The Cozart's

It was worth the wait!

2011-10-04T12:30:00.000-07:00

As you know we don't go to Disneyland as often as I would like (I am not sure that's even possible really... but anyway.) We waited our designated 2 years and this year. da da da ta da!!! It was finally time!

You know what I love the most about Disney? You can dance down main street and no one will think you are weird. Wearing weird hats and costumes is expected and laughing is a must! Seriously how could you not love this place?

I am not sure if the ages were perfect. The time of year was what did it. Or maybe the fact that we hadn't been to Disney for a couple of years, whatever it was, this year was perfect.

This little monkey was the perfect age. Not too old to think things are "lame" and old enough to ride everything. It helps that she is a complete die hard and nothing was too scary, too fast, or too anything for her.

In fact her favorite ride was the Tower of Terror. I SooooOOOOOooo HATE that ride. Good thing Daddy will ride it with her!

We did the character breakfast again this year but this year was a bit of a bust. The characters were kind of lame and there weren't as many as in years past. Oh well, the food was good and at least we got to see some of the characters. Plus, as you can see the kids loved it and... it was free with the hotel stay, and I love that!

It was close to my birthday when we went this year so not only did I get a cool button that said Happy Birthday... the park was also decorated for Halloween which is my total favorite time of year. So that was an extra perk.

The only bad thing! California Screamin was down and so was Pirates of the Caribbean. Two of my favorite rides.... Seriously! Why did it have to be those two!

This poor little guy played hard. I think there was only one night that he wasn't asleep before his dinner actually made it to the table.

Another cool thing we did this year was buy pins ahead of time for the kids to trade (WAY too expensive to buy in the park) All the workers have to trade with the kids for whatever they want. While we were waiting for the parade the kids went up and down main street trading their pins. As you can see someone is more than a little proud of herself!

(Yes I know my little Avery is missing... she would not come sit by us for "ANOTHER" picture!)

It was such an awesome trip. I can't wait to go back. In fact.... it was so much fun that even Michael is already planning the next trip. I'll turn him into a Disney die hard like myself one of these days.

We've come full Circle!

2011-08-30T18:39:00.001-07:00

My very first blog ever was on Haley's first day of school. Well guess what! Today was Avery's first day of school. I know I am lame and never keep up on this blog but I am really gonna try this time. Honest.... no I mean it. Like TOTALLY gonna do it!

Yeah, I don't believe me either. I do really like looking back at previous post. They make me laugh so I will do my best but I still probably won't get many posts in this year. "Sigh" I guess a few are better than none.

On to the fun stuff! Avery's 1st Day of school!

For 2 days she has been bouncing.... literally bouncing up and down. Every time I saw her today she would say "you know.... today is a VERY big day for me". Yep, I know honey, me too! My last little one is going off to school.

You would think there would be tears.... NO WAY! With how naughty this little one has been this summer I was not really all that sad. She is so ready for her BIG day. Here are a few pics of the big day!

Getting on the bus!

(Did those steps get bigger or is it just me?)

She would NOT let me take her to school in the car. She had to ride the bus! As she says "I have been waiting 5 years for this mom, and I am not going to miss it!" Okay... so can I follow you over to the school in my car and make sure you get to class okay? Ummm.... no.

Check out that face! She was so mad that I came to the school. She obviously thought I was gonna stay home. Yeah like that's gonna happen!

Congrats! Baby girl. Welcome to the Big Leagues.

Is it over yet?

2010-01-19T19:43:00.000-08:00

So I was having a pretty good day today. I got my house all cleaned and even baked some fabulous peanut butter cookies with chocolate dove centers! I was looking forward to a nice relaxing evening with the kids while the hubby is off fulfilling his calling for scouts. (cue the ominous music) dun, dun, dun.... The phone rings. This is how the phone call goes.

Him: Honey ?

Me: Yes....

Him: Our activity fell through

Me: "that's too bad" (I really am thrilled but would never say so) are you coming home?

Him: Well, yeah but can we come back to the house and have our activity there?

Me : Are you really asking me? (Anyone that knows my hubby can tell you, he doesn't ASK for things often. He is more of a do it and ask forgiveness later kind of a guy.)

Him: Ummmm no.... we are almost there I just thought I would give you a heads up.

2 hours later all 15 of them are still here, yelling their heads off in the basement. I have since made a pizza run. Cleaned up after the plague of locust ate all 6 pizzas and 4 bags of crazy bread, in under 2 minute, and hide my delicious hersey's kiss cookies that have magically dwindled from 4 doz to about 8.

Can I tell you I am so happy that I only have one little boy!

I just can't help myself.

2010-01-17T13:45:00.000-08:00

I guess it is no secret that I LOVE Disneyland. Well, just in case any of ya didn't know...I DO! I made a promise last year, when I drug my husband by his fingernails, that I wouldn't make us go back again for 2 years. GULP! Guess where that leaves me this year???? Disneyland free.

While trying to figure out where our family trip might take us this year I keep running across deals for Disneyland. (I am not even looking for them.... REALLY! They just seem to find me) I personally it's just fate, or a sign or something, but not everyone I know feels that way.

But, anyway back to the story. When I asked everyone at dinner the other night where they wanted to go for a family trip this year I was surprised that the majority wanted to go to the beach. Well, maybe not the majority but definitely the loudest portion of the group. Since we live in Utah obviously the closest (and warmest) beaches around are where else, SUNNY CALIFORNIA! You tell me how I am supposed to plan a trip to Cali. and not include Disneyland. See... not possible is it? Here's the plan (if we really do end up going to the beaches of California) I am going to sign us all up for a day of volunteer work and get the free passes to Disneyland. That way we could still have a beach vacation with a little bit of Disneyland thrown in just for me : ) Whatcha think? Totally breaking my promise of no Disneyland for a 2 years or just kinda side steppin' it a little? Do you think the hubby will go for it?

New Year = New Me!

2010-01-15T09:05:00.000-08:00

Well I think it's been long enough don't you? Apparently I was a little burnt out on the blogging situation. Really, it may just be that I have the attention span of a two year old! I flit around to things that interest me and then drop 'em when I'm bored. I guess it's a really good thing that my family is so darn crazy, and interesting I could never get bored with them : )

(see what I mean.... snow hat + swimming goggles and a pony)
Don't ask.... I don't know what she's doing!

So in a nutshell over the last 6 months these are a few of the big things that have happened around here....

School started.
School ended for one little 3 year old who decide "it just not for me" YEP.... me neither kid!
I turned 21 again.... Hooray!
Michael had a birthday.... he however is not 21
Dylan turned 6 - Happy birthday dude
Haley turned 8 -It's great to be 8 ....right bug!
Haley got baptized (A very cool experience)
Christmas and a house full of family for the holidays.
Mom slept for 2 weeks straight afterwards....

This has brought us to January, most peoples most dreaded month. Me. I love it! A new start, I have no birthdays or holidays I need to plan for. I am stuck inside with my beloved Kindle with nothing to do but read. Really what's not to like!

This year I have plenty of resolutions some I will mention.... most I will not (come on now! A girls gotta have her secrets.) One I can mention is my resolution to get more organized. I am well on my way to achieving this. I have almost an entire floor of my house currently sporting nicely organized closets. Cool huh! Anyone that knows me will know that I clean everything in my house ALL The time... except my closets and cupboards. They are a nightmare! But no longer I tell ya. It's a new year, a new decade even. So there ya have it. We're back, at least until I get bored and wander off on ya for a while. Now I'm off to fulfil another goal. It' time for the daily run.

Talk to ya soon

Hi-YA CowBOY

2009-07-23T21:39:00.000-07:00

All of my kids have been blessed with larger than life personalities. My youngest however may have just a little somethin' extra! Today on our way out from Costco we spotted a Costco employee that was getting ready to head out and round up the carts. He was wearing his bright orange vest and a straw hat (I can only guess probably to keep out the sun). Before I even had a chance to notice him sitting on the side Avery yells out... " HI YA COW....BOY. with all the western drawl and inflection she can muster. When I start to laugh (as does everyone within ear shot) She turns to me and says "What mommy? He is a cowboy! See his hat?" It was the funniest thing! It totally brought a smile to his face, mine too.... but she does that everyday anyway!

Sum....Sum... Summer Time

2009-07-19T20:39:00.000-07:00

I have now resigned myself to the fact that I completely suck at blogging during the summer. Accepting this fact and stating it out loud is quite therapeutic for me. I no longer feel like such a slacker when I put 1 maybe 2 pitiful little posts up per month. Having said this, here are a few of the things we've been up to lately.

Some much needed swimming lessons

Fireworks.... of course!

Lots and Lots of T-ball

And LAST but definitely not least.... My baby girl turned 3

(she was insistent that she have cupcakes and not a birthday cake!)

She had a swimming/Tinkerbell party complete with Tinkerbell swimming suit and dress up costume.

I love summer time!!!! Is there any wonder why? It just doesn't get any better than this.

Not so glad to be back

2009-07-09T10:00:00.001-07:00

I'm sad to say that our trip to Hawaii has come and gone. We are back from our week long stay on Kauai. People have been asking me if we had fun on our trip. I guess the appropriate reply is yes, even though this doesn't really begin to cover how much fun we had. After ten years it is strange to find yourself alone with your spouse for a whole week. No one is there to interrupt 10 times before you can finish a sentence. It is SO nice!

We stayed on Poipu beech on Kauai. It was rated No 1. beech by the travel channel last year. Now I know why! This was our view from our room. Just around the corner was the sandy part of the beach and the cabana chairs where we spent many relaxing hours!

We paddled down the Wailea river and hiked to the "secret falls". We were so hot and sweaty! It was a cool experience, but required WAY too much effort for a vacation activity! Part of that was due to the guide (ask me about it later)

We also took a little zodiac boat out around the island to the side of the island called the Na'pali Coast. The only way you can get there is by boat it was pretty awesome. We took the bumpiest smallest boat that proved to be more of an adventured. We got to go into little sea caves that the big boats couldn't go into. It was well worth the sore butts that we got in return! Then we snorkeled along a reef over there and visited an ancient Hawaii village that many locals aren't even allowed to go to. (This was only because our guide was part of the rehabilitation project)

We spent plenty of time relaxing and watching the sunset (or sunrise... we had trouble sleeping in over there) Did I mention we had an amazing room! These pictures were taking from the balcony in my room.

We had so much fun. Just hanging out with each other. I've already started planning our 20 year anniversary trip. That one is going to to take a passport for sure! : )

I won't torture you with endless photos. I'll just leave you with one more thing. This video is of me boogie boarding. So FUN!!!! This turned out to be one of my favorite things to do! Who knew! Turn on your sound to hear Michael cracking up while I very un-expertly ride my wave up the beach! Enjoy!

" I have NO idea how she knows this!!!!"

2009-06-10T17:52:00.000-07:00

We are finally settling into our summer routines. The first week or so we couldn't get into a groove and there was more than enough fighting to make me wish summer were already over!!!! We finally are getting used to be out for summer and most of our days are happily passing by in a flash. Sunday's however, are a little bit different. My girls LOVE church. Avery loves to get dressed up in her "princess dress" and go to her castle (which is what she calls the church bldg) Dylan however is a little bit less enthusiastic. I truly think that boys just can't sit still, be peaceful, and quiet for 3 whole hours. It's like asking girls to not talk for a whole day. JUST NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.

Dylan had a particularly bad day at church this weekend. He squirmed and talked through most of the first hour, and wiggled more than a lot during the next two. Even when I told him Numerous times to quit it. Who knows what he did during the 3rd hour, I couldn't see him then. (but I'm sure he wasn't behaving). Then after church I sent Haley to track him down so we could leave. She found him once and he ran a way. She found him again and he BIT her and ran away, by the time I found him I had more than had it!!! (Let's just say for his sake he was lucky to be within ear shot of all the people at church) When we got home I was telling Michael about all that happened while Dylan listened and looked at me with an amazed look on his face. Finally he turned to Michael and said "I have no idea how she knows all of this!" Not I'm sorry mom, not.... I'll do better next week. He just walked away to his room (for his time out )muttering "how do mom's know everything?"

How do moms know everything? It's just a gift I guess. (well maybe it's a curse)

And the winner is!

2009-06-02T17:58:00.000-07:00

I just realized that I never informed all of you where we will be heading for our anniversary. After all of your helpful input I figure I owed it to you. After the whole pig flu thing we ruled out Mexico. Plus I didn't have our passports, and didn't leave enough time to get them here without rushing them (in other words lots of $$$) so that ruled out the Bahamas as well. Time frame helped rule out Europe. (I have issues about leaving the kids for very long.... I know I'm weird)

SO we are heading to Hawaii. This is where Michael was wanting to go from the start. Since we went to Maui on our honeymoon we figured we would try a new island. We're heading to Kauai. Plenty of beaches, waterfalls, snorkeling, alone time, surfing, hiking, and best of all! NO KIDS.

I know the kids will be well taken care of while we're gone by loving family members. Now if I can just wait for a couple of weeks.

Summer = Really Lame Blogging

2009-05-25T20:16:00.001-07:00

Summer hasn't even officially begun but between end of school programs, last week of school activities. Really sick kids and reading my Kindle any free moments that leaves exactly no time for blogging.

On of our newest weird infirmity at our house is ear pain. (We are no strangers to ear pain) Haley, who is on her second set of ear tubes started having ear pain out of no where (this shouldn't be happening with ear tubes.) Then the pain stopped really abruptly and now her ear is draining bloody yucky stuff. Does this sound like a ruptured ear drum? Any of you ever had something like this?

Yippee bring on the summer fun.

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-08T13:41:00.000-07:00

I am a spoiled girl! I admit this.... openly and freely. I need to give my husband props, I know I have said this before, but he is the BEST gift giver EVER! This is what he gave me this year for Mother's Day.

It's a Kindle 2. You may or may not have heard about these. I LOVE to read. I buy a book a week, usually, and I am literally depressed when I don't have one to read.

So I've been researching (I'm a little crazy about researching things) for quite a while about these little guys. There are different brands and price ranges for these digital readers. The Kindle however seems to be the COOLEST one by far. (Of course it's also more expensive too) I mentioned this a while back to the hubby that I wished I had one. Guess what came in the mail today just in time for Mother's day. Needless to say I giggled like a girl and jumped up and down. (All of this was extremely funny to the neighbor and the UPS man)

Okay... enough blabbing. Here's what it does.

Holds e books (up to 1500 of them)
Instantly downloads them via the wi-fi for those of us with no patience.
Reads like a normal book REALLY it does. It's not like a computer screen. It has something to do with electronic ink.... Way too hi-tech for me to explain. Just REALLY REALLY cool.
Plus plenty of other cool things!

I've only had it for about 45 min and I already know how to use it, and I have a new book and I've finished the first chapter of my new book! YEA!

THANKS BABE!

End of the Year Craziness

2009-05-06T14:21:00.000-07:00

The end of the school year is always crazy but for some reason this year seems worse than ever. For instance.... Haley's class at school is having something fun every day of the month to keep the last few weeks from dragging. So we have silent day, and cowboy day, game day (when you bring games from home) or something along those lines. All of this is fun and exciting but seems to becoming rather hectic, because on top of all of this Haley's teacher is also retiring this year and they are having something special for her everyday to show her teacher appreciating. (This is in addition to all the other stuff). Now.... I don't really mind all of the stuff they are doing for class, it's just that I am starting to feel like a juggler who has too many balls in the air. I'm afraid anymore and I'm gonna lose it!

So here's a list of what Haley needed for school today:

a donation for a gift card (teacher appreciation)
A note for her teacher from me and her dad telling her what we appreciated about her this year.
A winning paper airplane for the contest later today.
Her normal Homework
Her book for library day
Her other book that she reads everyday signed and read

Dylan needed

Snacks for the kids in his preschool class (2 different kinds enough for 12 kids)
His book that he reads everyday signed and read
Show and tell
His song memorized for the program next week
His speaking part memorized too

It just a good thing that Avery isn't in school yet because mom can't handle anymore things to remember or I might forget my own name!

Baby sitting co-op

2009-04-26T17:45:00.000-07:00

So I was blog surfing for the first time in quite a while today and I came across something interesting on a friends blog. She was talking about a baby sitting co-op that she's part of. I've been wanting to do something like this for quite a long time but neverreally knew how to go about it. After reading about how well it works out I am ready to start one up. I asked her to email me all the info about it.

Her co-op works by people using tickets. You set a designated time that you will be at your house on a certain day (hers was 9-12 of Friday's). Every girl has a different time slot. Anyone can call and bring the kids over during that time as long as they have tickets to pay. Each hour earns you one ticket per child. Then all the tickets you earn are yours to use how and when you want to. The more kids you watch during your set time the more tickets you get. Shopping, Dr. Apt, a nap, girls day out. etc. etc.

