the brewers

He liiiiiikes it

2012-02-12T09:36:00.000-07:00

That boy. So big right now. Mom keeps telling me "interesting" when I tell he about how he likes it, and stays in it during naps and night time. That's because he's awesome. He did fall out last night I believe..... But went right back in and stayed asleep, until the kids came into our room at 7:22. I must say that I much prefer that to his endless screaming in the crib in the morning. I should probably look into putting the rails up. I luf him.

In other news, it's finally dumping snow. Which is great, but it's a bummer we didn't get to all stay in this morning and snuggle and watch the snow fall.

Success

2012-02-11T08:41:00.000-07:00

Im not saying transition has happened just yet, but little man slept in his bed last night! Aaaaand both kids slept til almost 8. The mattress was just on the floor because we didn't get to finish setting up the bed, but he only cried for 10 minutes before going to sleep.

Did I mention that the night before he climbed out of his crib in the middle of the night? So, pretty much I know how my kids work and what they're all about.

And ikea is my definition of a love/hate relationship. Ugh, that place is awesome, but really the worst. Trying to buy a lamp is a nightmare. And buying two is like pouring shards of glass in my eyes.

Happy Saturday!

Growing up

2012-02-09T15:28:00.000-07:00

I might be insane.... But bubba is being kicked out of the crib this weekend. Tax refund (making less than what the govt thinks we should has its perks. Sometimes.) is being used to buy the mattress, and big boy bed is being set up. He hasn't tried to climb out of the crib, but he loves Claire's bed, and she doesn't really want to share? I found a great deal on some cute matching bedspreads.... His might be kinda girly. Whoops! It is blue though, so who cares?

Also, Sunday, Sunday is going to be amazing. Caleb turns 18 months next week, which means nursery for the big boy! And Sunday school and peace for the parents again! Oh it's going to be so great I tell you!

And, in case you were wondering, I'm getting fatter by the second. Because all I want is cookies. And sweets. And my sweet husband fulfills any desires for theese things. So, if I'm being pushed around in a wheelchair by the end of this, you'll know it's all cookie weight, not baby weight. I might already look like a whale. 54 days left!

Snuggles

2012-02-08T10:52:00.000-07:00

In the middle of snuggles on the couch, watching a show, bubbers flipped and fell fast asleep. I luf him.

Reverence

2012-02-07T09:49:00.000-07:00

Teaching reverence during prayers to younger kids is kinda hard sometimes. But also really funny sometimes. Don't worry, joe already scolded me for taking a picture during a prayer, and I repented.

a santa FAIL

2012-02-04T15:47:00.001-07:00

i try so very hard to give my kids all the necessary experiences that i can. start and keep traditions, all those type things. good mom stuff.

soooooo. at the beginning of december, i grabbed joe and the kids, and we headed to the outdoor mall where "the best santa" was supposed to be. he wasnt there. no signs saying when he would be back, schedule, nada. claire was devastated. i didnt want to go to the regular indoor malls- they all charge for pictures now, and dang it i didnt want to pay to capture my kids screaming with a fat bearded man in a red suit. (they are EXPENSIVE too.)

perhaps maybe the ward party..... oh wait. no chance there. no santa at our ward ever again.....

so we waited, figuring maybe we were too early in the season. it was a at least a week after thanksgiving, but whatever. as usual, december was hectic, and we didnt make it back to that outdoor mall until christmas eve. no santa. claire was disappointed again, but at least there were signs saying he would be there at 6:00 THAT NIGHT, along with free carriage rides. (oh carriage rides....another story. another day.) so i convinced lindsay to come with me since joe was working, we were there just after 6, and NO FLIPPING SANTA. nowhere to be found. and no carriage rides. even his chair was gone. we werent the only ones walking around in the freeeeeezing weather, wondering where the heck he was. so lame.

three times we tried to see santa. and three times, we failed. miserably. they didnt even see him, let alone get their pictures with them. no idea if claire would have been happy or sad, if caleb would have sat down, anything.

when its all said and done, the kids enjoyed running around his "house" and i got to enjoy looking at everyone else's screaming kids on facebook and blogs. i think that there was not one picture of kids with santa that didnt have them upset or looking realllllly confused.

next year kids, we WILL get that screaming picture. hopefully :)

more thanksgiving

2012-02-02T10:00:00.000-07:00

found some more shots from our trip to ca for thanksgiving.

aquarium at legoland. enthralled.... not really. he had kind of had it by then!

found a great hiding place in the condo to play :)

mom took claire to legoland one of the days, and had a little face painting done! so fun

splash pads are so fun for her. she loves it!

driving school.... uh not really quite ready for this yet. but fun!

as close as we got to a santa this year.... i'll share more about that another time

feasting

turkey

cute face

and now hes driving a motorcycle. why are my kids growing up so fast?

thats more like it. a slide, just right for his age :)

im a little obsessed with how handsome i think chunkers is.

big head

2012-01-31T10:00:00.000-07:00

this is katelyn, one of my kids i babysit. shes a cutie for sure. we bonded great at first, went through a rough patch for a while, and now are on great terms again. we have an understanding now. shes close to bubba's height, but very petite, and extremely girly.

her parents think she has a big head.... and one day they dropped her off wearing this. i didnt think it was that big until that day.

elephant man

2012-01-30T10:00:00.000-07:00

do other kids play with hose attachments as much as my kids?

ipad love

2012-01-29T10:00:00.000-07:00

we were very, very generously gifted with an ipad for christmas, and we don't let kids touch it very much.... i really dont think caleb plays on it ever, except he LOVES to look at pictures on it. of baby girls, mostly. or doggies. he fell asleep one morning holding on to it with a death grip.... funny kid. you know it was early because he still had jammies on. oops!

breakfast not at tiffanys

2012-01-29T07:35:00.002-07:00

five of the six maeser 77 ladies were present and accounted for in utah. so we breakfasted at kneaders. first time seeing 2 of them in 4 years.... way too long girls! (they were out of the country for part of that, so i dont blame them too much!) some look exactly the same. and some of us have had babies and still look the same. and some look almost 60 lbs. heavier.... (that would be me. ewwwww) you all look gorgeous either way. we need to get together again before too long. deal?

and miss warning- you were missed. see that hole? it was meant for you. come back!

remember when

2012-01-28T12:31:00.002-07:00

it was christmas, like a month+ ago? whoops.

a wonderful day, enjoyed every second of it.

even though we look a little dysfunctional.

which we kinda are sometimes. (SES plus really bright outside.... no bueno for me. claire wanted to play i think? bubba was digging for something up there.... at least joe can represent looking decent)

but he always looks handsome. such a good little boy.

who loves the doggies? claire does!

it was a great day. exhausting, but wonderful.

i really wish the whole fam could be closer, its so fun to everyone together! and i quite like my mom and dad's dogs. a lot.

Twice the drama

2012-01-25T18:15:00.000-07:00

Some days are kinda hard, huh mister? It's all good in photo booth though, right? Kinda funny?

I've been taking pictures, but this thing hates me for some reason, and deletes pictures unless I do it in a very long, backwards, roundabout way.... Ugh.

visiting TEXAS

2012-01-17T15:45:00.001-07:00

my mom has been awaiting grandkids for a while. claire and bubba kinda make her really happy. she wanted some one-on-one time with claire, so to texas she went! she flew out with my sister, and i went for a couple days and brought them home.

we had a blast, every day we wore the kids out completely. although claire stayed true to form, and woke up sometime around 5am everyday. (she always does this when shes away from home. we cant figure out why.) i got some much needed mommy time, a few naps and sleep ins, and some play time with the doggies. (i really tried to bring one back.... i just couldnt carry a dog and a baby in my lap. next time?) sad joe had to work, but getting a ski day kinda made up for it, right? also, some nice warm weather was excellent for this popsicle. utah was kind and has been absolutely freezing since the moment we got back.

anyways, texas has lots and lots to do.... lots of parks and play areas, plenty of ways to wear out the kids :)

my kids are truly SPOILED by grammy, one day she took them to a rain forest cafe for lunch. claire barely had to ask for an elephant drink and she ordered one for each kid. bubba takes his drinks very, very seriously, and downed the entire thing.

typical, anytime we went anywhere.

master piano players and entertainers. they loved the piano, and practiced often.

a fun morning at a blow-up jump and slide place. neither kid wanted to leave!

i spotted a potbelly's not far from my parent's house and decided i had to grab some shakes and a sandwich for old time's sake. (we had one across the street from us when we lived in dc. so yummy!) he liked his shake as much as i did! and wouldn't let go of it. like i said, takes drinking very seriously.

typical.

grammy's bed is ALWAYS the most comfy.

these poor doggies..... they are SO patient with my kids, even though its painfully obvious they don't want to be. they never once nipped or snapped at them. barked from a distance.... maybe. but never mean.

claire wanted to pick them up all the time, and they just didn't love it. but again, so patient with her. i am sure they are resting peacefully for the next week to recover.

sharing with the doggies.

my mom has been waiting to bring the kids to this place for a while. LUPE's. or loopy's as she calls it. pretty decent mexcian food, and it has a pretty fun sand box outside for kiddos to play in. the chicklets loved it, naturally. and bubba loved the beans.

my mom got what she always does- her new fave, fajitas. because the meat is soaked in tequila.wink, wink mom! we decided if we were alcohol drinkers my mom would be a margarita drinker. no question.

thanks for the trip mother dear! i know the kids LOVED it, and miss you dearly. claire has been asking for you all day :)

Sigh.

