean people

Wouldn't it be great if everyone really DID treat others

how they expect to be treated?

(I apologize for the mild vulgarity here - but really. . . mean people suck.)

8. Blaming:

this thing

or this guy

for all the troubles in the world. REALLY?

Don't you think maybe it's a little bit our fault too?

9. Zits

I've done my time - shouldn't I have outgrown these by now?

10. Cancer

Of any kind ... in any one.

Next time I think I'll list: The things I CAN'T live without. That list should be much happier ;)

It's all just politics . . .

2010-09-07T09:51:00.018-06:00

Tommy is running for 6th grade class president. He came up with the idea for, and made the poster all by himself . . .

T.R. is running for Weber County Commissioner.

He came up with and paid for the poster with some help from his supporters ;)

I am running.... away. To Hawaii. I came up with the idea myself. I have no supporters.

Silence is golden . . .

2010-08-28T16:25:00.007-06:00

Do you hear that? Do you?

Me neither. :)

Happy First Day of 6th, 4th, and 1st to you!!

And Happy Quiet Days to me!

Nice ta meetya . . .

2010-07-23T19:26:00.007-06:00

The name is Amy - - but you can call me Mother Hubbard.

(contents: 1/2 jar jam, 1/2 jar spaghetti sauce, 1/2 loaf bread, small can olives, 1/2 container leftovers, 1/2 container whipped cream, 1/16 gallon 2% milk, 1/3 gallon skim milk, 1/4 jar cheese salsa dip, 3/4 bottle of gatorade, miracle whip, water, condiments in the doors, one grapefruit (one month old), 6 wrinkly prunes, 1/4 head of lettuce with pink edges, 17 sugar snap peas, 1/2 lb. cheddar, 6 string cheese, and a partridge in a pear tree.)

Putting off grocery shopping 'til it becomes ABSOLUTELY necessary = priceless.

It's what I do . . .

2010-07-21T23:20:00.011-06:00

Anybody else wanna get married so I can play with YOUR flowers, too?!

So this one time . . . .

2010-06-22T16:30:00.003-06:00

Once upon a time there was a girl who enjoyed a peek at Facebook every now and again. Who are we kidding? She had an ever so slight addiction. This girl enjoyed seeing what her friends of yesteryear were up to, and also found it a lovely way to keep up with new friends. However. . . SHE DOES NOT CARE WHAT YOU ATE, OR ARE ABOUT TO EAT FOR DINNER.

The end.

Lucky 13 . . .

2010-06-12T17:49:00.007-06:00

June 12, 1997

oops, i did it again . . .

2010-06-07T10:55:00.004-06:00

Funny story . . . (ignore the date stamp!) Anna has been talking herself in and out of getting her ears pierced ever since we did Sara's. Three times now, we've been in the store with her ready to go. And then it's a no go! The most recent trip involved another girl actually getting her's pierced while we were there. I asked if we could watch 'cause I though Anna should know exactly what she was in for. Well, when the lady pulled out and loaded "the gun" - ANNA WAS OUTTIE!! She hid behind me, and behind a rack of earrings and wouldn't look. That's okay, and we left. She gets very worried about anything that involves pain (especially shots) and that gun that was gonna shoot earrings through ears was the last straw!

Thursday we took a trip back to Claire's to get some finger nail polish so we could do this:

While we were browsing, she informed me that she'd like to look at the earrings again. She had chosen, last time, the ones she wanted. And wanted to take another look at them. To my surprise, she informed me that she wanted to do it today, because Dad would be SO surprised! (He was gone for 3 days at youth conference.) Alrighty then! It's funny what motivates when you're 6! The best part of the whole thing was that after it was over and during the car ride home, she repeatedly told me that I had been right - it hadn't been that bad! And that she would try not to worry so much about things that I told her not to worry about ;) She even said in her prayers that night "Please help me to not worry so much about things." If only it were that easy ;) I wish I'd learned at an earlier age not to worry so much about things my mom told me wouldn't be so bad!

Tender Mercies . . .

2010-05-04T15:53:00.006-06:00

Since Sara was 5 months old, she's gotten what I call "Mystery Fevers". Very high, unexplained, unaccompanied by any other symptom, fevers every 6 weeks to 2 months. At first I figured she was teething. But, she'd get the fever (which would often last a week) and we'd never see any teeth! I'd take her to the doctor, sometimes even ER visits, and they'd check her for strep, earaches, UTI, sinus infections, pretty much everything, and then they'd send me home with a "sorry, it must just be some kind of virus." Eventually I stopped going to the doctor, knowing what they'd say ;) Occasionally, they'd stumble upon a mild earache, or non-strep sore throat, but that was only twice or three times in her two years of life. She once had horrible cankers and fever blisters all over her mouth. They checked her for hand foot and mouth disease, but that wasn't it. Just weird, unexplained symptoms.

I hit the internet, and "diagnosed" her with something called PFAPA syndrome - which explained all her symptoms. But, how do you convince a doctor to take a 2 year old's tonsils out (the only known cure) on a mom's whim from internet research?!

Well, bring on the Tender Mercies!!

About the middle of February, Anna got a cold. She generously passed this to Sara (who had just gotten over another unexplained fever.) For Anna, it was just a cold . . . for Sara it morphed into a cold with two earaches, a mild sore throat, and pre-pneumonia. Her regular doctor (whom we hadn't seen in awhile because he never seemed to be in when we needed him!) was again unavailable, so we saw another doctor in the clinic. She prescribed Augmentin, a slightly stronger anti-biotic than penicillin or ammoxicillin, that would attack the pre-pneumonia and keep it from turning into full blown pneumonia. Cut to 9 days later (you only give anti-biotics for 10 days). Sara develops HIVES, HUGE hives! I hesitate giving her Benadryl, 'cause who knows what that will do when she's already on another medication. I called to make an appointment, but SURPRISE! They're completely booked that day. However, their North Ogden clinic (1/2 hour away) has an opening. Fine with me! She really needed to see a doctor.

Tender mercy : The doctor we visited ACTUALLY cared about Sara's well being!! I started explaining everything that had been going on, what my suspicions were, etc. She gently and patiently advised me that we should deal with the current problem, and then asked me to bring Sara in for her 2 year well check when we'd have longer to get to the bottom of things!! I've never been so grateful to have a full doctor's office which forced me to see another doctor 1/2 hour away!! She is amazing!

We went back for the 2 year check up. I explained everything. Her suspicion was that Sara has severe enough allergies that her body has to keep up with those, and doesn't have enough left to fight off infection. Then, she looked in her throat. "Oh, my goodness. Those tonsils are huge. They're restricting her oxygen intake which can also affect the bodies ability to fight off infection. I'm referring you to an ENT."

ALL THOSE OTHER DOCTORS had looked in her throat, and NOT ONE had mentioned this.

As this has already been a terribly long story, I'll cut to the chase. We saw the ENT doctor a week ago today (Tuesday). He took her tonsils and adenoids out yesterday (Monday). In my consultation with him after the surgery, he mentioned how incredibly restricted her airway had been, and that the difference now was "night and day". ;)

So, if that has been her whole problem all along, or if my own diagnosis was correct - we have been the recipients of a few timely Tender Mercies, and I feel like she will be MUCH healthier from here on out. HOW COULD I EVER DOUBT that Someone loves us!!

In the waiting room.

On her surgical bed - with her new "ducky" and blankie from the hospital!

With her popsicles .. . how am I ever going to give her just one at a time now?!

Root Beer popsicles = life is good!

She was SO tired, but just couldn't fall asleep! I finally had to cover her eyes with a blanket to get her to keep them shut! I had to do that when she was a baby, too ;)

They told me to prepare for a night stay at the hospital because of her age, but we were home by 4:30 that afternoon! Talk about a Tender Mercy! Neither of us would've gotten ANY sleep at the hospital! She's been doing SO well post-surgery. She's eaten mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, bread, spaghetti noodles, and of course, Jell-O! And as long as we keep the "gap between Tylenol doses" small - she's been whine free! AMAZING ;) We are blessed.

P.S. (Wednesday) Got the results of her allergy test today - (they did it while she was under for her tonsils!) NEGATIVE. She's not allergic to any foods or particles in the air. Which MEANS ... perhaps I should've been a doctor! Well, what it actually means is that the tonsil/adenoidectomy should take care of a great many things!! HURRAY!