You just need 4-5 people to start out with (but the more people you have the better!). You also give everyone a bunch of tickets and set up every one's time they want to commit to. What do you think? Any of you interested in something like this? I would be happy to start it up and get all the rules going if there are some of you out there who would like to do it. I know that this would be something really great for me. So what do you say? Anyone interested?

Dilemmas, Dilemmas

2009-04-08T13:20:00.000-07:00

So coming up soon is my 10 year anniversary to my loving hubby (WOW, I'm getting old). I think that we should head off to somewhere warm and fun WITHOUT THE KIDS to celebrate! The problem is that I'm not sure where. How about some suggestions..... Seriously I really do need ideas. We went to Maui on the honeymoon and have thought about going back (this is where he is voting for), but I would really rather head somewhere new.

I have considered areas of Mexico but I am concerned about all of the problems down there. What do you guys think? Would you go? Any great areas that you've been to and would like to share? Thanks for all you help. I'll keep you posted if we make any decisions.

One Great Week

2009-04-04T21:21:00.000-07:00

You know those weeks when you get totally spoiled and get to do all sorts of fun things? Now, it doesn't happen very often to me but every once in a while I get lucky. Here are a few of the fun things I've done.

1-A girls night out shopping with my sister where we laughed until they were ready to kick us out of the store (plus dinner at Cafe Rio... it doesn't get any better than that).
2- Then I went on a fabulous date with my hubby to dinner and a jazz game with some old friends.
3- Even now as I type this I am waiting for my turn on Rock band. All of my sisters are at my house hanging out, having a sleepover and I'm lovin it) The only thing that would have made this week better was if my one missing sister were able to come and play too. We missed you Lori. Maybe next week.

I'm need on the drums! Catch ya later.

Let's do some Bouncin'

2009-03-23T17:51:00.000-07:00

Did you guys play with your cousins growing up? We did but very very rarely. In fact we actually only saw them once or twice a year. When we did actually get to see them we had so much fun! My sisters and I put a lot of effort into making sure our kids see each other A LOT more than we got to see our cousins (secretly we just want to hang out with each other, and the kids are a good extra reason! ) The problem is that when they all get together they are SO crazy. Bounce off the walls, drive their mothers and anyone else within a mile crazy. It usually only last for the first couple of hours of so. This time we outsmarted them and took them somewhere they could go wild and we could sit and drink kiwi-strawberry slushies and gab! Wooo hooo! Score one for the moms!

These are my way cute niece and nephew! Don't let the cute little pictures fool ya! These two could out run any kid anytime EASY! The only reason I even got such cute pictures of them sitting still was because I had the camera on action mode and I took like a million pictures and 1 caught them stilling still.

All of the kids had a blast! Mine however looked like this after about an hour. Notice none of them are actually still standing up!

Happy kids + happy moms = a really good Day!

My Apologies

2009-03-19T11:50:00.000-07:00

Okay... sorry guys for making you look at pictures of creepy snakes for so long. We have been SO busy around here that blogging was all but forgotten. Now I'm back on a more normal schedule (I hope) and ready to resume my blogging ways.

On the plus side we've been having so much fun, and I have tons of pictures for ya. I won't post them all in the same post ( you'd probably be ready to kill me if I did.) Instead I'll take it slow and do a day at a time. Let's start with the Living Planet Aquarium.

We had a day off of school and this was the activity chosen by the kids. It was a little small but the kids LOVED it!!!! We saw a lot of cool things, but the hit of the day was touching the sting rays.

These two were very brave when it came to touching them. Haley was a little more hesitant. After some gentle coaxing from a very patient Aunt she was finally able to touch one. (Look how proud she looks! )

Then we moved on to see some more of the museum. This little guy was fascinated by everything. He wanted to read every label description and see every single exhibit. He's asked me at least 100 times in the past week if we could go back. With my new kids club membership I'm sure we will be back soon. (That's something for a whole different post.)

So there you have it. No more pictures of snakes. Sting Ray's may not be much better but it's a start right !?

The most DREADED pet of all.

2009-03-04T07:57:00.001-08:00

So.... the boys decided they needed a new pet. Well, a dog was out of the question (too much work.) Our cats don't seem to live very long around here. So naturally the pet to get would be a Python. Right! I mean that's what sane logical people get for pets right? See, I knew I wasn't crazy when I told them normal people don't get snakes for pets. Yuck! Needless to say I don't love Legs, yep- that's what the kids named him was legs, since he didn't have any of course.

It was a huge compromise for me to allow this little beauty into the house. The catch is I don't have to do anything with it- EVER. Here are the rules

1- No feeding it! (which I've already done once, is it wrong to root for the mouse to live?)

2- No touching it ever (well, except for when Dylan can't reach him on the bottom of the cage to get him out)

3-If he gets loose Michael has to come home and catch him! (ummmm- yeah like that will happen! Dylan already came running in and told me he lost his snake. Guess where, No seriously just guess! MY BED! While searching for him in the covers he slithered out of my pillowcase! on to my HAND!!!!! And yes I did scream like a girl and ran around the room screaming.)

4- I NEVER have to clean the cage. ( Thing one I'm sticking to! I mean it!)

So as you can see. Now that the rules have been firmly established and followed we should have no problems. Welcome to the family Legs.

Happiest Place on Earth (Well Most of the Time)

2009-03-02T08:29:00.000-08:00

Well we're back from our little jaunt to the Magic Kingdom. This trip was interesting to say the least. We had a fabulous time but also had a few hang ups. We were a little bit sick so that took a little bit of fun away from the trip. Dylan and Avery both had ear infections which would act up and make for some whiny kids at times. That didn't stop us though! Well it stopped Dylan a couple of times. A few times he crashed..... hard! For the most part it was a GREAT trip here are some of the highlights.

Now you tell me.... for someone who protested A LOT about going to Disneyland he sure looks like he's having fun huh!

Avery was WAY into Donald this trip (go figure) we hung out at Donald's house and she loved it.

One of my favorite moments of the trip was when she actually saw him. We were waiting in line and Avery was picking flowers through the railing (even though she wasn't supposed to!) She took off running and I thought I was going to have to chase after her. She had finally seen Donald and ran up to him and gave him her flower she had picked. It was SOOOOoooooo cute! He stopped and gave her kisses even though he was heading to break. She won't stop talking about it!

This little guy had a harder time at Disneyland this year. He had been sick before we left and then came down with an ear infection while we were there. He was always cold and kind of tired. The sun was in his eyes so he borrowed my hat, apparently that's all he needed to make him happy!

We spent a lot more time riding the big rides this trip so we had to find ways to entertain the little monkey. She loved toontown where she could play in the little cars and houses while the big kids were busy.

This was the other way to keep her happy. A stuffed animal a day keeps the frownies away!

Haley sometimes has a hard time with the characters. This guy tried to carry her tray for her at breakfast. It was one of the funniest things I have ever seen. Rafiki following behind Haley trying to tell her sorry for scaring her and trying to take her tray. Haley looking straight forward with huge tears silently streaming down her face walking as fast as she could back to the table. She sat down and cried on my shoulder once he was gone and said "I know he's nice but he just really freaks me out!" So when he came around again for pictures we sent her away for more strawberries. Dylan as you can see didn't have any problems with him.

Other than Donald, this is who Avery really wanted to meet! It was love at first sight!

I can't believe how big she is! She walked all 4 days with no complaints. She is ready and willing to ride every ride in the park! As much as it scares me that they grow up so fast sometimes it sure is fun to see them turn into a big kid right before your eyes!

We had such a GREAT time!!!!! I am sad to be home.

Do these type of things happen to other People?

2009-02-20T12:18:00.000-08:00

I have this car. I really love my car, except for one small thing. It's cursed! I'm so not kidding. I've had my car for 3 years and it has been crashed 5 times in that amount of time. Not big huge crashed, (except for that hit and run thing on the freeway last year) Just little things. Like being backed into a telephone pole, a power box, Michael backing up in the drive way and smashing it. Oh, and the neighbors car too. Those types of things. Having said all of this my next little story shouldn't surprise any of you. (WARNING! this is a little bit disgusting)

I was heading into the auto body shop. They know me well by now! Dylan wasn't feeling good so he stayed home from pre-school. I gave him some motrin for a little fever but he refused to eat breakfast. Anyway.... I still had to bring the car in and they were going to bring me home. We were about 2 minutes away from the shop when I heard a horrible and dreaded sound from the back. Yep..... Dylan was losing his breakfast (or last thereof) all over the car that was about to be left in the shop for the week. Ahhhhhhh! Now what? Well, luckily he was in a bathrobe over his pj's with a blanket on top of that so I was able to bag up all the yuck, or most of it anyway. Well a week has now passed and they called to tell me that my car was ready. I asked if they had any kind of detail service I could add on to my car wash and they said yes. I was SOOOoooo all over that. My car has now been dropped off with no dents, dings, scratches or crashed bumpers. The detail service took care of the puky smelling inside (so.... so....so worth it by the way!) and I'm one happy girl again.

So how about it. Is anyone else's car cursed (hmm, maybe it's not the car, maybe it's me)? Do these things happen to you guys? I would love to know if I need to be looking for a new car or someone to de-cursify me!

DISNEY!

2009-02-16T08:50:00.001-08:00

I L-O-V-E!!!! Disneyland. I mean really love it. The fact that my kids love it as much as me is just a bonus. My sweet hubby however does not. It took some doing this year but I finally got him to agree to come with us on our Disney trip. (notice I said come with us, I was almost prepared to got it alone. Did I mention I love Disneyland?) I made all the final arrangements today. We are all booked up. Wahooo!!!!!!!

This year we aren't doing the over-the-top craziness that we did last year. No Disney hotel etc. etc. This was a more than willing sacrifice I made so everyone was happy about the trip. We are also driving this year instead of flying. So how about it? Is the drive awful or just kind of long. I made the decision to stay in Vegas for a night on both the coming and going legs of the trip. With a 2 year old I am more than a little worried about a ten hour drive in the car. So if any of you have hints, tips or stories about how great your drive to Disney was..... please, by all mean share! If however, you had a horrible drive and your 2 year old screamed her head off the whole time then maybe don't share that info. : )

Tagged

2009-02-11T13:36:00.000-08:00

So I was tagged by two of my three sisters. (Maybe they are sick of my lame not blogging mood) But here goes. So sister #1 tagged me for my favorite chick flick movies. That's a hard one, but I'm sure I can come up with a few of them.

Let's start with # 1 Mama Mia

This movie is totally corny and yet so so so much fun. Especially when you see it with a big group of giggling girls. Totally fun!

Movie #2 Sex and the City

I LOVED this show.... if you can skip some of the more embarrassing scenes (I know I am such a baby) This is such a great chick flick. I got hooked on the show from TBS "aka" edited version. So sometimes the HBO versions shocks me a bit. I was too involved in the story line to NOT find out how it all turns out.

Movie # 3 Ever After

I had a roommate that LOVED LOVED this movie. After having it play practically 24 hours a day I was so sick of this show, but now when ever it comes on TV I can't help myself I always turn it on for "just a minute" and end up watching it all.

So there you have it. A few of my favorite chick flicks.... up next, a tag about the hubby.

Enjoying Life's little wonders

2009-02-05T14:09:00.000-08:00

I've not been in the blogging mood lately. (Gasp!) I know perish the thought. But I just haven't been feeling it. Once we all got feeling a little better we've just kind of been hanging out. Let's face it girls (and guys) sometimes life just isn't that interesting. Laundry... dishes.... homework...groceries not exactly newsworthy stuff.

Normally this would drive me CRAZY!!!! but.... I've actually been enjoying myself. One of my resolutions this year was to slow down and enjoy all of the little things. This is something that is hard for me. I constantly feel the need to be doing "something." Instead these days we've been playing and enjoying ourselves. On today's agenda. Trains.....Legos, and more trains. Here's a sample of me and my favorite little guy hanging out.

He even used the push train (the other one is motorized and has a controller to hold) I usually have to be the push train the whole dang time... today he took pitty on me.

We set up the whole city with all the filling station and such. Then we started playing. Well if any of you have small children you'll know that gets old really quick. A few times around the tracks and we were needing something to spice it up.

That's were the boulders dropping on the train and pieces missing out of the track come into play.

Of course we had to have some of the passengers fall out and get ran over. He is such a boy sometimes!

(No lego guys or train pieces were harmed in the making of this activity... at least not fatally )

What was I thinking????

2009-01-18T08:35:00.000-08:00

It's my own fault. Really- what was I thinking. I did something so incredibly stupid. I said OUT LOUD... "We've haven't even been sick this winter." Yep, I know, not smart. I am not kidding. Withing about 2 hours of uttering the fateful words Avery came down with a fever. She was throwing up by dinner. She had croup by morning and we were in the Dr.'s office for the usual steroid treatment by the next day. In the meantime Michael got sick that night, but held it together long enough to go to the Walking with Dinosaurs show. Withing an hour of coming home Dylan had a 103 fever and I was running a toasty 101. We are a site to see. Haley now has her fever to match. (You know Haley.... she just can't be left out of something). Ugggg I have learned my lesson!!! I will never utter the fateful words again.

My little charmer

2009-01-13T12:30:00.000-08:00

As parents we try to teach our children how to be well behaved. We repeat ourselves time and time again. I don't know if any of you feel this way, but I feel like I'm never really heard! But either out of blind hope or pure habit I keep at it. Reminding the kids millions and millions of times all the little things that they should do that will help them become "well mannered".

Today I was silently rewarded. We had a little neighbor girl over to our house today. Dylan and she had been playing and then decided they wanted to run back over to her house. They asked if they could... and I said yes. I was finishing what I was doing and then going to come and help them put on boots and coats. Much to my surprise I come out to find them already leaving. Dylan had helped her get on her boots and then put on his. Then since she didn't wear a coat over he proceeded to unzip his jacket (which has a outer coat and an inner liner) and give her one. They zip up and off they go. Totally oblivious to the fact that mom was secretly watching and smiling proudly. Maybe a little bit of mom's endless hounding has made a difference after all.

Walking with Dinosaurs

2009-01-07T15:42:00.000-08:00

The men in my life sometimes get out-voted around here. All of the girls in this family have their own way making themselves heard. I decided to treat my guys with a special day just for them. So I got them tickets to this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VX3_tnLDUEk

Okay.... so maybe this is a little more for the little guy than it is for Michael, but I'm sure they'll both love it. Pretty cool huh! I am the lucky one who gets to go see Disney princesses on ice. Sometimes I wish I was a boy!

Christmas Craziness!

2009-01-02T18:36:00.000-08:00

I know it's been a while since I last posted, but hey.... it was Christmas and we all know how busy that is. So here's a recap of all the things that have been keeping me hopping. First the kids both had programs at their schools. I always love going and seeing them perform. I can't help but smile when they get so excited to sing songs, or dance or whatever the case may be.

Haley was W A Y on the other side of the gym and my monstrous 2 year old was making things impossible. So we settled for listening more and taking less pictures. As you can see. I managed to see her happy little face at least once.

(Poor little snowman!)

For Dylan's performance we got there early and got front row seats. This way I was sure to get more pictures. But I spent most of the time laughing. He was way more interested in torturing his poor little snowman prop than he was in singing. Normally this would set off the mom anxiety, but I figured. Who cares! This is a preschool performance and no one really cares what he's up to anyway. He did sing some of the songs, his favorite one about the mittens. That was good enough for me.

This little monster gets to come with me to all of these things. Sometimes when we do two parties or two programs back to back at both schools she gets a little cranky. That's where a little "sugar persuasion" comes into play. A sucker goes a long way to keep this kiddo quiet. I just feel bad for the person next to her who gets touched with the sticky hands.

Yummy! See the sticky drool on her chin. Yep.... A huge sticky mess, but did you notice her mouth is closed? Yeah man- that's what I'm talkin' about.

So! So ! Fun. Even though all of these things take so much work I love them!

(pictures of Christmas are coming- I promise)

I love the Snow

2008-12-16T13:38:00.000-08:00

Does anyone else just love the snow. I've been so bummed that it hasn't snowed yet this year. That big storm that was supposed to come through on Saturday was a bust and I was so disappointed. We headed up to bountiful this weekend to "Borrow" some of their snow. We had so much fun!

What a GREAT Aunt! She pushed her up the hill too. That way she got a ride both ways! That's dedication.

It was a good thing he had such a HUGE hat on. He took a wicked header off the tube and it saved his face from snow burn!

My little Eskimo!

