The best things in life are not things.

Happy Birthday!

2011-11-15T10:51:00.000-06:00

Brent hit the big 3-5 this year and the kids were so excited to throw him a little party. They couldn't wait to sing Happy Birthday, eat some cake and play pin the tail on the donkey.

(Avery decorated the cake--although let's be honest, my decorating probably would not have been as good.)

Halloween

2011-11-14T10:40:00.000-06:00

Happy Halloween! OK, I know it was a couple of weeks ago, but since we are still eating Halloween candy, I can still blog about it.

Happy Fall Y'all

2011-11-12T21:43:00.012-06:00

I love the Fall because the weather starts to turn colder and we are one step closer to winter. I love winter because I love snow. And Christmas. Anyhoo, we have done some fun things these past few weeks and here are the pictures to prove it!

Avery's class went on a field trip to a dairy farm and Finley and I got to tag along. It was really cool and really disgusting but the kids had fun. The only fact Avery remembered from the trip was that cows poop wherever they want.
We went to a Family fun farm and got to do all their fun activities. We ended with a corn maze and it was a disaster. We got really lost and had to have one of the workers come in to get us out. 3 other families were lost also and we were all led out together.

What would Fall be without pumpkins? My kids love to pick out pumpkins and love even more to decorate them and put them out on the porch. This year we painted some of our pumpkins and Brent did the carving. (Drew's pumpkin is painted like a power ranger mask. Avery took care of the rest since I had Finley in one hand and my camera in the other.)

And look what we got a few days before Halloween! I was so happy. The kids were excited to wake up to snow and couldn't wait to get home from school to build a snowman.

We also had Drew's Jog-A-Thon fundraiser at his school at the end of October. Grammy came down to watch him run and he ran around the track 5 1/2 times before time was up. That's over a mile! He's our future track star. Go Drew!

Drew

2011-09-14T23:35:00.001-05:00

I feel so blessed to have my 3 little darlings and it all started with this guy. I don't think you will meet a happier kid than Drew. He goes a mile a minute, is very creative and imaginative and says the funniest things. A few days ago he told me he liked my blonde hair because it reminds him of Ramen noodles. I'm so proud of Drew and the boy he is becoming. We love him very much and love the energy and laughter he brings to our family.

Avery

2011-09-13T23:23:00.002-05:00

What can I say, she's a nut and she makes life interesting to say the least. Everyone should have an Avery in their life. We love her dearly and she definitely brightens our day.

Finley

2011-09-12T22:34:00.003-05:00

Finley has changed so much in the last few weeks. She is 3 1/2 months old now (where does the time go?!) and everyday I just want to gobble her up. She is so stinking cute! She smiles and laughs and is such a joy. I don't think I could love her more and yet, everyday I do. She sleeps so well and only wakes up once at night or sleeps the whole way through. I love that time I have with her in the middle of the night because she coos and smiles at me and it's such a great moment in the quiet of the house with just the two of us. Can you tell how enamored with her I am? I love, Love, LOVE her and I could not be happier to have her sweetness in our family. My heart is full.

First Day of School

2011-09-11T22:00:00.004-05:00

We are off to a good start to the school year! Drew is in first grade and was so excited to start school so he could move up a grade and see all his friends again. He has a great teacher and I think he will have a fun year.

Avery started Pre-K this year. She also was excited for school to start. We found out beforehand that one of her friends from gymnastics was also in her class at school so she was happy to already have a friend in her class. She is a little social butterfly so her first day of school was not traumatic for either of us. It makes it easier to send your kids off when they are not anxious about it.

So now Finley and I get a few hours to ourselves everyday and it is so nice. I love the time I have with her. She is such a happy, sweet baby and I adore her.

I asked for it

2011-07-27T13:52:00.005-05:00

Today I asked Drew if he thought I was a mean mom or a nice mom and he said:

When you yell at us, I think that's mean
But when you mind your own business,
You're a good mom.

2011-07-27T13:43:00.003-05:00

I tried to update my blog a few weeks back but the website wouldn't download any pictures and I forgot to try again until now. Better late than never, right?!

Happy Birthday!

2011-07-27T13:25:00.005-05:00

Avery turned 4 this year and chose to have a Hello Kitty birthday party. We got to celebrate at Grammy and Papaw's house with Zane and his family while they were still here and with Grandpa Dance.

We love our little princess! Happy Birthday, Avery!

Blessings

2011-07-07T17:11:00.012-05:00

Finley was blessed in church last Sunday. We were fortunate enough to have Zane and his family from Utah to visit for the occasion and Brent's dad from Seattle. We are so blessed to have this little one in our home. I love blessing days with my kids. It is a sweet reminder that we are a forever family and that we are truly blessed by Heavenly Father to have all we have.

She's Here!!!

2011-06-14T22:53:00.019-05:00

Our little girl has made her way into the world. Finley Kate was born via c-section on June 2 at 8:25 am. She weighed 7 pounds, 8 ounces and was 20 inches long. We could not love her more and so far, everyone is adjusting great to this new, perfect, snuggly addition to our family.

This is what Lortab does to a new mother--all smiles.Avery and Drew LOVE this baby. Drew calls her Findlers and Avery calls her baby Fin Fin.We're pretty much head over heels in love with this little girl!

A New Toy

2011-05-19T09:34:00.012-05:00

We finally bought a trampoline for the kids. I was thinking about getting one for Christmas but what fun is a trampoline in the dead of winter? So we took the kids out to find one and they couldn't wait to get it home and put it together.

Of course, dad did most of the work (that's why we pay him the big bucks!)The kids helped put the springs all the way around.Patiently waiting...

Finally!

They love it when dad jumps with them.It didn't take the kids long to figure out a trampoline is more fun when you add water.They are on this thing everyday and I am just wondering why we didn't buy it sooner!

Manicures

2011-05-19T09:23:00.012-05:00

Avery and I love to get our nails painted together. Sometimes we even go to the salon for a professional paint job. This time I painted her nails And she painted mine.Don't be jealous.
She is available for booking at all of your manicure parties.

Sigh

2011-05-16T18:30:00.007-05:00

Avery likes to "help" me do chores sometimes. Today I was cleaning bathrooms and she followed me around with her Clorox wipe. When it came to the toilets, I would clean the bowl with the wand and she would flush the water down. We get to the kids bathroom and clean the seemingly empty toilet. When she flushed it, the water immediately rose to the top. I went and got the plunger to push down whatever was lodged in there but despite my efforts, the water would not drain. Avery is standing next to me itching to help and here is the conversation that ensued:

Avery: Why is the water so tall?

Me: I don't know.

(long pause)...Maybe there is something stuck in there.

Did you put something in the toilet?

Yes.

What was it?

A plastic cup.

*sigh*

Luckily it wasn't anything a dad and a drain snake couldn't fix. Look how pleased she is with herself at "helping" dad fish the cup out.

Preggosaurus

2011-05-06T21:24:00.013-05:00

In case you need a good laugh today or just need to feel better about yourself, this picture should boost your self esteem. Here is a picture for my posterity--a little over 35 weeks pregnant. I promise that is a maternity t-shirt I have on. It's 10 pounds of belly stuffed in a 5 pound bag right now and I refuse to buy more maternity clothes this late in the game!

I had a sonogram this week and got some really good pictures of the baby. She was sound asleep and the sono tech put a little sound buzzer on my belly and woke her up. She wasn't happy about it.

Here she is minding her own business dreaming about rivers of milk or something.

Then the buzzer scared her. Look at that face! I have never seen a baby in utero with it's eyes open. Crazy! (And a little creepy.)
It looked like she started to cry, she was so upset about the buzzer....And then she went right back to sleep like a good baby.

Can't wait to meet this little June Bug and kiss those chubby cheeks!