2012-01-15T21:09:00.000-07:00

I am right there with you little doggies. Headed back to Utah tomorrow. Going to be a long day, but we will for sure be excited to see daddy, who we missed dearly. Back to real life. Thanks for the vacay Grammy and grandpa! can't wait to see you closer to baby e's arrival! Got tons of photos coming, we've had a blast here in Texas, we will need to come back and really do some more discovering.

Trying

2012-01-13T19:52:00.001-07:00

I have pictures! I can't put them up :( laaaaaame. I'll figure it out soon. For now, Texas is great, the flights here were interesting, and I will be sneaking a dog home on the plane. Don't tell my mom!

It's a funny thing

2012-01-11T16:48:00.000-07:00

Times and seasons. I keep reminding myself lately- times and seasons for everything. Not right now, I whisper to myself, frequently. Or, glad that one is over with, i yell in my head. Sometimes, I reflect on a past 'life'. I think of all the different places we lived as an individual 'life'. Revisiting those lives is sometimes fun, and sometimes painful. I leave the painful ones alone, mostly. It's a funny thing-I told my mom today that I feel like I am living a different life without Claire bear while she visits Texas. A different world, era, whatever you want to call it. My head sometimes spins when 'worlds' or whatever collide, and people from those places overlap. It's a funny thing, I usually think of how small, insignificant I am to everyone else's lives. But then sometimes I realize, maybe not so much, maybe there was a bigger mark left. And today I decided I need to start leaving things better. I am not so good at leaving people better than I found them. I am pretty terrible at it, really. Does that make sense? Probably not. It's a funny thing, my head. It all makes sense up there.

bubba chunk is funny, too. My face is rather hideous though. But I decided I don't care. He can be cute enough for the two of us.

2012-01-10T20:55:00.000-07:00

Bedtime snack... Gotta do SOMETHING with all that leftover Christmas candy, right?

blogger is being DUMB. At least on the iPad. I've been trying all day to get it to work.

Fresh

2012-01-09T19:22:00.001-07:00

fresh out of the tub, and so handsome. I've been thinking lately about how my kids were meant to be mine, how other kids aren't, and how glad I am for that. Everyone's kids are special. But mine are are extra special because they are mine. I've been extra grateful for Claire lately, since she's not here and all. One reason is she helps bubba to NOT be a brat. It sounds funny, but only child syndrome has kicked in, and big time. Or maybe he is like that a lot, and she helps me not notice? He's stil my sweet little boy, but we are in that really hard, "you aren't understanding what I want when I whine and wave my arms and stomp my feet" stage, and he is trying to be picky..... Hopefully we'll rid him of that soon. He is his father's child, it's probably 80% him, 20% me. Like, when he gets hungry, he is not a happy camper til he gets some food in him. Go too long without eating, and we have a bear on our hands. Joe has gotten better over the years, but we have to be careful on fast Sundays :) Caleb is still my sweetheart through and through, always trying to be helpful, and so, so funny. Right now he's playing "where-dit-go?" with his sippy cup and he keeps pushing it further and further behind my back. Then asking me where it went... Like I said, hilarious.

love my chicks to pieces. Do I say that too much? Miss my Claire.

Happy

2012-01-08T08:59:00.000-07:00

He knows how to be happy. Which makes me happy. Loooove him.

Hungry boy

2012-01-07T08:46:00.000-07:00

Loooove the very hungry caterpillar. Bubba-love does too. And the doggies outside playing in two inches of snow.

that's right. Haters complained enough, and got some stinking snow. I was rather enjoying my balmy fifty degrees, no coats, windows down and sunshine,thankyouverymuch. I was starting to think it was April. I'll just keep de-junking anyways I guess. Not that anyone can tell....

Only child

2012-01-06T20:27:00.001-07:00

I think bubba monster likes all the attention, with not having his sister around. And getting to play with whatever toy he wants. He's been going from toy to toy, thrilled that mama lets him play and doesn't try and take anything away. And he slept in, waaaaay past his normal wake up. But I think he misses his sister. Sorry for all the one-photo posts. Promise lots of good ones are forth coming. Mi madre has my memory card. I'll snatch it next week! Someone has to pick up Claire....

Missing

2012-01-05T13:40:00.000-07:00

this little blondie. I heard she was in texas, with an aunt, grandparents, and two puppies. Anybody seen her?

Rule breaking

2012-01-04T11:30:00.000-07:00

I said I would never ever ever buy a pair of skinny jeans. And here I am, wearing them at 6+ months prego-licious. What was I thinking??? Oh yeah, that they fit inside my boots. Yes.

Sharing is caring.

2012-01-03T14:38:00.001-07:00

I try realllly hard not to let the kids watch tv all day. I declared it a sick day, and decided I don't care about that- we are out of tissues, so toilet paper is being passed around. Along with some Cheetos. Bubba monster looooves them. The orange compliments the green bruise covering half his forehead, right?

btw, Dora is not my fave. Oh well.

Photo-a-day

2012-01-02T10:19:00.001-07:00

They will probably all be terrible photos, but let's see how long this lasts, shall we? I need a 'fun' resolution. The 'improvement' ones are personal this time around... And some are post-baby, so gotta wait for a while.

The chicklets dancing and falling. Nothing like running around like a banshee in a freshly picked up and vacuumed room, right?

Today's goals- get the Christmas put away, and finish the laundry. (including putting away!) it's a no-pain-so-far day, and although there is nothing like kicking back when the stickies arrive, we have a few busy weeks ahead and I don't like to rest when I'm sick. I get better faster, I think. (I took the ACT and another standardized test for two days with a 102 degree fever. The score from that test got me into BYU, so you tell me if I should do stuff when I'm sick.) off to put kids down for naps. Best part of the day sometimes!

Princess cowgirl.

2012-01-01T18:18:00.001-07:00

Love my princess. She got through her first full day of sunbeams, despite losing all her friends she so dearly loves. She ended up doing better than most of the kids, totally surprised, and not.

Claire and bubba got cowboy hats for Christmas, and Claire is convinced the tag says something about princesses, making them for cowboy princesses. Whatever, it's cute.

cant wait for baby e to join the rascals. She has a lot to look forward to. Just 14 weeks! That doesn't sound like much..... So excited!

New years eve?

2011-12-31T10:50:00.001-07:00

Took me long time to realize that this morning. Today is more significant than just saturday morning. And the chicklets have no idea. We are on our third time of watching cars 2.... It's almost eleven. Awesome. Hope you are less lame than I am!

The Girls

2011-12-29T11:34:00.001-07:00

Meet the girls. They are a pair of tri-color king Charles spaniels. And they will steal your heart in 2.9 seconds. Lucy and Lizzy came to my parents home a couple months ago. The parents are now totally empty nesters, and Mamacita needed some company. And the girls certainly fulfill that role well. They are full of snuggles, loves, and are as good as could ever be expected with my littles. Can't wait to see them again soon!

Did you know?

2011-12-27T21:42:00.001-07:00

I absolutely hate having my picture taken.Choc chip cookies are my weakness.For not being a stellar cook/baker, I make really good creme brûlée. My parents are the best, and my dad is the easiest person to talk to. I don't like drinking water. Unless really cold, with ice, no straw. Lemon when available.Joe and I both knew baby E is a girl, and didn't tell the other that we knew til Christmas. (punk.)I can't decide how to spell baby's name.Vacuuming is my favorite chore, and I like being able to see how much junk got sucked up off the floor. (gross, I know)I love surprises, and always ruin them for myself, sometimes on purpose. I hate knowing a surprise is coming. My body is a strange thing. I have double jointed elbows, a shoulder blade and thumb. One leg is longer than the other. And short limbs. It's great....I don't mind doing laundry. Putting it away when it's clean is a whole other story. Sorry mom.I have middle child syndrome.I don't know all my cousins. I haven't even met them all. But I do have cousins with grand kids.This was random. But I am avoiding putting away laundry, so, it was productive. Right?

just a few

2011-12-25T22:16:00.000-07:00

we squeezed in a quick photo session with an old friend in CA over thanksgiving. we got there much later than anticipated, so lighting was kinda out the window, and the kids were a little stir crazy. which means, less than super stellar photos. but im glad we have them! the last group shots we did were after claire was born, and although the family continually changes, im way glad we got these in. finally seeing these pics after all the fam left after christmas festivities for the night (and being sad joe had to work) finished off a pretty wonderful day for me.

so much to be grateful for. i cannot even begin to list it all. its almost disgusting to think how much i have when so many don't have some of what i consider basics. i use an electric toothbrush to brush my teeth for crying out loud! i can straighten my already straight hair into something silky! i get to drive a car around, and park it in a garage and not scrape off ice. i can drink bottled water when i want. i can have diapers shipped to my front door. i can throw diapers away and not have to wash them! virtually any book i could ever want in my hands, as fast as i can think of them. i can talk to my mom 50 times in a day after pressing some buttons. food is so readily accessible, i dont even think about throwing away leftovers i might not eat. my clothes and dishes are washed AND dried for me.

and on and on. i was thinking all this while i brushed my teeth, that lots of money was spent on to straighten. to STRAIGHTEN. (they werent even that bad to begin with.) and none of that even matters- i would give it up for my family. for my husband and kids. my wonderful parents, siblings, extended family, in-laws, any of them. for my constantly nudging baby GIRL in my tummy.

and none of them would even mean that much to me if it werent for my Savior. no matter how much i would give up, it wouldnt amount to anything next to His sacrifice.