I tried . . .

2010-04-06T14:25:00.008-06:00

My LAME attempt at an April Fool's Joke.

It worked. . . for about 2 seconds! But Tommy remembered the date

before I could take it any further.

Sure WISH it hadn't been a joke!

Two cute, matching girls and One floating head!!

Our first spring break activity = trying out the new swimming suits

in the only acceptable pool, as there is snow outside!

*GROSSNESS WARNING*

Please read no further if you are easily grossed out, or offended by tacky moms

who post what should be private moments . . .

But I just HAD to:

It is ENTIRELY possible that this little one needs more fiber

and fewer jelly beans ;)

Happy Birthday to U & U & U. . .

2010-03-31T19:38:00.007-06:00

3 Birthdays in 6 weeks = Where is Angela and the Party Planning Committee

When I need them?!

It started with Anna turning 6. I don't like cake, and still have a little bit of influence over the kiddos - thus the DONUT CAKE!! Yummy!

She got LOTS of GIRLY stuff!! Princesses and accessories, fingernail polish and accessories GALORE, Paperoni's, Bendaroos, Aqua Sand, and an attitude! Luckily, the attitude left the day after the Birthday. Phew. That was close!

Again, my influence prevailed and Tommy had a Birthday Pie to celebrate turning 11! He

got Scout Stuff and Cash. Lots o' cash. What more could a broke 11 year old want?!

And to end it all - Ms. Sara turned 2! 2?! How is this possible?

I made cupcakes for her 'cause, well. . . I had to! They were "Abby Caddabby" cupcakes. Multi-layered, purple, pink, turquoise, and white with pink frosting and purple, pink and white sprinkles in Abby Cadabby paper cups! THAT'S how you do cake!! There were also brownies (which I ate!)

This girl has a serious princess addiction problem!! LOVES them. A LOT. After opening her presents, she decided she HAD to try it all on! Who am I to tell a 2 year old no?!

I have decided that if I had ONE super power, it would be the ability to freeze time. And I would use it RIGHT NOW! At 11, 9 1/2, 6, and 2 I think they're just right ;)

Since that is not possible, I'll enjoy it while it lasts and HANG ON TIGHT for next year!

That's my Girl . . .

2010-03-02T15:19:00.005-07:00

That's right . . . she wears shoes to take a nap!! Why, you ask? Because they're new, they're FABULOUS, and because her mother understands the importance of a great pair of new shoes, and picking her battles!! These particular shoes, or Abbey Cadabby flip-flops if you prefer, would've been for her birthday at the end of the month - but she saw me trying to sneak them into the cart - - and AGAIN, you gotta pick your battles! Just wait until we paint those little toenails . . . those babies are NEVER coming off!!

From ICK . . .

2010-02-18T15:28:00.006-07:00

The early 70's called. . . they'd like their kitchen back.

. . . to SICK! (the good kind!)

2010-02-18T14:32:00.016-07:00

It's been SO nice to have a dishwasher that doesn't have to be wheeled out every night, a stove that will fit 2 cookie sheets at a time, (our old stove could barely fit one - and that was with the sides of the pan scraping the sides of the stove) and a space that can fit more than two people without feeling like you have to dance around each other! AND, you can open the fridge without sucking in ;) We also have a place to put the computer (an added safety feature now that we have boys who know how to "google"!!) Now, if I could just figure out how to get it to self-clean!! (and I just realized these pics were taken EXACTLY one year apart - to the day! What a difference a year makes!)

Shoot.

2010-01-15T15:34:00.004-07:00

For some reason, I am unable to upload pics. SHOOT - because there's some good ones.
So, in the interest of being interesting - I'll ramble for a bit....

*Did you know it can take SIX MONTHS to remodel your kitchen?! (if only I could show pictures) Did you also know that the six months are TOTALLY worth it when it's finished? AND, did you know that we will never, Never, NEVER be remodeling our kitchen again?! I sure hope my taste doesn't change in the next 50-60 years ;)

*Did you know that I NEVER got as many days off from school as my children get? I went from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. EVERY DAY. None of this "1/2 day" stuff! Nor did we get MLK Jr. Day off from school. January was just one LONG stretch of school, school, school. Nothing to look forward to until February. And that was when I LIKED Valentine's Day. My children have just begun a 4 day weekend that started with a "half day" Friday and will end with them returning to school on a Wednesday . . . for another 1/2 day. What's the point?! And, did I mention that I walked to school - - uphill BOTH ways - - in the snow - - without boots ;)

*Did you know that I've been getting up at 6:30 every morning to excercise? The worst part is that I feel better and have more energy, have lost a little weight, and my skin has even seen benefits. DANG IT. I hate it when "they're" right ;)

*Did you know that I had a small bag of Hot Tamales the other day - I ate them in groups of four, and it came out even! My last handful had four in it - just like all the previous handfuls ;) It was very special ;)

*Did you know that I'm easily entertained?

*Did you know that "Rock Band" can be played by a 22 month old?! Well, she's not really playing, but she THINKS she is! (Again - awesome pic that won't load!) She strums the guitar and sings at the top of her lungs! It's the funnest thing I've watched in a long time!

*Did you know that I feel bad when I forget how good my life is, and I feel even worse that it takes a 7.0 earthquake somewhere else to remind me how blessed I am. Not that I was down on life, I just think I take things like my bed, my car, my food, water, a shower, my newly remodeled kitchen, the fact that I HAVE A KITCHEN and a house, and my family for granted. Frequently. I'm trying to stop.

*Did you know that?!

'Tis the Season . . .

2009-12-17T16:49:00.005-07:00

I've decided that this. . . blogging. . . is a great compromise! T.R. HATES annual Christmas letters, I LOVE them. So, here we are ;) Only the people who WANT to read this have to, instead of feeling compelled.

So, only read further if you REALLY feel like you want to ;)

We've had some fun adventures this year! A long awaited trip to Disneyland, a much dreaded (by me, anyway) Pioneer Trek, and some "FUN" (?) remodeling inside and outside our house! T.R. continues his work as the best attorney around - which is actually how some of our remodeling came to be! We now have a new shower in our bathroom that once housed only a tub, and a NEW KITCHEN. Completely new. We're talking gutted . . . for almost 7 weeks!! It's kind of fun to have people willing to "trade" their services as payment for attorney fees!

Does anyone know a good Nanny in need of legal work?!

He also continues his service in the bishopric - - and, sometimes the bishopric work coincides with the attorney work ;)

I spent the first part of this year AGONIZING over the fact that I'd be going on the Pioneer Trek with our youth! I AM NOT AN OUTDOORSWOMAN. at all. period.

T.R. was excited to go, I was NOT. But we both survived - he survived my CONSTANT complaining and worrying, I survived the dirt, bugs, WIND, sleeping "under the stars" *HORROR*, WIND, the 5+ hour school bus ride, WIND, and the walking. I didn't mind the walking. But, I'll NEVER, please heavens above, NEVER do it again ;) Famous last words, I know. Somewhere in the middle I threw in a few friend's wedding flowers, and painted the front of the house. It looks SO much better now that it's not seafoam/army green.

AND, we celebrated our 12th anniversary!

Tommy is now 10 1/2. He is the reason for the above mentioned Disneyland trip! We promised him we'd go when he was 5! oops. It was ALOT of fun, but now I'm wondering how we're EVER going to top that birthday present?! Tommy still LOVES to read, and his expanded vocabulary that has come as a result of reading so much has actually gotten him in some sticky situations . . . but that's a post for another time (if you haven't already heard the "cleavage" story!) He also loves to sing and is in the school and ward choir! He's learning to play the piano, and was invited to play on a "COMP" soccer team this year. His team did quite well, and I'm not going to lie . . . it's MUCH more exciting to watch kids play actual soccer and not the "AYSO-everyone-crowd-around-the-ball" soccer that we all know and love! He's a good kid and has kept the sense of humor he started out with! Let's hope it carries over into the not so distant

TEEN YEARS!! *GASP*

Joey continues to be our Gentle Giant! He's 9 now - and only about an inch and a half shorter than "big" brother! They wear the same size clothes, and are only half a shoe size different. So much for the FABULOUS hand-me-down situation we enjoyed for so long!