Easter

2011-05-02T12:56:00.015-05:00

Here are some pics from our Easter weekend. I didn't take any pictures of the kids in their Easter clothes because I wasn't on the ball enough to buy special, new outfits but I assure you, they still looked cute. :) And I forgot to take my camera to the big egg hunt we did with some other families. There were hundreds of eggs (luckily the hiding of all these eggs was done before we even showed up!) and the kids had a blast. Sadly, the memories are in my head and on Shelly's camera. I'm going to blame this all on pregnancy brain and hope to do better next year! "Making" Easter cookies. This is how we roll at my house--pre-made, pre-cut cookie dough.When I was a kid, we colored real eggs every year. I realized that I have never done this with my own kids so when a friend of mine suggested we get together and color eggs, we were excited to join the fun. The kids loved making their own designs and dipping the eggs. Even the dads had fun!The Easter Bunny left a note for the kids and sent them on a scavenger hunt to find their baskets. Drew thought it was so funny that the Easter Bunny put his basket in the oven. Mrs. E. Bunny had to make a conscious effort not to turn on the oven all morning!

Looth Tooth

2011-04-27T13:22:00.004-05:00

Drew lost his first tooth! It was an excitable moment for both of us. It has been loose for awhile and he kept wiggling it until finally it wiggled free. He was a little freaked out when it came out in his hands and wanted to know if it was bleeding. It wasn't so he was fine. I can't believe he has lost his first tooth. Why is he growing up so fast?!

Before and After

Spring Break

2011-03-26T13:59:00.019-05:00

With the arrival of baby number three fast approaching (for me at least!), we decided we wanted to take a family trip beforehand. We figured Spring Break would be a good time and decided to head down to San Antonio for some fun. Our friends from the branch, the Barnes, went with us and we had a great time. We went to Sea World, the Alamo, the Riverwalk, the Zoo and swam at the pool almost everyday (or at least Avery did.)Unless I caught him offguard, Drew was mostly anti picture-taking on this trip.

Finally!

2011-02-11T08:52:00.006-06:00

I took a quilting class a few years ago and actually enjoyed it so I came out overly confident and thought I would start tackling some projects of my own. I found a gal that designs some cute, modern quilt patterns and fell in love with this quilt. Fast forward 2 years and I have finally completed it! It was supposed to be a birthday gift for Avery in 2009 but I am nothing if not lazy so it didn't happen. Christmas and another birthday came and went and it still wasn't done. I finished it just before this past Christmas and by that time Avery had seen me working on it so much, it wasn't much of a surprise so I just gave it to her after I secured the last stitch. She was very excited and now Drew is wondering where his quilt is (it's next on my list). My mom helped me with this one which is why it turned out so nice. She suggested I use the scraps to make a matching doll quilt and I loved the idea and thought it would be good practice for me. I did that one all by myself which is why it looks likes a high schooler's home-ec project. I learned a lot of new things and enjoyed the time making this quilt. I've got 3 more lined up and waiting to get started so we'll see if I can finish in just a shade under a decade this time.

It's a.....

2011-01-29T12:07:00.007-06:00

GIRL!!

(Here she is relaxing with her hands behind her head and then a shot of her little legs.)

We are very excited to have another girl and know that she will be a fun addition to our family!

New Year's Eve

2011-01-02T12:00:00.001-06:00

We went out to dinner at the Country Club with my parents, Jon, Kat, Kris, Ashley and Ashley's parents, Lani and Bill. We enjoyed a night out without the kids and had a good time together.

Happy New Year!

Happy Anniversary!

2010-12-30T11:55:00.000-06:00

Brent and I celebrated our 11th anniversary on December 29th. Life is good and we are blessed!

Happy Anniversary!

Christmas

2010-12-26T11:01:00.002-06:00

We had a great Christmas this year. Santa stopped by with his sleigh on Christmas Eve and the kids had so much fun! We stayed home this year and enjoyed a nice, relaxing day together.

We got a late start on the cookies and there wasn't much time to frost them so we left them bare.Santa didn't seem to mind though!After Jon, Kat, Sevy, Teik and Kris and Ashley came into town, we went to my mom's house for Christmas, part 2. The kids always love being with their cousins.We had a very Merry Christmas and can't wait until there is another munchkin to celebrate with next Christmas!

Drew's Birthday

2010-12-24T15:39:00.012-06:00

So, I'm a little behind here. Drew's birthday was last Friday and he is 6 years old now! I can't believe how fast the time is going. Sometimes I wish I could freeze time and just enjoy these moments longer. But as Drew tells me, that's impossible because he has to get bigger so he can turn 7. Here are some pictures of his celebrations.

(Birthday Morning)

(Another celebration with Grammy, Papaw and Uncle Kris)

(Friend Party at Jump-N-Jive)

We love Drew so much and are so blessed to have him in our family. His joy is contagious and he makes us happy everyday. Happy Birthday, Drew! We love you!

Pictures

2010-11-23T17:39:00.024-06:00

I finally downloaded my pictures from the past month so here is what we have been up to:

Making goodie bags for Drew's Halloween party at school.

Trick or Treating (This is the best picture I got of the two of them. Clearly I need to work on my photojournalism skills. In case you can't tell, it's Harry Potter and Snow White.)

The Whole Gang Sugar OverloadDrew's Jog-A-Thon Fundraiser for School.
Avery's First Haircut (Just a Trim! I figured after 3 years, it was time.) Cousin's Visit (Once again, Sevy and Teik were here for 5 days and I took maybe three pictures. I hope my children have excellent long term memories. They had so much fun with each other!)

That pretty much sums up the last month for us. Oh. Well, there is one more thing......

Life is Good.

Big Girl

2010-10-11T18:28:00.003-05:00

Notice anything different about that tiny, precocious little bum bum? She's wearing panties!!! We have been trying to potty train Avery for awhile now and it was finally time to buckle down. She is doing really well and even woke up completely dry yesterday. She loves to receive the praise for being a big girl and has earned 2 pairs of princess shoes for her efforts. Hopefully this is an ongoing trend!

Poetry Theater

2010-10-11T10:44:00.004-05:00

This is one of the joys of having a kid in school. They put on these ridiculously cute shows for you to come and watch and just marvel at how sweet it is to watch 5 year olds try to sing and dance in unison while scratching or picking various parts of their body. Drew did a little solo called "The Rules of Classroom" but I can't get the video to load right now. Trust me, it was cute. There is another performance at the end of the month and I look forward to seeing what they come up with.

Catching up

2010-10-11T10:14:00.000-05:00

We went out of town for the Labor Day weekend about a month ago and when we got home, our computer had crashed. It was bad enough that we just had to get a new one so I'm just now getting around to putting my pictures on the new computer and playing blog catch up.

Labor Day

2010-10-11T09:19:00.018-05:00

For the Labor Day weekend, we decided to take the kids over to Albuquerque for a few days. We found a hotel that has a little indoor waterpark attached so we figured it would be fun since all our activities were on site. The kids had a great time and I enjoyed not having to be out in the sun! There was also an arcade on site that Drew enjoyed going to with Brent and we also went to the zoo. I loved not having to cook or clean for a few days and the kids always love staying in a hotel and going swimming. It was a nice getaway and I'm glad we got to have a little mini family vacation becuase usually Brent isn't able to go places with us.

Rough life (being carted around the zoo)

A few completed projects

2010-09-03T09:42:00.017-05:00

With school and Seminary starting, I knew I would be back to the grind and short on time to work on some of my projects so I tried to check some things off my list before I got too busy. And yes, I have an actual list. I LOVE to make lists and I love even more so to cross things off my list. So far I've only been able to finish a couple of projects. I had 100 ladybug invitations to make for my friend's baby shower:
Done and mailed!

I learned how to can peaches with my mom:

Done and one jar already eaten for breakfast!

Out with the old, in with the new--I went through all the kid's clothes and put the old sizes in storage to make room for their new school clothes. I even managed to sneak a few toys out headed for Goodwill.

(Doesn't it feel good to get that done?)

And I finally organized my computer/craft room--but it's already a mess again so this picture is just proof that there is a floor in that room. And yes, I consider that corner clean and organized!

My list of projects to finish is long (I keep adding more crafts to my list!) but I'm finding with only one kid at home, I actually have a little more time to do some things. This is how I managed to be productive around the house today while Drew was at school....