and there i go crying.

perhaps i am not as stone-cold-hearted as it seems.

welp. i love my husband. my family in its entirety. it was a christmas to remember, with some miracles mixed in. wouldnt be christmas without them, huh?

one little miracle, and then good night: my parents drove here from houston, and got stuck in roswell, NM for 24 hours while they waited for the roads to become drive-able. my dad grew up in roswell, and went 55 years without a white christmas, and just happens to drive through it and get stuck there 2 days before christmas. how RANDOM is that? they dd make it late on christmas eve to provo, thank goodness! but really, of all the places?!?!?! just happy the made it safely :)

2011-12-22T13:32:00.000-07:00

I wish I could explain how happy my chicklets make me. I am bubbling over inside with happiness and joy thinking about what is coming their way tomorrow (my parents and their puppies) and the following days. I went shopping for the last time for a while- such relief to be done with that part. Snuggling, wrapping, baking and eating, and more snuggles starts now! A most merry Christmas to you and yours!

meet the asian

2011-12-17T21:17:00.001-07:00

susan is a roomie from my freshman year in the dorms.

susan is a rock star for so many reasons.

she is asian.

she is the only member of our church in her family, and is such a good example.

she finished her nursing degree, after having a baby.

she has the fattest asian baby ever. (it takes everything i have not to eat her)

she has some sweet dance skills.

she likes HP more than i do.

she is kind, sweet, smart, funny, and lets me watch her fat baby.

i love staying connected with this girl. we see each other regularly. i watched her kid while she went to school. but we got the husbands to watch kids, went out to lunch and lost track of time talking. i love having a friend that i can do that with. in fact, i saw her three times that day, and we still had things to talk about. how? and how did we end up living just on other sides of the freeway, and we dont manage to see each other more?

and she is an incredibly good cook. legit asian food- i still drool thinking about her chow mein feasts she cooked up for us. and anything she bakes. i couldnt resist saying yes to some of her cookies last night, after we already went out and had ice cream.

gotta love a good friend.

christmas spirit

2011-12-14T08:27:00.000-07:00

this, lovely readers, is what christmas spirit looks like.

they were on a bit of a sugar high- making sugar cookies.

regardless, i hope to be this joyful with them for the rest of the year, and then forever. but at least through the new year.

so, you all have been warned: for the next three weeks, if you are not deliriously happy when you enter my home, you will be blasted with christmas spirit. if it fails to brighten your day, you will be asked to vacate the premises. because i will not have anyone ruining my fun with the children.

thanks in advance.

and thanks for stopping by linds. the kids sure do love you.

(and everyone who comes to the door. they attack the door like puppies every. time. someone. knocks. it gets old after the first time they try to escape into the cold with no shoes on.)

almost done with christmas shopping. are you?

birthday girl

2011-12-12T21:22:00.000-07:00

remember how it was the big girl's birthday, like a month and a half ago? oh yeah.....

claire loves being 3. pretty much the best thing ever. i had already planned on doughnuts for her birthday, and then lindsay showed up before work with the sweet UGE doughnut just for the girl. it was fitting, because we always got the UGE doughnuts from across the street when we lived in CA. she loved it, duh! everything that day was pink, balloons, cupcakes, decorations, so it was great. love this girl.

we also had a mommy-daughter date for some fro-yo, because thats what i was craving. she hated it until we got to the toppings, and she could pick what she wanted. so funny. she keeps me on my toes that one, pushing the limits. i can just imagine the fun, years from now. we'll just think about how much fun she is at the moment :)

back it up.

2011-12-11T13:25:00.001-07:00

turns out, i have been taking more pictures that i thought.

we'll start with some of our CA trip. my family lived in ca for many years. we lived all over ca. and then we moved, and no one is there anymore. we went there for thanksgiving, with my family to warm up all the idaho and utah kids. joe had only ever flown through LAX, so this was especially exciting we stayed in carlsbad, which is not one of the places we lived, but is still gorgeous. its close-ish to san diego, so lindsay, joe, marshall and i all went and did a session in the san diego temple, while my mom graciously babysat the kiddos.

i think i had just punched joe in the stomach.

if you really know me, you know this was the temple i ALWAYS wanted to get married in. but being the easy going middle child, i graciously let my husband decide on the nauvoo temple. not a choice i regret, (it was a pretty perfect day) but i think he now finally understands WHY i always had that little desire. it. is. GORGEOUS.

aw, sisters.

thanksgiving meal. we managed to make the whole dinner in the little kitchen, including a turkey! and everything was delish. i took the picture- proof we were all there!

maybe i'll find some more pics another time.... i forgot i even had these!

HUGE thank you to my parents for putting us all up for the week. it was so fun to all be together, keeping the tradition of not having thanksgiving at home :) and especially for getting up and occupying kiddos so we could sleep. amazing.

we loved getting to see the beach, the awesome hot tub, legoland, gorgeous condo, and just hanging out together. such a rarity, and so wonderful.

these pics are from today after church. i seriously LOVE my kids. i think they really are hilarious. im sure everyone thinks that about their kids, and its probably true, but i cant stop laughing at them constantly, even all through church....

bubba-licious decided to finally start folding his arms for prayers today. we've been working on that one for a while, but he started doing it during prayers at church today, and claps for himself every time. so stinkin' cute!

sorry, but i really do think he is rather handsome. thanks husband, since he is your mini-me, it really is true!

and you can barely tell that claire has a mullet here! she really loves her bro.

my mom made her that adorable little dress. so sweet!

side note: claire started going to sunbeams in primary the last couple weeks.... hopefully she'll adjust because she still loves nursery so much!

funniest boy. ever.

2011-12-10T10:00:00.000-07:00

failing

2011-11-30T20:00:00.000-07:00

miserably. at

blogging

making dinner

keeping my house at least inhabitable

dishes

getting out of sweats/pjs everyday

and so much more.

priorities. thats where i'm at. basics. its all i can handle.

but. i think my kids are mostly happy. i know they love each other, and they usually love me.

and i am pretty sure hubs loves me. at least kinda.

coming home from an amazing vacation with the family is so hard. back to schedules, jobs, reality. lets just all go back there and stay. please? a beautiful pool, the beach, great shopping, and oh yeah, we were all there together? eating meals together? that was really nice. we didnt even use the clean up crews or room service- wasnt necessary in the slightest. remember the uge hot tub we all fit in? that was heavenly. even though it was 'cold' in the 60's all week, i would take that over the temps here any day. every day.

i havent seen my husband since sunday. i dont count sleeping. having spent endless hours in the car with him last week makes me miss him that much more. and reminds me why i cant get enough of him. we were planning on having all day tomorrow together, but we are already scheduled away til at least noon. argh. we've got eternity, right?

ive been somewhat of an emotional wreck the last, oh, three months at least. anything and everything. thanks baby! and life! i watch other people's kids. im happy to, really. hard, some days, absolutely. but also kinda easy? sometimes. after everyone is gone for the day, my kids seem like angels. they have their moments for sure, but they play remarkably well together, and make each other laugh over just about everything. i love them. they are a dynamic little duo. mischief makers in training.

oh so much more to blog. no more pictures because im lame. maybe soon. i hope i sleep tonight? i spent last night throwing up. i had nothing to throw up, so that was fun. i did lose 4 pounds, so hopefully doc next week won't flip out over the feast we had on thanksgiving? now how to keep that off....

and its still not decided on whether or not we are finding out baby's gender. it was supposed to be tomorrow, but we now have til friday. i may have to take my friend susan's advice and flip a coin. (don't worry, i am like 22 weeks or something. i'm awesome and on top of things :)

refusing

2011-11-14T19:10:00.001-07:00

i refuse to be sick any longer. too much to do! my doc's nurse (im not her biggest fan at the moment) told me to call today if i was still sick. im ignoring that, and im done being sick. done. i win.

i would love to post pictures of claire's hack job on her hair, but, its a no go. too much to do! but head to lindsay's blog for some. she is mucho better at documenting than i am. i was too close to tears the whole time! i wish you all could take a peek at her room- the first thing you see straight ahead is a shrine, dedicated to the little miss. she sure does love that crazy bumkin. love ya linds!

i love my fam. what, five days til we are all reunited finally? so stinkin' excited!

i never thought i'd be this person, but we are on a strict schedule these days. i've always had a pretty set schedule for naps, eating, more naps, more eating, but kept it flexible, left it open for moody babies. i decided we will never function normally again with all the kids running around unless a set schedule happens. and so far, sweet success. bubba was ready for his nap promptly at 11:25, falling asleep in my lap. ahhhhhh its glorious. little to no crying from everyone. we'll keep this up.

the kiddos are bathing right now, and when caleb laughs, it is so funny. he laughs like an old man. chuckles, belly laughs, giggles, everything. i can't get over it. love him to pieces. now to go clean up some water!!!!

its late. this is life.