Joey is very sweet, and quiet, and always concerned about others feelings. . . well, with the possible exception of *little sister*!! He's been reading the Harry Potter books, and LOVING them. Thank goodness! It's hard to engross Joey in a book, but Harry came through for us in a major way! Joey loves being a cub scout and is also learning to play the piano. He is thinking he wants to try baseball this spring, instead of soccer! It'll be basketball soon - - I'm quite sure of it!

Ms. Anna will soon be 6. She is in Kindergarten and LOVES it! Our school began all day Kindergarten - PERFECT TIMING- just this year! And from day one, I could tell that this would be NO PROBLEM for Anna! She rules the school - and it'd be hard to do that if you were only there for half the day ;) She's reading really well, but still enjoys watching TV best!

Anna is an absolutely FABULOUS big sister, and adores Sara. The feeling is mutual!

Sara will be 2 the end of March, but today was mistaken as a 3 year old by a lady at the grocery store!! oops. Yes, she's a gentle giant, too! She is calm and cuddley . . . so much so that her fabulous nursery leader finds herself "cuddling" with Sara most of the time, or in other words, holding her so she doesn't freak out ;) Yes, we're working on it!

Sara's ABSOLUTE favorite things in the whole world (besides her brothers and sister) are Sesame Street (ESPECIALLY Abby Cadabby and Elmo) and the music of Glee!! She is a die hard fan of both. We're talking the jump-in-front of-a-bus, take-a-bullet-for kind of devotion! This, I've decided, is not a bad thing! Because of her deep devotion to Sesame Street, she can not only sing the alphabet song. . . but can name the letters when asked! They don't even have to be in ABC order! CRAZY, huh?! And, because of her love of Glee music. . . she knows the difference between Journey (da-da-da) and Neil Diamond (ba-ba-ba)! Perhaps we have a star in the making?!

So, there you have it!

Hope this Holiday Season finds you happy, healthy, and basking in blessings!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Looking Forward . . .

2009-12-17T16:37:00.004-07:00

. . . to another great year!

Happy New Year!

Quiz . . .

2009-12-07T20:47:00.002-07:00

Can you guess who made this one?!
This one?!

This one?!

And this?!

The main theme of the night. . . Let's see how much stuff we can CRAM onto a paper plate!! What doesn't make it on the plate - - GOES STRAIGHT TO THE MOUTH ;)

Oh, Christmastime. How we love thee!!

Just in case you were actually curious about whose is whose . . . they are, in order from top to bottom. . . Joey's, Anna's, Tommy's, Mine! T.R. was out hanging the lights, then listening to an insurance salesman, so he missed out. Bummer. He did manage to get some candy to his mouth, though!!

Then how the reindeer loved him. . .

2009-11-28T15:23:00.006-07:00

I bought these slippers for myself (even though they were too small. I just thought they were too cute to pass up.) I wore them a couple times, then Joey asked if he could try them on.

He hasn't taken them off since!

He even named them... the one on the left is "Slip"

on the right is "Mindy"!!

Man, I love that kid!

And then. . .

2009-11-10T19:54:00.007-07:00

Joey turned 9. . . . (holy cow. he's 9.)

Sara had her first Hostess Cupcake. . .

Anna had her two bottom teeth pulled by the dentist! Her permanent teeth have already grown in. . . which is why the dentist had to pull the babies! They weren't even loose yet. Sure saved us ALOT of drama (and trauma). Maybe we'll get lucky and the dentist will have to pull ALL of them out?! And maybe we can convince the tooth fairy to just pay the dentist!!

(She, too, had had a Hostess Cupcake!)

Trick or Treat . . . Smell my Feet . . .

2009-11-02T14:59:00.004-07:00

Give me something Good to Eat!!

Please?!

Thank you!

Love,

Harry Potter, Minnie Mouse, the fire ball (?), and the uninterested Utah Ute Cheerleader.

At the Cousin Halloween Party.
FYI. . . 12 kids ages 10.5 and under + candy, games, paint and pizza = CRAZINESS!

We ate pizza, decorated pumpkins, wrapped each other up like mummies, played "BOO"ngo, and ended with the classic "DON'T EAT PETE"! Good times!

YEAH for Halloween!

(and letter stickers!)

Before . . .

2009-09-30T17:08:00.002-06:00

and After . . .
Note to the world: Seafoam/Army Green is NOT an acceptable house color!
And yes, those dates are correct! It really did take me 3 months and 27 days to paint 8 shutters a little siding, and a rain gutter! But, you must understand that in the mix was also a pioneer trek and a little surgery! So, cut me a little slack! Now I have to do the sides and back of the house! Should take me another year, or so! HGTV here I come. The name of my show? "Painting for Eternity"

A few pics of the Annual Pirate pARGHty!

Please don't be alarmed - - my fishnets ONLY come out for the pirate party, then they go right back in the costume box ;)

Goodbye, for now . . .

2009-09-16T09:52:00.005-06:00

To the man who taught me to roller skate at Classic Skating

Who let me come to his auto parts store and help "organize" the shelves

Who ate a piece of cheese RIGHT AFTER disposing of a dead mouse - convincing my 7ish year old mind that some of the dead mouse qualities had transferred directly to him ;)

Who NEVER missed a political discussion OR an election - he had even filled out his absentee ballot, thus casting his vote on the very day he passed away!

Love you, Grandpa! See you on the other side!

It's official . . .

2009-09-15T18:47:00.002-06:00

I'm a GLEEK!

Please, don't be a hater . . .

2009-09-04T16:07:00.002-06:00

Yes, I signed a paper and allowed a stranger to punch a small hole in my darling daughter's ears. Please, don't hate me. Please, don't think me evil. Please, don't send a letter to your senator. It's cute (to me. I realize not everyone feels the same.) and she cried less than when she gets her shots . . . PLUS, no fever as a result! Now, what else can the two of us do while the others are in school and dad's at work?! HMMMMMM . . . . .

And sister makes three . . .

2009-08-31T14:58:00.006-06:00

Three kids in school . . . HOW CAN THIS BE?

Three kids in school . . . At home? Sara and Me!

Three kids in school . . . I'm not gonna lie--

Three kids in school . . . I DIDN'T CRY!!

Anna LOVED her first day of Kindergarten! No surprise. She's been counting down since she was 3! And our school does "all day" kindergarten - so she'll leave with Tommy and Joey, and come home with them! Crazy! These first three days are "short days" for the kindergarten - unfortunately the teacher failed to mention this to me, so I had NO IDEA! Luckily, one of my neighbors had been clued in, and as we were walking home from the school happened to mention it! WHAT?! And I, being the seasoned mother of school children (?) had already informed a couple moms that school gets out at 3:15. YIKES! Luckily, I was able to get ahold of the misinformed moms - so all was well! And poor Sara. . . missed her sister terribly! The whole day I heard "A-nna?" "A-nna?" It was a very happy reunion when we went to pick her up!

Please . . . make it stop . . .

2009-08-24T12:57:00.004-06:00

I have a fifth grader . . . .

And a third grader . . . . .

How can this be when I, myself, am a perpetual 7th grader?!

Bad Hair Day. . .

2009-08-19T14:36:00.002-06:00

This is what happens when you leave the previous day's hair-do to be slept in, and then your one year old decides to pull it out before you come in to get her the next morning! Holy Bad Hair Day, Batman!

Not my finest hours . . .

2009-07-24T16:50:00.022-06:00

I feel that enough time has elapsed that I can write about the TREK without sending myself into cold sweats. After three and a half months of PANIC and DREAD, and then four days of actually BEING THERE, it is now safely in the past, and for myself, and proof to everyone who knows me, the pictures must be shown. I was ACTUALLY there ;) and it wasn't just some horrible nightmare!