I made her at least TRY to walk a little way up the hill. Then I carried her. (she looked so cute I couldn't resist) She outgrew he clothes from last year so she's dressed in Dylan's old stuff. Doesn't she make a cute little boy! : )

Hmmmm she says. I think my hands are getting cold.

Did I mention it was REALLY cold. Only about 20 deg outside. Brrrrr

It's all fun and games until the babies hands get cold! That'll end the fun real quick!

We had so much fun this weekend playing in the snow that naturally when we woke up and saw that it had snowed here. We headed out to play in it. We had a perfect snowy morning. Playing with the kids in the snow. Drinking yummy hot chocolate. Sending out all the Christmas Cards and playing board games. Yep! I sure do love the snow, and perfect snowy, stay at home days!

She's SEVEN!

2008-12-15T13:20:00.000-08:00

How did this happen? I swear I blinked and she went from my teeny tiny little baby to this full grown kid, with all the attitude of a teenager to match. This year she decided she wanted to have a girls "late night". Being too young for a real sleepover this was a good compromise. All the girls came in Pj's and we ate pizza, did crafts, painted toe nails and watched movies. Around 9:00 the kids were ready for bed so we started sending them home.

I was a little nervous for this party for some odd reason. Turns out.... I had almost as much fun as Haley. These girls are all so full of personality. I didn't think there was anyone on the planet that could talk as much as she does, but I was wrong. We all laughed over dinner and had fun painting fingernails and toenails. It was really fun.

Some days I feel like I am so unprepared for her to grow up. Being the first child she kind of gets short changed.... they have to suffer while the parents try and figure all this out. I feel like I got a little glimpse of fun girl stuff to come. I am excited. If I can keep the teenage girl attitude out of it I think we will be set!

So happy birthday baby girl. I know you're not a baby anymore but you'll always be my baby. Thanks for adding so much fun to our lives.

Busy time of year!

2008-12-10T09:10:00.000-08:00

So I decided this year I wasn't doing all the stuff that makes me crazy. Running around everywhere feeling the need to buy the perfect present for everyone I know. I am only spending time doing things that make the holiday's enjoyable. Thanks to the momumentaly huge black friday shopping trip I am done with the shopping. Now I can spend time with friends and family relaxing.

The perfect example of this was last night me and some of my best girls went out for shopping, food and, fun! These girls are the best. The kind that you can laugh about nothing with. Including being chased out of Target after closing and near midnight. I am so thankful for friends like that!

The only problem with all of this fun was I drank a few too many caffeinated beverages at dinner (which was around 11:00) and then got all wound up like a 5 year from laughing. Then came home and tried to sleep. Not a good combo.

Then to make sure I was really good and tired.....Haley was on the news this morning. Fox 13 filmed at her school so I had to take her there early and wait with her so I could bring her home again. Just in time to leave again with preschool carpool and get them all to school. Whew it was a totally crazy hectic morning but totally worth it! The first grade class sang a couple of songs. She loved it... and I forgot that I got about 1 hour of sleep. I guess it really is the most WonDerFul TiMe of the YeAr!

Where have I been?

2008-12-05T14:20:00.001-08:00

When I turned on my computer today I actually blew dust off the top. Seriously! That's just crazy. I did mentinon that I was busy this time of year, but what have I been up to?

Thanksgiving parties at preschool.

One crisis at Haley's school where I got a call because they thought I was supposed to be there for a party but it ended up someone else was supposed to be there. It was a close call!

Shopping.... and more shopping. Black Friday is one of my favorite holiday's!

Planning the next birthday party.

Decorating the house for Christmas

Putting up the tree.

I promise I will post some fun pictures of these events sometime soon.

My little man turns 5

2008-11-23T10:00:00.000-08:00

My little man turned 5. I'm not sure how that happened. One minute he's a baby. The next he's 5. Well buddy..... you sure keep us on our toes around here. We never know what's next. Thanks for being your sweet, loving, high spirited self. Our family would never be the same without you! We love you and all your craziness that comes with you. Here's how we celebrated the all important 5th birthday in true Dylan style.

First we woke up and dug into the presents. We've never been a patient bunch around here so of course we would open presents as soon as possible. Dylan was VERY specific in birthday wishes this year. It was not easy to find the exact Lego castle he was desperately wanting (since the whole world seemed to be sold out... of course!) we finally managed to find one and have it shipped. It got here hours before the big day. (Whew!) It was all worth it. To see his little face when he opened it made me forget the hassle.

It took the 4 of us the next two hours (Avery was kind of working against us) to get it put together. He loved it and has been playing with it every minute since.

We had this whole Jedi training themed party planned and all he wanted to do was play with his castle and other birthday presents. Finally we coaxed him out and he had a blast. First we dressed all the kids in some Jedi robes. They looked so CUTE! We trained like true Jedi's. With blow up light sabers.

We saved princess Leia from the "bad guys" by popping all the balloons until we found her picture that has been "locked" in prison (the balloon).

Then they had an obstacle course they had to complete.

Now they were ready for the HUGE light saber fight to prove what they learned. FUN!!! FUN!!! They all had blow up light sabers and passed the training course. Somehow it ended up being all the kids against me. Don't worry I can take em' .....Good times .

Then there was cake, ice cream and presents. What more could you ask for?

Once the cake and presents were done, and the kids were sent home we cleaned up and got ready for the next party. As many of you know the big game was on. We had a little get together to watch and cheer on BYU. Unfortunately all our our cheering didn't help! Oh well. We had a fun day anyway. On to the next party. Let's see we have Thanksgiving (at my house this year!), Haley's birthday, and Christmas. At least I won't be bored right?

The Dreaded Picture Day

2008-11-18T17:43:00.000-08:00

Does anyone else dread family picture day? No....? I bet all of you have perfectly behaving, happy, smiling kids. Well, I don't.... so every year I dread getting their pictures taken. They always turn out SOOOOoo cute you would never believe it took an hour and a half of screaming, wiggling kids to get 3 decent pictures. Last year I had my amazing and ever so talented neighbor take my pictures, but I didn't want to take advantage two years in a row.... so we head off to the mall to the standard place of torture. This year did not disappoint. They all cried and wiggled and ran around making WAY too much noise.The only thing different about this year was I was all alone? I always have another adult with me to help wrangle they "little darlings". Today I clearly wasn't thinking when I decided they would be perfect little angles, and therefore could totally handle it by myself. I was wrong. Oh well..... I did get some really cute photos. I am way too lazy to scan them in and show them off since they are already in the frames on the wall. Maybe later! (Plus I'm sure I'd be breaking some sort of copyright law or something) Well, at least I'm done for another whole year. : )

It's all the Same

2008-11-13T17:41:00.000-08:00

So the other day Haley comes up to me and says "it's all the same!" Just completely out of the blue. I asked her what she meant. She proceeds to tell me. Everyday....

I get up...

Eat breakfast....

Go to school...

Come home ....

Do Homework...

Eat dinner...

(play a little)....

Go to bed and do it all over again....

She has been doing so much better in school this year. I was somewhat surprised by all of this. She hasn't complained even once about school this year. (Compared to last year.... this is saying a lot) I told her this is what happens when you get older. There are things that you just have to do everyday. Even when they're not fun. I didn't realize that we were in such dire need of something exciting. I guess we better plan something fun and exciting this weekend. After all I would hate for it all to be the Same!

P.S. for all you doubters out there. I really did turn my pumpkins into puree. I have pictures but at the moment I am way too lazy to put them on the computer. It was pretty easy but time consuming. It turned out to be a lot of work for the same exact taste as canned pumpkin. Just in case any of you were wondering. (oh well, I guess I can say I did it!)

Pie Pumpkin.... What's a Pie Pumpkin?

2008-11-07T14:19:00.000-08:00

So I had a hard time finding little pumpkins for the party last week ( ones that were small enough for "little hands" When I finally did find them I was WAY excited (the fact that they were 29 cents a lb was even better) So I loaded my cart up with 20 of them and headed to the check stand. It was then that the cashier told me these were "pie pumpkins" not regular pumpkins. (apparently.... these are "special" and cost more! WHATEVER!) I had to have them .... so off I went! Now that the party is over and about 1/3 of the kids forgot there pumpkins I am stuck with all of these extras. Haley has been begging for me to make a pie with her. Okay..... I think I may have made like..... 1 pie in my whole life and that was under close supervision of someone else. I am feeling guilty that I have all of these pumpkins laying around waiting to be turned into a delicious pie, and the only thing holding them back is my complete and total lack of skills. Does anybody out there know how to do this with a real pumpkin. Not just the can stuff? Don't worry I have lots to practice with ...so I might end up with a decent product. Any pointers would be greatly appreciated!

Happy Halloween.... A couple of Days Late

2008-11-03T14:21:00.000-08:00

Well, I was pretty busy around Halloween Time, and then I was recovering for the next couple of days, so I'm a little late putting up my pictures. They were too cute to just "forget" about so here ya go. Happy Belated Halloween. Here's a run down of the troop. Haley was a pirate. This is the first year she wasn't a princess of some sort.(Yea! no princess!) Dylan was Batman.... ever the superhero. Avery was the cutest cow I've ever seen, and loved every minute of it.

This year for Halloween we had a little party for the kids and their friends. They had so much fun. At times I thought I must be crazy for inviting 20 kids over and feeding them sweets and junk food. Luckily the party was short and we weren't around for the sugar crash. (sorry moms)

By far the biggest hit of the party was the bobbing for apples. The kids were a little hesitant at first but then they got into the swing of things and we had some serious competition going on. We painted pumpkins and played the doughnut on a string game (along with a few others)

Then after the party we had Halloween parades and class parties. I helped out with both the kids parties in their classes and watched both parades. Avery was my little buddy through all of this except one party. She did really great. At Dylan's party she fit right in with the preschoolers. She is so ready for it to be her turn.

Then we had the actually trick-or-treating to attend to. I took the kids out with the bike trailer. Haley was on her bike and I thought that Dylan and Avery would both ride in the back, but Dylan was so excited he ran to and from all the houses and told me to quit asking if he wanted a ride.

Avery was so funny. She walked about the first 10 houses doing her "own" trick-or-treating. After that she would just stick her little bucket out of the bike trailer and say "Haley, take me bucket." Haley would the run off with two buckets and bring it back for Avery to inspect. Yep, that's my way of trick-or-treating too! As you can see they were pretty happy campers.

Haleyisms

2008-10-24T13:23:00.000-07:00

So the other night we all stayed home and had movie night. We let the kids pick (always a dangerous thing) and we ended up with Underdog. Not exactly an Oscar award winner but the kids liked it so I guess it turned out okay. Avery sat with her little puppy in her lap and talked about the Doggies. Dylan loved the fact that it had something to do with superhero powers, so he was hooked, and well.... Haley just likes anything that isn't a for "little kids". You know, heaven forbid she be considered one. After all she is almost seven, and clearly not a "little kid" (or so I've been told). So at the end of the movie Haley asked so are beagle's called beagles because they are part bird? It took me a minute to figure out where this extremely strange comment came from. Then I couldn't help but laugh. She's always had problems with B's and D's and she thought that a Beagle was like an eagle with a b (for Dog I guess). Naturally this flying superhero dog was part bird, and....well when you think about it, who can argue with that?

Scarecrow Festival 08

2008-10-20T15:01:00.000-07:00

So for Michael birthday this year we decided to head over to the Scarecrow Festival at Thanksgiving Point. I'm not sure what he was thinking picking this as his birthday activity but I went along with it and off we went. We usually go to Cornbelly's but this year we decided to mix it up a little. I think I like the Cornbelly's better but this was fun too.

First thing... we rode these little pedal cars that looked really fun but turned out to be a little too advanced for our little kids they were too hard to pedal and had to be pushed which made the kids made since they wanted to do it themselves. Every kid that got off that ride told their parents that they didn't like it. So on to the next ride

Luckily our next spot was a HUGE hit! The kids made and decorated their own little rockets and then got to shot them off using this batter powered air compressor "thingy" as many times as they wanted. As you can probably guess we spent A LOT of time here. Dylan was the first up, he was so excited I thought he might "blast off" before his rocket.

Haley was pretty excited to launch her rocket too, however, for whatever reason we didn't get Avery one. This had to be fixed! One look from her while she said "where's mine mommy" and off we went. She was just as excited as Dylan was!

Here is the maiden launch. Look at the wonder on that little face. However, after the rocket launched she would get really mad. I'm not sure if she thought someone took the rocket or she was just mad she had to go and chase it down herself, either way after each time she would get mad and stomp off after the rocket. I just laughed and watched her go.

Next we were off for some rock climbing. This didn't go over very well. Haley and Dylan were excited while they were in line, but once they were about 6 ft off the ground they were considerably less excited! I never thought that heights would be my kids fear! Oh well... at least now we know. These are good things to know for the next climbing wall experience.

Check out this face. Did I mention she didn't like the heights?

Finally we tried out the haunted house and the inflatable stuff. After one time through the haunted house Avery was done! I took her over to the "toddler town" to play while Michael took the "big kids" out for the other stuff.

All in all it was pretty fun. It just seemed like we have more fun at the other carnival thing down there. Oh well.... live and learn . Happy Birthday Michael!

P.S. Michael's birthday wasn't totally a bust! We went out for a night on the town later and had fun so no worries (plus Michael always has a birthday "weekend" so we had many more chances for more daddy appropriate fun. )

Just Hangin' Around

2008-10-15T15:35:00.000-07:00

So I feel like I have been not doing my blogging duties lately. We haven't really even been doing that much just kind of hanging around. We did carve pumpkins the other night which is always Huge hit. Dylan wanted me to take this picture of him with a pumpkin for his head. He thinks it's soooooo funny which I'd have to agree with him! This year we did the "funkins" which are the carvable fake pumpkins. Every other year we do these and then we can keep them around as decorations and they don't get rotten and stinky!

I still need to take a picture of all the finished products all-a-glow! : ) I've just been too busy or maybe too lazy. I'm not quite sure. Stayed tuned for an update

Excuse me.... Do you work here?

2008-10-09T14:04:00.000-07:00

So I had to go to Walmart today. I usually try to avoid this... I really don't like going there. The lines are long and the service is hostile at best! But today I need a few things that just had to be bought there, and it was 11:30 in the afternoon so I took a risk.

I was ready to check out when the cashier asked me. "Do you work here", not wanting to be rude and make a snide remark I just smiled and said no. She looked me over and said, "oh, well your outfit is our exactly like our uniform." I was wearing a cute pair of cargo pants from AE and just a regular navy blue shirt.

For lack of anything better to say I said "oh, maybe I shouldn't wear this when I come to walmart." She proceeds to tell me "well, I wouldn't be caught dead wearing this if I wasn't working here."

Um..... okay thanks! I guess that I'll take my fashion advice from the workers at walmart with a grain of salt. Gotta love Walmart. : )

Hover or Free Range

2008-10-01T11:33:00.000-07:00

So, I was watching this show (that shall remain nameless) they were talking about moms that hover over their kids all the time. They of course have the best intentions of keeping their kids safe and protecting them etc. etc. Some of the stories about these moms were pretty extreme. Then there are the moms that are hands off "free range". They feel that letting the kids figure it out all on their own is better. Supposedly by doing things wrong they figure out how to do it right. They also had their own extreme examples (like letting a 9 year old ride the subway around NYC alone with 20 bucks in his pocket)

This all got me thinking. Which am I? I wish I could say that I am a "free range" kind of a mom. Unfortunately I am not. I try to.... but this is really hard for me. I would love to say I'm a happy medium but I probably more like a 60 - 40 type of situation. I grew up with my parents throwing me out the door and expecting me back at meal times. I walked to school (which yes.... it was a long way! Even up hill both ways) Some of the things I did as a kid I would NEVER EVER..... EVER let my kids do. Maybe it's because the world isn't the same as it used to be, or maybe I just am more aware the dangers.

Here's the question. What do you think, 9 and 10 year old kids by themselves? Yes or NO.
When can you let your older kids baby sit. How far away should they ride there bikes without adult supervision? I know that you can't keep them safe all the time but it's pretty scary to set them loose and hope they come back in one piece. So what are you a Hover mom or a Free Range?

(I'm not the only cautious, and a little too protective mom out there am I?)

How about a smile?

2008-09-24T12:09:00.000-07:00

You know how they say that a pictures worth a thousand words? Sometimes I think they are worth more than that, like a million bucks! I love the pictures that make you smile every time you see them. These are just a few from the past week or so that make me smile.

Dylan flying thru the air in his trademark cannon ball tuck! This kid can get some serious distance!

Now he's doing his newest trick. A flip into the pool. If this is what he does at 4 I shudder to think how crazy he'll be when he's a teenager.