Next on my list is finishing scrapbooks and tackling all my sewing projects. If only there were more hours in the day...!

First Day

2010-08-23T22:57:00.006-05:00

Well, this is the day I've been excited for and dreading for awhile now. Drew started Kindergarten today. Ever since his meet the teacher night, I have been a little anxious about him starting school. Since he's my first and all, it's just a little unsettling to think about sending him into the world without me. What if he gets picked on, what if he doesn't know where to go, what if he doesn't eat his lunch, what if he gets kidnapped from the playground?! I have thought of all these scenarios and more. Brent thinks I'm a little irrational but it's hard to cut the apron strings sometimes. I thought I would be a wreck this morning when I dropped him off but I surprised myself by staying totally cool, calm and collected. OK, at least calm and collected. I took him to his classroom and got him settled in his little chair and said goodbye. The little boy next to him looked like a deer in the headlights and there was a little girl crying. But Drew had a smile on his face and was ready for the day. That made it easier to leave and I was able to go home and enjoy my day. Avery and I had fun with just the girls and before I knew it, it was time to go back and get him. It's amazing how fast 7 hours flies by sometimes! It's going to be a good year and I'm so glad Drew is a well adjusted, happy little boy. I love him so much and I'm excited for him to start this new adventure. He didn't realize that he has to go to school everyday so once we established that, he asked how long he had to go to school. When I told him for at least 13 years, I think all that went through his head was that by then he would be allowed to watch a PG-13 movie. I know these years are going to fly by in an instant so I'm trying to enjoy them and not worry about things so much. Maybe I will sign him up for a self defense class just in case...

(This is everything that was on his supply list--quite the list for a Kindergartner!)

(Starting his day bright and early!)

(The official first day of school look)

(I have no idea who this little boy is. Even though Drew sat next to him all day, he couldn't remember his name. I'm sure by the end of the year, they will be best friends or hate each other's guts!)

Summer Vacation

2010-08-03T16:13:00.018-05:00

We just got back from a great vacation. My brother, Kris, got married on July 31 and we all headed up to Utah for the wedding. Since Boise is only a few hours away, I decided it would be fun to see Brent's family so I went ahead and made the drive all the way up to Idaho. I packed the kids up and we headed out for a 3 day drive on the open road. They did great and we had an uneventful drive through 5 states and back. On our way up, we stopped and saw Zane and Bridget and their kids. Since they moved back to Utah, we don't get to see them very much so it was fun to spend some time with them.
Then it was on to Boise where Ami so graciously hosted 15 people at her house, (20 including her own family). We had 8 adults and 12 kids and we had a blast! The first night we were there, the kids slept on the trampoline under the stars. I was surprised both my kids wanted to and lasted all night but they loved it. Uncle Quinn was a trooper to stay out there with them, especially since Avery talked his ear off most of the night!We did lots of fun things while we were in Boise: the Boise music festival, the bounce house, the sand dunes, shopping, the water park. It was H-O-T but it was fun. The kids love getting to play with their cousins and I love that they are getting to know the family members we don't get to see as often as we like. All in all, we had a great time and I'm so glad everyone was able to make it! I was sad to leave.
Oooh, what I wouldn't give to have one of these velcro walls in my house. The ultimate time out!

But that wasn't the end of our fun. Our next stop was Salt Lake City for my brother's wedding. It was freaking H-O-T once again and I thought I was going to melt right out of my girdle but the celebrations were fun and we are so glad we got to go. Ashley looked beautiful and Kris was just beaming from ear to ear with his new bride. I didn't really take many pictures because there were a million people with cameras so I put mine away and figured I could get copies of pics later. So I don't have any close ups of the happy couple but there are some on their blog with more to come. We are so happy for them and love them so much.
Brent was able to fly up to Utah and drive home with us after the wedding so it was nice to have that time with him. We are all back to the grind today and life is unfortunately back to normal. I loved the time away and the chance to spend time with our family. Looking forward to the next get-together!

These are all the cousins minus one on Brent's side.
These are all the cousins on my side.

Birthday Girl

2010-07-08T01:13:00.011-05:00

Avery turned 3 this week and I can't believe it! Time has just flown and she is getting so big. We had a family party at my parent's house and the next day, she got to have her friends help her celebrate at, where else, Chuck E. Cheese! She had so much fun and she loved being the center of attention all day!

Happy Birthday Avers! We love you!

4th of July

2010-07-08T00:56:00.011-05:00

We had a great 4th. We went to the parade and then to the festivities at the park. Our branch had a barbecue and then everyone drove over to the park to watch the fireworks. Hereford actually put on a good fireworks show and it capped off a great day!

(I love how he smiles with his whole face!)

The motorcycles in the parade were a little too loud for the kids.
(Brent put the Smart Car in the parade.)

(Drew tried to dunk the football player in the dunking booth.)
(Distracted by bubbles on the way to the car.)

Girls Camp

2010-06-28T08:56:00.008-05:00

I survived! And I had a great time! It brought back a lot of great memories and I am so glad I was able to go with the girls. The Stake sent everyone home a day early because there was some kind of virus that spread through camp and half the girls got sick. One of my girls got sick at camp and by the time we got home, all three of them were sick. They are feeling much better now so it didn't last too long. They think it might have been something in the water because some other campers down the road got sick as well. It managed to bypass me so I was able to drive the girls home with no problems.
I had to snag these photos from another website so I can't get them to go any bigger. Just get out your magnifying glass and enjoy the proof that I can rough it in the mountains for a few days! It didn't hurt to go as a leader though because we had access to a flushing toilet. I took one step in the latrine the first day and saw a huge spider crawling in the "toilet". I turned around and slammed the door (and may have let out a squeal and a dry heave) and never stepped foot in that nasty thing again. I have to give props to the girls that used it everyday because I would rather dig a hole and squat in the woods than pull my pants down in a latrine. *shudder* Bleck!
(And in case you were wondering, Avery's hand is doing much better. It's amazing how fast those little bodies heal. I was able to track down a calling card at camp and call home to check on her and by the time I got back, the blisters had popped and two of her fingers had completely healed over.)

Bad Mother Moment

2010-06-21T23:23:00.010-05:00

I am leaving to take our Young Women to girls camp tomorrow and of course, I can't leave for 5 days without some sort of mishap right before I pack off to the middle of the woods. But, I have to admit, this one was 100% my fault. I was preparing the last little bit of packing today and decided to make some popcorn and put on a cartoon for the kids so they would be entertained while I finished up my to-do list. We were out of microwave popcorn so I decided to use our stovetop popper. Avery wanted to help so I told her to go ahead and help turn the stirrer. I was right next to her the whole time and I reminded her no less than 5 times that the stove is hot and not to touch it. When the popcorn stopped, I turned off the burner and pulled the popcorn popper off. The second I turned around to grab the bowl, she reached over and put her hand on the still hot burner. She instantly started to cry and it took about a nanosecond for me to realize what had happened. I dropped all the bowls and grabbed her because I knew she had just burned her hand. It immediately started to bubble up and I immediately felt horrible! I rushed her to the sink and put it under cold water and told her to sit there while I rounded up Drew and everything I might need for a little visit to the ER. Luckily Drew was able to stay with Brent at work while we went to the hospital. The good thing about a small town ER is we are probably the only action they had seen all day. We were in and out in less than an hour. Avery has second degree burns on all 5 of her fingertips and her palm was burned also. I Feel Awful! It happened so fast and she is hurting pretty bad. She is doing so good to keep her little ice pack on it but every once in a while, the pain sets back in and she just starts crying. It's so sad. They wouldn't cover the fingertips so they could breathe and heal and I think they are itchy too because I keep catching her trying to rub them on her clothes or something trying to relieve the pain. :(

I feel bad leaving her but I know Grammy will take good care of her and give her all the TLC she needs while I am gone. This was a lesson learned for both of us.Look at that sad face! I told her to hold up her hand but she wouldn't take it off of the ice pack so she is holding up her good hand. Little bandages are so pitiful. :(