When I was released from YW's a year ago, the ONLY thing that made me feel even a LITTLE okay with it, was knowing that it also released me from any connection to the TREK. Yet, in the back of my mind, there was a little tickle that wouldn't go away. A small "yeah, you're going anyway." I tried to ignore it . . . but at the end of March when the 1st counselor in the stake presidency needed to "talk to me and my husband" I KNEW. And the panic/dread set in immediately! So, I paniced and dreaded myself into a complete, frantic tizzy! And poor TR, he'd wanted to go from the start - - so he tolerated my panic and dread fairly well! Why the panic and dread? Well, for someone who HATES to camp, the thought of spending 4 days and 3 nights in the middle of nowhere, with only a 5 gallon bucket for your ammenities, sleeping under the stars (that's a whole DIFFERENT panic attack in and of itself) with no water/flushing toilets, topped off by a 6 hour school bus ride, JUST TO GET THERE. . . NOT PLEASANT. But, wah-wah-wah. You do what ya gotta do when you know The Church is true! And I would spend 24/7 with the youth if I could - they're GREAT - even if it means ROUGHING it. Which we definately were!

Thank goodness for the wonderful pioneers. Reason #8,732 I would not have made a good pioneer . . . I do not like things tied around my neck! That is why the tie is where it is! I spent A LOT of time holding on to that tie so my bonnet wouldn't fly off! It is VERY windy in Wyoming. And yes, that IS a forced smile!

Our cute "family"! They are/were the ONLY reasons I made it through! Don't get me wrong, I'm a pretty tough chick. And the 25 miles of walking/pushing a handcart were pretty fun! But the no-shower-for-four-days-sleeping-in-your-own-filth-under-the-stars-in-the-dirty-dirt. . . not for me. But our kids (ALL the kids, for that matter) were SO great! And so CUTE, and willing to do ANYTHING! And only a couple complained a couple times, but it didn't last long and the complaints were far outshined by their happiness and complete goodness! LOVE them all! TGFY (Thank Goodness For Youth!)

I'm SO glad the pioneers kept going and didn't stop in Wyoming - 'cause there's a WHOLE lot of nothing in Wyoming! Other than wind. I'm grateful for the wind because it kept us cool - but there was dust blown into places dust has NO business being! And the more we saw and did, the LESS I could comprehend HOW they did it. Absolutely Amazing. And the fact that those pioneers picked up and did it again and again, day after day . . . FOREVER GRATEFUL am I.

"On this side, you'll see sagebrush and nothing . . . and over here, sagebrush and nothing." This is what we said, pretending to be tour guides, on more than one occasion!

We were lucky enough to be joined by Oscar, the TREK dog! He's a ranch dog that lives about 10 miles away, but comes to the Martin's Cove area every summer. He picks groups to follow, usually favoring groups with kids. AND HE CHOSE US! Even one of the missionaries commented how lucky we were to have been chosen by Oscar! He followed us to Martin's Cove, every now and then BOUNDING away to chase a jack rabbit, then waited for us to come back for lunch. He was a huge dog, but so kind and gentle and patient! I think he chose our group 'cause so many of our kids shared his demeanor . . . kind, gentle, and patient!

And so went the trek. The parts that I thought would be bad, were bad. (Although the outhouses surpassed my expectations! They were clean and non-stinky. But a hole is a hole, no matter what you set atop of it!) And the parts I thought would be good, WERE GOOD!

Am I more convinced of the truthfulness of The Church? - nope. It was TRUE when I left, and it's STILL TRUE now! Am I more grateful for the pioneers? - nope. I was VERY GRATEFUL when I left, and am STILL grateful now. (I AM more convinced, however, that Heavenly Father was watching over/protecting them because I believe even more now that it's a miracle ANY of them survived - even the ones who left when they should've and didn't encounter snow and wind and frozen rivers.) Will I do it again? -nope. PLEASE nope! (Why would I be so greedy as to take this EXPERIENCE from someone else?!) Am I more grateful now for a bed, shower, flushing toilet, and a home? YES! Am I more grateful for friends who love me enough to slip me some HEAVY DUTY sleeping pills that actually allowed me (coupled with ear plugs and prayers) to sleep? YES! Am I certain that the world is in good hands because of the valiant youth in whom our future depends? YES - All is well, ALL IS WELL!

Something(s) to live for . . .

2009-07-07T15:31:00.007-06:00

Coming in August . . .

Coming in December . . .

Can you say . . . YUMMY?! And . . . *HOT TIP* . . . I just bought a bag of coconut M&M's at Target (07-09-09) so, I guess they're out earlier than expected! And they're GOOD!

Mischief, thy name be . . .

2009-06-30T13:37:00.003-06:00

This is what I've been finding in our bathroom lately. It seems Ms. Sara has taken a recent liking to pulling toilet paper off the roll. However, she knows she's not supposed to, and this is her solution! "If I shove it down into the roll - Mom will NEVER know I pulled it off!!" Should I worry that my 15 month old is ALREADY figuring out ways to be sneaky?!

Wanna play . . .

2009-06-17T13:53:00.002-06:00

Our FABULOUS new swingset! Sure to provide hours of fun! Now, if I could just find a remote control for Sara's swing . . . .

To Infinity and beyond . . .

2009-06-12T13:53:00.007-06:00

Happy 12th Anniversary, SQUIRT ;)

Love ya, n' stuff.

______________________________________________________________

I don't mean to brag, but . . .

2009-06-08T22:16:00.009-06:00

C'mon!

Those are some pretty cute girlies!

My friend, Sara, took these pictures of the girls. This is just a small sample of some AMAZING pics! Check her out at http://www.saragilchristphotography.com/ - just a little free advertising because I think she does good work!

Of course, it helps to have such LOVELIES to photograph, right?!

Preschool Grad and Gems from Joey . . .

2009-05-29T11:05:00.009-06:00

Am I a Scrooge to think that graduation from preschool (or kindergarten, or even 6th grade) is slight overkill?! Oh, well! It was a fun evening . . . Trey, the little boy standing next to Anna, is the reason I answer this question daily, "Mom, what grade do you have to be in to kiss boys?!" My answer: "COLLEGE."

And now, some GEMS from Joey's Second Grade "Quick Write Journal" which he brought home yesterday. I had the BEST time reading through it, and now present some of the best excerpts - totally unedited:

*One day my brother had namonea! It's when the fluooy gets worse and worse.

*My faverite song is Jigle bells. I like the jigle part.

*My faverite Ice crame flaver is choclite. I have ate it at Aretic Cerkle.

*If I was in a rodeo I would be scard. Becuse I would bounce up and down.

*I would vote for my dad beacuse my dad is seriuse. And strong. And fathful. (I assume
they'd been asked to write about whom they would vote for for president!)

*I don't have a faverite kind of socks. Becuse there all the same.

*My fridge is white. It has food in it. It does'nt have rotten food.

*I voted for Micane. Becuse people say Oboma lies. I dont know for shor. Goodbye.

*Oboma is presendent now. I am kind of sad. He chaned the rules. (P.S. This and the above do not necessarily represent his parent's political views ;) At least we know he'll think for himself!)

*I think that soldiers spend their day buying guns.

*I don't know what it would feel like to be a cow with no teeth.

*I'ts national hug Day today I would'nt hug anewon aspeshaley a boy Its creepy!

*If I foud the last bit of snow I would lock it in the frezer. But that would turn it into ice so I
don't know what I would do with the last bit of snow.

*If I could go on an amaganary trip to Ploto I would. Well first of all I wouldnt beable to beacuse
Ploto is more then 1,000.000.000 miles away from earth. But if I could I would shout IM THE
FIRST HUMAN ON PLOTO!"

*You shoud respect a lady. Beacuse she might be carring a purse and if your not nice she might
just SlAP YOU.

*If I found one hundered dollers sitting on the ground I would pay tithing. (ten dollers) Then I
would pay for two D.S. games Yoshis Ilend, and Mario Kart D.S. So 100-65=35 So I would
have 35 dollers left. So I'd give the rest to my parents.

*If I was a composter I would write RAP muisc. Beacuse RAP is sort for RAPTORS I Think.
(their school mascot is a Raptor!)

*I don't really know what my summer vacacon plans are but I know I will have fun.

MAN, I LOVE THIS KID!! I hope summer vacacon IS fun . . . .

Homage. . .

