Tea Time

Whats the matter with moms these days

2011-05-10T17:23:00.000-07:00

Grace got her dance evaluation last week, when I first opened it I have to admit I got a little angry.....OK, maybe for a second I was red hot furious. Shamefully, I admit, for a min I thought I am NOT going to show her this. You see, Dancing is Grace's favorite thing in the world. She takes lessons at The Dance Club in Orem and she is on a team this year. It requires A LOT of dedication.....she goes to dance for 5 hrs a week and more if there is a performance or competition. One week she spent 14 hrs at dance.....some of it was just waiting around at rehearsals and some was performance time....but still for a 6 yr old that is a BIG commitment. I have often felt torn at the amount of time she spends at dance.......but she loves it. Even when she is not at the studio she is dancing in her room. She never complains (but i do a lot, not to her, but to anyone else who will listen)....she has missed her birthday....family parties...ect, ect.....She has gone to dance sick, pretty much a requirement if it's a week before a performance....Yet I have NEVER heard her complain. She is dedicated.

So naturally when her evaluation wasn't perfect....I got angry. But then, I took a deep breath and read it again. It wasn't terrible, it was actually pretty good. And all the scores that were low.......well, when I read her teachers comments, I had to agree. So I sat down with my princess (who was eager awaiting her first report card ever) and explained to her, that this was a tool for her to get better and that it wasn't going to only say that she was perfect. And that she has to be able to take criticism if she want to be a truly good dancer. As I went through her evaluation with her, she handled it with nothing but "grace". She acknowledged her needing improvement in the categories sighted and she was pleased in the praise she got. Then she went up to her room to practice. I was so proud.

Well yesterday her dance teacher sent home a note. She felt the need to explain her evaluation, because apparently many of the mothers called to complain......many of them felt that red hot anger that I felt when I first read it and didn't take that moment to read it again. I understand how these mothers felt. We dedicate a lot of time and MONEY to this dance club. We sacrifice hours at rehearsals and buying costumes and finding all the hundreds of little things that they need in there bag at all times. We watch as our little girls work so hard for their teachers. I once watched as Grace sat on her knees on a hard wood floor for 20 min as the older girls in their number practiced their part.....all the little girls just sat there with their backs strait....waiting. So naturally we want the teachers to all say...."your time and energy and money has been well spent, your daughter is the most perfect dancer ever...the end".

But that is where the problem lies today....I think are children too often are shielded from criticism. They are told they are perfect in every way....everyone gets a trophy. I remember I once came to my mother and told her I was having a problem with a friend.....she didn't want to play with me anymore. I thought my mom would tell me that my friend was to blame......but, she didn't. She said " Sarah, it seems like that is happening a lot lately......maybe you should look at your behavior and what kind a friend YOU are".....At first I was mad. But then I realized she was right, I was at fault.

Self reflection and improvement could be one of the most important things we teach our children. They need to be able to take criticism and grow from it. I know I need to be better at this.....I need to learn to be less protective and more focused on making my children into competent, and independent men and woman. Just like Grace's dance teacher is trying to make her be a great dancer.

My Education

2011-05-04T20:38:00.000-07:00

I went to a Private School for first grade. My mother says I was the cutest thing ever and my teacher was a push over.....if I didn't feel like doing something.....I didn't have to. Also my sweet little brother Jake went to preschool there, he didn't like it much....so when he would cry they would bring in his big sister to calm him down. Needless to say when I entered 2nd grade in public school it wasn't long until my teacher showed up at our house (they did that way back then) to tell my mother I wasn't ready for 2nd grade. I remember crying in front of a mirror .....very dramatic! So I repeated 1st grade.....not a good start for my academic career....and it sort of explains my spelling.

I loved my second grade teacher....but that's all I really remember about it. 3rd grade was a disaster.....I talked ALL the time. We had these punch cards and if you got a certain amount of punches then you couldn't go to Lagoon at the end of the year......I was the ONLY 3rd grader who couldn't go. Cried in front of a mirror again.

In 4th grade I started a new school. I hated it and apparently I started eating my feeling because I got a little chubby. I had a hard time making friends. But we did make homemade root beer that year......so that was good. Oh and I was still flunking all my spelling tests.

5th grade was my most painful year! My brother told people my name was Bertha and in "big Bertha". I would chase boys around the playground telling them I wanted to marry them. My only friends were the other girl with hairy armpits and the girl who wet her pants once. (and if either read my blog....I was in the same boat) My grades were fine...but definitely not great!

6th grade I stated to thin out a bit....which made life easier. But my period started...and no one should have to deal with that on a mini toilet. I started to do sort of well in math, but spelling....not so great!

7th grade .......BOYS= bad grades! I got my first "boyfriend" but he tried to hold my hand, so we broke up.

8th grade......Boys= bad grades!

9th grade......high school boys = REALLY bad grades! My parents grounded me for 3 month until the next report card came out. I pulled my grades up. and I kept pulling them up! Ended the year pretty strong! But the biggest news of nineth grade was my "senior boyfriend" we never dated or held hands or anything....but he was my boyfriend. And he wore a cherry pie t-shirt and short overalls......Hot!

10th grade not much happened. Got pretty good grades and I was really into drama.

11th grade my only year of school that I actually felt really proud of. I got great grades....I was Jr class president. My first kiss (at 17....remember that children)

12th grade I just glided by.....I knew I wouldn't get into BYU so I settled on UVSC . And stopped trying. I took like 3 real classes then a lot of stupid electives. But I did have a lot of fun.

UVSC........well it had the hall of flags....or should I say the hall of distractions! I just would walk down the hall talk to someone and then miss class....not good. I was put on academic probation and the end of my second year....

Why have I told you all of this.....First to explane my sigh of relief and the PRIDE that my children do so FANTASTIC in school. They all take it seriously....Thanks in most part to my husband who is inches away from 2 PHDs....wow amazing example for my babies!! And because my kindergartner starts 1st grade next year and I will have 6 hours a day to myself and I am at a loss of what to do. I always thought I would have more kids....so now what.
Well I've been contemplating my education and weather or not I should give it another try. I am not a student....and I don't know if I have the ability to be one. But I don't think ending my education on academic probation is exactly the example I want to be to my children........

I know I'm a lot more then my education gives me credit for.......I just wonder how much more I could be with a little more education.......

Do I really need to say this again?

2011-02-25T07:55:00.001-08:00

As mothers don't we all get sick of saying the same things over and over and over and over again.......I sure do. There are some things that I have been saying almost every day since the picture above was taken, and I'll probably be saying these same things until they go on a mission or off to college. Let me share some of these sayings with you...

1. Do you have underwear on? Put on your underwear. Nick I just put away a week and a half worth of laundry and it didn't have any undies in it.....

2. GO TO BED! Quiet down. Go to sleep. ......Do you want 3 jobs tomorrow?

3. Gross.

4. Stop making that sound.....let's play the quiet game....whoever says another word gets a job.

5. Take the dog out....let the dog in....take the dog out.....let the dog in

6. Guys when you clean your room please put the DIRTY laundry in the hall......not the CLEAN laundry, only the DIRTY laundry....if I see any clean laundry you'll get another job...(needless to say I will go up the check said laundry and find clean clothes that are still FOLDED in the pile...seriously)

7.Brush your teeth....let me look and your teeth....you didn't brush your teeth ....go brush your teeth.

8. The floor is not a garbage.

9. Your bored.....I can find you some thing to do.

10. Gross.

11. Eat one more bite...three more bites....five more bites....BIG BITES...

12. Flush the toilet...who didn't flush the toilet....Gross

13. Throw away your paper plate but not your fork.......who threw away their fork?

14. Put on your coat....were is your coat....didn't you bring a coat to school

15. Wash those hand....wash your face....wash your FEET

16. Gross

17. put on socks....where are your socks...whats that smell, Joe i told you to wear socks.

18. who wants a job....because I have a lot of stuff I want done.

The list goes on and on.....I just thought i should record it so one day when my kids are complaining that their children don't listen, I can remind them that they didn't either. Of course I'm not talking about the princess.....she's an angel ;)

Valentines

2011-02-15T18:00:00.000-08:00

AHHHHHHH......Valentines day. A day dedicated to the ones we love. A day full of candy and flowers and love notes. MY day began with heart shaped pancakes, homemade syrup and some blood red eggs (they looked truly disgusting) ...........Welllllllll.....that's not really the truth, the day really started with a strong dose of Excedrin! And I don't think I would have made it through the day without it.
My little loves, loved the breakfast!

The night before Paul and I spent about 3 hours on the valentine boxes. Yeah I know we should let the kids do it, but we have set the bar pretty high as far as the boxes go....and we can't back out now. I even made a box for the princess, and midway through she informed me she couldn't bring a box to school. ....Oh well it's all about doing things for the one's we love right?
Both of the boys had a "romantic night at the movies" theme....Nick did a drive in and Jonas' did a movie theater. And of coarse both theaters were playing "Casablanca"!

Jonas' box was made with legos......and he had some funny guys on it. Girls with mustaches on dates with storm troopers. But the two pictured above were my favorite. But the absolute coolest thing about his box had to be that the Casablanca scene was legos as well...how funny is that?

After I got the boys off to school, I took Grace to get her hair cut. Don't panic we only took off four inches and it's so long right now that no one could tell a difference. Then we went and got Pauly a treat and also some supplies for Jonas' class party. Then off to the mall to pick up a gift for my nephew (for my mom's party). Then back to the school for the party. When we got to school Grace said she saw some classmate going to class and she should go with them....."No way" I replied class doesn't start for 45 min. I forgot it was early out day ( like it is every Monday) and so grace stayed with me at the party and was 40 min late for class. Good one mom! After the party I went out to lunch with Paul. He had to teach that night so this was our date...don't worry he had a whole 45 min to spare. You can squeeze a whole lot of love into 45 min at Smash Burger! After lunch I was headed home when I passed the kids school and notice my children standing alone in front ...( remember I forgot early out day). after school I took Nick to scouts, Grace to Dance, picked up 2 cakes for my mom, picked of Jonas from his scouts...picked up nick from his scouts.....picked up the kitchen....picked up Grace and then headed to my moms.
Every year my mom has a big Valentines dinner. She buys us a present and makes a fantastic meal. And it's funny but most of the time we all go. We don't go on dates with our spouses....we have dinner with our family. I love it! And with Paul working late...I was glad I could celebrate with people I love.