Haley jumping into the pool..... This one cracks me up. Only Haley could strike a pose in mid air

See what I mean about striking a pose? That's Haley for ya.

This one is just funny..... I didn't take it. I have no idea who did. It was just on my camera one day. For all I know she took it herself (it wouldn't even surprise me)

Avery calls all animals a cow. Everything! Cats, dogs, bugs! I think she does this just to bug me. But when we were looking at Halloween costumes she kept saying cow. I thought she was talking about the girafee costume in my hand but she was really talking about this little cow costume. We had to have it. Look how excited she is to be a cute little cow for Halloween.

I dare ya to look at Avery toddeling away with her cute fat cow bum and not smile. Seriously, I dare ya!

Check out Haley's headband! It totally looks like a bad 80's flashback. It wasn't even planned. It just slipped down when they were sliding.

I was cleaning the carpets today and this is what I found when Dylan told me proudly to come and see what he did. He then happily proceeds to tell me he "painted" Avery for Halloween. (Doesn't she look great he says?) No buddy..... Great is not the word I had in mind. Plus it wouldn't come off. Avery looks like she has blue eye shadow on because we could only get part of it off.

So this is just a few of the funny moments around here in the last week. As you can see, we've been busy, but at least we were having fun.

Bring on the 30's

2008-09-18T06:49:00.000-07:00

I had the BEST birthday ever!!!! If this is what the 30's are like then bring em' on. First my fabulous sister watched all 3 kids so I could got on my annual trip to Park City for shopping and fun. This year we stayed in a AMAZING room at the Hotel Park City. It was sooooo nice. We got extra lucky and got upgraded to a cottage room because they were out of the lower priced rooms we were supposed to stay in. (Score)

This room had a separate master suite, 3 fireplaces, a hot tub on the back patio, multiple flat screen TV. It was by far the nicest hotel room I've ever stayed in. I think I could really get used to that kind of treatment. If I could only get someone to come and clean my house and leave little chocolates on my pillow at home every time I leave. Then I would be really set.

Then my amazing and fabulous friend planned a whole day of fun activities for us to go do yesterday. She secretly got a hold of Michael and arranged for him to take a day off work and hang with the kids. Then we spent the day shopping at all the little boutique shops around here (the kind that you can't bring kids into because they would break EVERYTHING.) We did lunch and shopped some more. Then we all went and got pedicures and sparkle toes! And to top it all off her girls babysat so the grownups could go out to dinner too!

You would think that I was WAY beyond spoiled enough but Nooooo...... my dad had rented a condo in Park City for his anniversary and couldn't use the whole week, so he called and asked if the fam would like to come up and stay for a mini vacation. So today we are headed back up to Park City. This time we'll do all the kids stuff, like swimming and Alpine slides and such!

Seriously..... if that isn't the best birthday week of celebrations ever, then I don't know what is!

(P.S. I was having so much fun I forgot to take pictures the whole time. So sorry no pictures of the awesome room, fun pedicures or anything! Maybe next time)

Tag Time Again

2008-09-11T21:21:00.000-07:00

I haven't had much going on lately or to blog about. So I thought that I would play along with this tag.

I am a mom first. I know that sometimes I should put other things and people before my kids but I usually don't. This includes myself. Sometimes it's a good thing to be selfish.
I miss my mom a lot! It's been 11 years and I would really just love to sit down and have an adult conversation with her about kids, husbands, marriage, recipes, potty training you name it. Never take the small things for granted. One day you may really really regret not having something that seems so insignificant now.
I think I am a big kid at heart. I really wish that I could go back to being a kid. When you're little you want to grow up so fast. Now that I am I realize just how much fun it is to be a kid. I am constantly telling my kids to enjoy it while they can.
I know my husband loves me. We have been best friends from the second we met. Seriously.... how lucky am I. We love each other but we also really really like each other too, like staying up WAY too late talking, laughing, just to hang out with each other.
I want to be a better person. I spend a lot of time thinking how could I do this or that better.
I have a lot of little quirks and pet peeves. (way too many to list)
I search for bargains all the time. I love a good bargain. It makes getting whatever it is that you're buying Sooooo much better when you get a great deal!
I wish there were more than one of me. I always feel like there are so many things I wish I could do. I wish that I had more than one of me that could help with that. That way my house would be clean, each of my kids would get one on one time and I might even get time for myself and to spend with my hubby.
I hate mean people. I really do. People that are rude for no reason. I mean really... didn't your momma teach you how to play nice with others?
I am scared of Fred. (Long Story) short version: I wake up all the time with a very real impression in my head of a man standing in my bedroom right next to my bed. My poor husband was not getting any sleep because I would jump onto his side of the bed every single night. So we named him (Fred) and told him he wasn't welcome and to GO AWAY! He's only been back once in the last few months. (I know weird huh! You already knew I was crazy... no big surprise there)
I fear someone breaking into my house. (This may explain Fred)
I always have candy in my house! I am totally an addict. If you ever need a sugar fix I gotcha covered!
I love fall time, when it's cold outside and the house is warm. Yummy food cooking, with the house full of great smells.
I feel unqualified as a parent sometimes. I wish that I knew more about what I was doing. I just hope that my kids aren't too screwed up.
I hear Jay Leno on the TV. I guess it's about time for me to go to bed.
I smell drywall mud. My basement is almost done and the weird smell of Sheetrock dust drywall mud has been stinking up my house all week. Ugg... almost done
I wonder what my kids will be like when they are older. I hope that they will be good upstanding adult, and my best friends.
I care if my kids are being nice or not. I really REALLY do. I try so hard to teach them to be nice to others, respectful of adults, and kind to their family. Sometimes I wonder if any of it is sinking in but at least I'm trying!
I regret not being nicer as a kid and young adult. There were A LOT of opportunities for me to be kinder to someone very special to me. As a kid I didn't understand how important that really was. I there were one thing in my life I could go back and change it would be this.
I am not one to show a lot of emotion. I guess it makes me feel too venerable. Growing up tears=weakness in my brain. I guess that this carried over into adulthood.
I believe in the gospel. I am not one to say this a lot, but I really do. It is not something that ever has come into question for me. I just believe it.... I feel it's truth way down in the core. I am truly thankful for this.
I sing not very well. I will sing along with the radio but not if anyone is around to hear me. Believe me you should all thank me for this!
I write nothing. I am not good at any of this! I never write letters. I rarely write thank you notes. I am really terrible, I should work on this.
I win nothing. I never win the contest or drawing. My husband on the other hand wins stuff a lot. He's always bringing stuff home that he "won" I guess that makes me a winner by default.
I have to hug and kiss my kids every day. It is a must.... when I'm gone from them for more than a couple of hours I go into with drawls.... Good thing school isn't any longer than it is.... I might be in trouble.
I lose. my temper way more than I should. I like to think that this comes from my red-headed short tempered father. Truth is- it's no body's fault but mine. I should be more in control of my emotions.
I never go to bed without putting lotion on my feet. I am so weird. I don't know where this strange habit came from but I CANNOT sleep without putting on lotion. When I'm old and wrinkly I'll have the best looking feet on the block.
I listen to music ALL THE TIME. The radio is almost always on at my house.
I can usually be found with a couple of kiddos in tow. We are kind of a package deal... sometimes this is a very bad deal.... but those are the breaks people, take it or leave it.
I read whenever I can. I tend to ignore all the other responsibilities in life while reading so this can be a problem sometimes.
I am happy most when I'm with my family. I'm one lucky girl

Most of you have already been tagged. So this is for my girls! All the sisters. Let's here it, and NO copying my answers you big cheaters :)

Dilemmas, Dilemmas

2008-09-09T16:03:00.000-07:00

So all of you know that I like to do freezer meals. They make my life so..... much easier. I hate it when I don't have them. The problem is that I am running out of ideas to try. I don't know how well something will freeze until I try it. And if it doesn't.... then I am in trouble for dinner that night. For this reason I stick to my tried and true recipes. These are rapidly becoming very "tired." I saw a freezer meal class offered at thanksgiving point full of ideas and new recipes. I totally want to go to it! The problem is that it's on my b-day. How lame would I be if I went to a class to learn how to cook freezer meals on my birthday? Pretty lame right? What a dilemma. On the other had I am going out of town for my traditional birthday weekend before my birthday. We got what I hope is a really cool room and a new hotel we wanted to try. So it should be a good time. But I still don't know what to do. What do you think, and would any of you all be interested in going with me? (we could get cake afterwards. It is my birthday after all)

P.S. on a side note I solved my carpet problem. Thanks to my sister and a very helpful neighbor. Companies that come to your house! Yep... that's the ticket, now I am all set! Yeah for new carpet :)

Had a Bad Day

2008-09-05T13:56:00.000-07:00

I know you all know the song that goes with this title. But I am way too lazy and exhausted to figure out how to put it on the blog.
Picture Haley singng it for you. See that's better!
So I did a stupid thing today. I took 2 kids with me carpet shopping all morning.
This is EXTRA stupid because 1 of these children were supposed to be in preschool and the other my sister told me she would take for the morning.
Child #1 threw a huge fit about going with the carpool to preschool.
He HATES it! I am not sure why. I begged and bribed and threatened. He told me he would rather be grounded from video games all weekend then go with them (okay... I can do that any other requests?)
Any of you that know Dylan are gasping right now.
I was planning on finishing getting ready to go after he left for preschool, so I wasn't ready to take him.
By the time I was ready. He was WAY too late to go and I now didn't have enough time to go all the places I need to go and be back in time to get him. So he came with me.
Then I figured since I already had one I might as well just take the other one too (BIG Mistake)
By the time I was done at the 4th carpet store I was ready to KILL myself ( I am learning to control my emotions notice that I didn't say I was ready to kill them, that came later! :)
So then I stopped to get the dry cleaning and it wasn't ready. Even though they said it would be. Grrrrrrr stupid people! Back in the car now for more torture of mommy!
Then I am not sure why but I decided to go to smith's to try and hit the case lot sale before all the stuff I wanted was gone.
TOO LATE. Most of it was gone anyway.
Dylan is throwing a FULL on fit at this point.
He is grounded for longer than I would like to think about at this point.
This totally sucks for me because grounded kids whine and cry and I have to put up with then, or I cave and un-ground them and I end up looking like a totally wimpy pushover. GRRRRR.
Finally we leave the grocery store and head home.
The carpet shopping was a bust, in fact I am more behind than yesterday because everyone told me the carpet we did like was crappy and wouldn't last very long. Why didn't they tell me this yesterday!
I didn't get my errands done.
I didn't get the stuff I wanted from the case-lot sale.
Dylan is whining at me and has to stay grounded! (YES!!!! he really was that bad today)
Oh yeah- and Michael is gone tonight for a scout camp out so I'm on my own to battle the little red haired demon aka Dylan.

Well I feel a little better now. Venting does wonders some times.
Or maybe it was the hour long nap I took after I locked the kids in their rooms.
Sorry to all of you who had to listen to me ranting. My next post will be happier I promise

Weekend at the Cabin

2008-08-31T20:01:00.000-07:00

We had a good time at the cabin. The kids always love to hang with the cousins. We like to stay around 2 days, any longer than that and everyone starts to get on each others nerves and the kids start to fight. So... in our 2 days together we had a lot to fit in.

First up.... rides on the new tire swing that looks like a horse. Gotta love a good horsie ride

Then of course it's off to the 4-wheelers. The kids L O V E to ride (usually that's about all they want to do) We were a little short handed on adults so we had more than the "legal" limit of kids on each 4 wheeler! Shhhh.... Don't tell.

Of course the little one didn't want to be left behind. Luckily, she's cute and all she needs to do is say please, and she's in. Grandpa was putty in her capable hands!

Then all the kids went fishing. The lake is EXTREMELY low and everything is muddy. Dylan being the kind of kid he is..... wasn't listening and fell in the mud. He was pretty mad!

While I was trying to clean him off in the lake I got myself pretty stuck too. My flip flops were completely lost and needed to be fished out. So we finally got Dylan out fishing on the boat too but that left one muddy mommy and a 2 year old. I am sure that all of you see where this is going. If you can't beat em' join em'.... right?

We made this slide out of the mud and slid straight into the lake. I know most of you are thinking how GROSS! I however (being a totally rat child at heart) loved it! So did my baby. She talked about this all the way home and throughout the night.

My nephew loved it too! Being a 4 year old boy. He was ready from the "get go." His mom however was a little less thrilled with all of the fun in the mud. She apparently is not quite the gutter rat that I am!

Too much fun sometimes takes it's toll. My baby crashed for about 12 hours.

NICE!

Busy Days

2008-08-28T14:08:00.000-07:00

Schools back in session and it's been so nice! This being said, is anyone else infinitely more busy these days? You'd think that with 1 child being gone for 2 1/2 hours 3 days a week and the other one in all day school I would have oodles (is that really a word?) of time to get things done. I don't! I find myself literally running from place to place these days! Maybe it's because I try to do so much more because my time without 2 kids is new and feels limited to me, but really I find myself at the end of the day wondering. How did it get this late? Where did the day go? I have not been posting much lately for this very reason. I'm going to try to get it together people. REALLY.... I am. Most likely it won't happen and I will continue blissfully on my path of mediocre blogging. At least I'm honest right?

P.S. Wish me luck I'm off for a weekend at my dad's cabin full of all sisters and their spouses and all the grandkids. This is not a BIG cabin mind you and there is the usual fear that we won't get along in such confined spaces (but then again I would have some great stories for ya! ) so wish me luck. I'll have tons to blog about if I can just find the time I'll be set.

Layton Surf and Swim = Good Times

2008-08-23T21:37:00.000-07:00

It was my little nephew's birthday so we all met up at Layton Surf and Swim for a party. I hadn't been there since I was a kid, but I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it was still as much fun as I remembered it. My kids didn't quite know what to think about the wave pool when we threw them in the first time... wave splashing in their faces, kids screaming, I can't really blame them. It didn't take long and they were all happy again.

Of course the best way to make Avery happy is always with food!

After the pizza we headed out to the wave pool again. By now they were old pros. They totally had the hang of it.

Dylan fell and split his lip open. He spent the entire rest of the time playing with ice cubes. Are my kids the only ones that are fascinated with ice cubes? The good news is, birthday's around here are CHEAP ; )

Avery found a bag of Cheetos and she was happy for the rest of the night too. I'm discovering it doesn't take much to make the kiddos happy these days!

Good times..... Good times! I am so NOT ready for summer to be over!

Just for fun

2008-08-20T13:36:00.000-07:00

This little link is fun to do. It made me wonder if I see myself the same or differently than other people do. Interesting.....I thought it was pretty accurate. How about you?

Http://DNA.imagini.net/friends

You have to pick a different picture on each page that pops up. Then it tells you about your personality at the end. Try it out.

Apparently I am a

dreamer
Escape Artists ???
Junkie monkey
with a fun personality.

Who knew : )

School Time Already?

2008-08-18T20:13:00.000-07:00

It seems like summer started yesterday, so it's hard to imagine that today was the first day of school. It's crazy how fast time seems to fly these days. I have a first grader! My baby is potty trained, and D is turning into a little man right in front of my eyes. Sometimes this makes me so sad to think how quick it all goes by. I sit and wonder if I did a good enough job? Did I teach them the right things, did we spend enough time playing? Could they ever possibly know or understand how much I'm gonna miss them? Even when it's only for 6 hours while they are at school. It's crazy how everyone just "feels"it when one of the family isn't home. Avery was on edge all day because both Dylan and Haley were gone to school.

This being said, last year was much harder to send her off on her first day. I was just totally excited for Haley to experience her first day of "real" all day school. She was so excited too that she could barely contain it!

We headed off for the bus stop with the whole neighborhood crew. She was excited that she got to ride the bus with her best friends this year.

She almost got on the bus without even looking back but much to my relief she turned around and gave her mom a wave. (good girl!)

Once we got Haley on the bus and safely away (with no tears this time from mom) it was Big D's turn! He was heading off to preschool today for the first time too. (last year we did a neighborhood one but nothing too structured) He was not nearly as excited as Haley was but he did have a good time. The building is still standing so that's a good sign that it went pretty well.

Now if I can just figure out what I'm going to do with all this extra time and no kids I'll be set. Don't worry I'm sure I can think of something. :)

Tomboy all the way

2008-08-14T21:13:00.000-07:00

I was looking through my email trying to clear out all the junk, I came across this old funny email that I had. You might have seen it already but it makes me laugh every time so I thought I would share.