A Good Day

2010-06-11T23:59:00.003-05:00

Today was a good day for Drew. He was able to overcome a fear and I am so proud of him. He had swim lessons this week and each day, they end the swim lesson by letting the kids go down the big twisty slide. Drew was very apprehensive to go down alone so he insisted on riding down with his teacher. (I can't say I blame him. It's 3 flights of stairs to the top and it is pretty intimidating to a little kid.) I told him that he needed to make a goal that by the end of the week, he would try to go down the slide all by himself. He agreed but each day still insisted on going down with his teacher. We threw in a little extra incentive in the form of a new Indiana Jones video game (I am not above bribery!) and he has worked himself up all week to go down the slide by himself. I would catch him talking to himself as he tried to psych himself up. He would say "OK, Drew. It's going to be ok. Just be brave and your teacher will catch you at the end. I know you can do it. And just like dad said, it won't be so bad. Just don't be afraid Drew- you can do it." It was really sweet to watch him prepare his mind. So on the last day of class, it was time for the slide. He held his teacher's hand all the way up the stairs and on the first run down, he just couldn't bring himself to go down alone so she rode with him. I went over to the side of the pool and gave him a little pep talk to encourage him to try again all by himself and up he went for the last time. Avery yelled up to him, "Good job Drew-friend! You can do it!" (She had been encouraging him all week while he stood at the top waiting his turn. Very sweet.) I have to admit, my heart was pounding. I knew how scared he was but I knew how badly he wanted to be brave. The next thing I knew, he was coming around the last corner of the slide All By Himself!!! I was so happy for him. As soon as he landed in the water he screamed "I DID IT!! MY DAD IS GOING TO BE SO PROUD OF ME! I AM DEFINITELY GOING TO CALL HIM AND TELL HIM HOW BRAVE I WAS!!" As cheesy as it sounds, my heart leapt and I almost cried! Avery jumped up and down and said, "He did it!!" I am so proud of him for overcoming his fear and for giving it a try even though he was scared.
When they asked him if he wanted to go down again, he said "Nope!" and took that life jacket off as fast as he could. Enough bravery for one day!

Memorial Day

2010-06-04T12:21:00.016-05:00

We had a fun Memorial Day this year. We started at my parents house with a barbecue and some water fun for the kids. It was so hot! Then we all drove out to my dad's hunting land and rode 4 wheelers. It was so much fun!A little windblown and dirty but we had a blast!

P.S. (I just love those dirty, smiley, happy kids!)

My Early Morning Chickadees

2010-05-31T11:20:00.008-05:00

Seminary has ended for the year and I managed to get a few pictures of my students at our breakfast on the last day. We had a great year but I cannot say that I am sad for the summer break! I only had 4 students which was really nice and I enjoyed getting to know them and see their sleepy faces everyday.Zack
KeganKegan, Elder Rose, Kaylee, and Jessica--the girls did not want their picture taken that early in the morning. (Can't say I blame them-- why do you think I'm behind the camera?)

I hate super glue

2010-05-16T20:28:00.012-05:00

Today I tried to glue a Hello Kitty fork back together for Avery. I had to open a new tube of super glue to do it. A potentially messy task but one I thought I had mastered. Not today. The d@*# thing exploded all over my hand and I had two fingers completely stuck together and a 6th appendage in the form of Hello Kitty.

After Googling how to get it off, I soaked my hand in nail polish remover for half an hour and nothing budged. I know--not my brightest moment. It took a couple of hours and a razor blade but the Hello Kitty has finally come off and the rest of the super glue will just have to wear off. I'm a dummy. Lesson learned.

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-09T00:29:00.007-05:00

(Author Unknown)

Before I was a Mom, I made and ate hot meals.

I had unstained clothing.

I had quiet conversations on the phone.

Before I was a Mom, I slept as late as I wanted and never worried about how late I got into bed.

I brushed my hair and my teeth everyday.

Before I was a Mom, I cleaned my house everday.

I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.

I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.

I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom, I had never been puked on.

Pooped on.

Chewed on.

Peed on.

I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.

I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom, I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests.

Or give shots.

I never looked into teary eyes and cried.

I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.

I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom, I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put her down.

I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.

I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.

I never knew that I could love someone so much.

I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom, I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.

I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.

I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.

I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom, I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.

I had never known the warmth,

the joy,

the love,

the heartache,

the wonderment,

or the satisfaction of being a Mom.

I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much,

before I was a Mom.

I love these two for reminding me everyday how blessed I am and for making me realize how much my mom loves me.

So tired

2010-05-07T17:09:00.008-05:00

Avery has grown more and more adverse to taking a nap. At first, this really cramped my style because I really enjoy those few minutes in the day when I have peace and quiet and a little time to myself. But then I realized that when she doesn't nap during the day, she goes to bed soooo much easier at night. So I am willing to let this no nap nonsense slide in order to get a longer evening of *me* time. Oh yeah, and Brent too. :)

There are some days, though, when Avery's little 2 year old body just can't handle anymore activity and she gives up. Sometimes, it is in the middle of a temper tantrum, sometimes while watching a cartoon, and sometimes in the middle of playing. It's extremely random--one minute she's alert, the next she's slumped over, sawing logs. I know by now that if Avery goes silent she's either painting the bathroom with my darkest shade of nail polish or she fell asleep. Last night, Avery came into our room in the middle of the night twice. The first time was to tell me that the birds were trying to get her blankets (maybe I should start buying non-hallucinogenic milk?) and the second was to tell us that someone had stolen her pillow. After shooing the "birds" away and finding the pillow shoved between the bed and the wall, I knew she would be a tired little monkey and would give up at some point today.
Bingo! In the corner, face down on the carpet with her precious backpack on. Don't worry, I checked for a pulse--we're good.

Darn you, Santa Claus!

2010-05-05T21:37:00.007-05:00

Today, I changed no less than 4 poopie diapers on Avery, each one worse than the last. By the fourth one I said, "My word, where did all this diarrhea come from?!" To which she replied, "Santa Claus brought it to me for Christmas. He gave it to my bum-bum."

Seattle (picture overload!)

2010-04-02T11:02:00.025-05:00

For Spring Break, the kids and I flew up to Seattle to stay with Grandma and Grandpa Dance. Ami drove over from Boise and Darcy was there with her 3 boys so there were tons of cousins to go around! All in all, there were 7 grandkids staying at Grandma and Grandpa's and 12 total so we had a noisy, full house. Fun, fun fun!

Our first stop was the Pacific Science Center. Here's Avery riding a giant lump of poo, I mean a caterpillar.

Surprisingly, this was our worst injury the whole trip.

After the Science Center, we went down to the water and fed the seagulls our french fries from Ivar's. This one swooped right in and took the french fry right out of Avery and grandma's hand!The next day, we all went to the beach. It was freezing cold but our mission wasn't to sunbathe, we were on a crab hunt. The kids had fun digging in the sand and rocks. (This is Drew and Gavin. Don't they look so much alike? From behind, it's hard to tell which one is which.)

(This is what all the adults did while the kids ran around the beach. Dustine, Darcy, Ami, Keith and Cindy.)(Ami-isn't she cute?)(These are Hello Kitty boots that I found for Avery and I knew once I showed them to her, she would never want to take them off. That's why I hid them from sight once we got home.)

(Boys and their cereal--Bryer, Drew, Gavin, Trey.)

The next day, we took family pictures. Everyone cooperated and we were able to get some nice pictures of all the grandkids. Here are grandma and grandpa with 12 of their 13 grandkids.

Avery is currently the youngest grandchild on this side and the older cousins are so sweet to her. She can be kind of a stinker (i.e. bossy) so sometimes the other kids would keep their distance, but she doesn't bug the older ones so much. Reece and Alex were so cute. They each spent time with her to make sure she was taken care of and I know she loved the attention.

(Alex helping Avery walk on the rocks.)
(Avery really wanted to play outside with Reece but he wanted to rest for a minute so he told her she could sit with him while he watched a cartoon. He let her just snuggle right up. So sweet!)
Quincy celebrated her 6th birthday while we were there. She got lots of fun toys and had green cupcakes to eat!