2009-05-07T19:57:00.002-06:00

This sippy-cup needs it's own special post. I bought it for Tommy, YES, Tommy. Now, before you gag, please know that THIS particular cup has avoided the dreaded "lost for days with milk, no wait, that's cottage cheese" scenario! I don't know how, but it's retained it's original paint job, even after COUNTLESS washings - most of which were in the paint stripping dishwasher! You can STILL tell who made this cup! AMAZING! So, for that reason, I feel the need to pay homage to the cup that has survived 4 CHILDREN! Heck . . . I'VE BARELY survived 4 children! It will soon be time to retire our old friend, but until then. . .God Bless America. . .and it's celebratory 4th of July themed sippy-cups!

EEWWW. . . dirt.

2009-04-27T15:40:00.002-06:00

Said Anna to me in the car today . . .

"Ew, I think there's dirt under my fingernail"

"It's okay, we can clean it out when we get there."

PAUSE. . .

"Oh, wait. It tastes like oreo. It must've just been oreo from when I scraped the frosting off."

Alrighty then! Do I tell her now that it won't ALWAYS taste like oreo?!

When life hands you lemons. . .

2009-04-16T16:25:00.004-06:00

Last night as I tucked Joey into bed, he informed me of something he'd apparently been tossing around in his head. . .

"I think I know what boys who don't go on missions, 'cause they don't believe in our church or something, do while they would've been on their missions...
They open a lemonade stand to make money."

My Last First.. .. ..

2009-03-31T15:08:00.022-06:00

From here.. .. ..

Sara Alice
March 28, 2008
9 lbs. 3 oz.
21 inches

to here...in one SHORT year.

Sara Alice
March 28, 2009
23 lbs. 4 oz.
32 inches

I've watched my last "first steps" (6 weeks ago) heard my last "first word" ('Anna' - she LOVES her big sister!) and made my last "first birthday" cake. But I guarantee I haven't given my last hug! I LOVE you, my last baby girl!

Sara LOVES Abby Caddabby from Sesame Street. She gets SO excited everytime she sees her, so naturally that was who her cake had to look like! Well, that backfired a little because all she wanted to do was gently 'pat' Abby, not EAT her! I had to force feed her some frosting to get her to realize that she could eat this Abby! But, not being one who likes to get her hands dirty, she still wouldn't go for the dig-in-approach! So, we ended up using a fork! But, as you can see by the last picture, she eventualy enjoyed her Abby cake and ended up with frosting everywhere! Happy Birthday, Sara!

The Happiest Place on Earth . . .

2009-03-18T15:04:00.010-06:00

Tommy opened his last gift . . . the one with the surprise. Notice the lack of excitement - - EXCEPT FOR ANNA! She was thrilled! At least one of them was! Sheesh!So, off we go into the wild blue yonder - still a strange lack of enthusiasm. EXCEPT FOR ANNA! After arriving in L.A. (I was determined to see a celebrity while there . . .) T.R. decided he really wanted to go to Sea World! After being in a plane for two hours, we then drove in a fancy rental car for two hours. By the time we got there, the kiddos (even Anna) were even LESS thrilled than before! But, Sea World was pretty cool! We only got to stay for two hours because it closed at 5:00 - but there were VERY FEW people there and NO lines, so the two hours was just about enough! (I highly suggest taking your next California vacation on a random weekday/end in March. No crowds, the weather was great . . . not too hot, not freezing cold. PERFECT.)

The next day, Friday the 6th, we INTENDED to go to Disneyland, but ended up spending the entire day at the CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE! Anna and I ate lunch with the princesses AND my friend Torrey and her little girlies. So fun. Anna was in awe the ENTIRE time (and well she should be for what that lunch cost! Man, those folks at Disney sure know what they're doing.) Tommy, Joey, and T.R. hit the rollercoasters and other "scary" rides while we were at lunch. Then we met up and saw ALMOST all there was to see! (I'm pretty sure we could've spent a week there and not done anything twice!)

Finally, on Saturday, we made it to DISNEYLAND! (Along with tens of thousands of other people!) After riding Small World first, we decided to divide and conquer! That way Tommy and Joey wouldn't have to suffer through princesses and teacups. . . and we wouldn't have to hear Anna whine 'cause she was waiting in line for a very manly jungle safari. So, most of the pictures are of Anna and the princesses again. But then, we met up at about 4 p.m. on the Finding Nemo ride, and spent the rest of the day waiting in lines together! The last ride we rode was Pirates of the Carribean, and I do believe it was my favorite! Last is always best, right?!

We had so much fun! But, the highlight for ME. . . was seeing some of my roomates from my first year at Ricks! Sharon (far right) lives in So.Cal. and Torrey's (far left) husband and Dawna's (center by me!) husband had work stuff going on the same weekend. Thank heaven's for Facebook, or we might have missed each other 'cause really, what are the odds?!! The best part was that Dawna surprised us by coming! Only Torrey knew she'd be there, and when I turned and saw her and her cute family standing there - I cried! It was SO great to see my friends at The Happiest Place on Earth! So what that we paid an arm and a leg to be there! Memories like this - - PRICELESS

Sunday morning, TR's Aunt Lori made us Mickey shaped pancakes (thanks again to Uncle Loy and Aunt Lori for letting us stay at their house! It was so fun to see them!) then we hit the beach, just to say we did! Then back home to see Sara who'd been with my mom and dad. THANK GOODNESS! She would've been misserable with us! It was SO fun, and I'm so glad we went! Now maybe next time the kiddos will be a LITTLE more enthusiastic when they find out we're going to Disneyland!

P.S. I promise T.R. came too - - he just wanted to TAKE the pictures, not be IN them!

Surprise?

2009-03-12T11:46:00.009-06:00

We promised Tommy when he was 3 that we'd take hime to Disneyland when he turned 5. OOPS. Well, he turned 10 last Wednesday! We decided to bite the bullet, and JUST DO IT, and surprise him with the trip! FINALLY! The last present he opened was a box with this message written in it. . . "Pack your bags, we're finally going to Disneyland! Tomorrow! REALLY!" We hadn't said a thing about it, it was to be a complete surprise, and we really were leaving the very next morning! His reaction? He teared up and was a completely underwhelmed by the news because he was going to have to miss school. wow. Did not expect that! Now, I can look at this two ways:

1. Hurray! My kid loves school more than Disneyland!
2. How sad! My kid loves school more than Disneyland!

Judging his enjoyment of the trip (pictures coming soon) I can only assume that his reaction was based on the fact that he had no idea what Disneyland/California has to offer. But still. What have we done?!

I wish. . .

2009-02-14T20:40:00.008-07:00

Anna turned 5 on Thursday. To celebrate, we went to Fat Cats for bowling and pizza. We had not opened presents yet, so Anna was excited to go home - a first. Ususally it takes MAJOR negotiations to leave anywhere fun without causing a scene! She hadn't really talked about what she "wanted" for her birthday, other than a magnifying glass (which Joey got for her.) So T.R. and I were planning to give her a big girl bike, hoping that would be exciting enough! Well, on the way home, OUT OF NOWHERE, Anna said, "I wish I had a big bike so I could ride it all over the world!" What?! Well, my little mind began planning . . . I told her that when we got home she could open her presents and then blow out a candle on her piece of cake that we had saved from Sunday. (T.R.'s family had been over for dinner and we did the cake and ice cream then.) I then proceeded to tell her that maybe if she closed her eyes VERY tightly and wished VERY hard for a bike, maybe her birthday wish would come true!
So, she did. And when she opened her eyes . . . guess what was there? She is now convinced that she made it happen! I've decided to let her believe - -

The hat she's wearing was given to her at school the previous day. She wore it her ENTIRE birthday, including when we went bowling! Because she was wearing the hat, the cute girls at the prize counter knew it was her special day and gave her a stuffed panda bear! Does life get any better than a new stuffed animal when you're little?!

2009-02-05T14:28:00.002-07:00

Dear(?) Bikini Girl,
Although it took longer than it sould have, in fact, you shouldn't have been there in the first place, thank you for getting your tight little, stuck-up bootie kicked off. But did you have to take out sweet little Rose too? Grrrrr. . . .
Sincerely glad you're done,
Amy

First of many . . .

2009-02-03T00:35:00.004-07:00

Mac and Cheese + 10 month old hands that MUST do it themselves = Mess for mom!!

I'm a "ma'am" . . .