This one makes me laugh because I SOOoooo wish that I could could ride this slide. For all of you that are doubting this statement, really, I LOVE this kind of stuff. My sisters and I grew up daring each other to jump from the roof to the trampoline etc. etc. In college there was thing... at these guys house in my ward. (vague huh!) It was called the human sling shot. It was essentially just some HUGE bungee cords strung between two telephone polls with a repelling harness attached to it. 4 or 5 guys would pull this cord down to the ground long enough for some dumb fool, such as myself to climb on and strap in. Then they would pull you back as far as the cord would stretch and let you go. I know, I am pretty lucky I'm not dead. Last I heard I was still the only girl that had done something.... I can't remember now, but I think it was something like ridding it backwards, up side down, and in the dark. Okay, not really but you get the picture. So this awesome slide in this video totally brings back nostalgia for me. If there are any of you out there smart enough to figure out all the angles and geometry of all this. I will be your ginny pig and ride it. Any takers.

Has it been a week yet?

2008-08-08T13:55:00.000-07:00

You know your in for it when you take your poor little crying child in to the Dr. office and he says "ohhhh.... I don't envy you. A little one with a throat that swollen is going to be really cranky. " Gee thanks, you mean you'd rather stay here with all the sick kids that come into your office, or give kids shots, than trade me places. That gives me a lot of hope.

Hand Foot and Mouth Disease. That's what she has. Poor baby! I looked in her throat and it's so swollen. She's even turning down the always coveted, yet never quite attained beverage of choice. COKE! You know if she's turning that down she's really sick. There's really nothing that even can be done for it. Just some Motrin to take the edge off and try to take down the swelling.

To top this all off Daddy's still gone until tomorrow. Avery's still potty training (she won't let me NOT do it! She is totally determined to get this, even if she is sick as a dog!) and the other two kids feel like I've ignored them this whole week. Not to mention that my house looks like a tornado ripped through it, and my kids have eaten cold cereal for most meals this week. Yah... I don't think I'll be nominated for mother of the year after this week.

Seriously people. I don't know how single mom's do it. I just might loose my mind. Good thing this weeks almost over!

What was I thinking?

2008-08-05T15:07:00.000-07:00

My little independent 2 year old has been driving me crazy the past few days. She is bound and determined to get potty trained! I actually want no part of any of this.... but what say would I have I'm only her mother, and the one doing most of the work. She's been so persistent that I finally caved and we went and got all the necessary items last night so we could start fresh today. We've had way more accidents than successes today but it's our first day and she really is doing pretty well. I just keep telling myself how incrediably nice it will be to have no more kids in diapers. So wish me luck. I'm off to wash my floors again and do some more laundry.

I know.... you all wish you could trade me places. Ugggg

Busy... Busy Weekend

2008-08-04T12:41:00.000-07:00

So we had a birthday party/ family reunion this weekend in honor of this guy! It was his 90th birthday so we all got together to celebrate. He looks great for 90 wouldn't you say!

The kids loved it. There was face painting, and good food and games. What's not to love?

Did I mention there was a pinata? Who doesn't love that?

The little ones like playing at the park? Check out that face. With one look she told me "back off mom! I can do it myself!"

Even with all of this going on I manage to read the new Breaking Dawn book this weekend. I know for a fact that a bunch of you are reading it as well. Do you like it? Are you done? Did you like it? I've heard that people either loved it or hated it... I loved it.

Today my hubby left for a week at scout camp. Uggggg! I am trying to be really supportive. He is really excited and is great with the boys. But who really loves to be left at home with three stir crazy kids for a whole week? The summer is usually the hardest. Those scouts sure doe a lot of stuff in the summer. I've decided that all of the wives of the leaders need to get together for a widows of scouting program. Too bad I was WAY to excited to read my book to wait until he was gone. That would have helped pass the time. I probably would not have gotten anything read... being the only parent around and all.

Oh yeah! Thanks to everyone that commented on my last post! Nice to hear from a bunch of you all at the same time. You know how to make a girl feel loved! :)

Any Blog Stalkers out there?

2008-08-01T15:17:00.001-07:00

Okay so today I was checking out my site and noticing again at the lack of comments I seem to get. (ahem) Then I happened to notice my little map on the side of my blog that shows all the people that have visited my blog. I have hits from all over the world, and some spots have repeats.

So who are you people? I would love to get a comment ! Let me know how you came to find this extra ordinary little ol' blog about us? I have my usual people that comment (probably only because they have been appropriately threatened!) but I would love more. I need to expand my sites that I "check out" I promise I will comment on yours too. Who doesn't love to meet new friends. So how about it. I know for a fact that I have several friends and sisters (a-hem!) that tell me they read my blog but never leave a comment.

Come on! Don't be shy.... say hello. It's not hard. It'll only take you a second. Do it for me your new friend! Does this sound lame and border line pathetic? Almost like I'm begging huh... well oh well I have no shame when it comes to getting something I want! :)

Talk to you soon.

Karen

So what have I been up to lately?

2008-07-31T15:34:00.000-07:00

I've been kind of MIA lately. My sisters who I speak to (each of them) at least once a day haven't heard from me in a week. I feel like I feel off the face of the planet. When I think back I can't really tell you what I've been doing to entertain myself. So naturally I just turn on my camera and it will tell me. Since I take pictures of practically everything it is a good reminder for me. So this is what we've been doing.

We always do a little boating, it was so choppy that day! I could barely get a picture, but good for tubing!

Of course we used the big slide!!! It's been so hot lately that even mom got in on the action... let me tell ya! This this is so fun, check out the air I got! Good times!

We did the dinosaur museum again (without the crowds) it was a lot more enjoyable to be relaxed and low key.

She was building a life size dino and had to take a little break!

This is my little man measuring how tall he was. Almost as big as the dinosaur bone...almost

Diggin' in the sand. Yep... good times. Check out the new hairdo, I didn't love it in the beginning but it's starting to grow on me. It's a lot more work for mom. That's never a good thing.

These are a few of the things keeping me busy these days and off of the computer and the phone. Gotta pack in all the fun we can. Only 2 1/2 weeks left of summer.

What can you get for 15 bucks?

2008-07-26T11:37:00.000-07:00

So 15 bucks.... what do you think you could get for that. Lunch for the kids at McDonald's. A gallon of gas, maybe! A couple of grocery's......

I'll tell ya what you could get if you were a savvy garage sale junky like myself. Here's what I got (I was gonna take a picture of all this but the kids dove right in and scattered them all throughout the house) So here's my list

1 new tricycle...excellent condition (pink and purple and perfect for Avery)
1 Helmet (so she doesn't scramble her brains while she learns to ride her new bike)
2 baskets (both have been spray painted already and put up for decorations)
15 kids books 4 of which are those cute pop up ones from Costco
1 little people tree house complete with people
1 Hungry Hungry Hippos board game. (We've had it for an hour and it's already been played 4 times)
1 snail teeter totter (the cute little ones you find at Ikea)
1 laundry sorter (the kind with 2 compartments to sort your lights and darks.... yah like my 4 year old is gonna do that! )
1 purple barbie car (convertible of course)
1 dinosaur the eats people and all sorts of things and roars while he does it.

Pretty sweet huh! I love yard sales. It makes me smile to know I can get stuff for .25 or a 1$ that the kids are gonna love. I love that I don't have to pay full price.

I mean lets face it. The second any brand new toy comes out of the box they are usually already hammered ( at least at my house they are) so I don't mind buying something already used that just needs a quick wipe down.

All in all it was a good yard sale day. 15 bucks well spent I'd say!

Spoiled..... Yep that's me!

2008-07-23T21:21:00.001-07:00

Okay, in the last few weeks I've found out that I really LOVE having some time for myself. I am not one who shys away from something if I have to do it alone. But also... having said this I have to admit that there's is something about spending time with the girls. Growing up I had 3 sisters and that was enough girl time for me. I had a few select friends that I hung out with but for the most part I would rather be with the guys. Plain and simple, tell it like it is.... that is totally my style.

In the last few weeks I've come to appreciate the something special that comes from hanging out with a small group of girl friends. I was told by a friend that I've been spoiled lately with my extra amounts of me time. Whether that be hanging out with my hubby on some really great dates. Going to dinner with my old college roommates or doing some shopping with some old friends. I even went to see a movie with gals from the ward. It WAS SO FUN!!!!!

I guess what I'm trying to say is I do feel really thankful for all the extra time I've had lately for time to be me. Whether that be alone, with my spouse who I love, or the girls I adore. I think everyone deserves to be a little spoiled sometimes. It doesn't usually last long I am going to enjoy it while I can. To all the girls I named above thanks for showing me such a great time :)

Are your kids Driving you Crazy?

2008-07-18T15:30:00.000-07:00

Are your kids doing a lot of this lately? Mine are! I'm really about to loose my mind. They fight and cry all the time. In general they are acting like a bunch of wild animals. So I decided to take them to see some animals in an attempt to tame them (if only for an hour). We headed over to farm country. It was really really fun.

We saw some crazy looking animals. Check this guy out. He was so strange looking I had to take his pictures. What's with the long neck and no feathers. The hard life of a rooster sure took its toll on this guy.

We fed and petted (is petted a word?) the an animals. The kids totally loved it, and mom loved the fact that for at least 5 whole minutes they weren't fighting.

Dylan was so brave. He showed no fear. He let the chickens and the roosters peck his fingers. He loved the HUGE Clydesdale horses. He even got his shirt eaten by a baby cow. (No pictures there, it took both of my hands to pry it out of his mouth! REALLY REALLY funny though!)

We ended the day with some pony rides

(He was a little nervous riding it all by himself. Excited to try..... but nervous none the less.)

(She liked it except when I took my hand off to take her picture. Then she wasn't so happy)

We even got new hats!!! Now they look like they belong on the farm! You think anyone will buy that and take them there to work for a few days? Yeah.... me neither DANG!!!

Nine Years and Counting

2008-07-16T14:11:00.001-07:00

Nine years down and only an eternity to go (as my husband always says) It might bother me if he said this in anything but a joking matter. The truth is I am happier today than I was nine years ago on my wedding day. I couldn't have made a better choice picking someone to spend forever with.

These are a few of my favorite things that I love about him.

1. His makes me laugh every single day (either at him, or with him ) either way I'm good. I'm not picky : )

2. He is very patient -my dad used to lose his temper with 4 girls driving him crazy all the time, Michael is NOT that way no matter what stupid "girl" mistake I make.

3. He puts up with all my crap... no matter what crazy idea I come up with or where I want to drag him and the kids he always goes along with only minimal rolling of the eyes.

4. He's the first person I want to talk to or tell when I have BIG news.

5. He is such a GREAT dad. My kids are seriously lucky kids!

6. He works so hard so I can stay home with the kids. He would be willing to do anything to give me that option to stay home.

7. His is a really great friend. He treats me like he would any best friend. He is patient, respectful, and encouraging.

Thanks for all you do babe. I couldn't have picked someone more perfect for me if I had looked for hundreds of years. (Thankfully it didn't take that long!) I hope that I return the favor and make you as happy as you make me. Nine years and counting, only an eternity more to go.

Retail Therapy

2008-07-15T13:31:00.000-07:00

You ever get the urge to change every single thing in your house? I'm sure I'm not the only one. It probably has something to do with the mid summer boredom that sets in or from being in the house 80 % of my life but regardless of the reason this is what I'm feeling this week.

My loving husband of... well actually 9 years tomorrow, is probably reading this right now and rolling his eyes or trying to hide his wallet somehow. Good luck with that honey :)

So anyway, I'm in need of some girl time and some accessory shopping. I'm well aware that changing everything is not an option, but some new home decor accessories can do wonders for a girls spirit.

So any takers.... who wants to grab a bite and peruse some boutiques and fun shops and have a completely girly night out? This offer is only extended to anyone who I will not have to ask if they need to use the potty, or I won't have to cut up their food so they can eat it. If you fit these very strict criteria.... come on let's go!

Thanksgiving Point Musem

2008-07-09T12:55:00.000-07:00

I guess I didn't kill myself sufficiently over the weekend because Monday came and I was pretty antsy to get out. The kids would NOT stop fighting and me being well.... stupid thought that if we got out of the house for a bit they might not fight for about 2.5 seconds. Well I was wrong, but we did go out. We went to the dinosaur museum and I drug the rest of the neighborhood posse with me. I used to get together with moms all the time and do stuff like this but once you all have 2 kids or more it gets to be a little bit overwhelming.

So here they are. This is the "GANG" that hangs out together 24-7. Avery was not behaving nicely notice how she is sticking her bum at the camera? I am sure that was intentional! They are a fun little group!!!! But as all of you moms know you put nine kids together anywhere and there is bound to be drama.

I thought it would be a nice relaxing (non-busy) afternoon at the dinosaur museum. But Nooooo I had to pick the day they are celebrating their 8 year anniversary. I know how to pick 'em all right! It was fun because they had lots of extra stuff to do. But it was also very very busy!

Princess Haley went for a cute little flower on her cheek.

Big D went for a dino on the cheek! Notice how crappy the pictures look? I am learning how to shoot in manual with my camera. My very patient neighbor has been helping me. The lighting inside was tricky and apparently I didn't do very well. I put up my "bad" pictures so you could see how much better I will be doing in the future.

If you've ever been to Thanksgiving point you know the highlight of the whole trip is the sand and water tables and the digging for dinosaur bones at the end. And as always my kids loved these parts the best!

He loves this part with the water and the sand and the little dinosaurs. He would play here for hours... actually he has on past occasions. Just not today when his sister is screaming and running all over the place! (sorry dude)

It was way too busy for my taste and Avery was screaming 75% of the time but the kids had fun so I guess you would call it a success. Who cares if mom had fun anyway right?

Wow What A Weekend!

2008-07-07T19:25:00.000-07:00

So we had an eventful weekend how bout you? First it was the 4th of July. Always a favorite around here! We didn't do much in the day. I know, I know, we should do all the parades and "stuff" but we went to McDonalds and let the kids play over breakfast and called it good.

We did have an all American BBQ at our house later that night and it was fun. This seems to have become somewhat of a tradition around here. BBQ then fireworks with all the neighbors. We should do a BIG fireworks show one day but we have so much fun at home what's the point?

Here are a few shots from the night.

Dylan L O V E D the sparklers. Of course he did. Someone hands you a stick of fire and tell you YEP ! You can play with it. Isn't that what little boys dreams consist of ?

Then we had the traditional gathering of neighborhood friends for our annual fireworks in front of the house! The kids love it. GOOD TIMES!

Then of course the next day was Avery's birthday. So we opened presents and went swimming and out for nuggets.

This is Avery's face when she opened her very own curious George AKA "unkey" doll that giggles when you tickle it. Needless to say she loved it.

She also got this! Her very own set of wheels! Too bad she has no idea what the handle bars are for. So sad..... she got her mother's sense of driving. You don't earn the nickname "crash Cozart" for nothing. Good to know the legacy still lives on!

Now.... all of you know that I had very grand intentions of birthday cakes for this little girls this year. However after days of partying I was just feeling kinda yucky, plus we had 2/3 of a giant chocolate cake( from Costco... need I say more?) left in the fridge from the night before. So we went for the easy way out. Cupcakes. I know, I know, a far cry from a Curius George and big yellow had cake but who cares anyway right? She's 2! Plus she loved helping out with the cupcakes. So it turned out to be a good thing!

Now on to the family party. (whew.... is anyone else getting tired yet?)

We played in the water, that is the usaual theme around our house, but if it ain't broke... don't fix it. Wouldn't you say?

These two are such great friends. They L O V E it when we get together!

This is my super cute little nephew! This kid is so buff! I swear he's got more muscle than me. And that's saying a lot !!! ; )

Some of us got a little bit grumpy after such a hard day playing. Doesn't she look like she's calling you out? What you looking at punk?

So...... SO..... SOooooo much fun! Lot's of work but well worth it. We'll do it all again in a bout a year!

Happy Birthday Baby Girl

2008-07-05T14:24:00.000-07:00

I guess it's official.... she's no longer a baby. Today my baby is a toddler. She was by far my "funnest" baby. Before you gasp at what seems to be blatent favoritism hear me out. She was my last baby so I kinda knew what I was doing (at least as much as a mother can really know) She also has a more laid back personality than the other two. Way more of a go -with- the - flow type of girl. This makes mom's life way easier. So NOoooo not loved more, just a fun baby. She has a way of wrapping people around her little finger. (especially Daddy)

So planning a fun birthday for a 2 year old that doesn't even know what "birthday" means can be interesting. We were all kind of wasted from staying up and watching fireworks last night, a problem I see happening every year of her life I'm afraid! So we woke up and opened presents. and then played with them for most of the morning. We took her to Carl's Jr. for lunch and play time. Then we took some much needed naps, went swimming in the evening and got snow cones and ice cream and went to bed. I know this sounds like a "normal" type of Saturday, but it was exactly what she wanted to do. Even Haley thought it was great.... she said when she was going to bed "I hope Avery remembers her birthday, 'cause it was a really GREAT birthday." Tomorrow is the "family" party with Aunts and Uncles and Grandparents. Fun times!!! How my 2 year old ends up having days and days of birthday parties I'll never know. Wish me luck.