We love visiting our family in Seattle and can't wait until we go back!

Conversations with a 5 year old

2010-03-24T00:02:00.004-05:00

(in the car)

Drew: Why are we listening to church music?
Grandpa Dance: Because I like it.
Drew: Why?
Grandpa: Because it makes me think of Heavenly Father.

(pause)

Grandpa: Why do you like to listen to church music?
Drew: I don't.
Grandpa: Why?
Drew: Because it freaks me out.

2010-03-12T07:56:00.006-06:00

I have never wanted to be a Seminary teacher. In fact, I have even said that it is the one calling, that if ever offered, I would seriously consider not accepting. But of course, I would never turn down a calling. I know the Lord knows me better than I know myself and there is something in every calling for me to learn. Although Seminary is very exhausting and I initially feared teaching teenagers so early in the morning, it has been the students that make me love my calling. I actually look forward to seeing those 4 sleepy faces every morning. I have a great group of kids and they make my calling very enjoyable. If we could have class about 12 hours later, that would be better but I really can't complain. The fact that they make the effort to wake up and come (almost) every day is really a testament to the diligence of our youth. They are faithful, valiant young people and I admire their strength. Anyhoo--a couple of days ago, after mutual, they made me a sign and put it on the chalkboard for me to find when I came in the next morning. So sweet. These are the kinds of things that drag me out of bed in the morning. That, and the weekly donuts. :)

Counting Down

2010-03-10T18:55:00.009-06:00

We are going to Seattle to visit Grandma and Grandpa for Spring Break next week. This is normally the sort of thing I do not tell my kids until we are on our way to the airport. That way I can avoid a month's worth of "Is it time to go to the airport? How 'bout now? Has it been a month yet? When do we get to go? Is this like the time when you said we were going to Grandma's house but we were really going to get shots?!" (No, I've never really done that.)
But Drew happened to walk into the room while we were booking the flights so he was on to our plan. The only way he can understand time is to have a chart where he can mark off the days. Every night we mark off one day and then he knows we are one day closer to our trip and he can see how many more days we have to go. He doesn't ever let a day pass without checking it off. After today, we are officially down to 5 days until we leave. We can't wait! (That's his Star Wars drawing at the bottom with the blue and red light sabers and R2-D2 at the side.)

Shear Genius

2010-03-10T17:31:00.011-06:00

On the days the kids have Mother's Day Out, I have about 15 minutes from the time I get home from Seminary to the time I have to leave to take them to "school." The time is usually filled with making lunches, finding coats and printing coupons off the computer for my day of shopping with no kids! (Yay!) Needless to say, getting the kids ready falls squarely on Brent's shoulders. I don't take any chances on apparel so I lay out clothes for the kids so as not to end up with red plaids paired with orange stripes and a pajama shirt thrown in the mix. Drew generally picks out what he will wear but we all know what Avery does when she gets to dress herself so that's out of the question. It's the baby version of What Not To Wear.
This task includes doing Avery's hair and I must say he is getting pretty good. The other day, I came home and he had done this: Not bad considering this is what he has to start with. I think he's getting pretty good!

LEGO

2010-03-10T17:19:00.007-06:00

The other day, Drew got to pick out a toy at the store because, well, I'm a sucker. I'm not sure what I was thinking when I let him pick out a LEGO Star Wars Space Ship. The picture on the front didn't appear to be a major production so I thought, how bad could it be? The fact that it had 163 pieces didn't really register with me and I thought it would be a piece of cake. Boy was I surprised when I opened it up and it was basically 163 pieces the size of peas and directions meant for a member of Mensa.
I managed to get it done in under 2 hours and only had 6 extra parts. Whatever.
Drew was excited and now after all that hard work, the LEGO space ship is back into 163 pieces waiting to be eaten by the vacuum. Note to self: No more LEGOs for my kids.

Fun in the Snow

2010-03-10T16:45:00.013-06:00

As mentioned before, we came home from Hawaii to a pretty good snow storm which I loved!! The kids loved going outside to play and build a snowman. A couple of months ago, we bought a 4-wheeler and we got to take it out for it's first run in the snow in the field behind our house.
(After the snowman was built, Avery walked up to it and gave it a hug and a kiss. We had to build a baby snowman next to it for her.) (Brent caught some serious air off the ramp they made.)
(Too cold for this snow bunny.)
(Drew tried several times to make a snow angel. He just wasn't heavy enough to make any sort of indention in the snow so I finally had to press him into the snow and then he was finally able to make one.)

Houston

2010-03-08T06:46:00.010-06:00

While we were in Hawaii, my sister-in-law Kat watched Drew and Avery for us and we are so thankful that she did! The kids had a great time at her house and I got to visit Kat and Jon in Houston for the first time. Kris helped me make the drive to and from Houston and was also able to stay and help Kat out. We were able to stay a few extra days to spend time with Kat and the kids and do some fun things around Houston. Since Jon is in the middle of school, he was pretty scarce, but it was fun to see him too. While there, we were able to go to the zoo and to the NASA space center.

(As we were leaving the zoo, Drew was our guide, reading the map. I thought it was cute so I was laughing and trying to take a picture of him to which he said very seriously: "Could you not laugh at a little boy while he's trying to read his map please?")

(Isn't this the cutest picture?! This is Drew and Sevy. They would just walk around and then stand there and look at the exhibit holding hands. It was so sweet.)

A good time was had by all. Well, almost all...

It was about a 13 hour drive to Houston from Hereford and when we made it back home, Drew said "Wow! That was a long ways from Houston. You should call Kat and tell her to maybe fly next time she comes."
Good Idea.

Inspired

2010-02-22T00:58:00.002-06:00

I am learning a lot from teaching seminary and often, a quote or a scripture from my studies will really resonate with me and my testimony will be strengthened. Tonight, I came across a quote that I really like and I thought I would share. I think it's quite appropriate in the times that we live in and a nice reminder of where our focus and influence should be, especially for the youth of the church. This is from President Ezra Taft Benson:

The Lord works from the inside out. The world works from the outside in. The world would take people out of the slums. Christ takes the slums out of people, and then they take themselves out of the slums. The world would mold men by changing their environments. Christ changes men, who then change their environment. The world would shape human behavior, but Christ can change human nature.

Aloha!

2010-02-04T10:31:00.010-06:00

In December, Brent and I had our 10 year anniversary. To celebrate, my parents invited us along on a Hawaiian vacation where my dad had a business conference. Our airfare and hotel were paid for by the company sponsering the conference so how could we pass that up? My parents were also celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary so we joined forces for a great anniversary vacation. I surprisingly did not take a ton of pictures but here are a few.

(The view from our hotel room)

We started our vacation on the island of Oahu where we went to the Polynesian Culture Center and to Pearl Harbor. If you ever go to Hawaii, both of those places are a must see. The Polynesian Culture Center had the most incredible show and a really nice luau. Pearl Harbor was cool to hear all the history and see the warships.

After Oahu, we flew over to the big island in to Kona. While there, we flew in a helicopter (with the doors off!) over a volcano and along the coast of Hilo.

We also went on a zipline, which I must say, aside from the PCC was the highlight of my trip. It was so fun.

It was a great way to spend an anniversary and I'm so glad we got the opportunity to go. Here's to ten more years!

A Cold Welcome

2010-02-04T10:00:00.000-06:00

This is what was waiting when we got home from Hawaii. A snowstorm that closed the schools for 2 days and even cancelled church on Sunday.

Brrrr!

2010-01-08T10:32:00.005-06:00

I know most of the country is seeing extreme temperatures right now and although we aren't getting much snow, it's c-c-cold here! This morning on my way to Seminary, this is what my car said the temperature was:

It is very hard to get up early to study scriptures in that kind of cold!

Friends

2009-12-29T12:43:00.003-06:00

One of the good things about being in the area where I grew up is I get to see old friends. I grew up with Sarah and Megan and we were roommates in college as well. We have some fun and crazy memories together and while Megan was in town for Christmas, we got to have lunch together and we laughed the whole time! It was so fun to be together again and it's just too bad we can't do it more often!!