When Paul came home from work I was in bed already. You might be saying to yourself "ooh la la" but alas.....I was warn out. I had my varicose veins removed the previous Monday....so all this running around made me exhausted. And besides a scabby, bruised and swollen leg isn't exactly a turn on. So it wasn't the most romantic valentines day, but I did get to spend it with people I love and isn't that what it's all about?

Resolutions

2011-02-04T10:34:00.000-08:00

I was reading through this blog…… contemplating shutting it down. But I found it to be something of great value, not for you, not even for me, but for my children. How I would have loved to read my moms personal thoughts and feeling when she was a young mother and wife. I hope one day my kids will read this and get a little glimpse of what I was like when they were young. So on that note…. I will make a resolution to write more…and to write honestly.

I started out 2010 in a major funk. I was over weight, tipping the scales at 166….and for someone who is not quite 5’ 1” that is really heavy. I also wasn’t pregnant, which was something that I had been trying to be for 2 years. I was lost. Sad. Discouraged. It was like I was filling my empty womb with food. Then I decided I couldnt control getting pregnant but I could control myself physically and started my weight loss journey. I lost 51 lbs, and am a fit 115 lbs. It took almost 10 months to do it, and during that time I learned so much about myself. I realized that I am in charge of my happiness…it’s not dependent on my husband, or my children….but is my responsibility. I don’t know if we will ever have another baby. Grace is six and as the gap gets larger my desire for another one gets smaller. I never in a million years could have imagined having such a small family. But you can’t predict your future…and would you really want to?

So now I begin 2011 without a resolution to loose weight, and that’s a first. Instead I am going to have to focus on making harder changes. Like working on my spiritual and religious self. It’s hard to be in a marriage with someone with different religious views…but I can’t hide behind that any longer. I use Paul as my excuse for being lazy…and that’s not fair to him. I used to find such peace in scripture study and prayer and now I have a void wear that use to be. So I will step it up and I’m sure I will be happier for it.

I would also like to start taking pictures again. It’s sad when you stop doing something you were once passionate about. I not only what to take more photos, but I would like to take another class, and really work on developing this hobby into something great. I find such beauty through the lens of a camera. Not only when I am looking through it, but when I see what others have captured. I love everyone’s photos on facebook and blogs. You can see how much they love their kids or how beautiful they find this world around them.

I would also like to….cook more, clean more, spend less, practice more patience, eat more healthily, tell more jokes, make more friends, give more of myself to others, be more charitable, more kind …………the list goes on and on and on. But I know there is one thing I can never be and that’s perfect, so I will take it one day at a time. So today maybe I’ll pray and charge my camera battery.

I would like to say one more thing before I go. I am happy, really happy. I’m not saying life is perfect or simple, but I am excited for what’s next and proud of what’s behind me. And you can’t ask for more then that.

Oh boy, its been a while!

2011-01-31T17:42:00.000-08:00

Park City Fun

2010-08-29T01:22:00.000-07:00

We took the kids up to Park City the other day. The boys wanted to do the Alpine Slide, but Grace wanted no part in that business......so we walked around and took pictures of my darling princess.

I took a picture of Joe too....this was the best I could get. Nick is like a Animal in the wild....near impossible to get a picture of the bugger.
Got some shots of Paul, he loves having his picture taking......not that I blame him, he's HOT!
Grace said.."Mom take a picture of this face!" .....I love that face!
Paul putting a band aid on......sweet.
Grace telling Paul a secret.....sweeter.
Nick on the bungee thingy......he was all strapped in, no way to run away this time. He loved this thing, but he's so light he didn't always make it back down. But he did get some flips in.
Jonas DID NOT love this thing...at one point he yelled out.."Mother, you know I don't like heights."......he only calls me Mother now, I have flashes of Buster Blooth.
The kids enjoying their treats at the end of our adventure....notice Grace giving me a nice smile and the boys refusing to look in my direction....sigh.

P.S. the surgery went well and I am feeling fine. It actually was one of the most relaxing weeks of my life. the kids were gone....and I just sat in bed all day watching tv and movies....but mostly sleeping....and I never sleep. In fact it's 3 am right now and I can't sleep......

Do your ears hang low ?

2010-08-14T19:23:00.001-07:00

Warning- for to two men that sometimes read my blog (Grandpa and Noah)....you might want to skip this one.

Do your boobs hang low? Do they wobble to and fro? Can you tie them in a knot can you tie them in a bow? Can you through them over your shoulder like a continental soldier.....do your boobs hang low?

Well mine do....so on Monday I'm going to remedy that situation. Yup that's right I'm getting the first surgery in a 2 part series. You may be asking yourself "why two parts"? Well I'll tell you... when the plastic surgeon took a look at them you could see fear in his eyes...and he let out a small gasp. Then went on to explain that to fix these babies properly I would have to get a lift and a reduction first and a implant 4 months later.

Now you may be asking yourself "Why in the world is she telling me this?" The answer is simple...number one, I don't want people wondering if I got "something" done...I'd rather just be up front about it. 2nd I haven't written anything in my blog lately and this is the most exciting thing to happen for awhile, so why not.

Back to the surgery, when I scheduled the procedure a month ago I asked my mother and my husband if they would be around that week. They both said yes....well 2 weeks later my husband informed me he would be traveling that week and would miss the whole thing. I insisted that he be there for the actually surgery but he is leaving the next day. And my mother told me 2 days ago that she had to go out of town to help my brother find a place to live in NY while he goes to school. I have to say when she told me that ... I cried a little bit, the idea that to two people I depend on were not going to be there scared me to death. But luckily my AWESOME sister in laws Diana and Maryanne are going to take my kids during the recovery and my mother in law will be there to help as well...she so great! My sister Liz has also offered to come by and make sure I'm ok. This is when you have to LOVE having a large family, so many people who are willing to help in your time of need... even if that need is selfish and a tad bit superficial.

Even though I am scared of the pain and the idea that I am going to be alone through the 3 or 4 days after.... I'm excited for the results. the last 6 months I have worked really hard to change my body. I'm 2 lbs away from loosing 40 lbs and I'm in the best physical shape of my life....but this will be the icing on the cake. My breast have been a sensitive subject for me for a long time....even my mother has spent hours trying to find a bra that will make them sit in the right spot. The only thing I will miss is being able to get BIG laughs describing them to other woman.....but maybe I wont miss that either.

Jonas' Birthday

2010-07-13T10:01:00.001-07:00

My first born has hit the double digits......I have been a mother for a decade. I can't believe it. From the moment my 8lb 11 oz baby boy was placed into my young, inexperienced arms I knew my life had been changed forever.
I don't think there has been a day since Jonas was put on this earth that he hasn't made me laugh almost at much as Paul's tank top.
He is so so so funny....any of you who follow me on facebook...or read this blog have had a small taste of his comedic guineas. He is also incredibly smart....top of his class.
He's a great brother. He went shopping with his grandma Kathy for his birthday and she said he insisted of getting his brother some batteries he's needed and a treat for Nick and Grace as well. This year in school he was student of the month..his certificate said he was nominated for his compassion. I thought that was so cool, that even though he does so well academically, where he really shines is how he treats others.....What a stud!
All his Birthday dreams came trues when he got to spend the day at 7 Peaks with his dad and Nick. And when he got his dream gift of a Nintendo DSi......He's happy and were broke! It's what birthdays are all about.
Grandma and Grandpa Mecham brought over their new dog Izzey.....she loved the cake.

The princess was so grumpy she didn't even want cake....she has a sore throat. But she did yell that she said happy birthday to Jonas "like a million times"! I guess one more time wont hurt ......HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOE JOE!

Why haven't I blogged?

2010-04-28T09:28:00.000-07:00

Why haven't I blogged? That's a question I have been asked a lot lately....the answer is simple, I've been trying to lose weight. I know some of you are saying that I could blog and diet at the same time....but it simply is not true for me. I have found that this goal of loosing weight, that has been escaping me for the last 5 years, takes all the focus, energy , and determination that I have in my body. And it wasn't until I came to this conclusion, that I have made any progress at all. Now I spend my life in exercise clothes and am eating things that bring me no joy but that are good for my body.....but it will be worth it. I already feel better and look better. I have lost 20 lbs.....can you believe it....20 freaking lbs in 2 months.

Any one who knows me may be wondering "how did this happen?" .......the answer is that I don't really know. One day I was eating takeout with Paul and watching the biggest loser....and as I watched these 500 lb people work so freaking hard, sweat pouring down their faces, crying and barfing but pushing through and sticking to it. I thought if they can do it...I can do it. The next day I signed up for weight watchers....even as I write that I feel embarrassed, I know I shouldn't but I do. I lost 3 1/2 lbs the first week and that was it, I was on my way!

Now this isn't a Weight Watchers commercial....I only really did it for a month (but I had done it before after I had Nick and lost 25 lbs) now I still use the tools and I might go back to the meetings if I slip back into the bad habits I had before. I would also like to add if there is any one reading this who has thought of joining WW ...do it. And do it the right way go to the meetings I'm being a bad example. But what has really changed my life is exercise. In my whole life I have NEVER been one to work out. I HATED it!! But something has changed....The first thing I did was go to a spin class with Paul. The first time I sat on that teeny tiny bike seat....I thought there's no way I can sit on this thing for an hour. But i did..and it was HELL! I'm not joking I left that class black and blue...and more sore then I have ever been. I couldn't do all the things the instructor asked of us.....not even close, but I kept peddling and swearing under my breath and shooting dirty looks and Paul. But I thought of those people on the biggest looser and I realized that pain and sweat is part of the deal. So the next day I went for a run even though my body hurt like crazy......I was sore for a month......that's not an exaggeration. But I stuck with it, and pushed through the pain. I never thought I could do that.

Now I go to spin every Tuesday, and I keep up! I still get sore when I go to Power Pump on Thursday and I can't run very long...but every day I get stronger and push myself harder. And as I write this I am getting a little teary.....I'm really proud of myself. I've lived in a body I have hated for so long...and I never believed I could change. And I'm changing.....not only am I losing weight, but I am becoming a more confident person....strong. I'm not saying that it's still not a challenge. I love food and I love to bake and my family is starting to protest the lack of cake and cookies around the house. I still fall from time to time....only now I get back up and ride off on a spin bike. I have 25 more lbs to go before I reach my goal. I know I can get there......I didn't know that before.