2011-11-08T11:18:00.001-07:00

his hair was long. i thought it was so funny to put little piggies in, and he didnt care. i thought he looked like claire, so i left them in and he went to sleep with them.

and then i made joe cut it the next day. and almost cried. my baby is gone. just gone. now hes my little boy.

kids are sick. i am sick. joe is sick of his back hurting.

i have babies and chicklets and kids running around my house most of the day, except for the now mandatory nap time/quiet time. i get to sit down, but constantly have to get back up.

i am pregnant, and while i may be snoring, i dont think i am actually sleeping. not a lot to be done about it at this point. i think i have what i call pregnancy induced sleep apnea. the circles are getting darker under my eyes, and i don't know what to do for energy since i ate all the kids halloween candy.

my doctors appointment today: doc walks in and started to get upset he hadnt seen me in ten weeks and hadnt had my ultrasound. then when he figured out the nurse screwed up big time, he had to do some educating on how to add 4 weeks to 14 weeks. it doesnt equal 24, i'll tell you that much. then we chatted about going to the beach.... can't wait! and finally told me he couldnt believe this was baby number three. he said i looked like i was 12. ummmmmm

again with my age. inconsistent on every side. no one in RS believed i was 23 on sunday during my lesson.they all thought i was older.

nope. 23. i'll be 24 by the time baby comes though..... so michelle duggar has me way past beat.

the other ladies in my relief society presidency could either by my mom, or my grandma. HA.im not sure if this is worse than the young women possibly being my sisters.....

claire got her nursery leader fired on sunday....... for eating play doh. i tried to explain to her leader several months ago that she should just not play with it in nursery anymore.... and look where that got her. what do i need to do to be released???? (just kidding mom!)

by the way, i am severely failing at the whole relief society thing. big time. i don't know anything. my head is constantly spinning. and no one tells me things, or corrects me when i just start doing things, soooooo its been interesting.

my little world is reallllly small. connections, friends, they are everywhere. especially in my ward. yikes.

i miss seeing my husband everyday. its a good thing we will have hour upon hour in the car together in just over a week. can't wait. babies have no idea whats going to hit them.

and with that, i will hopefully crash in bed, with tissues stuffed up my nose so the boogers don't drip down my face. i was doing good with getting a blog up every so often, and then blogger decided to stop working on the ipod, and i watch five kids plus my own, and i got pregnant and tired, and my husband keeps working, and i have to be nice to everyone at church, especially everyone because for some reason i agreed to it.

by the way, this was not a complaint. one day i will look back and go- i had things sooooo easy. this is just what life is at the moment. yay for vacations!!!!

blubber

2011-10-26T15:06:00.000-06:00

he melts my heart. literally, every time he smiles.

he has several smiles, by the way.

laughing. smirking. mouth open wide. shy. grin.

mommy's

daddy's

he smiles, most of the day. which means yes, i am melting most of the day. combine that with the best little boy giggle and we have a heart breaker.

and my absolute fave is a combo of everything. i wish i could get a picture of it- eyes squinty, open wide but lips kinda curled, nose scrunched. pretty much the funniest thing ever.

this picture makes me laugh because his mouth is closed- a pretty rare occurrence for him, considering he is always smiling, laughing, babbling, growling, grunting, or eating- which is his fave.

preview

2011-10-19T15:30:00.002-06:00

hey pretty girl.

you truly are my sunshine. you are getting waaaay too big, and its killing me. there is no baby in your tummy, but there is one in mine, and i can't wait for you to be such a big helper with the baby.

you turn three (what???) in two short weeks, and you are so excited. you want PINK for your birthday, whatever that means. we will probably have lots of pink balloons, and pink cupcakes.

you have a hard time sitting still. i knew you would, from the moment you were born, you were quiet, but holding your head up to figure out the world. i sometimes think the little spirit inside you is vibrating constantly, just waiting until you are big enough to do so many great things. the only time it rests is when you sleep, and even then you wake up and instantly, you are ready to tackle the world. or at least all the furniture. you started walking super early, a clear indicator of the kind of kid you are. you have things to do in this life, and i can't wait to see them happen.

you are everyone's friend. strangers do not exist in your world. you are concerned about everyone's happiness. you are (usually) so great with your little brother. now that he is big enough to, er, fight back, you guys can get a little rough. but you still love him to pieces, and always feel bad after you get rough. you are currently teaching him some of your mad dance skillz, and i couldn't be happier.

baby girl, i love you so much. you might drive your nursery leaders crazy, make a mess with just about anything that you find, and get into all the things you shouldn't, but you light up the world of everyone around you, especially mine. i couldn't trade you for anything.

love, mom.

picture by claire's aunt lindsay. she is not a professed photog, but she does good work with my kids, considering that they don't. sit. still. ever.

real pictures. what?

2011-10-15T16:18:00.002-06:00

doing what i can to embrace fall. definitely some slacking, but i'm trying. the last monthish.

claire looking cute with her headband. headband lasted 2.9 seconds. we try.

take that back. i try. she doesn't.

model man. and screeching katelyn in the background. but cute bubbers.

i live like 2.9 seconds from here. GORGEOUS this time of year. and this isn't even super pretty yet. (this was a couple weeks ago.)

stink bug changed her mind about pictures.and headband.

shifting gears.

family time. thats all five sibs together. missed mom and dad! and happy bday sarah bear. FINALLY 18. that took forever.

shifting again.

hee haw farms. i gotta know- are all pumpkin patch/hay ride/corn mazes this ghetto? i was expecting a little more..... either way. both kids had a BLAST. like, giggling most of the time.

as soon as claire saw this dumb animal train she wanted to skip the pony ride (which was LAME.) and hop into the pig asap. silly girl. joe got in on the action though, so that was kinda fun.

probably her fave thing after the corn box.

pig touching. can you spot my little blondie? that was fun for her too.

corn box. i decided this should be what playgrounds have instead of sand or wood chips. i'm sure it was dirty, but way less dirty than sand and no splinters. no sand in the eyes. awesome.

sweet hair dude. he was unsure at first, but got into it when he saw claire going to town.

we even did this twice the kids loved it so much.

good times for everyone! we even ran into some friends and picked out pumpkins with them. the kids were kinda done by then, and claire kept getting frustrated she couldn't carry any, but so fun anyways. yay for family time!

and yay for non-phone or ipod pics! thats a miracle, huh?

back to the byu game. i should probably not watch those. they make me physically ill, i get that into them. probably send me into labor.

band aid babe

2011-10-11T15:04:00.000-06:00

Pretty girl.
Joe and I love figuring out what personality and character traits each of the children have, and who they got it from. Claire's genes are a perfect storm, you could say.... A lot of great things, but combined and it's a constant storm watch. Like, Joe was very much into 'getting into' things growing up, liked to climb a lot. And I had an absurd knack for monkey bars. Claire has both. And playgrounds are her forte. So we are constantly on guard, inside the house and out. But some things we like to think came from other extended family members, so we aren't totally to blame for everything.
Take the above picture. That band aid is making her eye feel all better. She gets the affinity for those special magical bits from her auntie Sarah. she was known for emptying boxes of them and stickin' 'em up and down her arms, and not always for actual owies, but somtimes just being itchy.
So funny how kids turn out, huh? And how each one is so, so different.
By the way, Claire tells everyone she knows there is a baby in HER tummy. I cant convince her otherwise. (stubborn thing.... Another auntie trait she inherited???) Her baby is a girl. mine is a boy, but it is still her sister. For bubba man's sake, I hope it's another girl. He adores all the girls I watch. And starting in a couple weeks, there will be a total of five EXTRA girls I watch, not including Claire. Not all at once though, thank goodness. Most are only a few hours per week. It's funny to me that it's only girls. The only boys ive watched never work out. Maybe bubba should be a ladie's man for Halloween...

2011-10-08T08:35:00.001-06:00

Stink bug. Loves and hates pictures.Life is so good. I can't seem to remember that. I have this weight that feels like something really hard is coming (grad school) so I should be gearing myself up for it. Crazy. We still have no idea at this point where we will be next year. Here, Virginia, Nevada, arizona, Texas... No clue. Starting to seriously freak me out. But everyday I've been trying to find something to be really happy about. Making cookies. A pasta roller. Bubba dancing. Claire being so sweet and telling me everyone she loves. Joe getting to spend a few extra minutes with us. Making dinner, with everyone home, AND eating it. Dancing with Claire in a bee costume and roller-skates. Little things, you know? Last night Sarah showed up from Idaho to spend some time with the sibs. She and Lindsay came over as we were putting kids in jammies and getting ready for bed. Then linds tricked me into letting Claire have a sleepover.... Yeah I didn't want to let her go to a grown up sleepover! I can't stop thinking what they did all night. But I love how much that girl adores her aunts. And all of her family. She has some incredible people to look up to, and when I think of it that way, I don't mind for a minute that she wants to hang out with them.

2011-09-30T13:07:00.001-06:00

i realize i talk about the girl a LOT here.

bubba monster is pretty great too, though. he's a semi-snuggle bug, super ticklish, and a total sweetie.

he LOVES his stuffed animals, and his three blue bears are his fave. he is really smart, like knows where things are, and what they are, but doesn't use words at all. he has a giggle that is better than anyone's, and it makes me so happy. when he does "talk" he moves his head like a muppet- its not just the jaw, but his whole head moves and it makes me laugh.

he is tough. he is now just as strong as his sister, and usually wins their tug-of-war fights over a toy. but he is also so sensitive. and has some sweet dance moves to rival his sister. i love him.

thinking about these two makes me so happy, especially when i think there is another crazy monkey coming to join them. oh what a party that will be! bubba loves, loves, loves little babies. he can't get enough. loves to rock them, give hugs and kisses, and "tickle" them. just can't wait.

love little bubba monster. (that is a hint for his halloween costume. excited for this year!)

2011-09-28T10:14:00.003-06:00

i had a whole long post on how awesome this girl is. and now its gone?

no matter. head over to lindsay's blog. she's got a great pic of the little stink. she's killing me with awesomeness right now.

and i just have to share this- bubba has the started doing the best trick- he has decided he now likes to have his diaper changed, and will lay down right in front of you if you say the word diaper. my son is a dog.