Papaw & Avery

2009-12-29T12:39:00.005-06:00

When I was little, my dad used to let me put all my barrettes in his hair and fix him up so pretty. He's a good sport and last night, we were at my parents house for dinner. Avery was very quiet so I went to look for her and this is what I found:

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-29T11:51:00.012-06:00

We had a great Christmas this year. Most of my family got to come in and Santa even made an appearance at Grammy's house. Our little elf, Homer, made his final appearance and we are already counting down the days until next Christmas.

As usual, Santa was good to the kids and they got lots of fun toys to play with.

What a mess

2009-12-29T11:36:00.007-06:00

Avery is a Messy Mo. She can create a mess out of just about anything. A full Kleenex box or a new roll of toilet paper are her favorites. I don't even know how many times I have had to pull an entire roll of toilet paper out of the toilet. Sometimes it's deceiving how much toilet paper is actually in there so I flush thinking it's just a little wad and to my surprise, it does not go down, but it comes back up at me along with the other 2,534 squares of toilet paper on a brand new roll. I know it comes with being 2 so most of the time I can have a sense of humor about it. Sometimes I will catch her in the middle of a mess and I will say "Avery!" and before I can say anything else she will say, "What? I'm a mess!" I guess she's used to hearing it by now. The last week of Mother's Day Out, the kids got little Christmas bags full of goodies and I let them hold their bags on the way home. Twice in one week, this is what I found when looking in my rear view mirror:

Thank goodness for stain stick and bleach pens.

Birthday Boy

2009-12-29T11:04:00.010-06:00

I can't believe how fast time is flying! Drew turned 5 on December 17. We have been telling him for a couple of months that when he turns 5 he gets to go to kindergarten. The morning of his birthday we were getting ready to go to Mother's Day Out and he said, "This is my last day of Mother's Day Out and then I get to start kindergarten!" I forget how literal children are so we had to explain that he won't start kindergarten until next year in August. Now he keeps asking me if it's August yet.

Let it snow!

2009-12-29T10:45:00.007-06:00

I love the snow and so do my kids. We had to invest in some warm hats and gloves so the kids could go outside and play without coming back in miserable and cold. They love to play outside and the other day the temperature was in the teens but they begged me so I told them they could go out for 20 minutes. Avery's cheeks are dry and chapped so I put some Eucerin on them before she went out and it froze to her face!

Drew has been waiting for it to snow enough to build a snowman so as soon as that happened, he and Brent were outside together putting together a snowman.

Putting up the tree

2009-12-29T10:37:00.004-06:00

Drew could not wait to put up our Christmas tree so as soon as we got back from our Thanksgiving holiday in Dallas, we put it up.

Conversations with a child

2009-12-20T18:22:00.008-06:00

Me: Drew, you need to go pick up all the toys in your room.

Drew: Why do I have to?

Me: Because you made the mess so you have to clean it up.

Drew: Did you see me make the mess?

Me: No.

Drew: Then how do you know it was me? It must have been Avery.

He's a lawyer in the making. If I didn't see it, it didn't happen.

***

Life lessons:

The other day we were driving in the car around dinnertime and Avery fell asleep. I asked Drew if she was awake and he said no. A few seconds pass and this is what he says: "Life rule number 42: If a baby is asleep and it's time for dinner you have to wake her up so she can eat."

***

Avery to Drew: "Be quiet! I'm on the phone!!"

Happy Birthday!

2009-11-11T17:38:00.005-06:00

Have I mentioned lately how much I love Brent? Today is his birthday and I just wanted to say how great I think he is--I am so blessed to have him as my hubby.
Happy Birthday, BLD. I love you more and more every day.

Halloween

2009-11-02T10:02:00.013-06:00

I love these little faces

2009-10-30T16:20:00.006-05:00

Marker Rage

2009-10-19T17:32:00.006-05:00

Today the kids found some rocks outside that I told them we could take home and color. Things were going swimmingly until Drew wouldn't give up the red marker that Avery wanted. She climbed across the table in a fit of rage so I had to put her in her crib to calm down. Well, this just made her more mad. The video at the bottom is the tail end of her temper tantrum. Sorry it gets shaky halfway through but I was laughing. To me, the belly flop was comical. All that drama for one little marker. I can't wait until she's a teenager.

Sounds like...

2009-10-19T17:17:00.004-05:00

I realized this morning that Avery kind of rhymes with Crazy.

Same, Same

2009-10-19T15:50:00.001-05:00

2009-10-16T00:24:00.000-05:00

Thomas

2009-10-02T09:24:00.010-05:00

Last weekend we went to Oklahoma City to take the kids to see Thomas the Train again. We had a great time and it was fun to get away for a couple of days and stay at a nice hotel and not worry about cooking or cleaning!

Pool Party

2009-09-26T09:47:00.006-05:00

The other day the kids wanted to go swimming but since colder temperatures are here and we have already put away the swimming pool, I told them they could go "swimming" in the bathtub. They were all for it!

Then they asked for their pink hats (my shower caps) and the pool party was in full swing. I'm glad kids can be entertained with the simplest things sometimes!

Pics of Avery--Just because

2009-09-26T08:53:00.000-05:00

A Good Cause

2009-09-20T19:54:00.006-05:00

One of my best friends has a little boy that suffers from psoriasis and every year, as members of the National Psoriasis Foundation, they participate in a walk for the cure. This year I am going to walk also which means I need to help raise money for my team--Team Jacob. Here is a copy of the letter I received from my friend about this cause:

A message from Eliza Clement ,
Dear family and friends,I am asking for your help with a cause that means a lot to me: improving the lives of people with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. In my efforts to make a difference, I am participating in the Dallas Walk to Cure Psoriasis. I believe most people would be surprised and saddened by the impact of the disease and the lack of awareness about how difficult it is to live with. Psoriasis is more than a simple skin rash. It often can encompass major areas of the body and can even become debilitating. As many as 30 percent of people who have psoriasis will also develop psoriatic arthritis, which is a very painful and potentially crippling form of arthritis. In addition to the skin condition, they have to deal with intense joint pain, swelling and other symptoms that limit their ability to carry out the routines of daily life.More than 7.5 million Americans have psoriasis, yet very little is being invested in public education or research for a cure. I am asking for your help. Through the Walk to Cure Psoriasis, we will bring in money to help find a cure and create public awareness about the disease. You can read more about Jacob's personal struggles with psoriasis and donate to this special cause by clicking onto the link below.Thank you all,Eliza and Jacob Clement
Click here to make a donation to support me.

If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address:http://walk.psoriasis.org/site/TR/2009Walks/2009Cure?px=1123801&pg=personal&fr_id=1430&et=xJH-47KWs_wYzkNLfAd9nQ..&s_tafId=4310
*********

With permission from Liza, I am able to share some pictures of Jake and what this disease has done to him:

I feel strongly about participating not only because Liza is one of my dearest friends but because I care for Jake and I am impressed by the positive attitude he has about his disease and his desire to overcome it. Last year I was unable to walk so I just sent in a donation. If you feel inclined to do the same, please click the link above and donate to Team Jacob. It's tax deductible and you can donate any amount. Thanks!

What a 2 year old does when left unattended

2009-09-02T06:23:00.003-05:00

I don't know what her obsession is with coloring all over herself but the other day, Avery found a blue marker and colored all over the white door as well as herself. Today, she came in to say hi to me and I had my back to her. She ran back out of the room and I detected the faint smell of chemicals. I ran after her and found her in my bathroom with the red nail polish painting the floor and noticed that she had also painted her hands, feet and legs. I didn't notice the paint on her feet until I took off her shoes to determine where all the nail polish footprints were coming from and discovered that she basically dipped her toes in nail polish, then put on her new shoes. I still smelled the chemical and noticed her legs were very greasy. This is not unusual as she gets into my lotion all the time and leaves her greasy handprints everywhere. The smell was coming from her legs and that's when I noticed the can of WD-40 on the floor next to her. Yes, she sprayed herself down with WD-40 like a greased little piggy. Needless to say, after she gets out of the shower, we are on our way to Wal-mart to finally purchase cabinet locks for our precocious little monkey.