2010-02-05T18:56:00.000-08:00

I want you to take a min. and look at the picture above......THAT'S my Nicholas! That face totally defines him. He is a happy kid who loves life. This year Nick has started so many new things.....he started gymnastics and is doing so well he has already moved up a class. His small physic and strong muscles (I'm not being cute, he really is strong) make him perfect for gymnastics. He also spends his life upside down, he watches TV in a headstand.....such a cutie!
He also started snowboarding this year and Paul says he's AWESOME. Every Friday night he asked if he is going to be able to sleep because he is so excited to go snowboarding the next day.

Nick has always had his own style.....he wanted a shark tooth necklace this year. I searched and searched and finally found one. Doesn't he look awesome.
Nicholas' cake was so funny....and probably the grossest looking cake I've ever made. But it actually tasted delicious.

Nicks birthday was on a Sunday....doesn't he look sharp?
We had a birthday dinner at Grandma Kathy's .....she made one of Nicks favorite dinners, Tortilla soup. And I made all of his favorite deserts, cheesecake, peanut butter bars and chocolate cookies with white chocolate chips.
Besides the shark tooth necklace all nick really wanted was an electric guitar and some lessons ....and that's what he got. I can't wait to see him rock out!

ewww sick

2010-01-29T20:47:00.000-08:00

So I had a goal this week......I was going to make dinner every night and I was going to do all my shopping for those meals on Monday. Well today is Friday and I did it! Now, I cook all the time and I usually make a family dinner at least 3 times a week, but I thought it might be more economical to only go to the store once the whole week. And it was, I just hated being tied down to these 5 meals. But what really wore me out was the constant complaining...."WHAT is this...it looks gross"...."Mom why did you make this, you know I hate shrimp"......."Do I HAVE to eat my salad".

And tonight....the last night of my weekly meal plan....I lost it. Paul came home and said he was going to the Jazz game with his friends, so he wasn't going to eat. The kids eyed the shrimp casserole I had made with squinty disgusted eyes. Even I didn't feel like eating it, I had been thinking about it for five days. So after watching my children take tiny nibbles and then act like they were going to barf.....I dumped the whole thing in the garbage and started to cry and said that none of them appreciated me......but the kids had already left when they saw me turn around and dump it, so poor Paul got yelled at. He didn't do anything really, I was just mad (and on my period) so bad luck for him. But he's at the game right now so don't feel too bad. And I just finished making Nicks Birthday cake and I know he will appreciate that.

So in the end I don't think I will do anymore weekly meal plans....I don't know what I was thinking.

Isn't she lovely .....

2010-01-22T17:15:00.000-08:00

So my baby is 5. I don't want to believe it.. but I am lucky. ...Before her birthday I told her that I wasn't going to let her grow up and she had to stay my baby forever. ....Her response was this...."Mom how about you let me grow up, but I'll stay your baby forever" . Then she stuck out her little hand and said "deal". Happily I shook it. The rest of the day she laughed about how when she's a grandma I will still want her to sit on my lap...or how I will carry her up to bed when she's a teenager.
One of the things I love the most about The Princess , is how often she tells me she loves me. I mean, who wouldn't love that. All day long she hugs me and say's thing like....
"I like you so much...your the best mom ever!"
"I have to tell you a secret", she cups her hand's around my ear and leans close and whispers "I love you the most".
Or little things like "your a good driver"..."I like your dress"...."I'm lucky because your the best cook ever"...
She walked in on me the other day going to the bathroom and she said "Mom you have a big bum", then quickly added "but I like it". I laughed so hard..such a funny sweet little girl.
I can tell Gracie is growing up by the list of presents she gave me...
1. REAL makeup
2. a new dress
3. a charm bracelet
4. a Michael Jackson hat and gloves (she is a HUGE fan)
There wasn't a toy on the list :(

She is also a FANTASTIC reader. She is whizzing through the books the preschool sends home. We were in the car the other day and I asked her to spell SIT ...she spelled it very quickly and asked me to give her another.....she ended up spelling at least 20 words (without help) correctly on her way home....she is so freacking smart.
She picked out this mermaid cake from a book I have....I think it was the funniest cake I've ever made.
I couldn't help but put the candles in her bra....yes this is how I amuse myself.
Grace is a big Michael Jackson fan. She watches his videos and tries to memorize his moves. I think this move is from bad, I love the expression on her face...priceless. I love this girl more then words can say, and no matter how much I express my dismay and her getting older.....if truth be told I am excited to see the woman she will become, I just wish time would go a little slower.

The freaking bane of my existence!

2010-01-12T19:32:00.000-08:00

LEGOS..........my days are filled with picking up, stepping on, organizing, putting together, vacuuming up, sorting by color..shape.. genre and oohing and awing over hundreds of Legos. For Christmas my boys received over 6000 Lego pieces.

They each got at least 3 major Lego set ups. Jonas got 2 sets that each had over 2000 pieces. Now I love this toy, they make the kids use their brain and their imagination......but man, they drive me crazy!
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My major problem with them is the organizing of the Legos. I mean really were in the fetch do I put all of these millions of lego pieces. Paul refuses to let me put them together in a big bin. The new Legos ( I am told) are to be put together then taken apart and stored in their own bin. But all of the MILLIONS of old lego pieces I have to orginize by color. I have to save all the instruction, we have booklets for over 25 lego sets......I know this post is boring but my Legos and driving me Loco.

The power of Santa!

2009-12-18T10:30:00.000-08:00

One of the best parts of Christmas is Santa....not really Santa the man, but more like Santa the Leverage...the dark cloud..the coal toting,present hording Santa. I love holding the threat of Coal over my children's head..telling them that Santa is watching and is thinking of withholding mountains of toys from them, it's pure power!! And I will use, and yes sometimes abuse this power throughout the months of October, November and December. I also get to enjoy a lot more "alone" time with Paul...if I just say six words "we need to talk about Christmas" we can get a good 1/2 hour alone....oh yes, Christmas is magic.

Yesterday I picked up the boys from school, when they got in the car I asked them how their day went. Nick said "something bad happened at school today."

Me:"What?!"

Smiling Nick replied: "a girl in my class did something mean, and she does this ALL the time"

Me: "What did she do...do I need to come down to the school and teach her a lesson :)"

Nick: "She told on me, and got me in trouble in front of the whole class"

Me: "Nick....what did you do?"

Nick, very innocently replies: " I just sang her a song.."

Me: "how did this song go?"

Nick,laughing uncontrollably now sings: "boys go to college to get more knowledge and girls go to Jupiter to get more stupider."

The whole car is now in hysterics...even I am laughing. Then I stop and explain to Nick he is the one that looks stupid because he's the one with bad grammar...I mean "More Stupider" that's not proper English. All he did was prove that girls are smart and boys say things like "More Stupider". We then proceed to drop off some dry cleaning..Nick is not happy about this, so I promise him a treat when we are done. I leave the kids in the car and run into the cleaners...When I come out I see Nick leaning halfway out of the car yelling..."my mom eats poo"! When he see's me coming he ducks back inside, and is giggling like a little girl. I realize it's time to pull out the Santa card.

Me: "Wow Nick, I didn't know you liked coal that much."

Nick: "What do you mean?"

Me: "well obviously that's all you want for Christmas...I mean, your teasing girls at school and yelling that your mom eats poo out of the car window...I just figured you love coal and that's why your trying to get that for Christmas instead of presents"

Nick " oh man...are you serious"

Me: "yeah...but maybe, just maybe if your good for the next 8 days Santa will bring you a present or two...but I don't know, you've been pretty bad."

Nick: "Do i still get a treat at the gas station?"

Me: "Sure, but only because it's probably the last thing your ever going to get."

Then I look in the back of the car a notice my sweet Jonas is crying.

Me: "Jonas whats wrong?"

Jonas: "I don't want Nick to get coal for Christmas...and I'm his older brother I should be trying harder to teach him to be good."

I love my Joe what a sweat heart. Then princess Grace chimes in...

Grace: "I'm always good...right mom?"

Me: "right my princess angle baby."

Oh my gosh I just read through this, I sound like a pretty ridiculous parent. I didn't really get upset at Nick for teasing a girl in class, I didn't really even get that mad about the yelling that I eat poo out of the window. But getting angry really isn't my style (unless, it's totally necessary). And besides isn't Christmas about joy and love. Oh, and Nick has the sweetest face in the entire world...he just makes me smile.

So Merry Christmas everyone....I hope you all get as much joy out of this season as I do.

Favorite song lyrics..

2009-12-02T17:57:00.000-08:00

The other day I was driving along and a song came on the radio…It was Slip Sliding Away by Paul Simon. The following lyrics brought tiers to my eyes…it could have been my time of the month or maybe lack of sleep, but either way I LOVE when songs do that.

I know a woman
Became a wife
These are the very words she uses
To describe her life
She said a good day
Ain't got no rain
She said a bad day's when I lie in bed
And think of things that might have been

Anyways ….it made me start to think, what are your favorite lyrics? I really want to know. Paul doesn’t really get into a song lyrics, he is more into the musical quality. But for me it’s all about the lyrics. The following song is my favorite song ever…Passing Afternoon by Iron and Wine …the lyrics are the most beautiful….so I told you mine…..What’s yours?

There are times that walk from you like some passing afternoon
Summer warmed the open window of her honeymoon
And she chose a yard to burn but the ground remembers her
Wooden spoons, her children stir her Bougainvillea blooms

There are things that drift away like our endless, numbered days
Autumn blew the quilt right off the perfect bed she made
And she's chosen to believe in the hymns her mother sings
Sunday pulls its children from their piles of fallen leaves

There are sailing ships that pass all our bodies in the grass
Springtime calls her children 'till she let's them go at last
And she's chosen where to be, though she's lost her wedding ring
Somewhere near her misplaced jar of Bougainvillea seeds

There are things we can't recall, blind as night that finds us all
Winter tucks her children in, her fragile china dolls
But my hands remember hers, rolling 'round the shaded ferns
Naked arms, her secrets still like songs I'd never learned

There are names across the sea, only now I do believe
Sometimes, with the windows closed, she'll sit and think of me
But she'll mend his tattered clothes and they'll kiss as if they know
A baby sleeps in all our bones, so scared to be alone

The mishaps of frumpy shoppers in fancy stores

2009-11-30T10:45:00.000-08:00

I don’t know if any of you know this but we moved 3 days before Halloween. During the landscaping of our yard they cut the cable so we had to call Comcast to get a new one installed, they said they had to do it Wednesday or we would have to wait until November 12^th……well Paul can’t live one day without Cable so we had to move 3 days before Halloween. Did I mention that I was throwing a party for about 40 people the Friday before Halloween…..so needless to say it was a stressful week, but I pulled it off. So when my mom asked me if I wanted to go to San Francisco for a couple days’s to do some Christmas shopping I happily said yes.