2009-01-22T16:08:00.005-07:00

It's been happening with more and more frequency. I ignored it at first, certain there'd been a mistake. But no. Last night at the grocery store it was confirmed once again by the checkout guy. He called me ma'am. WHAT THE *&#@! When did this happen?! Perhaps it's the four children, the oldest of whom will soon be ten. Perhaps it's the squint lines that don't go away, even when I come in out of the blinding sun that was making me squint! Perhaps it's the ski slope around my waist from "growing" said four children. Perhaps it's all of these. Either way, I just don't understand how someone who watches American Idol, STILL gets zits, knows what BFF and LOL mean, and who has kidded herself into thinking she can still hang out in the Jr.'s section of the clothing store can be a "ma'am" and not a "miss". Good grief. There's nothing between "ma'am" and Grandma, so now what am I supposed to do for the next 15 years?!

Dear American Idol. . .

2009-01-15T18:35:00.003-07:00

So glad to see you again! I missed you. ALOT. Thank you for being a little nicer, and not putting quite so many PAINFULLY horrible "singers" on and then making fun of them. I have never liked it when you do that. Although, it does make me feel slightly better about my own not-so-pleasant voice!
Oh, one more thing . . . bikini girl. REALLY? c'mon.
Love,
Your Devoted Fan

Attention World . . .

2009-01-08T14:47:00.002-07:00

PLEASE figure out this healthcare/insurance mess 'cause I can't afford it - - and we're all HEALTHY! Sheesh.

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

2008-12-17T11:48:00.014-07:00

Merry Christmas, Everyone! Hope the season finds you and yours happy and healthy . . . here's our year in review - -

Sara Alice joined our family March 28th. She is SUCH a sweet little baby and had our hearts from the first hello! She is always happy, and is currently crawling EVERYWHERE, eating crumbs and other stuff she finds on the floor, and pulling herself up to reach whatever she can get to! She is the center of attention, always, and brothers and sister ADORE her! What a lovely closing chapter to the "Book of Morgan"!!

Anna will be 5 in February. She seems to think, however, that she's already 15! She has personality plus, and is a friend to all. She can go from playing with a baby, to chatting with a toddler, to conversing with a teen, to enchanting a grandma in a matter of minutes at church, and is completely comfortable with all of them! She started preschool this year, and informed me the other day that she'd kissed "Trey" at school 'cause he told her to! Yikes. Here we go!

Joey turned 8 in November and is in 2nd grade. He has the biggest heart I've ever seen. He is kind to everyone, and seems to be a champion of the underdog! I hope he hangs on to that. He loves Cub Scouts and playing soccer. He also loves to collect stuffed Cheetahs, but at this point he's got so many there's barely enough room left in his bed for him! He's on the brink of loosing front tooth #2 and will soon be singing "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth . . . !"

Tommy will turn 10 (holy cow!) in March. He's our Super Reader! I finally convinced him to start reading Harry Potter around Thanksgiving, now, three weeks later, he's almost done with book #5! He loves school, but wishes he could have harder spelling words! He also loves soccer and Cub Scouts - and is happy Joey has joined him because they really are good buds! Hope that lasts, too!

T.R. and I will celebrate 12 years this June! And no, this is not an engagement photo! Although it does look as though it could be! Kinda cheesey, but ya gotta have some cheese in your life ;)
T.R. is still Mr. Attorney Man! He enjoys it, most days, and is very good to leave the ick he deals with at work! Don't know how, but he does! He has been able to be involved with a few happy cases too, like helping a couple friends with the adoption process, etc. He was also put in the bishopric as first counselor in August - that's been kind of strange because it seems like such an "old man" calling! (no offense to any old men reading this!) But it has been good, and the "leaving it at work" talent has come in handy with this calling, too!
Because of T.R.'s new calling, I was released from Young Women. SO SAD for me! I've had a harder time letting go than I thought I would! Love those girls! But, it has given me more time to be mommy, now that I'm a church widow! Life is good. I still do a few weddings here and there, and like to surprise friends and neighbors with an arrangement every now and then . . . you can't go wrong with flowers!

We are so blessed with many wonderful friends, neighbors, and most of all family! It really is A WONDERFUL LIFE! Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Oh, Come Let Us Adore . . .

2008-12-10T10:47:00.006-07:00

Bethany and Rachel, sisters and my former Laurels, brought me this cake on my birthday! They found out I was celebrating with hamburger helper and no cake for dinner, so they decided to fix that! So sweet! The 4 candle is because I was celebrating the 4th anniversary of my 29th birthday, and because they know it's my favorite #! What cute girls, huh? And lest you think TR a bad husband who didn't plan a birthday celebration . . . he actually had, but we had to go to Tommy's school choir concert instead. Thus the Hamburger Helper instead of steak! It was a great day ;)

I believe this picture is self explanatory . . . but holy cow, how can he be 8 already?! And, no, there wasn't a flood - but the kid's so long and skinny that we opted for the jumpsuit that was too short, but fit his body, as opposed to the one that would've been long enough, but also would've floated right off of him!!

We had the Morgan family Christmas party at our house Sunday. Complete with a nativity scene! The unique thing about our nativity scene was that we had to wait for "Mary" to throw-up before we could start! Poor thing! But that's a story not everyone can tell, and she was fine the rest of the night! (As far as I know!) The kids looked so cute, and I even teared up a few times. It really is an amazing story, even when you hear it a dozen times a year!

SAY CHEESE . . .

2008-12-03T10:56:00.003-07:00

Sara is/has been trying her hardest to push those stubborn top teeth out! This is her smile lately, I assume she's trying to make us aware of her progress. Sadly, the progress is still not visible to the naked eye! But she sure looks cute when she cheeses! Teeth or no teeth!

Just a thought . . .

2008-11-21T17:39:00.003-07:00

If I could tell the world just one thing
It would be, WE'RE ALL OK.
And not to worry 'cause worry is wasteful
And useless in times like these
I won't be made useless
I won't be idle with despair
I will gather myself around my faith
For LIGHT DOES THE DARKNESS MOST FEAR.

Poverty stole your golden shoes
IT DIDN'T STEAL YOUR LAUGHTER
And heartache came to visit me
But I knew it wasn't ever after.
We'll fight, NOT OUT OF SPITE
For someone must stand for what's right
'Cause where there's a man who has no voice
There ours shall go, singing

My hands are small, I know
But they're not yours, THEY ARE MY OWN
I am never broken
In the end, ONLY KINDNESS MATTERS

We are never broken.
We are God's eyes
We are God's hands
We are God's heart

ONLY KINDNESS MATTERS, IN THE END.

-Jewel

This is the song I have been hearing in my head ALOT lately. Mostly after I watch the news. I really think everything will be okay, as long as we don't forget our neighbors. Our fellowmen. "We are God's hands" Now, go to.

EIGHT . . .

2008-11-12T00:18:00.008-07:00

Joey turned 8 on the 8th (AND it's the year '08 -love it!) and if I may just ramble on about this sweet little boy for a bit . . . he is truly a gentle soul. And if predictions hold up, he may end up a gentle giant! (predicitons being 6'8 according to his height at age 3 times 50% or some strange formula like that!)

Anyway . . .

He's been collecting stuffed cheetahs for about 2 years now. He loves each one, and has a name for all 16! Tommy decided to make him a cheetah blanket for his birthday, and as you can see, it was a hit! He decided that instead of using the blanket himself, he'd cuddle ALL his cheetahs in it! Unfortunately, this left little room for him!

For his 5th birthday, all Joey wanted was a Jack-in-the-box. I searched EVERYWHERE and could not find one. Well, I found one this year and decided to get it. I told him, after he'd opened it, that I had saved the receipt and we'd take it back so he could choose what he wanted, as I was just trying to make up for not getting one before! He decided he really wanted to keep "Jack", major reason being - - he loved making the clown pop up for little sister(s)! What a nice brother.

And finally . . .

He doesn't have his first scout meeting until tomorrow, but was/is SO excited for it, that he asked me at dinner, "since I have to go to scouts tomorrow, and I've never worn my uniform, would it be okay if I wear it tonight and maybe tomorrow after school so I can get used to it?"
So, on went the duds, and we spent the evening passing off his bobcat requirements so that he can go to his first den meeting having passed it all off! And he did "get used" to the uniform!
I love this kid!

Halloweenie . . .