Seminary

2009-08-26T13:43:00.002-05:00

In case anyone was wondering, I had my first day of Seminary today and it went swimmingly. The kids were great. Everyone showed up, payed attention (i.e., stayed awake), made comments and even volunteered for prayers! I didn't have to call on anyone. I think we're off to a good start. Only 36 more weeks to go!

Where does the time go?

2009-08-20T23:26:00.008-05:00

I've been thinking today how fast time flies with kids and it is almost sad to me. I realize my kids are still young but I wonder that if this relatively short time period has gone by so quickly, how am I going to feel when they are teenagers or adults and 15-20 years have passed? I look at them today and think how quickly they have grown up and how much they have changed since they were born. When I look back at pictures from a few years ago, they are just so little and young! And then the thought hit me that 5 or 10 years from now I will look back on pictures from today with the same thought. I will look at these pictures and memories with the same heart tug that I look at their baby pictures now. They are ever changing. I know they can't stay little forever and that the whole point of life is to grow but some days I just wish I could freeze time and have my babies be babies forever. Maybe it's their innocence or their oblivion to the ways of the world but sometimes I just want to keep them in my little cocoon forever. I remember my mom telling me that every stage of our childhood was her favorite. She would observe us at one stage and think "It doesn't get any better than this!" and then a year later, she would have the same thought about that stage. With each progression she found herself enjoying the moment even more and not seeing how it could get any better but it always did. And then I had a friend call me in a frenzy one day because the realization hit her like a ton of bricks that her 5 month old would never be five months old again. It would never be a moment she could have again with that child. We both lamented that watching your kids grow, no matter how young or old, is bittersweet. Nature must inevitably take it's course. Can you tell I'm a little nostalgic at the moment? I've had some good, quality time with my kids the past couple of days and it tugs at my heart a little to know that someday, these moments will be a thing of the past. So the lesson I've learned from all this is to cherish and enjoy the time that I have with them. They won't be little forever and before I know it, I'll be looking at photos of today thinking "where did the time go?"

The Dreaded Call

2009-08-16T23:25:00.003-05:00

So if my posts become even more few and far between, I'll tell you why right now: last week I was called to be the seminary teacher for our branch. Let me rephrase that--the Early Morning Seminary teacher. I know, right--do they know me at all? I am so underqualified and really not prepared to function that early in the morning. But after going through the 7 stages of grieving already, I've reached acceptance and I'm ready to jump in feet first and see how it goes. And if all else fails, it may be time to get pregnant with baby #3 sooner rather than later...

I'm Baa-aack!

2009-08-16T22:58:00.006-05:00

I only got a few of my pictures to move where I wanted them and then my blog decided to wig out again and not let me move anything. I've spent too much time messing with it already so I am just leaving it how it is with everything mashed up and out of order!
I'll tell you what we did this summer so that some of these pictures aren't so random. Jon and Kat were fortunate enough to go on a no kid vacation for a week in June and we were fortunate enough to be able to watch their kids, Sevy and Teik, while they were gone. After that, we headed up to Idaho to visit Brent's family. There were 17 people at Ami's house and it was the most chaotic, fun time. We loved having that time with them and are so thankful to Ami and Quinn for putting up with all of us running around their house! After that, my niece, Koda, flew home with us to spend some time in Texas and then Grandma, Grandpa, and Bryer flew in from Seattle to finish out the summer with us. We've had a busy but fun summer and I'm so glad we got to see everyone.

Koda, Avery and Drew

Brent took the Big Texan Challenge to eat the 72 ounce steak meal in under an hour. This is how much he was able to finish. I was pretty impressed.

Outside the Big Texan. Cody, Bryer, Drew, Koda, Grandma, and Avery.

Brent is about to start the meal. You have to eat the entire 72 ounces of steak, plus 3 shrimp cocktails, a salad, a roll, and a baked potato. Brent gave it his best and didn't quite finish but I assure you, he paid for his efforts later. I don't think he'll be trying that ever again!

Koda at the Cadillac Ranch.

Koda, Avery and Drew at Jump-N-Jive.

Bryer at Jump-N-Jive.

Avery at Jump-N-Jive.

Koda at Chuck E. Cheese with her proof of winning over a thousand tickets.

Avery really liked having Grandpa here.

We went to see the outdoor musical "Texas." Brent was so excited to be there. (That's Brent's brother, Cody next to me.)

Avery and me at Cheer Texas.

Of course, my kid is the one eating the sand at the Sand Dunes.

I climbed to the top of the sand dunes and I thought I was going to die--I'm so out of shape. Here's proof that I actually made it.

I even climbed up again with Avery on my shoulders. Again, I'm just proud I did it because I thought my lungs were going to explode--seriously out of shape here, folks.

Ami got her car stuck in the sand. Luckily this yellow jeep was able to pull her car out.

The stuck car.

The warning not to drive where Ami drove.

Drew at the top of the sand dunes.

Grandma and Grandpa at the sand dunes.

All the kids climbing to the top.

Reece, Koda, Quincy, Bryer, and Drew at the Boise Zoo.

Bryer and Quincy in the fort in Ami's living room.

Avery and Trey.

Avery's 2nd Birthday party. The kids enjoyed helping her open her gifts.

Avery showing you she is 2.

4th of July

One of the painting crafts we did while Koda was here.

Avery at the water park
Quincy at the Zoo

Bryer, Reece, Quincy, Koda, Drew and Avery at the Zoo.

Teik--Don't you just want to eat him?! He's so squishy and lovable!This picture pretty much sums up Avery compared to the rest of the world.

Sevy

Drew had swim lessons for the first time this summer. He passed but just barely!

The kids had so much fun together and we were glad to have the time with Teik and Sevy.

I was able to visit a good friend of mine in Utah from college. I always say she was my roommate but looking back I realized we never lived together. It just seemed like it because we were together so much! Traci has the cutest little boy now and I'm glad we've been able to keep in touch all these years because she is a wonderful person and a great friend.

Grandma bought water goggles for all the kids. Drew made sure to pick out matching pairs for him and Avery.

Trey and his water goggles. Drew at the water park.

Whew! OK, that's it. Sorry it was so unorganized and random but that's our summer in a nutshell (yes, that is the condensed version!). We had a blast!

Technical difficulty

2009-08-14T22:38:00.003-05:00

I have a long post with tons of pictures waiting to publish but my blog won't let me arrange my pictures for some reason. It's driving me crazy but as soon as I figure it out, I will post an updated blog. Stay tuned..... (I know you are all just on the edge of your seat.)

Happy Birthday Baby!

2009-07-06T00:10:00.002-05:00

Today is my little Avery's second birthday. We are in Idaho visiting family so I don't have any pictures downloaded to show but in honor of her second birthday, here are 2 reasons we love our little Avery.
1: She's funny, cute, sweet, loving, crazy, caring, fun, happy, fearless, daring, and sassy. She has crazy old man hair, she loves to gives hugs, she loves to laugh and tell you you're fuddy (funny), she does a hilarious hot dog dance and her sparkly blue eyes can light up any room.
2: She makes me smile everyday and I couldn't imagine life without her.
We love you Babers Avers!

Watching the cookies bake

2009-06-10T13:10:00.005-05:00

Today is overcast and rainy so I decided to bake some cookies so we could have some yummy, warm treats to enjoy. Avery was excited about the cookies and liked watching them bake in the oven.

Drew could care less--not a cookie fan.

Avery loves to have pictures taken of herself and then look at them on the camera screen. After I took this one of her eating a cookie, she giggled and said "I'm a mess!"