I thought it was going to be a vacation, relaxing, eating great food, and maybe even see a movie. I knew I was in trouble when I got in the car with my mom to go to the airport and she started reading her list….it went on and on, and that’s when it hit me……we are shopping for 30 people!!! Then after she finished reading the list she said…” you know how we are both trying to loose some weight, well I was thinking maybe we should just eat lunch everyday and nothing else.”….so the great food was cut by a third. Suddenly it dawned on me this was not a vacation at all but a business trip, there would be no relaxing, not as much eating as I would have enjoyed (call me a pig if you like, but that is what vacations are for) and there would diffidently not be any movies, I forgot my mom doesn’t see them.

When we got to my parents house in San Fran we put down our bags, went to the bathroom and then my mom said “let’s go to Macys”. So we were off. We first tried the Lexus but the battery was dead. So then we tried the mini van (which smelled like rotting carcasses and sour milk) but its battery was also dead. Last but not least it was the Maida…a stick shift…in San Francisco. I was slightly terrified as I pulled out of the driveway onto the steep hills of San Fran. Our first stop was the Men’s Macys to look for shirts and ties. There are 11 men in my family to shop for and my mother likes to get them all a shirt and a tie. Now your thinking ….no big deal, grab a couple of shirt and a couple of ties and your set. But no you’re wrong, mother carefully picks out a shirt she likes, and then she tries to figure out which brother its best suited for …..She then gets out her list of sizes, and sometimes she even pulls out her little measuring tape to make sure the sleeves will fit just perfect. Then we try to find a tie….really I found this to be the most painfull thing about this trip. My mom takes the shirt around to the dozen or so tables of ties (each has about 100 ties on them) she picks up the ones she likes, puts them up to the shirt, keeping her favorites to compare to the other ties on the next table. It really was amazing to watch the thought she puts into each shirt and tie. Amazing and maddening. That night we shopped for five hours, we got home at 7 and watched some Jeeves and Wooster in her bed and when to sleep.

The next day we were downtown at 10:00 sharp (sans breakfast) we shopped and shopped. Every gift we bought was thought a lot about, some things were put on hold in case we found something better and then we would return and pick it up if we decided it was our favorite. We stopped at Janie and Jack ( a children’s clothing store) and I think the word cute was said at least 1000 times in the 45 min we spent there.

For lunch we went to Neiman Marcus, it’s a San Fran tradition. Let me take a moment to describe what my mother and I are wearing…I am in jeans that I have been wearing for 3 day’s and they are getting pretty sad looking, I have on a t- shirt and a cardigan that’s sleeves have bagged out . I am sporting my old running shoes (comfort first) and I am carrying a tiny PLASTIC Macys bag. My mom is wearing some Nike capries and her hefty walking sandals a dress shirt (she looks better then I do, but not much). The reason I mention this is because Neiman Marcus is sort of fancy and has I sit there waiting for a table I marvel at all the statuesque beauties in there designer closes with their designer bags. To make matters worse I order a hamburger the ladies at the next table are all eating salads and as I dip my French fries into my ketchup I am feeling a little trashy. But luckily my mom and I start laughing historically at all of this, and I am glad I am not fancy but that (like my mother) I am a relaxed person with great ability to laugh at myself.

But now that we are on the subject of how my mom and I looked while we were shopping, can I just say …we got no respect. While shopping for shoes my mom and I both had our arms full of shoes, and no one would help us. I am shore they were “thinking those frumpy ladies won’t be buying very many, but they are going to want to try on everything”. At Bloomingdales I had upset stomach and had to find a bathroom…only a really trashy lady would have diarrhea in a Bloomingdales ….needless to say we got no respect there either. We ended our day at 8:00 pm…..we had shopped for 10 hours!!! But we got a lot done. The next day was the same another 10 hours of shopping. Then on Saturday we wondered around Fillmore and Union looking in all the little shops (again getting no respect) we had lunch at a Chinese restaurant and then caught our plane.

It defiantly wasn’t a vacation….but I had a great time with my mother. I love her more than words can say. She is so thoughtful in her gift giving it shows how much she cares about all of the people in her life. I learn from her every day…..oh and I lost 2 lbs, I guess just eating lunch has its plusses.

The new house

2009-11-23T10:03:00.000-08:00

So I moved, you all seemed interested in hearing about it so I will tell you.......I moved to a far away place called, Orem. Yes I know that's only about 7 min from were I lived before but to my family it's like I moved to Alaska or China. Though those 7 min to make a big difference, my kids no longer go to school with 6 of there cousins. I can no longer call Maryann or Diana when I need someone to pick up my boys in a pinch. No one stops by any longer....which is a good thing and a bad thing. I have to say that when my mother would stop by at nine a clock in the morning and my house was a mess and I was a mess...it was not my favorite thing. But when she would come by at 2:00 and take my kids for a little while...I did enjoy that.

Well back to the house...we looked at this house about 3 yrs ago when we first moved back to Utah. We loved it but decided to wait.....when we started to look again at the beginning of this summer the house was still on the market but had been remodeled a bit. They had updated the kitchen a little and re carpeted and painted the inside with some terrible colors. So when we bought it the first thing to do was repaint and put in a new master bathroom......my dream room, the thing I have been waiting for. I LOVE baths, and in our old house there was no real tub, and I shared the bathroom with three kids so it was always disgusting, but not my new one. I love it, it's a dream come true! I had a lot of fun with my house....picking out the colors was the funnest and the most stress full thing. I thought you might want a peek so here are some of my favorite room and some of the most crazy colors..
this is my bathtub.......oohhh the joy! The wall paper and the tile in the bathroom are my favorite things about my new house.
My purple master bedroom......I have the best, most secure husband ever! You can't see it but in the corner I have a black and white floral chair....it almost pushed him over the edge.
My aqua carpet in the formal living room is also something I love. I was so scared to do this, but when they put it in I loved it and I could breath again. We are still waiting for a chair and some accessories but when it's all done it will be FAB.
The previous owners had this poo brown paint in the basement with an even darker poopier trim.....the candy apple green brightened things up a bit don't you think.
Paul's office......I let him do what he wanted in there, it was my compromise for my purple bedroom.
Grace and Nick want me to show you their rooms....

Here is the Princess' bedroom...Pink, pink, pink.....she has a loft and a little hidden room and her very own bathroom. Oh the joys of being the only girl.
Nicks room is not quite finished..but I had the contractors put a little shelf trim around his room, because nick like to collect nick knacks and he needs a place to put them.

Jonas wanted RED and boy did he get it! We are putting a big black and white print of NYC on his wall above his head to break up some of the red......but the room is totally Jonas.

Well that's the house. I love it, and I can't wait to make it my home.

HELP!!!!

2009-11-13T17:22:00.000-08:00

So I know I need to update my blog, but so much has happened I don't know were to start. I've moved, we celebrated Halloween (to busy to take pictures), we had a big party, I went on a trip with my mom, and my kids have started a new school. I am only prepared to write about one or 2 of these events.....tell me which one you would like to here about, or maybe you think I am to lazy to be a blogger ( your probably right) but feel free to tell me that too. Just give me a place to start and maybe I will get inspired. And if nobody responds I will take it has a hint and stop blogging all together.

fearless fishermen

2009-09-28T16:26:00.000-07:00

Grandpa and Grandma Mecham took us fishing Saturday. The boys were so excited.....the girls, well...not so much.
But we put on happy faces, and Grandpa bought a pink fishing pole for the princess; so that helped.
Jonas caught the first fish,and it was a beauty.

Here and the MEN reelling in the second fish....their skills really impressed the ladies.

This is Grace BEFORE she cought her fish.....
This is the princess after..........dead fishies are both sad and scary.
Jonas and Nick were proud of their haul....you can't tell from this picture but we caught 4 rainbow trout and one cutthroat.

Grandpa is to thank for all the fish....he know all the secrets; I was very impressed. We also need to thank Grandma, for all the tasty treats.
This is the happiest Grace was all day....Going home.

I got my blood pumping!

2009-09-17T08:51:00.000-07:00

IT’S A MIRACLE!!!! Paul and I went out on a date last night, we had a night out on the town (or at least a couple hours).I have to admit when Paul asked me to go meet his friend Jaron …who is in town from Paris,( ooh la la isn’t he fancy) I was reluctant….. First of all I had a young woman’s activity that night so we wouldn’t even be heading out the door until 9:00. Not to mention that going to a dive bar to sing karaoke after being with the young women didn’t mesh well. I was also PMSing big time, which also meant I am not Pregnant, so that pissed me off. What I am trying to say is that I was in a bad mood. But Paul’s powers of persuasion wore me down and I agreed to go out.

I lightened up when we walked into the place and Jaron was there, he’s the funniest guy, and he and Paul always make me laugh. When the karaoke began I knew I would be there a lot longer then the promised 10:30 deadline. Paul and Jaron LOVE karaoke. First Paul gets up and sings “Try a little tenderness” and between his perfect pitch and his awesome hitch kicks….he nails it. Then Jaron up and he sings “La Woman”…and you could have sworn that Jim Morrison himself was in the room. Between Jaron and Paul’s many, many, many songs I am forced to listen to some terrible singing by all the BYU students that have invaded the establishment. After listing to all the off pitch renditions of some of my favorite songs, I start to gain a little confidence in my abilities. I think….I can sing better then THAT. So I asked Paul to sing a duet with me.