Sunday thoughts

2011-09-26T11:47:00.000-06:00

Really long, never ending week. Sick junk raged in our house and just lots of yuck. Lots of decisions, some hard, and by Saturday I just wasn't sure how much more i could take at the time. But luckily, and by lucky I mean seriously blessed, i got to go to the relief society broadcast and be surrounded by wonderful women, and have my perspective re-adjusted. A quick chat with a friend afterwards reallllly made me reflect and made me so, so grateful for the 2.5 little ones I've got. So, so grateful for such a wonderful husband. So grateful for my entire family, especially this week for a sister who saves the day watching kids, brings a cherry-limeade, and quietly listens to me bawl over the phone for an entire conversation. all those pregnancy hormones haven't helped a dang thing, but family, and the gospel that binds us together, really does. Seriously, not sure where I'd be without either. And now, because baby craves and mommy caves, I will make apple pie to go with the tacos we had for linner. It's better than the sprinkle cupcakes Claire keeps asking for, right?

something new

2011-09-16T15:31:00.001-06:00

for the last, four months or so, the camera has been at my parents house. with my parents moving, the camera did not reappear in my hands until a couple weeks ago. i thought, sweet! i will have all these great new pictures to post! eh, not so much. i had four. and these are all of them.

coincidentally, they are all from the time we went strawberry picking when we were visiting my parents in st. louis. coincidentally, because claire recently started talking about that adventure and riding on the school bus that took us to the fields. at least a couple times every day. and every time we see a school bus. that was one HOT day.

now that we have a camera back in action, i hope there will be more picture taking. because the whole one picture posts from the phone/ipod is reeeeeally getting old.

and hopefully i will start feeling better so that i will want to take those pictures. because i have been feeling yucky, pretty much since the day we stepped off the plane back in utah. because, yep,

BABY #3 is making an appearance in 6 1/2 months!

quite honestly, it was a bit of a surprise, but one we are totally THRILLED about. can't wait to meet her!

yes i think its a girl. i already know her name. BUT we are not finding out gender, until she is born! we did it twice, we got one of each, and since i've always wanted to, i am doing it this time. my choice, so thats how it is. i can wait that long, right?????

What a joy

2011-09-09T23:27:00.000-06:00

this kid is going to be the goofiest kid in school. it's like, three years away, but seriously, she is going to rock at school. little miss independent. Mischievous. Sweet as honey. A pistol. And a never ending source of energy. and still OCD. But only selectively. It's kind of fun guessing she will be picky about. Love her.

tuckered out.

2011-09-06T14:51:00.000-06:00

me too kiddo. i could kiss those cheeks all day.

i do kiss those cheeks all day,

and i love every second of it.

and those lips. his kissy lips. just for all those sweet girls in his life. there are a few, but he loves them all!

me the most though. its definitely me. i feel so lucky.

remember that, kid! i was the first lady.

just can't get enough

2011-08-29T12:46:00.000-06:00

princess claire with bestie adi

i just love her. and claire loves her buddy adi. our house is diagonal from hers, and seriously the second adi is outside claire spots her and goes wild until they are together. its especially funny, because they play together, but they also play separately. they start together, and then they end up doing whatever they want, but when its time to go, they can't let go of each other. so cute. whenever claire talks about nursery, she always talks about playing with adi, and dance was always about adi, and when she wants to go outside, its so that she and adi can play. i hope they can always be such good friends!

Anyone out there?

2011-08-25T14:05:00.000-06:00

Not sure if anyone reads this anymore?

Here's a quick shot of Claire after her dance recital last night. She was being a stink, but danced her little heart out when it came time. Cute little bug. Thanks for coming to watch linds!

Oh and my younger brother is here. Pretty happy right mow.

One

2011-08-24T09:11:00.000-06:00

Bubbalicious turned one at the beach. Poor guy was suffering from his first ear infections, and other illness and spent that night screaming and throwing up. He did have some fun at the beach that day, and a great little party with the fam that evening. This guy is all about being on the move and what he can figure out how to get into next. He's brought so much joy into our home that I wouldn't trade for anything. He doesn't try words ver often, but is constantly giggling and laughing, and making grunts and blubs when he wants something. He loves cuddling, and is a pretty good sleeper and eater. And has more teeth than any kid his age, with more trying to pop through.

Love this guy. Love him to pieces.

And Joe. Love him too. Four years today for us. Keeping it low key, which is how we like it.

Since I'm talking love today, love Claire too. What a crazy little chick she is.

Beach.

2011-08-20T18:33:00.000-06:00

This picture sums up a lot of our trip: just having a good time, doing whatever the heck we wanted. Its been a blast being with everyone. So great to finally introduce Caleb to everyone. Meeting the newest niece for the first time. Getting more sand in more places than I care to admit. Oh how I miss the ocean. Both kids absolutely loved it, didn't mind the water when it was colder one day. Heading back to Utah Monday and am really sad to leave everyone. The hospitality of southern people is so comforting. Gonna miss it.

love this little giggle

2011-08-11T10:19:00.000-06:00

oh how i love this boy! he, like any baby, does not appreciate having his diaper changed. this was today's distraction.

12 hours til we leave for north carolina! time to start packing i guess?

why do i always wait til the last minute to pack? i don't like packing. but packing shorts and swim suits might be motivation today. although this red eye flight is looking like not such a good idea the more i think about it. oh well. to the beach we go!

fabio to the rescue!

2011-08-05T11:32:00.000-06:00

gosh i love my dad. see that little orange circle with the 76 in the middle? my dad is in oil, and through the years companies have merged, sold, bought, whatever with each other, but he started out sporting the 76 for quite a while. so, whenever we spot a little 76 memorabilia it brings a smile to our faces. this gem was found around the corner at the local sandwich shop.

anyways. reason #834839487 why my dad is a superhero, is because when i was having a meltdown about leaking water and my mom couldn't solve the problem (not that she can't, but dad is better at this stuff) he actually left a meeting to take my call. i know sometimes i probably don't give him enough credit because he puts a lot of work into what he does (and does WAY better at it than he gives himself credit), and sometimes that takes away from family time. BUT. when it really matters, he is there 100%. always.

anyways. i'm bawling now just thinking about what an incredible man he really is. love my dad.

blerg....way too much going on right now. just pile it on why dontcha!

and. can't wait to see joe's dad, and the rest of his family so soon! right now in a week we will be on our way to the beach. can you tell i'm excited yet? i keep wanting to start packing in hopes that we can just go ahead and go, but i think that would only create a bigger mess than the one i'm trying to clean right now.

recap

2011-07-31T21:57:00.000-06:00

girls camp-a smashing success, if i do say so myself!

but really, after doing so much and stressing about it all, everything came together and fell into place, even at the last minute. and i think the girls enjoyed it. at least thats what they said...so worth it. although i feel kind of like i would if i had just planned the weddings of all the girls, and that feeling you get when you plan all that for that one day and then its all just over. but hopefully, like the marriage, those feelings, impressions, and relationships last, and the things they learned will stick. at least until next year!

i'm feeling a little heavy tonight, even though that weight of planning and planning is gone. maybe sadness? the week honestly flew by. the girls never stayed up past 1130, so i really got as much sleep as i normally do. i took an air mattress with me so i was comfortable, and mostly warm. i'll admit, beyond dealing with the demon spiders, endless mosquitoes and flies, and food going bad, i got pretty attached to most of the girls, and learned a lot from them. some jokingly called me "mom" by the end, and i thought "if i have teenagers like this, life will be pretty great." they are a small but wonderful set of girls, with little to no drama between them, and most of them have testimonies that shine brighter than they realize. i missed the kids, and joe especially, but it really was a treat to be among them for four days.

this week and next will be full of anticipation! i tried to not let myself get too excited about whats coming up until after camp was over, and now that i'm on the other side, things are going to be pretty great for us! beach trip with joe's fam starting next friday. pretty stoked for that one. and then marshy marsh gets home from brasil! the blessings from him being gone for so long far outweigh the sadness of not seeing him, but him being back is pretty great too.

and those sheep? the sheep i almost ran over as we were driving back from camp. came out of nowhere, around a sharp corner, absolutely no warning. i didn't take a camera, so i will be stealing pictures from everyone else this week :)

miss you already

2011-07-24T23:21:00.000-06:00

four full days without these cuties? sad day indeed. almost can't wait so i can get back and love on them again. having family play time is my very favorite right now.

love these little buddies. bubba monster and crazy hair claire. she is a wild one, and he is on the move. wouldn't have it ANY other way.

cashing in

2011-07-19T14:12:00.000-06:00

i called my mom on my way to the gym, to catch up without kids screaming, pulling my leg, asking for milk..... she asked what i was up to. "oh, just headed to the gym, and then the sweet tooth fairy."

insert a burst of laughter from mom, and then more from me when i realized how awesome that sounded.

half off from groupon? yes please! i didn't even need to think about that one, so much so i clicked it twice. i did finally realize what sabotage i was creating, and limited myself from that third one though!

i only ate 2/3 of one cupcake though, k? and that was my entire lunch! those boxes have (way too many) cookies in them, and those are all for mutual tonight. lucky girls huh? lucky i made the stupid mistake of clicking "buy" twice that is!