2008-10-31T21:53:00.007-06:00

We had a very busy and fun Halloween! First we had a cousin party where we made stuff and played stuff and ate stuff! It was fun, but if you've ever had 12 kids (including two babies not pictured) ages 9 1/2 and under at your house for a Halloween party, then you know the chaos that ensued! But that's how you make memories, right?! Also, please notice the boy to girl ratio - - slight advantage to the girls!! A 9 to 3 advantage, to be exact! (if you include the 2 baby girls!)

Then, it was off to "Trunk-or-Treat"! Gotta say, I'm a big fan of the truck-or-treating! It's much easier for me to stand by my trunk and hand out candy as I watch my kids wander around a parking lot, than to have to go from block to endless block, only to hit a few houses of the people we actually know and trust! But man, I'd have wandered all night given the weather we had! PERFECT! I love it when you can wear your costume instead of having to wear a coat! Loved it! All in all, a very good Halloween. Now I must go 'cause the kiddos are sleeping and this is when I go through their bags to pick out the stuff I want!

You can drop my Mother-of-the-Year trophy off tomorrow.

Question of the day . . .

2008-10-30T12:00:00.003-06:00

While sitting on the couch folding laundry, Anna beside me coloring, I answered this question -

Anna - "Mom, when I'm 82 can I take my shower by myself?"

Me - "Yes."

Anna - "Thank you."

I am not ashamed . . .

2008-10-26T15:52:00.002-06:00

I admit it. I liked it. Alot. Song every eight minutes, cute 20- somethings playing teens, what's not to like?! Just bring some tortilla chips with you if you go. You'll need them to catch the cheese that drips from the screen.

So much to do, and obviously too much time . . .

2008-10-22T15:20:00.005-06:00

http://www.myheritage.com/collage

It's possible I've been avoiding the laundry/cleaning. But all in good fun! I would've killed for hair like that in real life! And how flattered am I that I supposedly resemble a MALE celebrity!! (has anyone ever heard of him?) Kinda fun - give it a try if you have laundry to do! Much more interesting ;)

And so it begins . . .

2008-10-21T15:26:00.006-06:00

Right now, Sara is at one of my favorite stages/ages . . . the one where she can sit up and play (with m&m wrappers, apparently!) but not go anywhere on her own.

But, as you can see, this is bound to change quickly - - and from then on, nothing is safe! Soon, she'll be finding the crumbs under the table that can't seem to find their way to the mouths of the other kiddos, and the sock fuzz left behind on the carpet. You see, the reason I don't like the next stage is that I actually have to clean or else risk the afore mentioned ending up in her mouth. Sigh! It was good while it lasted!

I had to hurry and get a picture of her in this cute dress on Sunday! It's the last time she'll wear it. She could barely move her arms because it's a little tight up top!

I made the mistake of sitting by the window with her during Relief Society and Sunday School. The sun was shining right on us - - it got SO HOT! So, I had to disrobe her and remove her onesie (don't you hate not being able to predict whether it'll be too hot or too cold at church? I guessed wrong this week!) then put her dress back on! So, the ward members sitting near us got a bit of a show -but I'm guessing it was nothing they haven't seen before! I also had to take the socks off! Aren't they cute? Socks with shoes built in . . . GENIOUS!

And in case any of you were worried that she might be missing, I believe I found Cindy Lou Who from Whoville!

7 weird things . . .

2008-10-13T11:10:00.004-06:00

How exciting . . . I've been "tagged" for the first time! Wa-hoo! I'm supposed to list 7 weird things about myself (narrowing it down was no small task) so, here goes . . .

1. I must have things in even numbers, which means you'll get eight weird things about me 'cause I can't have an odd 7 - in fact it almost made me crawl out of my skin to have the number 7 listed so many times! Which leads me to . . .

2. Crawling out of my skin - - I have what I call "bug spots". These are parts of me that I cannot even touch myself because it "bugs" me! For example . . . the top of my head, the top of my ears, the sides of my neck (can't wear necklaces!) the inside of my upper arm, my wrists, my belly button, the inside of my knees, the outside of my big toes, and the tips of my toes! WEIRD! In fact, just thinking about things touching those places makes me crazy, and seeing OTHER people touching those areas on themselves gives me chills. Yes, I know, the word is psycho, not weird!

3. I cannot fall asleep unless my feet are clean and the fan is on!

4. My favorite number is 4, and I will and have done anything necessary to make things even out to 4 or at least a multiple of. For example, my family's birthdays (in their respective months) are Tommy = 4th, Joey = 8th, Anna = 12th, TR = 16, and Sara = 28th! No small task, mind you!

5. I don't like root beer floats because once when I was younger I had one in the evening and then had a really bad nightmare that night. Haven't liked 'em since!

6. My food can't touch (unless it's supposed to, i.e. potatoes and gravy, casseroles, etc.) This makes for quite the juggling act at Thanksgiving since I have to have 4 plates so that the jello doesn't run into the mashed potatoes!

7. I like things between my fingers and toes - so I can't wear socks to bed, or else I'm unable to tuck the blanket between my toes! (see, I told you narrowing it down was difficult!)

8. The bonus to even things out - - I am unable to float in water, thus making it impossible for me to swim! I know you're thinking 'ya, right' but it is true! There is a genetic "thing" in my dad's side of the family called Dominant Endosteel Hyperostosis - - DENSE BONES basically. Anyway, makes it so I can't float! On the plus side, I've never broken a bone! WEIRD!

I now tag anyone out there brave enough to list 7 of their quirks (or eight, if you need to, too!) And yes, I will be seeking psychiatric help at some point!

6 Months and counting!

2008-10-08T18:40:00.001-06:00

This is Sara "cheering" when her brothers walked in the door from school yesterday! So cute! I said "yeah, look who's home" - - she heard "yeah" and knew what to do from there!

She had her 6 month check up yesterday, too. Drum roll please . . . 28.5" and 20 lbs. (Well, technically 19.91 lbs. I say close enough. My back and left arm would tell you it's more like 30 lbs. though!) And to top it all off - that's how big I was at 12 months! Watch out WNBA!

In her hands is the BEST pre-toddler treat ever! (A tip from my father-in-law) It's an empty ice cream cone! They basically disolve without coming off in big chunks! But even if a chunk does come off in their mouth, they can handle it without choking! I gave it to her while I was making everyone else's dinner and it kept her busy until I could feed her her dinner! Perfect - I highly recommend it! The best part is the price! One of her favorite toys is a diaper, and her favorite treat is an empty cone! It's gonna be a cheap Christmas at our house!!

Move over Sarah Palin . . .

2008-10-04T21:30:00.001-06:00

Well, I've done it. Somewhere in my 2-hours-of-sleep-daze (see post below) I've figured out the answer to the current economic crisis.
It's simple really. We just need our Senators and Congressmen to sell cookie dough, candy bars, and wrapping paper in a good old Washington style fund raiser! The proceeds go to the sinking lenders and crumbling Wall Street! Think of it! And the jobs that will be created . . . astounding! We'll need people to produce the product, PLUS we'll need people to deliver it! Economy boomed just like that!

Well, that settles it, I be a jeanieous!
P.S. Have I mentioned how much I hate fund raisers?
P.P.S. Party at my house at the end of the month - you see, I have $40 worth of cookie dough coming on the 26th! (sing with me now - - "I'm just a girl who can't say no" and my own kids weren't even the ones selling!)
P.P.S.S. "Wow, look kids! Santa left cookies for YOU this year!"
PPPPSSSS. This is NOT an endorsement for Sarah Palin. I mean c'mon. If I can figure it out, how come the "Hockey Mom Maverick" can't ;)

The opposite of fun . . .

2008-10-04T19:12:00.000-06:00

The past two weeks have been spent dealing with the dreaded CROUP. Absolutely, positively, NO FUN. It started with Anna. I ended up at the Dr.'s office with her. Now, I know what you're saying, "you don't take 'em to the Dr. when they have croup. There's nothing the Dr. can do." This I know, however, she sounded like an 80 year old emphasemic man enjoying his last cigarette. Scary. You could hear her gasping for breath in the back room from the front room. Apparently the fix for this is steroids. Yes, my 4 year old had 4 doses of 'roids. That'll come up in therapy later, I'm sure ;) Then, Anna decided to "share" with Sara. And so, here I write, two hours of sleep under my belt last night, approximately 4 the night before. Like I said, the opposite of fun. Six month old baby girls SHOULD NOT have to have the croup. Poor thing. Fingers crossed that tonight will be better. I really didn't know how much I appreciate my kids being able to breathe . . . oh, the things we take for granted ;)

Peaches and Pirates . . .