When I take my first step onto the stage I know I have made a HUGE mistake. My heart is pounding and I am getting sweaty……and I know I have already broken the first cardinal rule of karaoke …”show no fear”!!! And as Paul places that microphone into my shaking hand and the music begins, I know it’s going to be a disaster. The first notes out of my mouth are shaky and best. Someone yells “Get off the stage”…I think about it for a moment…could I get away with just setting my microphone on the floor and walking off. No I have to finish, so I try to get some courage and I belt out “well you just roll over and turn out the light”…but the voice that comes out isn’t mine…it has to be someone else’s because it is just awful. The audience starts to get bored and decides to tease us by yelling “kiss” kiss”…..I probably should have just kissed Paul, at least then my mouth would have been shut….. But I don’t like to do that in front of people. The fact that I am not kissing my husband starts to be even more awkward than the singing….but Paul lightens up the crowd by saying “this is what marriage is….if you want kisses stay single”. Finally the music ends….the torture for me and the crowed is over, and as a slink back to my seat….Jaron informs me that someone said to him, “Don’t you wish they had a trap door sometimes”. I tell Jaron I sure wished they did. It would have saved me from myself and from the guy currently singing a Creed song.

I wanted to leave right away….but I stayed and slapped a smile on my face and tried to enjoy the rest of the evening. When we got home that night at 12:30 I still felt humiliated….but the more I thought about it, the more proud of myself I became. Yes I stunk up the joint and embarrassed myself…..but I tried something new and I did something scary. I got my blood pumping and that’s always a good thing!

Embrace Uncertainty

2009-08-28T10:32:00.000-07:00

So I was watching TV today and there was this guy who was supposed to be the end all be all on spirituality. Ellen asked him what his goal was this year and he said…”I want to learn to embrace uncertainty”…….At first I was like WHAMMO …..that is just what I need to do, I need to embrace all the uncertainty in my life. That would totally solve all my problems.

Any of my readers who have known me for a long period of time, know that I had a plan for my life…I was going to marry a nice conservative republican, Mormon and live in Utah, stay at home with my kids and raise a nice little family. When I met Paul I thought WOW…this is the guy, a return missionary, a teacher at the MTC, he even asked for back issues of the Ensign for Christmas. Well a few years into our marriage we moved to California so that Paul could get his PhD in psychology. While there my honey went through some major life changes that through me for a loop. I found myself no longer married to a conservative Mormon….but to a liberal atheist. As you can imagine such a major life change is hard on any relationship, Paul may have changed, but I did not.

I don’t really change….not to any major degree. I am like an old bachelor….set in my ways. I was raised by parents who beat certain principles into my head, and they are there forever. So when all these things that Paul was going through came to the surface…. I have to say I did not handle it well…..I was angry and resentful, but mostly scared. I was scared that my children would miss out on the upbringing that I found so important. I was scared that my relationship with my husband would never be the same, we disagreed about everything, politics, religion, the way our children should be raised.....to say the least it was hard. Looking back I wish I could have been more understanding about what Paul was going through, I am sure it wasn’t easy loosing your identity and having to totally redefine yourself. But at the time I was too blinded by my own feeling to see that.

The thing that pulled us through is our sense of humor….the ability to laugh. It was all to often that we would end a hard day together in bed watching our favorite comedy …and laughing together. Humor is that one thing that we will always have in common….it’s the tie that binds. Now 6 yrs after the first question of faith…..and the change from Rush Limbaugh to Bill Maher….our marriage is better, not perfect, but better. I think that we are more honest with each other and have more of an understanding of what we are both feeling. But there is still a lot of uncertainty….Which brings me back to what that guy said about “embracing uncertainty”. When I really started to think about it, I realized it was a really stupid thing to say. You can sit at home and tell yourself, I am going to be at peace with all the things that are yet to come….but when they do come you will not always want to embrace them (nor should you). Life is full of surprises and not all of them are pleasant. I think the best we can do is learn to live with the changes and fight like crazy to keep the things that are important to us.

Paul and my marriage are important, so I am willing to make the compromises that will bring us closer together. I love so many things about Paul, he is a great father, a good provider, a smarty pants and mostly a great friend to me and I am willing to fight to keep him abound. Making sure my kids go to church and are raised in the gospel is also important to me, so I will take them to church on Sunday by myself, and do my best to instill those principle in them…and at the same time teach them to not be judgmental of others. And that everyone has there own life to live and we need to respect other people’s choices. It is a delicate dance. I just hope that in the end Paul and I will have raised some amazing kids who are able to look at their parents and know that they love each other and they didn’t just give up when things got hard but fought hard to keep the promises and the family that they made.

Grace 06

2009-08-11T20:32:00.000-07:00

I was sick of that sad picture so I put this up instead. It makes me happy just looking at it.

Forgive me for being down....

2009-08-05T21:01:00.000-07:00

Do you ever get sad….I have been sad lately. I don’t really enjoy it. I am usually a very happy person…..I don’t let the stresses of my life get me down, but lately I have been feeling low. It’s not depression, I don’t feel hopeless or down on myself….I just don’t really feel like myself either.

I would like to blame it on the recession….staring at the tuna at the supermarket, wondering if the 70 cents you are going to save buying the cheep stuff is worth the soggy, dark meet, tuna sandwich you are going to eat later. Then you tell yourself you will just feed it to the children ….but that’s not right...Is it? Now that’s depressing.

Or realizing as you bite into that chicken/ pork hot dog that the Jews are really the only people that have any business making hot dogs (Nathans kosher hot dogs are the best) and Western Family ketchup is so tangy and just not the same as Hines.

I really don’t think that’s it though ….I have a blessed life. I just went to Costa Rica for free! How great is that. I think that is were it all started, I came home and had to get back to the real world…why can’t I just live at the Four Seasons? I don’t think that spending 9 days in a swimsuit was good for my self esteem either. But besides wearing the swimsuit, it really was a fantastic vacation…….housekeeping and room service and beaches and family and nice restaurants.

You all hate me now….I am depressed because I had to come home from a 9 day vacation at the Four Season. Wow that does sound bad….I had better cheer up quick! Thank for letting me vent, now that I am feeling a little foolish, I will make a bigger fool of myself by posting some pictures of my awesome trip.

These first couple photos are from the annual Bryson Gualala trip...I thought I would just throw them in there.

This is what the nightly dinners look like....I think we had 25 of my family members on this trip.....but the more the merrier in my opinion.

From Nick down it is all Costa Rica...such a beautiful place and what a fun trip!

Some Cakes...just for fun, or to show off, your pick!

2009-08-04T12:37:00.000-07:00

Well awhile back some oh you asked to see pictures of my cakes...so here they are! They are not perfect but they are fun and great memories!

The Jones is nine.....I can't believe it!!!

2009-07-28T14:07:00.000-07:00

The other day Jonas was asked to give a talk in primary on prayer. He told me he wanted to prepare it himself, so I gave him a scripture to use and he went in his room to practice. On the way to church he told me he was ready and said he was just going to share some experiences from his life were his prayers were answered. So naturally as I sat in the primary room I was very eager to hear is talk.....and this is how it went.....He first shared his scripture and then he said " now I would like to tell you two times in my life where my prayers were answered.....One day I had a terrible stomach ache, it was so bad I didn't even know what I was going to do, so I said a prayer......and then right after I went into the bathroom and had a HUGE Diarrhea and it made me feel soooo much better!!" When I asked him why he shared that particular story he said "Adults tell funny stories in sacrament meeting all the time....it was appropriate wasn't it?" I laughed and told him it was fine.
That story epitomises my Jones....He is smart, independent, spiritual and very, very funny! Bringing Jonas into this world was a lot different then Nick....Jonas didn't fly out of my belly, he had to be pushed and pushed and finally pulled with huge tongs (and by the sweat of my drs brow) into this world. That should have been a warning to me about how the next few years were going to go. He cried all the way home from the hospital....that's when I knew I was in trouble. Here are a few of the things Jonas Hated when he was little....
Bouncy Chairs, Baby swings, any sort of spontaneous movement, cameras, loud noises, quiet, people, being outside, baths, and bugs! When Jonas was 2 we took him to Gualala on a huge Bryson family trip...he cried the whole time. The only thing that would quiet him down it watching the sound of music....he probably watched it fifteen times when we were there, my family still talks about it.
Jonas was a difficult child but a very funny one as well. He makes me laugh every day, and has since he was little. I can't believe he is nine. It blows my mind...it was just yesterday that he was 18 months and we were walking around the circle reciting the words to HOP ON POP....I would say a page and he would say a page...so cute. This last year has brought about a lot of changes in my Joe...he learned to ride a bike (something that used to terrified him)...he jumped off the deck and into the pond in Gualala....he did the zip line in Costa Rica and he ignores me most of the day. He has grown up, he no longer the fearful little boy he once was ..... I am so proud of him.
Well lets get on with it....we were home for one day in our 3 week vacation, that day was Jonas' birthday. So it wasn't very elaborate but it was fun never the less. He had a Lego Birthday cake.......

Grandma and Grandpa Meacham came over......Jonas' middle name it Alan after Paul's step father.
He got some Lego's from his parent and a really cool cruiser bike....It's black with flames on it...so cool.
Here are the Top Ten things I love about Jonas
1. He is SO SO funny.......Have I mentioned he's funny?
2. He's really smart
3. He sleeps in tightie whities every night and wears a red robe in the morning to cover up.
4. He also sleeps with ear plugs and a mask (which is funny because he also wants the door open and the bathroom light on)
5. He reads a lot
6. He is so nice to everyone
7. He is a great piano player
8. He is in love with Britney an will tell anyone who asked (he says she is the only one in the world who is allowed to push him on a swing)
9 He has never been afraid to be himself....never!
10. He wants to be a brain doctor and a children's author.

Summer time killers

2009-06-26T15:00:00.000-07:00

Jonas, Nicholas and Grace all posing for the camera....getting ready to scooter up to Bridalveil Falls!
Grace LOVES to pose for the camera...first we have the sweet face pose..
Her "I'm to hot to trot" pose...(she really is just putting that face on for the camera, she's not grumpy....just COOL)
The classic "over the shoulder" pose
The "sassy dancer" pose....
And the "Hello Boys" pose....
Nick looking cool in his shades....
Rock climbing and wedgies...

" A rock for an eye...Jonas your so crazy"
Scooting back to the car....
And last but not least Jonas and Nick complaining about the stench coming from the porta potties and them talking about how the toilets have to be extra big so they can fit all the poop!
These two pictures were taken at Cabelas ....another summer time killer!

Jonas...another funny quote!