Free TV Anyone?

2008-07-03T12:04:00.001-07:00

So does anybody want a free TV? Granted it isn't working at the moment but you never know what people's skills are... maybe someone out there fixes TVs and would like a big screen TV for free. Either way it's all yours if you want it. We were going to get a flat screen to go on the wall above a fireplace anyway so when the big screen went out we figured we get it a little early. This same TV went out once on us already and we paid a couple hundred bucks to fix it. So if anyone is interested in it let me know. : )

I just want it outta here. It makes me feel guilty when ever I look at it. Because I have a knack for buying things that I want or think I need but not really(hopefully I'm not alone in this). I'm sure that my husband would adamantly disagree with the fact that we don't really need a shinny new flat screen TV to hang on the wall but I have my doubts about it's necessity. So please if you're interested give me a call so I can start to feel a little less guilty.

Summer Days

2008-06-30T16:22:00.000-07:00

So we had a fun day today. I finally got around to going to the Discovery Gardens at Thanksgiving Point. I've been meaning to for most of the month but never quite got there. So today we headed out and this is how it went.

We splashed in the water and got plenty wet!

Said hello to the wildlife creatures. Even if we weren't supposed to be up there!

We even found a friendly bear to give some rides.

Played in the water some more.

(Haley was hard to get pictures of.... she would NOT hold still long enough! She was having too much fun with her cousin)

Don't you love the fact that she is sitting in the water WITH her cover up on. We were on our way out and she made a bee line for the water and this is where I found her.

We had snacks... of course!

In general we had a great time!

Okay.... so after a fun summer day like today I have come to a conclusion. In my opion summer should last nine months and then we could have fall, spring and winter for the other 3 months. Who needs school anyway? (okay... I'm totally kidding I just am not ready for summer to be half over yet? ) Lets start a petition, take it to the big man. Summer for 9 months. Spring, fall and winter each for a month. Sounds good doesn't it!!!

I'm a Big Kid Now!

2008-06-28T15:05:00.000-07:00

So the other night Dylan decided he wanted to take off the training wheels on his bike. Dylan being.... well Dylan.... we thought we would wait for him to really want to do this otherwise he would just whine and complain. So anyway, he decided he was big enough and off the training wheels came. We spent a couple of hours playing in the front yard and attempting to get this whole two wheeler thing down.

This is how it went.....

He tired....

And tried some more...

Viola! Success.... sort of.

He could ride short distances without falling over. But hey, it was his first day trying.

After a few crashes he gave up. (His sister would come inside bruised and bloody from trying so hard ) Dylan and Haley are VERY different little personalities. I was happy he was even willing to try. We had SOME success so we celebrated with popsicles.

Do ya like the dirty shirt and no pants look? Yeah.... that's how we roll! Livin the high life baby!

For the Grand Finale.... we played with the neighbors big 'ol dog. (Did you notice Haley wasn't around? She got fed up cheering Dylan on and left us. Some cheerleader she turned out to be!)

Upcoming Birthday Bash

2008-06-26T15:02:00.000-07:00

So my little baby is about to turn 2 (sniff). Seriously how does time go so fast???? She loves Curious George and has watched every single episode hundreds of times. I want to throw a "curious George" party but I am having a hard time finding a cake. This is the cake I want to make but I am WAY....WAY....WAY underqualified.

Please tell me that one of you out there knows where to get a cake pan that I can pour batter into and put in the oven. (A much easier task don't ya think?) PLEASE! There has to be one out there. Othere people have made this cake but I think this 3D monster has disaster written all over it. If you know of something easier let me know!

It's been a while!

2008-06-22T15:10:00.000-07:00

I know it's been a long time since I've been blogging. I seem to find about a million other things lately that make it so I am never on the computer. Oh well right.... that's how summer's supposed to be. So let's see. What's happened in our lives in the past couple of weeks.

We played in the yard and demolished a few slip n slides. We made big messes in the backyard!

Then there was Father's Day. We ended up going to Ogden and hung out with my side of the family. The kids had a great time playing with cousins and riding four-wheelers.

Avery is quite the hit with her little cousin she loves to take care of her like she was her very own. I think she was picking the grass out of her toes! That's dedication right there!

Dylan loves his Grandpa! They are two little peas in a pod. I tell my dad sometimes it's not really fair that I have to live with his stubborn, red headed attitude, mini twin all over again! I love them both. But look out... they both are stubborn and head strong (totally unlike myself! )

It was hot outside so naturally there was a need to drink Pepsi straight from the bottle! Yeah man... we are some high cultured people! This incredibly cute little guy is Dylan's partner in crime. The two of them could bring the world to an end in under 5 min if left unsupervised! In fact in about that amount of time the had spilled oil in the garage and made very fun feet prints over ever inch of the garage. Then they turned on the hose and soaked each other and probably flooded the garden and got boxes of ice cream sandwiches and helped themselves. It's a good thing we love 'em.

Haley is really proud that she is finally old enough to drive the litte one by herself. She is even good enough now to give rides to the littler kids. This is always nice for the parents so we don't have to! (Of course the goveneor is on and she can only go like 6 miles and hour but she doesn't mind!)

We came back and packed our bags. Michael and I left for Las Vegas in the morning. We got to head out for a mini vacation all by ourselves thanks to Michael's mom, who watched the kids for us. We went to Vegas and shopped and ATE a lot!!! We say the Phantom of the Opera, and we had tickets for Les Miserables but we bailed due to the fact that it was 108 deg and the play was outside. We opted for a nice indoor air conditioned movie. It was really REALLY fun to be by ourselves and have no kids pulling on me ever minute! I must admit I was a little lost without the little monkeys! I better work on getting more comfortable being just me! : )

We've taken my dad's boat out a couple of times. We are loving having it so close and ready for use! The kids really enjoy it. (Except Avery really hates her life jacket and is pretty mad when we make her wear it. I'm sure she'll get used to it. In the mean time we just tune out the screaming.

Yep that's my baby out there on the tube! My little one year old is insitant on riding with her siblings! She is crazy... she fits right in doesn't she! (What a nice aunt to ride with the monkeys!)Thanks Aunt Stacie!

The real problem comes when we try to get them off! Notice how red her little face is getting? She was ready for a break from the sun!

This little guys is a boater to the core! He'll jump right up and pull in the tubers and roll up the ropes and everyting. He's starting to be a good flagger and it's only his 3rd time on a boat! That's my boy! I wonder how small of a wakeboard we can find! :)

After all this playing it was time for some naps. Michael had to take the scouts the night before on a camp out and they got no sleep! He was so tired he didn't even care that Avery was crawling all over him and Mom was taking pictures.

As you can see we've had a pretty fun last couple of weeks! If it takes me a long a long time to post another blog don't worry about me... I'm just out having fun!

Better luck Next Time.

2008-06-07T07:00:00.000-07:00

So today is Saturday. I decided it's been far too long since I had participated in one of my favorite spring and summer sports. YARD SALES....yep I bet that you didn't know I was such a nerd. I love yard sales. I find all sorts of really great stuff! I know that they have lots of junk but you don't buy that crap...silly people. You get up really early and get the great stuff before it's gone and then head home with your treasures! I have this great system when it comes hunting at the sales. I decide what I am searching for before I head out the door. I make sure and tell someone what that is so that it's actually said out loud and then, usually, I can find what I'm looking for. Seriously it works! I have great Yard Sale Karma! I haven't even been to one yet this year because I've been busy and there has been yucky weather. So.... I work up early today and decided that it was time to do some hunting. I was going to do some serious searching for used kids skis for the boat and other boating items... hopefully. Then I had it all planned that when I got back we would pack up and go on the yearly tradition of watching the Pony Express days parade and then hit up the Carnival. Well guess what! I headed out sided and what did I find? RAIN! Stupid.... stupid.... rain. Grrrrrrrr. (stomp, stomp, stomp back inside the house!) Aww nuts, the hunt is called off. Better luck next time.

Mom... you still smell a little sick.

2008-06-05T20:52:00.000-07:00

Haley: Mom are you sure that you are better?

Me: Yep- I feel a lot better kiddo. Why?

Haley: Well....(smiling a little) because you still kind of smell like you're sick. (aka you stink!)

Me: Thanks a lot!

So this is the situation tonight when I put Haley to bed. Here is the story behind it. Every person in my house (except Michael) has had this yucky yucky flu bug. It hits hard and keeps it up for 12 hours. Haley was first, then Dylan, now these two are old enough to get to the toilet or at least a bucket (most of the time) but when the baby gets it. Look out- there is NO warning or anything just a HUGE mess. Then to top it all off I was sick at the exact same time. Needless to say it really sucked big time! I thought I had got everything washed all bedding, all the bathrooms, even the couch cover went into the wash. Apparently the only place that still stinks is me..actually I did take multiple showers I guess it didn't do the trick. I'm off to try again. Talk to you later.

Summer has officially begun

2008-06-02T13:50:00.000-07:00

Well we made it through Haley's gradutation. She did so great. She loved having the whole family there to see her preform all of her songs! I just can't believe she's big enough to be heading for 1st grade. I know I'm a little slow on the posting but I just can't help myself. I am more excited for summer than my kids are. This year I am not pregnant (WHAHOOO), my littlest one isn't crawling and we are spending all the time possible outside! I totally love it. I am sure this will end up being one of the best summers ever. The neighbors and us all pitched in and bought this. (except ours doesn't have the waterguns at the bottom.)
How great is that! Man.... I wish that I had such fun things when I was a kid. Then to top it all of

my sisters and I finally got my dad talked into letting us borrow his boat (he has not used or registered it in over 5 years) I promised I would take great care of it until he wanted to use it. It took some doing but we finally got him to agree, so now we just need to fix it up a bit and Viola... our summer just got even better. Unfortunately this also means even less time inside than before. I will try to be better about posting but I can't promise anything! Hope all of you are having a great summer vacation!!!!

What I've been up to.

2008-05-27T14:11:00.000-07:00

It seems like I've been way too busy lately to even turn on the computer much less actually take the time to post a new blog. So I thought I would update what's been going on this week while I've been away.

We had company staying with us for a couple of days so that took up a few days of the week.

Next we've been doing all sorts of fun stuff for Haley's last week of Kindergarten. This is a picture of Haley trying to be a cowgirl for Rodeo day. (The hat is the extent of cowgirl stuff that we own around here) I thought she looked pretty cute (apparently so did she :)

We went to run errands after school and both Haley and Dylan decided to throw up in my car! YUCKY! I spent the rest of the day cleaning out the car and everything that was in it! After throwing up once they were fine! Apparently Sonic didn't agree with them.

Saturday we spent all day working on the backyard and doing yard work. We finally got the play set fixed the way we wanted it. It has a border and is filled with the appropriate amount of wood chips so now my kids might not die when they fall on their heads. That's the hope at least. The funny thing is that all of the kids that play on the play set (mine plus about 10 more) asked me and Michael all day why we were doing that. I started to wonder why I was doing it as well. Apparently they don't care if they play in the mud stickers and weeds.... why should I? (I'm just crazy I guess!)

Then we roasted marshmallows and hot dogs at the neighbors house. My poor children as so deprived! They've never been camping... ever! They think walking over to the neighbors house and roasting marshmallows in their fire pit is camping. So sad, I know. I love camping, my husband however does not! I am planning on working up to the camping issue, I think if I put camping and somewhere you can go wake boarding together I may actually get somewhere (wish me luck)

How many men does it take to make hangers into marshmallow sticks? We may never know (the women usually have to take over! Ha just kidding they did great)

At some point during the weekend this happened to my poor little baby! I promise I didn't beat her! She fell off of my bed and hit her eye on the nightstand. She's tough. It hasn't seemed to phase her that much ! I would be crying for the next week if it had been me.

Our last two distractions of the week were these. (The kittens not the kids!) The kids have been distractions for a lot longer than a week. But these kitties were the latest addition to our household. Mom and Dad said we didn't want any cats and so naturally we ended up with two. We are such suckers!!!! We said Haley could pick one of the cats that the stray in the neighborhood had, Dylan was absolutely crushed that his sister got one and he didn't. So like I said we are suckers and we totally caved! So here they are. Haley's little cat is named Maggie but since it has been determined she's a he she is calling her/ him Mag.

Haley and Maggie

This little guy with Dylan is named Tiger (his first name was smoky but has since been changed!) He is a perfect fit for Dylan... he is energetic and playful and totally mischievous!

So it seems I'm pretty busy these days, if I seem to fall of the face of the earth for a while don't worry I'm around. I'll be back sooner or later.

Ideas for the Summer

2008-05-20T19:11:00.001-07:00

Okay... I know that summer is not officially here but with the really nice weather this week I have already started wondering what we are going to do this summer to keep ourselves busy aka (no one whining "I'm BORED") Here is a couple of ideas that I have come up with. I am sure all of the rest of you can come up with some more ideas and this way we will have a GREAT list of fun things to do this summer! ( Sorry.... a lot of my ideas are specific to this area so if you don't live around here that could be a problem1)

1. Slip and Slide baseball/ kickball. (We have a great big space and lots of neighbors with slip and slides which makes for a really fun afternoon playing in the water!)

2. Kangaroo Zoo a place to pay inside when it's way too hot or cold and rainy outside.

3. Movies on Mondays. They do these all year round and in the summer they have a little bit different system at the megaplex. Usually you can get an pass or something to watch kids movies (not usually new releases) for like 10 bucks for the whole summer

4. Bike rides

5. The faithful standby...... the Park

6. Thanksgiving Point discovery gardens ( SO Fun!!!!! They have the pop up fountains that all kids love and a little wading pool. Mazes through the hedges and a cave with a bear in it to explore)

7. Saratoga Splash and Pony Express Days..... They usually have a parade and carnivals and fireworks and lots of food. What more could you ask for

8. Lagoon!

9. Seven Peaks (as long as there are no disgusting parasites in the water! In which case we will be avoiding all water areas. We had that last year and it SUCKED!)

10. Ice Skating. Yeah .... how fun will that be on a hot day

11. Bowling. or rollerskating (depending on how brave I am!)

12.Good old fashion picnic in the backyard

13. Boating every chance we get. (It would be so cool if Haley could learn to Wake board this year!) Her mommy and Daddy would be so proud!!!!

14. Fishing with the kids (As long as I don't have to clean, gut, or eat the fish we catch I am totally in! Catch and Release baby....all the way.... just not for the same reasons as most people!)

15. Ultimate Hopscotch- Does anyone else watch as much Curious George as me? I think this game looks pretty fun!

16. Going to the Pool...... A LOT!

17. Lava Hotsprings and float the river (All kids with lifejackets on of course!)

18. Roasting marshmallows in the neighbors fire pit! (Or mine if I ever get my backyard finished the way I REALLY want it. : )

19. The Dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving point (kind of pricey you have to go when they are having some sort of discount!)

20. Farm country to see all the little animals and have a pony ride

See....that's all I got? I am sure that a lot of you have more ideas than that, how about some help! Let's hear it.... and no repeats!

Where does the time go?

2008-05-16T14:09:00.000-07:00

The other night I had one of those mom moments when you realize for a second just how quickly time passes! Haley lost her first tooth. We've been waiting for this for a while but finally her tooth was just barley even in her mouth so daddy helped her "wiggle" it out. She was so excited she lovingly put it in "toothy" her pillow she's been sleeping with for months waiting for a tooth to finally be in it! It just so happened that this is the night she also decided she was not going to sleep on the bottom bunk of her bunk bed anymore!!! She even made a sign so I would be sure to see it and remember where she wanted to sleep. (There is no guard rails on the top bunk and this causes mommy a good deal of stress) .

Avery was running around in a pair of pj's that Haley wore when she was a baby and now Haley was loosing her first tooth. Time fliesdoesn't it! As a result of my new found knowledge I've been just playing with the kids. We've spent a lot of time at the park since the weather has been so nice and today was no exception. We sure had a good time!

I'm not sure what's the deal with the tongue! Every picture we took today had her little tongue sticking out!

Cute...Cute boys!

Here's Avery in yet another hat...She loves the hats!

Then we found a butterfly that for some reason wouldn't fly away. The kids loved holding it. It was pretty fun to see them studying it! We left it somewhere in a tree when we headed home hopefully it wasn't too damaged from the kids! These are the days you just LOVE being a mom.