2008-09-19T23:10:00.000-06:00

I'm kinda "well pleased" with myself right now! (oh, who am I kidding? I'm PROUD of myself. I know it's evil, but dang it, I'm full of PRIDE!) Move over Betty Crocker and Molly Mormon - there's a new Peach Queen in town! (coincidentally, for those of you who know that there actually IS a Peach Queen or 'Miss Brigham City', the new one is T.R.'s cousin!)

I canned 9 quarts and 12 pints (could've done more, but I didn't want to go back to the store to get more bottles!) made 3 pies, and a month's supply of 'puree' or as we call it here 'baby food'! Not bad for free - - thanks Grandma! And . . .

Every year some friends of ours celebrate September 19th, International Talk Like a Pirate Day (yes, that's a real thing!) by having a Pirate Party! So, here we argh!

Sara looks a little boy pirate - ish, but still super cute! T.argh even rented his costume this year - complete with boot covers! And, what you can't see is what you should appreciate most . . . . I have fishnet stockings on! Yikes! But I was trying my hardest to be authentic, and I figured that most sea worthy wenches would be wearing fishnets! How else are ya gonna catch enough dinner to feed those swarthy mates?!

Holy cow . . .

2008-09-15T22:37:00.000-06:00

I can't believe I'm doing this, but it's been pretty slow around our house lately, nothing new and exciting to report - so I thought, "I know, I'll find the scariest picture I have of MYSELF, and wow all my faithful readers"! No, actually, T.R. finally put all of the pics from Sara's first days on our home computer and I stumbled upon this one (taken a week and a half before giving birth to my 9 lb. 3 oz. - 21" girlmonster!) and decided to post it as a way to further motivate myself to become an 'after' picture! I measured my so called "waist" the same day, and it had grown 15 inches! yah, that's not coming off without a fight . . .

Anna's Turn!

2008-09-05T22:57:00.001-06:00

Anna started Preschool on Wednesday! She told me she couldn't put her arms down because they were "awake and excited" - - thus explaining the JAZZ HANDS! Tommy and Joey never went to preschool, so this is new to us . . . but our neighbor 2 houses away does it in her home, so how could I not send her?! She has a 10 second walk to and from . . . not bad! Not to toot her horn or anything, but she can already read and do math, and use scissors without cutting her fingers off - so the preschool thing is mostly for the social experience! (mom can only be so fun for so long!) In her primary classes and at home there's just boys, boys, boys, so I'm hoping this will somehow help her to see that she's NOT the boss and that there are other princesses in the world who also need to be heard! Here's hoping!

Strawberries are sour . . .

2008-09-05T22:43:00.000-06:00

My cute Sara in the high chair for the first time - - seriously, can we please slow time down somehow?! I feel like I'm sending her off to college already, for pete's sake! (Please notice the Puma sneaks . . . a gift from one of my Laurels!) So STYLIN'

Now to feature what I believe to be a GENIUS invention . . . the thing in Sara's hand is a "binky" like contraption. The handle comes off and there is a little mesh bag that can be filled with fresh food (today it was strawberries) that baby can practice biting/sucking on without the danger of chokable chunks! Brilliant! Her favorite so far has been watermelon and cantelope - - the strawberries were a little too sour as manifested by her face! Luckily she doesn't seem to be allergic to anything so far. HMMM . . .What to try next . . .

What a weekend!

2008-09-01T14:50:00.000-06:00

T.R. took the boys for a quick trip to Yellowstone this weekend! (well, Friday and Saturday!) What a good dad!
The girls stayed home 'cause mom's not really ready to "vacation" with the whole brood yet!
It actually turned out to be a good thing we stayed because . . .

Sara spent the weekend with a cold AND a sore mouth from cutting her two bottom teeth! NO FUN! The "ice sticks" helped, but the poor thing couldn't breathe! She seems better now - in fact at this very moment she's sleeping (has been for 3 hours!) because she can breathe again! Phew. She's such a little angel . . . even though she was misserable, she was SO good at church yesterday! (yes, we had to take her - TR and I both had to teach, plus I was being released from Young Women :( so we needed to be there.) What a trooper! I just wish there was some way to explain to them why they feel so rotten at this age! Poor thing!

World's Best Big Brother!

2008-09-01T14:35:00.001-06:00

Don't let your little boys go to bed . . .

2008-08-26T14:29:00.001-06:00

'CAUSE THEY ALWAYS WAKE UP A DAY OLDER!

SIGH.

How did this happen? I have a fourth grader, and a second grader (who's as tall as my fourth grader!) First day of school . . . gotta love it!

For those who haven't seen us in awhile, Joey (2nd grade) is on the lefty, Tommy (4th grade) is the tighty righty!! Pretty handsome kiddos, if I do say so myself!

Yummy, Yummy says my Tummy!

2008-08-22T10:39:00.000-06:00

Sara will be five months old next week. With the other three, I waited until they were EXACTLY six months old to start cereal. But this time, I just couldn't wait anymore! If it looks like a six month old (she's actually 2 inches longer than JOEY was at this age! And according to my mom's records, she the same length I was at 11 months . . . 28 inches!) and acts like a six month old (she's been playing with spoons and making "eating" motions with her mouth for a couple weeks, plus rolling over both directions and nearly sitting on her own) it must be a six month old, right?!!

I'm pretty sure she was in there longer than she needed to be, and by all accounts could technically be older than she is! So, we started the rice cereal last night! SHE LOVED IT! She ate a bowl and a half! Which is good, because although she's longer than Joey was, she's nowhere NEAR his weight!! She only has one fat roll on her legs!! We've got some catching up to do ;) You gotta have 'em while they're still cute, right?!

The "this is good stuff" smile!

Taken at the tail end of the traditional mouth-full-of-mush sneeze!! Luckily the shrapnel missed the camera! EVERY baby must do this at least once a feeding, right!! My favorite is the mouth-full-of-peas sneeze! That one seems to do the most damage!!

Bad hair day . . .

2008-08-22T10:09:00.000-06:00

From the day Anna was born it was bows and frills - it just fit! Well, Ms. Sara is a different story! She looked silly with bows in her hair at the hospital, those headbands that ALL babies wear look absolutely ridiculous on her (I don't know if it's 'cause she has so much hair, or if it's that her face shape doesn't lend itself to that particular look? but really, ridiculous is the right word!) and I put a super fluffy, frilly, girly dress on her for church one of the first times we took her . . . it gave her a rash! An honest to goodness "I'm-allergic-to-this-stuff" rash!!

The other day, I decided to give it another try. Maybe she'd look okay with a little sum-em, sum-em on top . . . well, as you can see . . . not so much!! So, we'll stick to the "just woke up" look! She actually has the double cow lick going on in the back - the kind where one grows one way and the other the other way! So what we're left with is STRAIGHT UP and blowin' in the wind!! But, hey, it works! ;)

A glitch already!

2008-08-21T10:14:00.000-06:00

okay, so when I pull up my own blog, it only shows part of the first post - unless you click on the title on the right hand side! Then the whole thing appears! And, for some reason, all the comments are showing up without being prompted! I knew I was blog illiterate, but I figured the troubles would come later! Should've know it was too easy to be this easy ;) Or, maybe it's just my computer that does this - either way - this could be trickier than I thought!! But hey, if reading this kept you here long enough to hear the Barry Manilow song, it was well worth everyone's time!!

The first chapter . . .

2008-08-20T14:39:00.000-06:00

I promise this won't be all religious! But, as my first official post, and since I'm very new to this, I wanted to try adding an image not from my camera - - just for the "halibut" - - say it out loud and you'll get it ;)

Anyhoo - - this is probably my all time favorite Mormonad. The small print at the bottom says: IT'S OVERRATED. SOMETIMES THE CROWD IS JUST PLAIN WRONG.

LOVE IT!

Well that was easy . . . here we go . . .