2009-06-19T08:09:00.000-07:00

The kids had a sleepover this week. The biggest plan for the night was the 1:00 AM bed time!! I didn't think that in a million years that they would make it, their normal bedtime is 8:00...but they did make it! Even the princess made it to 12, and she asks to go to bed at 6:45 every night. Well at 1:15 the house is quiet....the kids are sleeping! I close my eyes, start the drift off and I hear a knock...It's Jonas, he can't sleep. I walk him back to bed and tuck him in. This happens 2 more times....then I hear him in the bathroom, pretending to vomit .....at this point it's almost two and I am getting very angry!!!! I take him into my bedroom......so I wont wake up the other children with all my yelling.

I explain to him that he will never be able to sleep if he keeps getting out of bed.

I tell him that he wont be able to have a sleepover ever again, if he doesn't go to bed.

I say, that I have trouble sleeping ever night and how would he feel if I woke him up every 5 sec to tell him that I can't sleep.

Then he says.." Mom you need to stop talking because you are making me feel like I don't even exist.....like I am not even a person....It's like I am not even here!"

Well I want him to feel like a person, so I soften up a bit and he comes and sits next to me in my bed....I soften my approach, but I by no means am ready to stop my lecture ( we are both delirious with sleepiness at this point) I continue by pointing out that his younger siblings are asleep...so maybe they will be able to have a sleepover again, but he will have to miss out because he wont go to bed. ( I admit that was a bit below the belt).

He looks at me and says ..." I think I am going to faint, because of all the HORROR!!"

You may be asking yourself ....what is the HORROR? Did he watch a scary movie.....did he have a bad dream....did he hear a strange noise? No.....I am the HORROR! I busted up laughing, and so did he...

Then he gets all cozy under my covers...props his head on his hand ....looks at me with his red sleepy, big brown eyes and says...."I just wish there was one place in the house, that was really cozy, that I could sleep."

So I turn of the light and he falls asleep in about 1/2 a sec. He snores like a rhino for about an hour...then at 3:30 I take him back to bed. I didn't fall a sleep until almost 5..(but you didn't see me waking him up)

First hike of the summer...

2009-06-15T09:47:00.001-07:00

Here are some Photo's from our fist adventure of the summer....The Dinosaur Discovery Park! Or like we like to call it...The Dino Debacle. First of all we thought it was only 2 hrs to Vernal.....the picture above was taken during the 3rd hour of driving. Paul was giving Nick scratches.
When we got there the Museum/fossil exhibit was closed down for renovations ( I wish they would have posted that on their web site) but we could still take the hike.
Here are the kids setting off on the adventure....
Grace is already tuckered out.....it's been about 2 min.

Cactus are cool...
Grace and Jonas showing off a bone (rock) they found in the trail...
Grace showing everyone another bone she found.....it went on and on like that for a mile.

We stumbled upon a huge mud slide, so we made clay creations....even Paul joined in on the fun.

AHhhhh love!
It started to poor on the way back to the car....no one was too happy about it. I was wearing a white T-shirt so a picture of me would have been x-rated.

Luckily I had dry cleaning in the back of the car...so the kids all drove home in silk shirts.....doesn't Nick look pretty!

Are you only young once?

2009-06-12T19:54:00.000-07:00

Paul and I were laying in bed the other night, he was reading one of his DEPRESSING novels and I was lying there with my book on my chest...staring at the ceiling fan. Paul looked at me and said "do you want to talk about something?". " No, I'm just thinking..." I replied. "sigh...Although, Do you think I have lost all my ambition....or have my opportunities to be ambitious just dwindled." All Paul could really say was ..."What?!"

You see, as I was staring at that terribly ugly ceiling fan, I was reminiscing on the girl I was in high school. Earlier that day I had stumbled across an old photo album. I couldn't help but marvel at all the photos of me staring at the camera with total confidence....a complete love of self! So that night as I lay in my bed I thought of the girl I used to be. I was ambitious....I had dreams. For example when I was young I wanted to be in a musical more then anything....so when I got to high school I tried out every year and, didn't make it...until my senior year...I was Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. I sang in front of hundreds of people! How the hell did I do THAT? You can't even get me to sing karaoke now! I also can't believe I kept trying and year after year I didn't even make the chorus ....but I never gave up.

I was Jr Class President...I remember the day I signed up to run for the office. I was asleep in my algebra class, something startled me, so when I woke up all my books fell on the floor. There was drool on my face...I laughed. The boy next to me was picking up my books..( he was new, but was very popular already) he noticed my registration form and asked me what I was running for, I told him I was running for Jr class president......he said he was too. Then he Laughed, and said (in a very snide tone) "good luck". You see I fell asleep in algebra every day..I had fallen out of my seat on multiple occasions and drool was no stranger. So this guy thought that I was no competition.....I wiped the floor with him. ( on a side note, he ran against me for student body president and won by a land slide). But what I marvel at more then winning, is the fact that I knew I was going too...even when he laughed at me, inside I was thinking he was such an idiot and that he didn't know who he was up against.

Really that story epitomizes who I was back then....A total nerd, with a butt load of confidence. In PE I had to bat at the same (special) spot as the down syndrome girl in the class. They used to call me "fall down girl" because I was constantly tripping on my shoes...the reason was I had to wear shoes that were a size to big, because of my super wide hobbit feet. I would blast my footloose soundtrack as Annie and I would belt it out at the top of our lungs in the school parking lot.....but I didn't care. I NEVER cared what other people thought of me. I didn't care that I had no rhythm....I would dance my heart out. I didn't care that my boyfriend went to another high school. I didn't care that all the "popular" kids hated me when I put "mods" and "nerd" in charge of events, when I was in student government. I Loved who I was!

Now the question is....do I still love who I am?................Yes. I can say that with complete confidence. I may not want my picture taken all the time. I also may want my pose to be just right...no more head on......face forward shots for me. (At least not for now). But I do like who I am.

With that being said, I do worry that I ( as a lot of mothers do) get so lost in caring for my lovely, loud babies.....that I don't take the time to go after my dreams. Those dreams that find me in my quiet moments. The ones that whisper....go back to school, study photography. ....Or...open your own bakery......Or....put that doughnut down, and go to the gym and get the body you deserve. I love myself but I have lost that drive and confidence of my youth...I have to get it back! For heavens sake I'm only 32!!!!

Romatic Getaway?

2009-05-31T20:19:00.001-07:00

Paul and I recently decided to go on a "romantic" getaway to beautiful Malibu California. Unfortunately the couple's trip we had planed....turned into a boys trip, plus me. Now I was raised with 8 brother, so being around men is fun for me. But this trip just didn't turn out like I thought it would.
Instead of romantic walks on the beach with Paul......I was forced to take photos of all their tom foolery.

I did get to see my husband without his shirt..(that was on my 'Romantic Getaway' list of things to do)
But I also had to see him without his shirt.....
And him.....
We were able to go out to fancy sea side restaurants.....All five of us...
You might be wondering were Paul is.......wait for it.........
Oh yeah he is arm wrestling the Russian at the next table.....lovely!
We listened to romantic music......wait did I say we.....I mean they.
I thought that maybe Paul and I would get a little physical in the bed room (if you know what I mean....wink wink)
But the boys just got physical in the kitchen.....I really didn't get this one.

At least one of my dreams were fulfilled....I was serenaded , beach side by 4 thirty year old men......It was a dream come true.
Don't feel to bad for me.....in all sincerity I love these guys. Even when Paul and I broke up when we were dating ....they stuck by me. It really was a fun trip, but Paul owes me one romantic getaway! ( And Idaho doesn't count)

Jonas.....my loverboy and Saturday swinging

2009-04-11T18:32:00.000-07:00

It’s a typical Sunday at the Bryson house….we are all sitting around chatting about this and that. I was sitting on the couch next to my sister Liz, Jonas was laying his head in my lap and my mom was sitting on the coffee table. Liz was telling a funny story about how she was at a Jazz game with a group of people ( mostly boys) and she was complaining because she had kissed almost everyone in the group….The point of the story was she needed a new group of people too hang out with (fresh meat). Well throughout the story Jonas had just listened quietly….and while my mother was voicing her disapproval of all the kissing, Jonas cried out “What a lucky group”!!!

That is my Jonas….he is defiantly a lover not a fighter. I am going to have to watch this one closely, he is ALWAYS in love (have I mentioned he’s only 8). Here are some Jonas Quotes on love…..

“I can’t wait to get married, so me and my wife can kiss for like 5 hrs at a time.”

“Mom, today at school there was a ballroom dance assembly, and some of the kids got to go up on stage and practice the Cha Cha Cha….I looked to see if Britney was up there but I didn’t see her, if I saw her, I would have ran up there in a heartbeat. But I wouldn’t have wanted to dance the Cha Cha Cha…I would have wanted to dance to a song that had the word LOVE in it.”

Jonas “When I’m sixteen I am going to invited lots of girls to my birthday party, and I’m going to kiss them all.”

Mom “Honey I know I said that I wanted you to wait until your 16 to kiss anyone, but you really should only kiss the girls who are your girlfriends”

Jonas “OK, then I will make all those girls my girlfriends BEFORE the party”

“Mom I told Britney today that we needed to go to the same Jr. Highschool…highschool and collage so that we can make sure we get married some day.”

When Jonas was in 1^st grade I got a call from the principal, he informed me that Jonas was kissing a girl every day after lunch…..when I asked Jonas about it he said “Well I didn’t want to be rude.”

So that’s my Jones…he is in love with love. But he is always dedicated to one woman and for the last TWO years it’s been Britney.. ….According to him she is “the love of his life” Well we will see about that.

Grace informed all of us this afternoon that she wanted to have a "Dance Party"......Well there is nothing us Warners love more than a good old family dance off!! The pictures arn't the greatest, but you get the gist I'm sure.

Grace is ready for summer!!!

2009-03-20T14:44:00.001-07:00

Grace got a new swimsuit from Grandma...her 4th this month!!! I know.. I know.. I spoil "The Princess". But in my defense all her old swimsuits were so last season....and 2 sizes too small!! These poses are her own...she looks a little like one of those crazy baby beauty pageant girls...but still too cute!