i needed a pick me up, its been a kind of bittersweet day. being gone for a week sans kids for girl's camp means no more nursing, so i decided to make sure i didn't get sick or whatever before camp (next week!). bubba has always loved it, and we've been weaning him really slowly, but knowing that this morning was the last time has made me fight back tears all day. i know he knows. and it stinks. but i made it almost a whole year despite setbacks and whatever, and i think i'll finally be able to lose the last of the baby weight that has been nagging me for six months. and have a little freedom. little guy is turning 1 in a few weeks, and i am so excited we'll be celebrating with his twinner cousin! anyways. too much going on during summer to post more regularly, but i'll try and get something else in before camp. go find a sweet treat and celebrate a little victory for yourself!

milk

2011-07-12T16:22:00.000-06:00

it does this mommy good. sometimes i need a sane moment where everything is quiet, and sometimes that means having a milk session. claire + bubba + katelyn (the little babe in the middle i babysit) + 3 bottles/cups of milk/formula = a quiet moment for me. no crying, whining, questions, tugging on the pants, etc.

i keep being told i will miss this one day..... i'm sure i will. but sometimes, i just need a moment for me in the middle of the day. which is happening right now, thanks to some amazing nappers in this house. three kids napping at the same time = bliss. and the reason i can use the computer!

bubba has started this thing where he is not happy when i am in the room unless he is a)eating b)drinking or c)doing something he shouldn't be, like climbing on the couch and pulling on the blinds. i don't know what to do. i nurse him give him a bottle, and feed him a huge bowl of food and cereal, and he acts like he is starving. if i give him extra he barfs it up.... so i just leave the room. leaving claire to either follow me, or create a massive mess. i just don't know what to do! i am trying to teach them to play together, share toys, and read books with them, but bubba just gets mad and starts throwing things. so, we are constantly cleaning up messes, like flour. ugh. just keep working at it i guess?

and, i just need to mention that having my little sis around has been a.maz.ing. so glad she is here, and helping out this tired momma a ton. she's pretty awesome.

time flies

2011-07-06T16:33:00.000-06:00

i never seem to get around to posting as much during the summer months. too much fun stuff going on?

head here to see some pictures from the weekend. spent pretty much all of it with the family!

joe has been through the wringer the last couple of weeks. three doctors visits within two weeks. yep, it stinks. (and the computer stays in our room, which i have been avoiding, so maybe thats why i haven't been posting?) annnnnd they still have no for sure diagnosis, so joe is on what, 6 meds right now? lost count. been keeping the kids away and outside, and trying to get him better. i mostly lost my voice, and willed myself to not get whatever it is that he has.... can't have two sick parents, right?

and also on the agenda, every day, is to somehow get plans for girl's camp figured out. it is sneaking up really fast, and i'm starting to get real nervous. speaking of:

FREE CAR WASH THIS SATURDAY! DONATIONS ACCEPTED :) AND THERE WILL BE A LEMONADE STAND AND BAKE SALE! 1600 W. in PROVO. just south of center street, at the church on your left. 9:30 am to 1pm

that was my plug for the girls in our ward. its their fundraiser for camp, and i'm a little bit stressed. so come? and bring friends!

oh, and here's the really awesome part: there will even be some vacuums and they will vacuum your car! sweet huh?

and marshy-marsh gets home in like, forty something days. its flown by, but i can't wait to see my little brother! he's probably got 8 inches on my now, but i will always be the older one :)

and harry potter. was going to go a midnight showing, but i am pretty sure we are too old for that. like i would most likely fall asleep. so next day it is. so excited.

and girl's camp. oy. lots of cute stuff and ideas, just making it all flow and come together. yes i know about sugar doodle. honestly, has not been the greatest resource. i'm kinda picky. to each their own.

too. much. to do. and bubba is now bubbamonster. officially. he blubs around (thats the sound he makes) and walks in huge, wide-stance steps with his arms out like he's gonna get you. he's so delicious. and goes up AND down stairs on his own. claire loves dance class, but is a serious space cadet. her teacher says she follows along, but i'm just not sure. shes crazy.

oh and my car got rear ended. biggest headache. i HATE state farm (the other guy's insurance) i can never understand anyone i talk to on the phone! and i really don't want a rental car. ANNOYING.

soooo i will get some pictures soon... i have a REALLY funny story with some pictures, when i get around to it!

i don't get it.

2011-06-24T12:34:00.000-06:00

i've ordered a few things online in the last couple of weeks. good deals, presents, stuff for girl's camp.... just different things. and i don't get how packaging and shipping systems work for some places! i've ordered the same product a couple different times, and they'll come differently. or take this example: i ordered 20 books from barnes & noble for girl's camp. they came in two different packages, likely because not one location had them all. thats fine. BUT. 2 books came in a huge box with tons of puffy plastic, and the other 18 just came in some cardboard wrapped with packing tape. ???

or how some places throw free shipping around with everything, no big deal. like a custom shirt for joe. that came all the way from china. yes i KNOW it was china, there are china stamps all over it and was over-nighted. that was free. but to ship some lightweight paper products a few hundred miles? that'll be your arm please. do you want it sooner than three weeks? okay, thats an arm and a leg. i rarely pay shipping on anything.... but still. free from china, ten bucks from illinois.

i'm not upset or offended. i'm really happy that i can sit at home and do a little click, type, click and diapers land on my doorstep, and not drag my kids all over the place for every little thing. but the crazy packaging? gotta love it.

the good life

2011-06-23T16:21:00.000-06:00

oh sweet summer.

right now we are enjoying summer to the fullest. farmer's market, snow cones, pool, bike rides, playground, grilling, staying up late, windows rolled down, picnics... love it all. summer really is the best time. and we are soaking up as much as possible. the winter of '10-'11 was the winter that wouldn't end. but it has been absolutely GORGEOUS the last few days. can't get enough of it.

other than joe working a ton, and me wrangling the kids all day and enjoying every minute (ha) not a ton going on. i have a sweet friend who is a dance instructor who offered to do a dance class for a few girls claire's age once a week. the first class was this week and claire loved every second of it. it is so perfect for claire because she gets to do it with her friends, who she loves. so lucky to have a talented friend and lots of cute kids around!

did i mention the bubbers is a walking machine? he does more an more each day. scary. but so fun. it seems every parent wants their kid to walk and not be the last to have their kid walking.... that will never be my kids. fun and not fun at the same time. i just hate the stupid baby gate. i guess they aren't stupid because they keep the kids safe, but my shins? not so much. and claire likes to climb over it.... but then gets stuck.

oh that girl. little dare devil that one. she needs swim lessons..... i just keep putting it off. she has no problem just jumping into the pool. she would much rather have floaties on, but if she doesn't want to leave the pool and i've taken them off, she WILL jump back in without them. like she did the other day..... lucky i knew it was coming so i could grab her. yikes. that girl is SASSY. love her to death though. most nights we go through our little routine and its quick and i'm out and shut her door. but last night i just couldn't get enough of her, and i had to drag myself out of her room. she was pretty sleepy, but was being so sweet and gave as many kisses as i asked for. she is growing up waaaaaay too fast.

off to enjoy some more summer.

Getting so close

2011-06-20T16:47:00.000-06:00

Hear me out before you go, huh? What's with the milk carton?

The date on the milk carton says June 27th and everytime I see it I get real excited. Why? Because that is the day miss Sarah Jane is coming to Utah! I did a little sneaky thing and convinced my mom to let her come stay with me before she starts school in september in Idaho. She is such a fun girl to have around and my kids adore her, so pretty perfect right? One week and the kids will be climbing all over you girl!

And thanks for letting me borrow your 'baby' mom! I'll take care of her, promise :)

Bug bites stink.

2011-06-13T16:09:00.000-06:00

well not stink as in smell bad. but they are the worst. and i always get them in the worst places. like the back of the knee. right now I have one on the back of my ankle. and it stinks. so no shoes with a back to it! those are my fave to wear.

i am sorry this is random. i am putting off doing laundry and my ankle won't stop itching.

I'll come up with something better later.

use as directed, folks

2011-06-11T08:23:00.002-06:00

or else you might be a lobster. like me. unless you kind of like that feeling, like me.

crazy for liking that sun-burnt feeling? probably.

but you would too, if your husband likes the room to be a freezer at night, and you can never get quite warm enough. being sunburned means warmth all night long. yes.

today is sunday

2011-06-05T21:10:00.000-06:00

and we miss our daddy. a friend at church asked if i ever get to see joe. nope. not really. and that is likely not going to change any time soon. so instead, i do as much as possible when we do have time together, look forward to our trip to the beach in august, and when he is gone, focus as much as possible on the littles. who are really, so much fun to be around.