Perfect timing

2009-06-02T13:16:00.006-05:00

Why is is that people have an uncanny ability to drop in on you while you and your house are at their worst? Case in point: My neighbor, whom I have never met, dropped by today to welcome us to the neighborhood. A few minutes prior to her arrival Avery colored all over her body (and the bedsheets) with markers and then pooped her pants. I decided to forego a wipie scrub down and just put her in the shower. As usual, she was carrying around her bubbie (blanket) and wanted to take it in the shower with her which is not allowed so I told her no. She started screaming--nay, shreiking-- like a banshee, at the top her lungs "WAAAAH!!!! BUBBIE!!!! WAAAAAH!!!" This is one of those temper tantrums for the record books. She is in desperate need of a washing so I put her in the shower sans bubbie and closed the door. She continued to freak out and scream and cry at the top of her lungs with even more fury now that she is without her precious bubbie. I put her poopie diaper in the trash and pulled the bag out of the can to take it to the outside trash. On my way past the front door, the doorbell rings. Since whoever is at the door has already seen me walk past, I am forced to answer it. It is a strange woman holding a plate of cookies. This is our perfect timing neighbor from across the street. Not only is Avery screaming like she's being tortured but my house is a mess and I'm holding a bag of poop. Since I have been trying to clean house all morning, I have not yet changed out of my scrubbie clothes or put on any make-up. I do at least have a bra on but am wearing this on my feet.What Is Wrong With Me?! I NEVER wear this!!! But I was too lazy to put on tennis shoes while I swept the porch and not yet ready to take off my socks so I decided to put on my flip flops over them. I looked like an idiot. This lady looked me up and down and strained to see the screaming child being tortured in the bathroom, sized up my bag of poop and geisha inspired footwear and couldn't decide whether to drop the cookies and run or burst in and rescue the screaming child from the shower of doom.
Needless to say, after she left Avery got out of the shower and was reunited with her bubbie and sent to bed for a nap. As for me, I sat on the couch in embarrassment and ate half a plate of cookies.

A girl and her ice cream

2009-05-28T05:00:00.000-05:00

The Gods are smiling upon me today

2009-05-27T15:41:00.003-05:00

How did I get lucky enough to have both kids fall asleep at the same time? This is a rarety at my house since Drew doesn't take naps anymore. I don't even know what to do with myself. It's so quiet! I'm considering going to the store and putting out a bowl of water in case they wake up...

Pay it Forward

2009-05-26T17:36:00.003-05:00

I have been on the receiving end of a couple of pay it forward projects and now it's my turn to give back. I will send a little package of goodies to the first 3 people to leave a comment. I think handmade gifts are the best so I will craft together a little somethin' somethin' and send it to you! (Plus it's a good way to see who is really paying attention to my blog. Who doesn't like free stuff?!)

Fun in the sun

2009-05-22T05:00:00.000-05:00

Grammy and Papaw just got back from Hawaii and bought the kids these super cute swimsuits. The weather has been really nice here so we decided to break them out and play in the water.

Anteater

2009-05-21T19:40:00.002-05:00

I had to call poison control for the first time in my 4 years of motherhood tonight because Avery decided to eat the ant poison we have scattered around the backyard. She is fine and hopefully learned a good lesson on why we don't eat strange things off the ground.

Backyard Fun

2009-05-21T05:00:00.000-05:00

Since we couldn't take our old playset with us when we moved, we decided to buy another one for this house because the kids really loved it (and I loved being able to send them outside to play!) Brent and Uncle Cody put it together and the kids have played on it almost everyday. It's nice to have something fun to play on outside!

Fashionista

2009-05-20T05:00:00.001-05:00

Here is just a sample of the outfits Avery has chosen this week. I think she's well on her way to the pages of the fashion magazines. Maybe in the "What was she thinking?" section.

(You can't tell but she has on 5 pairs of Drew's underwear.)

(Did somebody call for a Chippendale dancer?)(Yes, that's a toilet seat around her neck.)

I Love You!!

2009-05-18T12:27:00.003-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, Drew's class had a Mother's Day tea party and the kids learned this cute little song. In case you can't find him, Drew's on the end (right) in the red pants. He was so proud to perform this song for me. I loved it.

Too hot to handle

2009-05-06T16:21:00.003-05:00

This is what Avery picked out to wear today. She rarely wears the same shoes but I did get her to put on a shirt under her sweater to go to the store.

We're going clubbing after her nap.

2009-05-06T07:52:00.006-05:00

Me: Drew, your underwear is on backwards.
Drew: I know, I want to be able to see the picture on them.

New Baby

2009-05-06T07:48:00.003-05:00

Zane and Bridget welcomed their new baby boy on April 22. His name is Kohen and he was 6 pounds, 2 ounces and 19 inches. He is a little peanut and he's so cute! We love him already. Congratulations, Zane and Bridget!

Avery

2009-04-29T08:53:00.012-05:00

Before I had children of my own, I would see kids in public with dirty faces, messy hair and sloppy clothes and I swore that I would never let my kids go out in public looking disheveled. Then I had Avery.

Her latest obsession is socks and shoes. Here she is with both of Drew's shoes on.

She likes to wear one of her shoes and one of Drew's shoes and sometimes to spare myself her temper tanrum, I let her appear in public this way.

Some people laugh (mainly teenagers) but other mothers smile knowingly remembering what it was like when their child insisted on wearing something weird in public. Avery also likes to take her socks off and put them on her hands. She even hides them in her bed sometimes so after we put her to bed, I'll come back in to check on her and she has pulled the sock out and put it back on her hand.

She's a funny monkey.

Burgled!

2009-04-28T19:37:00.005-05:00

I had my purse stolen today--right out of my car! I guess it's a little bit my fault for leaving my purse in an unlocked car but I was too trusting that nothing would happen in the few minutes I was out of the car. I ran into my brother's apartment for about 15 minutes or so and apparently didn't lock my car. Since I was only running in for a few minutes, I didn't take my purse. When I came back out, it was gone. We have cancelled all the cards and alerted the bank that my checks were stolen along with my ID but I still worry about identity theft. I know thieves can do a lot with just a little bit of information. I'm hoping it was just some punk teenager that was hoping to fill up his car with gas and maybe buy some CD's at Wal-Mart. My cards were cancelled within 30 minutes of being stolen so he/she wouldn't have gotten far. I looked in all the dumpster's at my brother's apartment and surrounding parking lots hoping the thief threw the purse away but I didn't have any luck. I really liked that purse, too! So now I get to try to put all that back in order. It's just a sick feeling knowing someone has my stuff and not knowing what they're going to do with it. :(

The big 3-0

2009-04-18T23:18:00.015-05:00

My birthday was yesterday and my hubby sent me the most beautiful bouquet of roses--30 to be exact. Turning 30 has not been a major event for me. I haven't been dreading it and even though it will be weird not to say I'm 20 something, it wasn't hard to leave the 20's. Thanks for the roses, Brent. They are beautiful!

Tonight we went to Amarillo to celebrate with my family. We got a sitter for the kids and enjoyed a nice dinner with just adults. We went back to my parent's house for cake and presents. My mom put a pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey game up and the kids had fun playing that. Drew especially loved the mask. Here's Avery doing her homeless drunk man impersonation. Crazy hair and one shoe is her usual MO.

A good birthday all around.

Happy Birthday to Torrie

2009-04-17T07:39:00.003-05:00

Happy Birthday to the prettiest and sexiest 30-year old mom in Hereford. Thank you for all your love and support, I'm the luckiest man in the world to have you as my best friend and wife for eternity. Hope you have a wonderful day.

Chopped again!

2009-04-15T20:01:00.007-05:00

When I cut my hair the first time, I was planning on making a pretty dramatic cut--around 11 inches or so at the shortest point. I had a specific haircut in mind but I kept seeing girls around town and I decided that there was no in between for the outcome of this haircut. Either it looks really cute or really bad. I decided that I would fall in the latter category so I hesitated making the jump and cutting it all off. My hairdresser decided to cut it a little longer and told me we could always cut off more later. My later came about 3 days after. I wasn't really digging the style and I wondered why I didn't just cut it how I wanted it in the first place. So I called my hairdresser and she got me back in and here is the result. I'm really happy with it. You like?