Stop being so perfect

2009-03-08T20:38:00.000-07:00

I was in relief society, when a friend of mine came in and plopped down next to me. She let out a big sigh and said something like…..”My biggest problem is that I compare my self to people….I look around this room and I feel so blah.” I took a look around the room and saw nothing but geriatrics. But I told her that you can’t know who a person is by what they seem like at church. We are all dressed up… behaving our best. We shower are kids for the first time that week. She went on to tell me that she feels overlooked in our ward. She was bothered that a new girl in the ward (who was only like 22) was called to be a relief society teacher…she said she had been on a mission and was older, yet she was not even considered. I told her she didn’t know that….maybe she was considered but she had a new baby…ect ..ect. Well the class started and the relief society president stood up and was introducing all the visitors ….she looked at my friend and asked her if she was new in the ward (she has been in the ward for about 2 years). I leaned over and said “I don’t think you were considered”

I felt bad for this friend, but the more I thought about it, I realized that I feel bad for woman in general. We do this to ourselves far too often….we compares ourselves to each other. I remember when I was in relief society in my San Diego ward, and a lady stood up and said she had visited a friend who home schooled her 7 children ….she said that her friend never raised her voice or got angry at her kids…and now because of her friends example she never raises her voice either. I remember thinking that that story was ridiculous….even if it was true that this lady NEVER raised her voice….do we really need to hear about it. Do we need to feel guilty that we yell at our kids from time to time? As Dr Phil would say “Let’s get real”! We are all flawed. Even our friend who seems to always have perfect parenting stories on her blog….is a brat sometimes. No matter how much facebook flirting someone does with their husband….they probably fight as much as you do with yours.

Take me for example…..here are some of my deep dark secrets that you can’t see when I am dressed up in my Sunday best.

My kids say that after 8:30 that I turn into “MAD MOMMY”
I feed my daughter dino nuggets far too often
My left breast hangs a good inch lower than my right one.
On any given Saturday you can find my oldest son in tighty whities and a red robe until about 1:00 in the afternoon. ( the robe isn’t always a part of this lovely lounge ware)
I go to weight watchers.
I sometimes turn a blind eye to the hours of Spongbob being watched.
Cereal is considered an acceptable dinner.
My sons fingernails sometimes look like the dragon lady.
I have shoved chips under the couch when I heard my husband come home.
I have taken a nap in the gym parking lot. (more that once)
I roll my eyes at my husband WAY too often.
I give crusties to skinny girls.

I know you all thought I was perfect….well the cats out of the bag now. So let’s all just chill out….lets embrace what we love about ourselves and not stress so much about the things we are trying to change. I also would like it if some of you ladies who read my blog could change some thing about yourselves to make me feel better.

Annie-Please stop keeping your house so clean, not one room in my house has ever been ½ as clean as your whole house on any given day. Also if you could try not to be such a talented singer, writer and anything else you try. ….that would be great. Ohh and stop making friends …it just puts a spot light on how socially retarded I am.

Lori- Please stop loosing weight and running all the time. If you run that marathon with Paul I will have to kill myself….Love ya.

Kristi- Please stop writing books….I mean really who does that.

Alisha- Please stop being the cutest pregnant lady on the planet. Oh and if you could stop being so charming all the time ….I have never known anyone so delightfully fun. One more thing no more pre pregnancy bikini pictures you look far to perfect.

Auntie Donna- Please stop being so on top of everything. If you could also stop taking such fantastic pictures that would be great….they just but my photo to shame….and you don’t want that, do you?

And to anyone else who reads my blog….just stop being too great. Gain a little weight, be a little lazy…..let things go a bit. Do it for me. ……Of course I don’t mean any of this, I want you all to stay just as you are, because you all inspire me. Your talents blow my mind and make me want to be better.

Here is one more flaw of mine, I never know how to end my blogs…..so good by!

Nicholas is 7.....Hallelujah!

2009-02-04T18:10:00.000-08:00

My Nicholas......where do I begin? I guess the best way to explain the essence that is Nick is to start at the beginning. One night Paul and I were feeling frisky and.......just kidding. I do, however, want to tell you the story of his birth. At 11:30 on January 30th I was laying in my bed, feeling my stomach tighten and release. The contractions were not that consistent but they were painful. As I sat there feeling the excitement that only comes when you are about to have a baby.....Nick started kicking, not little cute kicks but strong hard soccer like kicks. Then after one particularly painful kick, I felt the strangest feeling in my stomach, it was like a ripping sensation....and then trickle of water. I thought I might be peeing myself (as pregnant woman do from time to time) but when I stood up there was a huge gush of water. Needless to say, we were at the hospital 30 min later. I was in labor for about 6 hours, without progressing very much. The nurse came in and checked me, I was almost 8 centimeters dilated. The nurse thought it would probably be another 2 hours and she left the call the dr. Well not 15 min later I felt unbelevable pressure...I told my husband I thought that Nick was coming out and that he would have to check. Finally Paul was persuaded and he ventured down to have a look at that dark and dreadful place....and guess what he saw...Nicholas' head! He ran out into the hall screeming for a dr....but there was none to be found. The nurse had to call a code white ( while begging me not to push) soon a dr showed up....he was a PODIATRIST! But he caught Nick just in time....though fear was all over the poor mans face!

That is my Nick.....he loves every second of life! He pushed his way into this world, so he could live every second of it. I love my sweet Nick. Two of the first words he learned as a Baby was "out" and "go"! When he was about 11 months he would point at doors and shout "OUT" or "GO". He just hated or should I say hates sitting still. Not in a out of control way, he is just a guy who loves activities! That is why, when I asked him what he wanted to do for his B-day I was not supprised when he said he wanted to go to Idaho and visit his "best" cousen Shelby.

He wanted to have a snowbording cake......we couldn't find a snowborder so Paul bought a GI joe to go into the snowbord we had. If you look closelly he has blood on his face. So funny.

After we opened presents, we went bolling...here is Nicholas getting a good stretch in before he conquers the lanes!

Not everyone had as good of a time as Nick. Shelby threw her ball into the gutter 3 lanes over, and got a little embaressed, but in the end she had a great time. The Princess just didn't get enough sleep the whole weekend, and was a mess the entire time.
Well here are my top ten things I LOVE about my Nick!
1. He dives wholeheartidly into any and every activity (besides cleaning his room...he hates it....I can't even describe how much he hates it... but I love that too it is so him)
2. He can do a fantastic flip...he flips off diving boards, tramps(the playground equipment), couches..you name it!
3. He taught himself to hoola hoop and jump rope! His hoola hooping skills really are amazing!
4. He is so kind to his sister. I get emotional just thinking about it. He holds her hand when they cross the streat to go on thier walks around the col-de- sac. He teaches her how to play games and write her letters. He will even play dolls with her when she needs a playmate. He has a great heart!
5. He is hilarous...his favorite jokes are poo poo jokes, of course.
6. He has my feet! It was one of the first things Paul said when he came flying out of my belly!
7.He puts together some fantastic outfits.....he loves getting dressed up!
8.He is a great dancer....for a ward tallent show he sang "Schools out for summer" and danced and did cartwheels ...it was Awesome!!!!
9.He loves being outside...especially when he is throwing a ball around with his dad (He has his Dad's looks with his Mother's sensibilities).
10.His big brown eyes and huge warm smile.

p.s. I also love his boney hugs. He has no fat on his body so when you hug him it is like hugging bones and muscle.."he has big muscles"

Happy Happy Birthday Gacie Dear!

2009-01-23T10:11:00.000-08:00

The day my baby Grace was born, I had such a feeling of completion. It was like I had just given birth to the other half of myself....I know that sounds strange, but there is something about having a daughter that is such a gift. My mother said that when she had me she had a feeling that I would be a companion throughout her life, that is how I felt, well feel about Grace. She is already such a friend to me, and I am thankful for her everyday!
Some of you may have heard me refer to Grace as" The Princess " now let me tell you how that came about. When Grace turned 3 we decided to put her in a big girl bed.....well as I was looking for a bed for Grace and I knew she would probably have her own room, because my husband seems to be dragging his feet when it comes to giving me another baby. So I got her a full sized bed, and since the bed was so big I had to move her out of the nursery and into the toy room. The boy's were slightly put out by this idea and wondered why Grace got a big bed and got to move into the toy room. ....so jokingly I said because she is "The Princess". The boys thought that was funny and so from then on we have called her "The Princess".

Every Birthday we start off with Birthday Pancakes! they consist of Buttermilk Pancakes, whip cream and sprinkles and of course a candle to top them off.

Grace and I had fun all day bringing cookies to her class, buying balloons and the decorations for her cake.
Now lets talk about her cake. I don't want to brag but I have made some pretty fantastic cakes in my day, her cake was not one of them. The first thing that went wrong was the frosting I had never made this particular recipe before and it tuned out not to be very thick (but it was tasty). I thought that if I just frosted the sides of the cake with it that it would be OK but it wasn't! By the time we got back from Chuck-E-Cheese it had crushed all the Ballerinas, but it was delicious.

I will end this blog by writhing 10 things I love about my Gracie girl
1-Her hair.
2-She calls her brothers "Her Boys".
3-She tells me that she wants to go to bed at around 6:50 almost every night.
4-She loves to sing...the songs from Wicked, Enchanted and High School musical 3.
5- She loves to dance.
6-All I have to do to punish her is to threaten to give her a mad face, and if I ever actually have to give her a mad face , she will take her little fingers on the corner of my frown and try to push it up into a smile and if that doesn't work she will break into tears and apologies for her bad behavior.
7-She want to have a baby(sister) almost as much as I do.
8-Sometimes she will start crying and I will ask her why and she will say "I don't know" so I will tell her to go to her room and shut the door until she is done, and she does it with no argument, then she come back down stairs with a smile and announces that she is done. It really is so cute.
9-She is smart ( she read her first book last month)
10-She is a great friend.
Sorry if it seems like I was bragging too much, but what can I say....I am a mother we do that sometimes.

Pretty Pretty Princess

2009-01-06T19:43:00.000-08:00

Gracie got a great game for Christmas it's called Pretty Pretty Princess, and she LOVES it. The only problem is that her siblings are boys, so it is hard to get a group together. Well one day the boys were feeling very sweet toured there baby sister and they agreed to play it with her. Guess who won and who lost.