-----------------------------

bubba is out of control. and what i mean by that is, he has suddenly become a climber.

this is not good. especially because he gets real proud when he reaches his goal, but tries to play it off like its totally normal. like when he got past what i though was a good barrier to the stairs, and came giggling into my bedroom this morning...

i love him just the same though.

little guy is almost walking on his own. sad day when he isn't a little baby anymore...

he is SUCH a momma's boy. i knew he would be. we started doing this thing after he eats a meal in his high chair- i sit across from him and we lean forward til we touch foreheads, and then just giggle and laugh, and look cross eyed at each other. and then do it over and over. seriously the world around me stops and i soak that in.

he is just so sweet like that. melts your heart.

and his sister, the sweet and spicy one, just gets sweeter, and spicier.

i love when she gets so sweet with her little brother. she has always loved her little bubba, (and he totally adores her- no one makes him laugh harder) but it feels like lately she is really understanding her role as the older sibling- both watching out for him and keeping him in line. so i have to keep her in line- she is developing a somewhat terrifying sassy streak.

at 2 1/2 she still demands that her milk be hot. ummmm.... yeah. and if she can't feel it through the cup that its hot, there is no way in you know what she will even try it. even if it is hot. so you can't shake it up and have to make she sure grabs to top half of the cup where its warmest so she knows. pa.the.tic. i know.

but she makes friends with EVERYONE, just about EVERYWHERE we go. and insists on holding hands. or growling like a dinosaur if its a boy. like at the airport, she convinced four other kids to swing around on the poles with her for a solid 45 minutes, because the flight was delayed. and yes, everyone in the gate area was thoroughly entertained. the other parents kind of tried to stop it.... is it bad that i didn't? (i did stop her when it got out of hand, but for the most part there was no need) caleb was being a little needy, they weren't hurting anyone and i thought it would be great to get some energy out. look, it wasn't MY fault the flight was delayed! and i wasn't about to pull out all the junk and make her sit down, just to have to clean it up really fast every time they announced it would be just a couple more minutes. (a flight attendant told us on one of the flights that "a couple of minutes" really means "we have no idea how long this will take, so just sit back and stop asking." and its true. it is NEVER a couple minutes.)

i digress. claire makes friends with everyone. i really wish i had her little outgoing personality. love it.

she also has a little ocd about things being in their place. not everything, but lids and tops have to be just right, and rugs have to lay completely on the floor. doors have to be shut all they way, and blankets pulled all the way up. makes me laugh.

--------------------

love my kids. they rock. love my husband. hes the man. he still tells me i'm the hottest girl at church. (whatever. so NOT true. but thanks. *blush*)

life is rolling on. and i am completely STOKED to go swimming this week. summer has arrived! and most of my plants in the garden are starting to make little fruit and veggie buds. i even got a fully ripe strawberry! it was the size of a dime, but a strawberry i did grow. i even got a row of fresh herbs in- can't wait for some pestos!

happy sabbath.

i feel ya girl.

2011-06-03T22:05:00.000-06:00

sometimes i wish i could just curl up and fall asleep, without a care in the world. there was a day when this happened. it seems i was rather known for it. i'll have to scan those pictures in someday.

we are back. we survived the trip flying home, despite delays and such. i chanted in my head "i can do hard things" about 70,000 times i think.and i think joe is happiest i am home. he tried to tell me that he got everything taken care of.... well i hate to say this, but leaving a tray of cupcakes on the counter for me to take care of after two + weeks doesn't really cut it. my garden survived, until claire attacked it today, which is all i was really concerned about. love ya babe.

it was a grand time being home at my parent's house one last time. six years is about the limit it seems. i was sad for a little bit- i only lived there for a 1 1/2 years- it was fun and different from the west coast. our wedding reception was held at our house, and i did do a little bit of growing up there, but i have few friends there, and my mentality when i was there kept me from getting attached. (moving in the middle of junior year of high school with only thoughts of college on the brain, that just didn't leave room for much else) i'm excited for my parents to be in, yet another new place, in houston. just more to explore, right? as terrible as it sounds, i am slightly jealous. for almost the first 1 1/2 of married life joe and i moved about every 4 months, so being in the same house for 3 years straight makes me antsy. i'm trying to accept it. watch, as soon as i do, we'll be moving. its how it always happens- moving, callings at church, jobs, sleep schedules, you name it. get comfortable and it changes. forever has the motto been "the plan is, the plan will change" in my family. that is one thing that you can get comfortable with. i always have fears of hoarding, so going through stuff and say keep, sell, get rid of it was rather refreshing. and adding books that i grew up loving to the shelves here for my kids made me pretty happy. leaving slc with half empty suitcases and returning with them stuffed to the max on the return home = i am very spoiled/blessed/lucky, and skycap at the airport every. single. time. they didn't even bother to weigh them this time... thank goodness. they probably took one look at the my circus and rolled their eyes. although i am kicking myself a little bit thinking we could have gotten a few more things in.

things to miss about edwardsville, il: green. everything was so green! and seasons. the people there are as nice as can be. the slower pace. bike trails. frozen custard at bobby's. powerful thunderstorms. weather people that can't predict the weather unless it comes from the national weather service. the family atmosphere. the good community.

we'll ignore the things we won't miss.... except for the whole dead mice bit. hopefully that problem will be left behind.

i am not sure if i have a cold or just the worst allergies ever, but either way i'm pooped. and my husband is actually home tonight, and i have surely missed him. more later.

funnies

2011-05-23T13:32:00.003-06:00

i think his first word will be grampa.

seriously, he goes nuts when he sees him on facetime.

its been a funny few days. the kids are all kinds of crazy, the weather can't make up its mind, my mother turned into maria from the sound of music, (seriously. seven kids, severe thunderstorms, all piled together before bed.... what else could that remind you of?) and the house is being completely disassembled and gone through piece by piece as my the fam gets ready to move. all while we try and do some projects and celebrate sarah graduating. and all the "lasts".

the flights here was less than smooth... besides having a lot of rough air i kept getting motion sick, claire did NOT like sitting in her seat, the dvd player died before getting a chance to watch a movie, and icy wings delaying us an hour (on the plane). and claire did not want to behave. of course. i considered shoving her in the overhead bin at the end of our second flight, it would have been safer because i physically could not get her to stay in her seat or my lap, and the poor lady next to us, well we had already bothered her enough. she sat on the floor on the descent.... worse things in life, right?

the best part of the flight? the flight attendant at the beginning of the flight advising us that while pressing the button with a light bulb on it will turn on a light, the button with a flight attendant on it will not turn a flight attendant on, so don't try. gotta love southwest!

gotta keep moving on.... its been an adventure here so far for sure. claire slept through most of church yesterday, loves talking to all the birds outside, and keeping her grammy on her toes. :)mom and i went on a crazy 13 bike ride. mind you, its been quite a while since the last time i rode a bike. so, biking through the mud uphill was interesting! different trail next time for sure.

now off to help plan and execute a couple parties- one tomorrow and one thursday। should be grand. our best bites is of course, the main source for recipes! happy week!

2011-05-22T17:13:00.001-06:00

Blogger is flipping out on me. Please ignore that last post. It wouldn't let me post in English and I can't figure out why. Ugh.

fixed.

2011-05-18T11:03:00.005-06:00

all better.

at the airport. too bad this didn't last very long.

a little break

2011-05-16T15:09:00.002-06:00

too much to do, not nearly enough time. i'm taking off with the kiddos in two days to go for 'one last visit' to my parent's home in st. louis before they take off next month for houston. so many 'one more time' things to do there! like

bobby's frozen custard (my mom owes me.... i told we have to go six times!)

the peel

lots of bike rides and runs on the trails

hair cut with the only hair dresser i trust (i seriously don't know what to do. i have been trying for years to find someone i like who will do it how i like it! i might have to fly back every six months. i am serious. she has been cutting my hair since junior year in high school. no one does it like her!)

church at my parent's ward (this is always an adventure! in a good way)

and i am sure much more.

PLUS my baby sister is getting all grown and graduating. we are throwing a UGE party, which i am sure will be amazing. and by UGE, well, you will find out.

but before i do all that, i must clean house and pack, grocery store/costco/wally world/everywhere, finish laundry, get some YW stuff done, and babysit... yikes.

PLUS i am dying slowly inside. friday morning brought on a lot of sorrow- our newish computer had its hard drive crash. we think its a complete goner, and i am heartbroken, because about six months worth of pictures were sitting on there, which i was actually getting ready to move somewhere safer. probably all gone now. it might not be, but there is not time for that now. UGH. not cool. i was just setting it down on the counter, and bam. blue screen, tests started running, and it gives the same error message over and over. like i said, i am dying.

did i mention I am the one taking off with both kids? i know many braver women who have done it with WAY more on much longer trips, but this is my first time flying with both kiddos alone. just pray no one has a blow out on me, okay? for whatever reason, planes always seem to do funky things to their bowels, and i really don't need to deal with it.

so i'm off. off the computer to get it all done and figure out how to do this all.

being a mom means

2011-05-08T19:46:00.004-06:00

(or being the closest aunt means)

taking your kid to jump in the puddles

yes, claire is 2 1/2 and this would be her first official time bring allowed to jump in the puddles.

not that she hasn't jumped in puddles, but this time she was encouraged. i just hate being wet.

so after driving home from playing with lindsay, i couldn't help but put the bubba down for bed, and put some real boots on claire and let her go to town. go HERE to see the jumping. don't mind the undies.... her pants were already soaking, and i don't know about you but one of the worst feelings in the world is having the bottom of the pants be wet. (after plain being wet, or having wet hair. i can't stand to have wet hair!)

thanks for the fun linds! (and the "eggs" and popcorn)

babies are like dogs.

2011-05-08T15:27:00.003-06:00

or are dogs like babies?

think about it.

1. babies, and dogs, are growing teeth, and will teethe anything and everything they can get in their mouth. my foot, the couch, paper, etc.

2. dogs, and babies, have to be potty trained. hands down, worst mommy/doggy- mommy job. who in their right mind likes potty training?

3. babies, and dogs, crawl, to their hearts content. so maybe with dogs they are on all fours, but really, sometimes babies are too, so its the same thing.

4. dogs, and babies, have to be sleep trained to sleep in their own bed. (even if it means sleeping on a mattress in the kitchen to keep the doggy downstairs, or sleeping on the floor of a bedroom til baby goes to sleep so they know you are close.)