The last few days!

2008-05-13T14:41:00.000-07:00

It's almost over I promise. I bet that most of you are sick of seeing pictures of my vacation, but it would be an incomplete story if I didn't finish telling you about my trip. So we had one more day at Disney ( I promise I will not put in all the pictures) Just a few!

I have to show everyone that we dressed the boys and girls alike! They all also had these in their hair (Cute huh! I know I am totally lame but we went all out Disney. Avery however decided that she hated hers and about 3 min into the day she ripped it out of her hair and threw it when I wasn't looking)

This picture would have showed all the kids that were with us. Except Haley isn't in it. She was off riding the "BIG" roller coasters with Daddy. Notice they are all smiling. If the camera was pointing the other way at this point in the day I am not sure the Mommies and Daddies would have the same expression!

You know I didn't really love California Adventure. This probably had something to do with the fact that I was on little kid duty and the little rides are not nearly as fun as over at Disneyland or Lego land for that matter. It was okay I guess, but not my favorite place!

The last day of the vacation we were just plain tired!!!! We decided to do nothing but play at the beach all day. It was one of the best days of the whole trip. All the kids loved it! We boogie boarded and played in the sand, I could live at the beach. One day I will do it. I will ditch Utah during the cold winter yucky months and move somewhere warm with a beach.

This little guy L O V E D the beach. He would have stayed there the whole week if we had let him! He would run into the waves but only enough to get his toes wet, and then run the other way it was the funnies thing to see. ( mental note: more trips to the beach) So there you have it. The next day we packed up and headed home. So sad.... we will be going again soon!

Mothers Day

2008-05-12T10:03:00.001-07:00

Well it's mother's day again. This is a day that I dread and love at the very same time. I wish it wasn't so split but there's really no way around it. I LOVE that my husband is so great at mother's day! He will do anything.... buy anything....I want all to make it a happy day. This year I picked out my own present which is usually not the case. (He is seriously the best gift giver ever!!!) That was only because I was so sure I wanted new patio furniture but totally undecided what kind I really wanted. I changed my mind too many times to count and Michael didn't even care when I almost un -assembled the bench that I bought and took it back (Almost) In the end I did decided and I love what I picked.

I love the cute little things that the kids make for me. The looks on their faces when they do give me their little presents is so much better than what ever they do give me! I never was much of a sappy emotional person, but when it comes to my kids I just can't help myself I turn into the blubbering person I usually try really hard not to be.

The problem is also that most of the day on Mother's I'm fighting tears. Some of you know and some of you might not. My mom passed away 11 years ago. You know that saying that says time heals all wounds? Maybe..... I'm not sure if I will ever figure out exactly how much time they mean. I really won't go into too much detail. I don't like to talk about it. I really does hurt too much still. You'd think that it would be a little better at least after all these years but I guess I'm not that lucky. I will say this. DON'T take her for granted. One day you may or may not know the almost unbearable feeling of wanting to see her or talk to her so bad you would give anything in the world to do so. So do it now, give her an extra hug or kiss... watch the look on her face when she see you kids and gives them a hug. These are all things that one day will be more than priceless to you! Make sure she knows how much you love her... and that it has nothing to do with mother's day. Just because she's there!

I hope all of you have a wonderful mother's day.

Disneyland

2008-05-07T18:28:00.001-07:00

We had early entry for Disney so we got our extremely tired tushies out of bed early and left at 6:00 a.m. We had to check into the hotel early before we could get into Disney. My kids had never been there before so they were a little bit overwhelmed the first day.

We did all the fun Storybook land rides first of course.

Dumbo of course!

Alice in Wonderland! (Even though they didn't want to pose for pictures afterwards)

Even the Tea cups! (Daddy skipped this one because even the thought of it makes him sick! )

We stayed until late afternoon and then went back to the hotel to try out the fabulous Never land pool! Which by the way way was... way fun (sorry no pictures). We got cleaned up again and then took the monorail which was right outside the hotel over to the park and had some dinner! (I know I know you're supposed to leave the park to eat meals not head back in.... but seriously there was no way I was taking one more step than I had to. I am really glad that we did though. We were rested enough to stay until closing and so we got to see the park all light up! It was pretty awesome! The kids LOVED IT!

Haley REALLY wanted a picture in front of the castle all lit up. Since I just took the "little" camera for convenience reasons this picture is not near as cool as it should be.... but what can you do.

This was taken waiting in line for the last ride of the day (Astro Orbiters) What good kids I have! See how happy they were even waiting in line!

Daddy and our little Daddy's Girl!

Now we were heading home for the night. Our first day at Disneyland was over and we were ready to head home to our hotel. The hotel was as people said "just a hotel room" It was the little things that made it so special and Worth it... in my opinion. The princess that read bedtime stories at night. The pixie dust border that glowed at night because "Tinkerbell had sprinkled our room with pixie dust while we were visiting Mickey in the day!" Mickey called us every morning to wake us up and tell us to "get moving" and come and play! The kids really loved all these things! Mom and Dad however loved the fact that we were either a monorail ride or a 5 min walk away from being back to the hotel when the little ones were ready to drop dead! : )

Disney Day 2

We started the day with a character breakfast at "Goofy Kitchen" It was really fun! The kids were so excited to finally get to use their autograph books (they better LOVE them after what I went through the night I got them! Car chases and 911 for autograph books! Yesh!)

As you can see from the look on her face this was a HIGHLIGHT of the day! She loved meeting the princesses!

Avery loved the princesses as well. If any of the other characters came near her she screamed her head off!

Dylan was not quite as thrilled as the girls to met the princesses! He didn't even stop eating for the picture!

They are really interactive at these things! They came and grabbed the kids and brought them up to dance! Haley loved it!

Notice Dylan's face! He was totally not ready for this! I LOVE IT!

We met Buzz 3 times! He is Dylan's totally favorite! He would literally chase his all through the park until he got another picture with him! We have a million pictures with the characters! I won't bore you with all of them.

Just one more highlight from Day 2. Dylan go to go to the Jedi Training. He was picked to be up on stage. He did only so so when he was being "taught" but kicked some serious booty when he fought Darth Vader! (Look at the determination on this little face!)

Haley got picked too. She did really well until this guy came out! She literally ran screaming off the stage. Through the tears she said "it's okay mommy right? I'm really more of the princess type huh!" Definitely baby girl!

This is the video from Dylan fighting Darth Vader! We watched this clip one million and one times already. Enjoy! More to come tomorrow!

TOO MUCH FUN!

2008-05-04T08:08:00.000-07:00

Well we're back. We actually go back Saturday night but things have been crazy so..... no posting yet. I am going to have to do the details in a couple of posts because we had too much fun and it would not do the trip justice to slap some pictures up there and call it good.

I will start with the first day (after the traveling day) we got up at 6:00 a.m. the kids never did reset their little inner clocks and so we were up very early everyday. Even on the days when they should have been too tired to move. Anyway we headed off to Sea World. This was by far my most disappointing day of the trip I really like Sea World but for some reason we went there with no plan... no idea of what we were doing.. how long we were staying etc. We wandered aimlessly kind of looking at exhibits and trying to locate the rest of our gigantic party at the same time.

After a bit of doing this we went to the Shamu show. This was by far the highlight of the whole day. It was SOOOOOO hot and the kids wanted to sit in the splash zone. I was the only aunt or mommy that would agree to this craziness so I took the kids that wanted to get wet down to ROW 3 of the splash zone!!! What was I thinking. It was really fun to see the kids get so excited and to be that close to "Shamu" or whatever the new shamu's name really is.

As you can see we were very close to the action! Dylan loved getting wet. Haley however quickly changed her mind about it when she got the first face full of icy cold salt water in the face! Oh well... you asked for it kiddo! :)

We did more of the same until we decided to take the kids old enough on the Atlantis ride. It was totally fun but the little ones tried to get on but were too short! So they got booted off just as they were getting on the ride! ( Wow.... that's a scene you don't want to be a part of!) Three 4 year olds FREAKING out because siblings and cousins got to ride the totally cool ride but they didn't. The ride attendant felt bad so she gave them some free stuff to do at this place called the extreme zone. (this did little to stop the crying) While we were waiting we hung out and waited in the under sea Atlantis area. Avery loved it!

After the meltdown on the Atlantis ride we headed over to do some damage control at the extreme zone. A few 3 $ ice cream bars and some bouncing later we were finally having fun again!

So the next day the whole big group decided to split up a bit. Some did the beach, some Universal but we headed off to Legoland. It was really fun! I know that a lot of people have mixed feelings about Legoland but for younger kids it was REALLY REALLY fun! The things that are built out of legos in this place were just CRAZY.

These cute little lego people were just outside the entrance. Haley wanted to get a picture with them (actually she wanted to get inside the stroller with the baby... but settled for this)

Avery was such a little trooper about being too small for a lot of the rides. She was pretty easily entertained as you can tell. (I'm pretty lucky to have such a good baby! She was an angel the whole trip)

Most of the park had somewhere you could get totally soaked so we spent a lot of time in the swimsuits. This was good since it was over 90 deg that day (A bit of a change from the snow we left here in Utah)

We had so much fun... I wish we were on vacation still!

These battle boats were Dylan's favorite ride out of both Legoland and Disneyland. You could shoot water at the people in the park or the people on the ride. They all came off the ride totally soaked. Pirate boats, water guns and a ride all put together! A little boys dream come true. Well that takes care of 2 days. I will post more tomorrow. Disneyland is next YIPPEE!

Ready....Set....GO!!!

2008-04-26T11:37:00.000-07:00

Well the bags are all pack (I think). We are headed out for what is sure to be a very memorable occasion. As long as the majority of the memories are happy ones I will call it a success. Wish me luck! A week long vacation with all sisters, their husbands, and kids (6 kids total 5 under the age of six!!!! Whoa I think we're all crazy! ) it will be interesting. If California blows up no worries it's just us. See ya soon. I promise to bring back lots of pictures! : )

Feet Soup

2008-04-23T07:49:00.001-07:00

Apparently my creative little son wanted to come up with a new recipie. This is how my morning went.

Dyaln: (yelled down the hall from the bathroom) Sorry Momma I used all the strawberry toothpaste.

Mom: That's okay buddy... I'll get some more.

Dylan: Okay because this soup is really good.

Mom: Soup? What soup buddy?

Dylan: This strawberry soup that I made.

Mom: (Walking quickly to the bathroom...when I get there I see Dyaln sitting on the counter with his feet in the sink full of murky water.)

Dylan: See mommy I was washing the syrup off my hands and then I washed my feet and then I decided to brush my teeth.

The sink was full of bubbly soapy water that he had washed his hands and feet in, then squeezed the rest of the toothpaste into as well. With his feet still in the sink full of water he was dipping his toothbrush into the "soup" and brushing his teeth in it. YUMMY!

The joys of having a boy!!!!

Go Ahead.... Make my Day!

2008-04-21T20:39:00.000-07:00

Today was Monday.... we didn't mind a bit! Here are a few of the things that totally made my day today.

Teaching my 4 year old video addicted son the ins and outs of Super Mario Bros 2. Oh yeah baby.... old school! He was so totally loving it. In his eyes Mario is the big brother. Lugi is the little brother and then there is a princess put there solely so the girls will have a character to play with.

Avery getting so excited about the sun hat that I made for her. She loves to wear it around the house (since it's too dang cold to wear it outside. Yesh!)

Watching my six year old who loves to draw figure out all by herself how to draw her favorite cartoon characters from a learn to draw book (seeing her so proud of herself makes me even more proud of her than before... is that possible?)

Watching the pink backpack Haley wears bounce happily off to school to catch the bus.

Grabbing some dinner at Wendy's since Mom was not feeling up to cooking tonight. The whole family actually went inside instead of going through the drive thru... letting the kids out of there seat belts usually is a bad idea....but today they were so well behaved I was EXTREMELY proud. Maybe I should raise my standards?!

Snuggling with all 3 of the kids...everyone in their pj's watching Curious George before bed. Two heads(one on each shoulder) and the littlest one on my lap! It just doesn't get any better than this!

Thanks guys for a really GREAT day!

Busy...Busy... Moms

2008-04-18T19:06:00.000-07:00

Today was quite a day. As I attempted to salvage what was left of spring break. (A trip to the dentist and a car crash I guess isn't what the kids had in mind for an exciting spring break. Go figure???!!!) I pitched a tent in the back yard. But this isn't until after I had sewn the arm back on a beloved stuff animal. Change a stinky bum. Fix 3 different breakfast for my picky eaters and cleaned 3 bathrooms.

So as I was saying I pitched this tent in the backyard. Then I crocheted some cute flower clips and mini mouses to go in the girls hair for our trip. I then proceeded to clean the house so that my company coming today wouldn't gasp at the sight of my filthy house and discover that we really are a family full of pigs. More Laundry and dishes. Broke up about 15 fights between the all the millions of kids in the backyard. Kissed boo boos. More stinky diapers. Lunch... wrestled 2 kids into bed for naps. Entertained one bored 6 year old and greeted our company. Fixed dinner un-pitched the tent. Gave one haircut. Bathed 3 kids and baked a cake.... Now I tell you all of this not to brag because I know that all of you do the exact same things in a day (probably more knowing how completely amazing all of you are!)

However.... you ever wondered what the worth of one mother is worth? I'm sure that you've all heard those random figures that people throw out but I think I will just low ball it and just say PRICELESS.

Here's a shout out to all of the priceless moms out there. Way to go!!! Keep it up ladies!

OH NO YOU DON'T

2008-04-17T07:34:00.000-07:00

So this week has not been one of my better weeks. Feeling guilty about not taking the kiddos anywhere fore spring break we decided to head up to Midvale to the Disney outlet store to get some autograph books for the kids for the trip to Disney. Daddy was at church activities (a usual Wednesday night occasion) so off we went. We were about to head off of the on ramp when I notice this great big truck following way too closely. ( This instantly this makes me furious !!!! A reaction from a good sized car crash a few years back that has left my back permanently damaged... still) I gave my self a great big space between me and the next car when all the sudden the cars in front of me all slowed down almost to a stop! Yep you guessed it!! Taking a line from one of Haley's favorite books CRASH, BANG, WALLOP! Mr. full sized pick up truck smashes right into me. Grrrrrrr. You big dumb idiot why did you have to follow so closely. So first I calm the crying kids. Haley got the worst of it being farthest back in the car. Then I get out to check out the damage. Walking back I see that his big metal truck bumper is all smashed and dented. I turn around to check mine. A few scratches and some little dents. Wahooooo one for the mom mobile!!!! (I LOVE MY CAR) We discussed for a while. I told him since my back and neck were already hurting and Haley was complaining since she hit her head pretty good, that I needed to call it in and make a report (just for insurance purposes) he says okay. Waits until I get back in my car and PEELS OUT across 4 lanes of traffic. I was on the phone with Michael when I exclaim he's leaving! "Do you have his license plate he asks" Nope! not YET!! I answer. I yell to Haley to get back into her car seat and we take off after him! Call 911 on the way... let them know I was chasing down a guy involved in a hit and run. I followed him for a bit and then he got stuck at a light. HA HA gotcha! He knew this as well and decides to pull over. I pulled over too and locked the doors and stayed on the phone with 911 dispatch. He came over and asks did you see me tell you to pull over here??? No....( you stupid idiot) he tried twice to shove the insurance papers through the window so he could leave because he claimed he was really "LATE" Well you're gonna be LATER you have to stay and wait for the cops I told him. Cops got there and wrote him a nice 400 dollar ticket and gave him fault for the accident. Michael (who came as soon as he heard I was chasing down the guy who hit us) arrives just then the cop proceeds to tell him how surprised he was when he got the call about a women in pursuit of a hit and run and pull up to see me parked right next to him giving him crap! Michael's reply "someone forgot to tell her she's only 5 ft tall." One of the many benefits of growing up in the ghetto of Ogden NO FEAR! Stupidity yes.... but FEAR NO. Well there you have the strange and unusual things that usually happen to me on a daily basis while trying to get normal things like Disney autograph books! Thankfully nobody was really hurt! A little whiplash bumped heads and his pocketbook. HA HA ! Why do these things happen to me?

A Trip to the Dentist

2008-04-14T19:07:00.000-07:00

Bad mom confession coming up......