2008-12-30T18:38:00.000-08:00

We had a Christmas party at grandma and grandpa Mecham house on the 23rd and that is how we started out the Christmas party marathon. The real Santa always comes to Grandma Sherie's house, the rumor is they dated once. The kids get so excited for her party so that they can experience the real thing!We celebrated Christmas Eve at my Parents house. Every year on Thanksgiving we pick pixies, and then throughout December we give our secret pixies little presents. Then on Christmas Eve we reveal who our pixie is and give them our last big gift. It is so much fun, maybe even my favorite thing about Christmas!!! {>

Then Christmas morning it is back to the Brysons for the huge Christmas unwrapping! My mother declares every year that she is going to scale back but she love us all to much to do that. She really does create the most magical Christmas morning ever!Well that is how our Christmas celebrations went over.............we had a great time, but I am still tired from all the festivities. Hopefully after the New Year I will ketch up on my sleep and loose a few inches from my waist.

A White Christmas

2008-12-19T19:32:00.000-08:00

I hardly ever just blog about my day......well some would say that I hardly blog at all, but I had a very sweet day. So in the spirit of "Counting my Blessing" I am going to share my lovely day with all of you.
I didn't have much hope for a good day when it started. I woke up grumpy from a lack of sleep (my brother-in-laws car alarm was going of every 40 min, He and my sister live in my basement.)Well I pulled my body out of my bed at 7:20...my children were all playing in Graces room with the door shut, so I snuck into a hot shower, that was my first blessing. Since it was the last day of school before the Christmas break, and considering that it was only a half day, I took my time getting the kids ready. We even stopped at the store before school to buy poinsettias for there teachers. They were 15 min late. It was sweet to watch the boys running into the school holding these huge flowers, so excited to give them to there teachers.
Grace and I then ventured off to the Grocery store on the way she stated " I like it when it's just us girls, the boys are stinky but don't tell them" We both laughed and started saying all the different smells the boys have...poo poo, farts, garbage, ect....But then she got quiet a said that the boys don't smell that bad, maybe they smell like Cinnamon and the girls smell like flowers. I told her she was probably right.
At 12:30 it was time to pick up my boys, as I pulled up to the school they were jumping up and down..yelling at my car across the parking lot. When they got into the car the excitement was palpable. It was defiantly Christmas fever! As we ascended up the hill to our house I decided to take a right instead of a left and go visit my mother. My sister-in-law Maryann was pulling into her driveway at the same time, she had her 3 kids and I had mine so we decided to make them all sing a carol for my mom...unfortunately my 24 year old brother answered, he wasn't quite as delighted as my mother would have been. I have to say that it is defiantly a blessing to have my family so close. Maryann's son is 9 months younger then Jonas and 9 months older then Nick. They go to the same school and are in first, second and third grade.They play at recess and call each other the 3 musketeers. Her daughter and Grace are 5 days apart and are best friends, they play together almost every weekday. But I am getting off the subject of my day. While at my moms house the kids played with her train, they looked in excitement at her HUGE Christmas village, then ran into the big room to marvel over the massive magical Christmas tree, all covered with tinsel. I don't know anyone but my mother who still puts tinsel on the tree....I LOVE IT!
When we got home the kids wanted to go play out in the snow. I usually HATE getting them ready to play in the snow, but not today. I would like to say I was was feeling so full of love that it was a pleasure to serve them, but the truth is it was probably the Excedrin I popped at my moms. As I bundled each of them up I couldn't help but feel all worm and fuzzy they just looked too cute, so puffy with only there smiling faces poking out from beneath there hats. I kissed each of their little noses(my 8 year old protested, but let me in the end). I then got my hat and gloves on so I could shovel the driveway. When I got outside my sister was pushing the kids down the hill. I love having her live with me. It was nice listening to her laugh and joke with the kids as I shoveled the drive.
After about an hour the kids informed me it was time for hot chocolate. I made it with my teapot....I love to hear the whistle! I topped it with whipped cream and sprinkles. After they finnished the kids and I got all cozy in my bed and watched Elf (We have a supper ugly projector and screen up in there....ugly but fun) I left half way through so I could make dinner. I made Pancakes and eggs, I rolled them up with cinnamon and sugar. Then I let them eat them in my bed while they watched the rest of the movie. I still haven't been in my room to asses the damages..but they had fun.
When the movie was over they came downstairs to play Santa, meanwhile I was cleaning there bedrooms. There was something so nice about the way they were laughing with each other. Soon Grace came upstairs to tell me she wanted to go to bed. She does that all the time, and every time she does it amazes me. Well I got her in her pink nightgown, brushed and flossed her teeth. We read some Mother Goose, and when I got up to go she put her little hands on my face and looked at me with her big brown eyes and asked if I could stay and talk "for just a little minute". So we laid nose to nose in her bed on top of her pink pillows, and talked about Christmas and school and "her" boys. Then I called the boys up they brushed and flossed (without argument...a Christmas miracle)
After I kissed them goodnight I went down to clean the kitchen..I turned on the TV and White Christmas was on. I had never seen it, so when the song Count your Blessing came on I was taken back by it's sweet message and I just had to share it with all my blogging buddies. I am sorry for how long and indulgent this post was..maybe you didn't even read it. I wouldn't blame you, but I just had to have a record of this wonderful day and publicly thank God for it.

I'm Thankful I'm not in prison.

2008-12-06T16:06:00.000-08:00

This Thanksgiving we went to San Francisco with my family. It was great fun, family togetherness, food food and more food, Laughter, games, and visiting a prison! Really, this post is just about the pictures, so enjoy! Well I hope you all enjoyed my Awesome picture of my super cute children! And if any of you are wondering why my eldest is not in any pictures, it's because he went on the radio tour with his dad when we were at Alcatraz. Then he was playing halo with his uncles all thanksgiving....so I do love him, it's just boring taking picture of him playing video games.

2008-09-20T20:38:00.000-07:00

Five a clock Monday morning

Woken up without a warning

#s1 and2 are vibrant full of glee

“Cereal, cereal” they demand of me

I pull myself out of bed

Down the stairs I slowly head

#2 is in my arms

#1 wants lucky charms

“Quiet, quiet” I softly plea

Do not wake #3

I drag my body back to bed

The babies call is what I dread

Awake to the cry of #3

A diaper change, she needs of me

As I quickly clean the poo

I hear the call of #2

It’s bath time now for the boys

Soapy tub full of toys

Water ends up everywhere

1 and 2 don’t even care

I shower now but not alone

#1 has an agitated tone

#2 has art to show

#3 soaking wet, head to tow

It’s off to school at 8:30

The baby is already dirty

First I drop of #2

Then #1, now I’m through

Naptime now for #3

Cleaning time for me you see

Wake up baby at 12:00

Pick up #2, we talk

Shopping now we go

With two kids we go slow

Now at home we have some fun

At 3:30 we pick up one

I make dinner, 3 kids at my feet

In walks dad, with smiles they greet

We sit down for our meal

But not without one big spill

Bath time now for the baby

She is so sweet our little lady

I lay her softly into bed

I slowly stroke her little head

Dad is gathering up the boys

#2 wants to sleep with toys

Cat Stevens dad will play

As the boys sweetly lay

The crazy day is now over

I spend some time with my lover

He is my husband smart and funny

He makes my life warm and sunny

Now as I lay in my bed

A crazy thought runs through my head

I dream of having#4

Yes I need at least one more.

The Photo above is of my children around the time I wrote this poem.....this is a photo of my children now!

So do any of you fellow bloggers see my problem..........Were the fetch is #4!!!!!!! I ask myself this Question constantly, I also ask my husband this question. We used to have mature conversations about it. I used to ask him questions like "So dearest, when do you think we could add another little angle to our heavenly home?" Now I just find myself screaming "WERE IS MY BABY!!!" Now I really don't want to be crass, but that is what I have become. The tic toc of my biological clock is slowlly driving me insane.
I will ask you....Is it sane to jump three rows in reliefsociety to grab another woman baby, and heaven forbid if that mother looks at her child...for if she does she will hear a shrill "TURN AROUND". I am not kidding, I really did this. I literally grab a baby from his frightened mothers arms and that yelled at her for looking at him..(I didn't want him to go back to her)
I really can't do anything about this situation....besides maybe drugging my man. I guess I just had to vent my frustrations. Thanks for reading Annie, Kristie,and Lori.

Hawaii

2008-01-08T15:49:00.000-08:00

It has been too long since my last blog...and I can say I do not know how long it will be until my next, but I had such a great time with the Family in Hawaii that I had to write something and of coarse post some pics. The picture above is only my family but not all of them.....there were 30 of us on this trip, it was quite the crew. In 2007 we have added 2 new sister in laws and 1 new baby.

The trip had a bumpy start, first our original flight was canceled so we had to leave a day early and stay in Malibu for a night. Our flight from Utah to LA resulted in lost luggage and a search for an available rental car. The above shots show my children's delight in the situation.

But once we were there...their attitudes quickly changed. The boys had loads of fun on the water slides...and baby darlin' loved the sand pool.

We celebrated Christmas at the hotel. There were loads of questions about the logistics of Santa getting in without a chimney. Also "why were Santa's presents wrapped in the same paper as mom and dad presents"...."how did he get into mom and dads room without us noticing" ...it went on and on. But it wasn't to hard to explain, because Santa is magic!

One of our greatest adventures of the trip was going to all the waterfalls. The kids were great little hikers and the falls were all beautiful. Well...that was the trip...and this was the blog, I have to apologizes for the lack of amusing antidotes...but all my attention was focused on the technical aspects of blogging...and for anyone who know me, that can be very overwhelming.

Photo's of 2007

2008-01-08T15:47:00.001-08:00

motherhood, cooking, photography blah, blah,blah

2007-07-29T14:38:00.000-07:00

I am writing this blog for my bestest friend, Annie. I spent alot of time pondering what my first blog would be about, unfortunatly I am not to interesting. So I decided to write about that.
When ever anyone asked what my interests are three words come out of my mouth; motherhood, cooking, and photography. The problem with that is just as they come out of my mouth, the same three word are spewed simultaneously from millions of mothers all over the world. It not our faults...we are home with our children all day with nothing to do but cook, take pictures, OH and lets not forget placing said pictures into very crafty scrapbooks.
I know that I am simplifying what we do as mothers, our job is complex and most days very fulfilling. I just sometimes wish that I could be one of those mothers that say " oh I am a professor of micro biology at Yale". Actually I would hate being a micro biologist....I guess that is why I am a mother, because it's what I have always wanted to be. I just wish it wasn't so freaken' common.