Okay..... Okay..... I am aware that most children visit the dentist sometime before they are 61/2. Nope not mine. Today was a momentous occasion I took all 3 kids to the dentist. This is a stretch for me. I don't ever want to go there myself let alone take 3 of them kicking and screaming too. I (luckily... I think) have a sister that is a dental Hygienist and my mother-in-law is a dental asst. So we usually have a lot "teeth talk" around our family functions. To add to this they are always looking around in the kids mouth. When you start to hear Uh-oh from both of them you figure it's time. So.... I DID IT ....I made the apt. fought the urge to cancel the night before and actually took them it ( I am literally patting myself on the back right now) Guess what!!! It was SOOOoooooo fabulous. The kids already knew the dentist.... he is in our ward and coached Haley's soccer team. His office is AMAZING! Since he is a pediatric dentist everyone in the office staff was so great to the kids! Totally a good experience. Sadly to say.... Haley did have 3 cavities one which requires a baby root canal, cap and THANKFULLY sedation to knock her crazy butt out : ) At least she doesn't hate the dentist yet! Dylan did much better NO cavities I am so proud of him ( we told him about the sugar bugs and he took that to heart!) The baby was having none of it so we just left her alone. She way eyeing up the dentist and I KNOW she would have bit him if she had the chance.

After the dentist we headed to the store to get a little prize for such a successful (and totally dreaded) Dental Apt. The kids were picking out toys and Haley decided to forgo her toy and instead get the swimming baby she's been saving up for months to get. I told her she would finally have enough with the money we would have spent on the toy today. The problem I am having is actually taking all her money now that we are at home. I know it's a great lesson and I explained she would have to give me ALL of it once we got home but I feel so GUILTY. I am really proud of her for not giving up and saving every little penny to get this 35 dollar baby. She is so excited to have it before the trip to Cali so she can use it in the pool. Tell me you all would have done the same thing and actually taken her money away. Am I being a good mom for taking it or a bad mom for taking it. ?????? Hmmmm...... the joys of motherhood

Welcome back Sunshine

2008-04-12T15:00:00.000-07:00

We just couldn't resist the weather today. It was still a little chilly but so nice to be out. We headed to the park for a picnic and some fun. Last year Avery was still too little to really enjoy the park and it was so cute to see here experience it for the first time.

We sure have missed being outside and playing at the park! These little rocking 4-wheelers are always the first thing that Dylan wants to play with!

The little sound tunnel thingy is always a big hit as well. ( As long as naughty words aren't being exchanged we are all happy)

He doesn't quite reach the talking part but makes up for it by yelling really loudly! This is always a thrill to anyone on the other end.

We played soccer (or tired to) Avery is a bit of a ball hog. We even brought her her very own ball to play with but she always wanted to play with the one that we had!

We climbed and slid and played to our hearts content. I am so happy that the weather is finally changing. Tomorrow is supposed to be even nicer. I can't wait!

MIA

2008-04-09T13:26:00.000-07:00

So I guess it's been a while since I've posted. We've had company (as usual) it's a good thing I get along with all my family members and in-laws. We joke around all the time and call our house the Cozart Bed and Breakfast. That in addition to the construction going on in the basement has made for a busy week. Add on top of that the fact that preschool has been at my house this week too and that equals no time for blogging (sigh) But things are settling down a bit. The jack hammering down stairs has been quiet for a whole hour!!! This is an extra good thing... you know it's been a long day/ week when you send your house guest on an errand for "the strongest Mt. Dew" they can find at 8:30 a.m. I know what a looser huh! Usually I don't drink very much caffeine (I already feel like a humming bird on crack most of the time.... I don't need any help with that) but today with endless hours of jack-hammering going on at my house it was a definite must! Anyway that's about all the time I have for today folks. Wish me luck! : )

WOW!

2008-04-04T09:48:00.000-07:00

All I can say is wow! A friend emailed this link to me. Once I had seen it I knew I had to post it so all of you could see these photos as well.

http://mabrystudios.typepad.com/reflections_of_christ/2008/03/reflections-sli.html

On a totally different note. Today was Haley's Doughnut Date. My very first one of many to come with all of the kids. It was fun! I forgot the dang camera.... I always am doing that! ( I am sure it has something to do with carting 3 kids and all of there stuff to various places by 9:00 in the morning... but anyway) It was really fun we got to sit down and eat doughnuts and read to each other for 45 min without interruptions which seems to be something that is incredibly hard to do around our house these days! Haley loved it..... she would have been a great "only child" she tells me this all the time. : )

She brought me the book "I'll love you Forever" GREAT like I want to cry in front of the whole class. I am proud to say I held it together with only minor tearing in the eyes! Pretty impressive I know. Something about that book gets to all mothers I think. Not to mention I was at this function with my very first baby girl who is growing up way too quickly. Needless to say it was GOOD FUN!

Mommy in training

2008-04-03T20:12:00.000-07:00

Okay... so Avery hates when I use the vacuum. She says it scares her, but today the funniest thing happened. I was vacuuming in her room and she was hiding behind me (as usual) when all of the sudden she screams and pushes past me. She runs into her room and scopes up a baby doll laying on the floor. She then yells at me... hugs her baby tight and whispers reassurances into her ear as she scowls at me and walks past all the while patting her baby lightly on the back. Wow.... motherly instincts kick in early don't they.

All in a days work

2008-03-30T17:59:00.000-07:00

So the other day I was making my bed something that unfortunately needs to be done. I would love to hurry and change the sheets without any help.... but NOoooooo...... my kids have a sixth sense when I am changing sheets. They LoVe it!!!! This is what happens every single time I change the sheets on my bed.

The picture of him actually jumping into this pile of blankets and pillows was blurry so.... here ya go. I'm sure you get the picture.

Then the little sister hears what's going on and she wants to join in the fun. So hear she goes too.

She's not too sure if that was fun or not.... usually she likes it but she wasn't feeling so great.

This continues for a good 30 min until I get feed up and actually put my bed back together (I am so mean sometimes. ) By this time they are completely tired out.... Perfect looks like it's nap time.

Pheww..... sometimes it's tough being a kid.

Good Times

2008-03-26T08:52:00.000-07:00

Well this Easter was just as GREAT as always. I love Easter!!! We always have such a good time. My little ones love....love.... love hunting for eggs! Then you add cousins and grandparents and candy and it's one of the best days of the year!

Soooooo.... much fun. We have the cutest baskets but forgot them (way to go mom) so we used the ever so handy grocery bag. The kids didn't even care as long as they could hold the loot then they were happy! We put fun little prizes in the eggs instead of candy (we have way too much of this around already)

Yes! I can't tell what she had but obviously it was just what she wanted!

She insisted on wearing this beanie all weekend! Outfits had to be coordinated beforehand knowing she would not take it off! I have never seen a 1 year old so obsessed with hats!

She loved looking for eggs... she was really good at it too. She held her own even with the big kids!

After the egg hunt there was bubble blowing

She L...O...V....E....D the bubbles!

Way to go Garrett! That's a good bubble

Horse riding (always a favorite)

Riding four wheelers (Haley is so proud... she is finally old enough to learn how to ride by herself and give rides to the younger cousins! This is the same four wheeler I drove when I was her age (they don't make em like they used to!) We used to pull each other around with skates on and a jump rope around our waist (really smart..... yesh it's a wonder we're even alive)

Everyone got kites with their baskets from Grandpa. They of course wanted to fly them right away..... but can you believe that there are places in the world where the wind doesn't blow near as much as around our house?! Now what?

Well you get on a four wheeler and make your own wind.... Like I said good times! I LOVE EASTER

Hello Easter Bunny

2008-03-21T14:08:00.001-07:00

Today we were at Costco and happened to run into the Easter Bunny. Dylan loved this!!!! He sat and chattered on and on about it all the way home. Why is he called the Easter Bunny.... he looks strangely like a person in a bunny suit mom! (Weird I know) When is he coming to our house. etc etc etc. He ran around telling everyone he could find once he got home how lucky he was to have met the Easter bunny. He proudly exclaimed to his scowling older sister. I met him... he is really real! Avery on the other hand takes after her grandma who absolutely hates anything in any kind of a costume. She cried and cried and would not come over any closer. She was yelling. No mommy... no bunny... no bite bunny... Now.... I know that she says no bite anytime she doesn't like what is happening however no one else around us knows this and we were getting weird looks from grownups and children alike wondering why in the world the Easter Bunny was biting my baby. I figured I better not push the issue. Maybe next year.

HAPPY EASTER EVERYBODY!

Great Traits

2008-03-20T14:11:00.000-07:00

Have you ever noticed that we pass on certain traits to our kids. I don't mean hair or eye color, even height (sigh) I mean taste preferences, and personality issues! I was totally laughing today at some of the things I noticed about my kids that I know came from Michael and I. When I see my kids act the same way it makes me totally giggle. For example

I hate 3/4 length sleeves! They should be short or long!!!! If it's cold enough to wear long sleeves then having 3/4 of a sleeve is going to make me cold. If it's not cold then lets just wear short sleeves shall we? This is a weird little quirk I have but never realized I passed this inadvertently on to my little baby. Today she spilled on her shirt and I change her into a 3/4 length shirt (why I bought one of these I am not sure) and put her down for a nap. I could her her talking to herself through the baby monitor and so I listened for a minute. She just kept saying "oh.... no" over and over. I went up to see what was the matter. She was frantically pulling on her sleeves and pushing them up. Apparently she feels the same way about the stupid 3/4 sleeves too. Don't worry kiddo that shirt can go to the DI. I hate them too.

Why.... Wednesday

2008-03-19T15:46:00.000-07:00

I have a few "why is it that......" maybe some of you will know the answers to.

Why is it that..... visiting teachers always show up when your house is a huge mess (because you forgot they were coming) even though 20 min before hand it was spotless?

Why is it that the baby doesn't throw up on your duvet cover until it's clean and only been back on your bed for about 30 sec?

Why is it that you can wash every piece of clothing in the house but nobody has anything to wear?

Why is it that you never remember about that really REALLY great coupon or gift card until the day after it expired?

Why is it that it is supposed to snow tomorrow.... come on it's March! Seriously..... Why?

Why is it that once you have a really fun date with your husband planned you cannot find a babysitter anywhere?

You know I could go on like this forever! These are just a few of my most pressing questions of the day. So how bout it? Any answers for me?

Family

2008-03-16T19:24:00.001-07:00

This weekend was bitter sweet. My family and I were assigned the job of going to Ogden and rummaging and dividing all of my grandmothers things. She is not doing very well and has decided to move into an assisted living apt. This one bedroom apt is obviously much smaller than her previous 4 bedroom home so we needed to clear it out in order to sell it for her. I had been dreading this job all week! I tried to think of every reason in the world that would allow me to sleep at night without actually having to do the job. But with no luck! I dutifully made the trek with all of the other family members and we tried to sort through the 40+ years worth of treasures that my grandma had lovingly kept. The worst part of this whole thing for me was the fact that she was there with us. She was happy to be giving her grandchildren all of her stuff but for me I HATED it. I was worried all day how she was feeling and if she was okay (I would of been an emotional wreck) She assured me many many times she was fine but I came home feeling very torn and sad. Before this post gets anymore depressing I will get to the point.

This weekend was a reminder of how little all the "stuff" we collect really means in the end. Not one person was there for the STUFF we were there helping someone we loved that means a lot to us. One of the few things I took with me was this sugar egg that as a kid I loved to stare into for hours. I was fascinated by this thing. I asked if anyone minded if I took the egg nobody did... but everyone said "can I look in the egg.... I used to love this thing" I am sure you've all seen one of these. This one has sentimental value for me and I'm happy to be entrusted with it. Even though it was an incredibly long and emotional day (for me at least) I only can hope that when I am old and need my family that they will all be there for me too. Family really is the only thing that matters in the end.

This is the egg from the outside. This thing is old and all made of sugar which means it's very fragile. I will try my best but I cannot guarantee it's safety in a house like mine.

This is the view from the inside. I couldn't get a good shot because the opening is so small and the camera wanted to focus on all the wrong spots (I know... I know... operator malfunction but I am still learning) But this is the little sugar bunny and you can almost see the grass and the flowers inside too. Aren't these things fun! I am sure you've seen them before right?

Sorry Honey!

2008-03-14T14:05:00.001-07:00

So last night I went out shopping with my sister. (Just what the Dr. ordered ) I was not eating dinner at home so it never crossed my mind to fix something for dinner since after all I would not be partaking of the food. That would be the normal way of thinking right? WRONG! I have to tell this story because I thought it was so funny but I will most definitely be making my husband mad by doing so. Sorry honey....I thought it was too amusing to not share.

Feeding our kids is such a pain in the butt! Nobody likes the same thing and they all want to eat at different times etc etc....normally I put the smack down and say. Here's dinner eat it or not I don't really care (I am so mean huh!) But when I am not home sometimes I let more stuff slide. So Avery I gave some chicken nuggets and Dylan wasn't feeling well and only wanted a bowl of cold cereal okay.... easy enough. That leaves Michael and Haley to feed. This is a not a hard task. Haley will eat almost anything so I left daddy in charge and headed of to get ready to leave. Michael came in and asked what he should feed everyone. I told him Avery ate, Dylan wants cereal and he and Haley were on their own. He grumbled and stomped off to the kitchen. This is where he informed Haley she was eating cereal. She whined and said "Why.... like what did I do!? He declared.... mommy isn't helping me with dinner so you get cereal! Ahhhhhh....... nice to be needed isn't it (not really but let's pretend) So he dishes cereal for Dylan but used the wrong bowl. Now Dylan is crying because it's not in the RIGHT bowl. He didn't hear Haley tell him she didn't like that cereal so now she's crying too. He looks like his head might explode. In his defense moms know these things....like which bowls the kids like to eat out of and what cereal they like most (I know these things because I have been told them 17 million times. ) So I am ready to walk out the door, I figured I better not go if everyone was crying. A few little white "mommy " lies and all was well. I told Dylan that all the other bowls were dirty and in the dishwasher and I told Haley we were out of her cereal. There you go! Problem solved.... mommy is going to H....E..... double toothpicks for lying but at least nobody's crying right now! Welcome to life at the Cozart's : )

I'm so Excited!

2008-03-13T20:07:00.000-07:00

I am booked and ready to go to Disneyland. We are big huge chickens and we never take our kids on vacation! Last year with Avery being under 1 it was just too hard. The years before that Dylan was young and had more than his fair share of emotional outbursts. So this year we are doing it!!!! We are booked and going BIG people. I decided to not be rational at all or sensible like all the other members of my family. We are staying at the Disneyland hotel.... complete with pixie dust sprinkling, mickey mouse wake up calls, Never land pools and white sandy beaches, character breakfasts and a nice big price tag for mommy and daddy! I don't care I am so excited I can't wait for vacation to come I want to leave now! I haven't been to Disneyland since I was a junior in HS I am sure that a lot of things have changed and I can't wait to see it with my kids for the first time. Plus today almost everyone at my house was healthy. Dylan is still getting over his yuckies but for the most part everyone is feeling better. Then to top off my really great mood I went out (without kids) to do a retail therapy. (New spring outfits for our Disney trips) Could this day get any better?

Freezer Meal Update

2008-03-11T09:49:00.001-07:00

Wow.... I had no idea that everyone was interested in Freezer meals. I knew that I loved them and now my sisters were hooked, but for all I knew we were just the weirdos of the bunch. So this is how I do it. First I make a menu, I try and group things together as far as ingredients that may be alike. For instance we are going to have tacos and sloppy Joe's in this menu, so you would cook the hamburger for both meals at the same time and then season them differently. Then you would figure out which meals needed onions and chop enough for all of them at the same time. Then it's just a matter of assembling and putting things in their bags. You put everything you can in the freezer Ziploc bags then you squeeze the air out and they lay nice and flat in your freezer. Same with chicken dishes. I tried one of the new recipes I told you about last night and it was a HUGE hit. The pineapple pork chops! When I got home from the store the other night I put the meat in the bags with the marinade ingredients that way when you thaw them out they are nice and YUMMY! 5 or 6 minutes of cooking or grilling and there you have it! Gourmet meal with no work, serve with side of rice and salad and everyone's happy. This is how it went at my house last night. Even this one loved it!

He doesn't love anything so if it passes the test with him then most any child will eat it! Seriously he doesn't eat anything.

This one on the other hand eats most everything and she loved it too! Check out that face! I have never met a little kid that gets this happy over eating a banana!

The royal princess liked them too. She had at least 3 helpings ( I am beginning to think that she has a hollow leg) Seriously.... she is not that big... where does she put all the food?

So if a few of you really want to do some meals lets do it. Let me know when you want to and where and then we will make up our menus and shopping lists. I have 4 or 5 meals I haven't made yet so I would be happy to make them with you. (If you don't mind the everyday run of the mill meals I already did the "Fancy" ones) But they were easy and we could do those too if you wanted. Let me know! : )