5. my baby, and dogs, will crawl over and chew on your leg if they are hungry, and won't stop til they get something.

6. dogs, and babies, are encouraged to learn tricks, like rolling over and sitting, and are rewarded with praise and love if they can do the tricks.

and for so many other reasons. maybe i feel this way because our family dog was so much a part of us that she kind of acted like one of the children, but either way i think its funny. i don't care to think about the reasoning, i just have to sometimes remind myself that bubba is in fact NOT a dog, i shouldn't call to him, whistle at him, or give commands, and patting his head and throwing treats his way may not be the most human thing to do.

a special treat

2011-05-08T15:23:00.003-06:00

my little (bigger) brother is in brazil serving a mission, and since today was mother's day he got to make a phone call home. even better, he got to use skype for his phone call! we managed to get a five-way call to everyone in the family, and we were able to talk for an hour. definitely the highlight of the day for everyone!

this guy is such a stud, and we can't wait for him to come home in just four months. the best was his accent- for some reason he was sounding a little indian, and instead of asking how old caleb is, he asked how many months he has. a good sign he is completely immersed in the language. also funny, peanut butter is the "currency" among the missionaries to get pretty much whatever they want. so funny since marshall has always been a peanut butter lover.

its been a great day, which started with breakfast in bed, and joe doing all the work :) and seeing him talk about the mothers in his life at church. that was pretty great too. and the cookbook. so pretty amazing! so here's a happy mother's day to all.

can't... get.... enough...

2011-05-06T14:55:00.003-06:00

www.ourbestbites.com

do it. do it now.

my friend and i randomly found these ladies at the same time, and our dinners have changed for the better.

i thought i liked pioneer woman. still do. i think shes pretty great. but i had joe get the best bites cookbook instead of PW's for mother's day.

i can't stop eating their creamy chicken (cilantro and lime) taquitos. i dream about it. with the cilantro lime rice and cilantro lime vinaigrette. and strawberry sauce on limeade. joe doesn't like the same thing twice in a row, if he did we would have had this five times. but i did have it three times. which is probably why i have literally gained five pounds in two weeks. it wouldn't be so bad if i had some self control.... but i don't. i am scared because i keep reading about some cream cheese stuffed strawberries, in the cookbook, and we all know how i feel about cream cheese.....

it just makes life better.

anyways. just do it.

am i obsessed with my kids?

2011-05-04T16:26:00.003-06:00

probably.

ps- i heart costco in orem, utah. i see more people there that i know than anywhere else. this particular trip found us three different families, who are also in our ward. and no, it was definitely not planned. we chatted over the chips and guac though. yum!

practically perfect sunday

2011-05-01T21:06:00.003-06:00

woke up to a perfectly sunny morning yesterday, and decided it was perfect.

church was fantastic, claire used the big potty, we didn't have any meltdowns.

kids both took naps, at the same time.

yummy dinner

just some time with the hubs

and bubba found the camera. yes, the littlest guy found it

and then a quick walk. it got a little chilly later on, so it was just around the block, but the kids loved it.

watched one of my all-time favorite movies ("a little princess")

family wrestling match before bed

love sundays like that. hope they happen more.

snuggle bug

2011-04-30T16:44:00.003-06:00

such a snuggle bug. love this big time.

especially on a day when we get two inches of snow..... and no, tomorrow is not december 1st, but may 1st. sigh. we put on some gloves and played in the snow this morning. didn't last long, but did it, just to say we did.

can i just tell you how fun this stage with claire is? she is understanding pretend, babies, princesses, and imagining. she comes up with crazy things to tell us about, and loves to play with her babies. she sometimes has quite the temper, but usually only when she has way surpassed the tired mark. she wants to do things with me, and i keep having to remind myself that this will not last forever, so i drop whatever i am doing and just play. she is a total sweetheart, and loves to share her m&ms she earns for going potty. and feed her dollies. my heart melts when she does this.

miss claire is super talkative (well, i guess she always has been) now, and i have had a huge relief- i understand most everything she says, when sometimes other people don't. growing up, i always got worried when i would babysit and not understand what the kids were saying, and the parents would have to explain what they meant. but i understand! and i have to giggle, because sometimes i think she sounds a little British.

speaking of British, how much did you love kate's dress? oh i loved it. it. was. perfect. i didn't care to see much else, but her dress, oh that dress! so timeless. classy. elegant. i could watch her walk down the aisle again and again. just to see the dress. and drool...... but as i told my mom this morning, poor girl, her husband is already balding!

and now, i wish for a sunnier tomorrow. may 1st, will you please bring some sunshine? i don't want to wait three weeks until st. louis to enjoy.

in your face

2011-04-27T18:03:00.004-06:00

i love this kid. so much. but he is in my face all stinking day long. totally a momma's boy.

like literally, tries to eat my chin, nose, cheek, and sticks his hands in my mouth. this is from him:

a2q3 y,

his snot bubble popped three milliseconds before this took. thank goodness. poor guy. but he is now officially a tummy sleeper, no more swaddling. yay and boo, i love rocking and watching my kids sleep, but its for the better, in the long run (right???) that he learn to sleep on his own, and he has made it very clear that this is what he wants. no holding when he goes to sleep, just put him down. which is why there are still a dozen eggs sitting in dye on my counter. because he wants to play.

no worries. we just did them this morning..... three days late. what difference does claire know? none. exactly.

seriously lacking

2011-04-26T08:39:00.005-06:00

been trying my danged hardest to not complain about spring in utah. it is spring. there are blossoms on the trees. i can see everything around me trying to pop out and greet the sun.

but silly weather threw some snow our way this morning.

each week, i have to wait one more week to plant some veggies. one more week and that will be the last freeze, and tomatoes are good to go. just one more week.

and as of april 26th, i am almost out of hope. i just want to curl up and sleep til its warm outside. i made a huge pot of chili, took the hottest bath i could last night, put sweats on and piled under blankets, and dreamed the dreary away. i keep hearing about all this hot weather in houston, where my parents are moving to, and i am getting tempted to join them.

i have no desire to jump in puddles. i want a pool. to jump in the pool.

and so, i lack all motivation to do anything. it took everything i had to start the dishwasher, seven hours after it needed to be started. ugh. next week? will my sun come next week? i sure hope so. because any longer and my house might revolt.

*********

and i need help! what is your go-to meal to take to a just-had-a-baby family? we've had too many babies in our ward the last few months and i'm tired of chicken and rice/hawaiian haystacks. what did you want after having a baby?

got my wish

2011-04-25T13:17:00.002-06:00

for a munchkin to be a tummy sleeper and stick his bum in the air. yum. who doesn't love that?

random. plus life.

2011-04-23T17:30:00.004-06:00

claire is learning how to talk on the phone more and more, and makes daily phone calls on various phones. her fave is grandpa, i'm not sure why, but i think he likes knowing she is always thinking of him.

its been a crazy busy, and very fun week/weekend. joe's mom, yaya, was able to come and visit for just a couple of days, and despite her worry that the kids wouldn't take to her, they adored her. claire almost instantly went to her, and soon had her playing and pretending as if they do it every day. bubba got to have yaya put him down for sleep a few times, and got lots of lovin' and snuggling, when he wasn't crawling around everywhere and finding things to pull himself up with. the trip was really, really too short! camera, once again, is m.i.a. so we need to get pictures from yaya, but she was here!

joe has been working, working and working some more. we are constantly sending 'i miss you' texts back and forth. sad. but you gotta do what you gotta do, right?

our biggest news? claire is pretty much potty trained! we've really made a breakthrough this week, so relieved. i say mostly, because she will ONLY go on her potty. so.... mostly. we'll see about going elsewhere. not sure what to do about church tomorrow?

she has also taken up trying to be the new boss around the house. she will try and put me in time-out several times a day, for basically whatever she thinks i deserve. ha- i have yet to fulfill one, but she is convinced that she can tell me what to do. not so my little bug!

caleb crawling is the other big news. nothing is safe anymore! but he usually uses his new ability to come to me and crawl into my lap, over and over again. he is becoming quite the mommy's boy, which i love but is also tiring sometimes. claire was NEVER this way, never needed mommy, totally miss independent. bubba needs me all. day. long. and night. i am thinking he only needs one nap a day now, which I am not ready for, but might be the case. little man is growing up too much!

now that our visit from yaya is over (so sad!), we are looking forward to a few things: going to st. louis next month for one last visit before my parents move to houston. bittersweet for sure, but life moves on. my little sister, and the baby, is graduating high school and is going to come live with us for a couple months. it'll be so fun! she'll be here to watch the kids while i go to girl's camp. oh girl's camp. i'm in charge! yikes. so many things that are 'different' than what i am used to, and i've unfortunately done some complaining, but spending some quality time with some awesome girls is something i'm really looking forward to! it'll all work out. getting ready for a garden- maybe the weatherman will give the go-ahead and say there won't be another freeze? every week i get my hopes up, and then let down. and the pool- so looking forward to getting out of the house, getting sunglasses, swimsuits and sunscreen on, and playing all day long. way too many teaser days lately!

ramble, ramble. no pictures, so kinda lame. and the hair decision, i think you all have me convinced- short is the way to go for now. i'm a little sad, because i love my hair long, but the time saving is really important right now. so that's that.

little rant

2011-04-17T13:41:00.002-06:00

its sunday, so maaaaybe i should be more uplifting, but i just gotta get this out.

let me just first say that i am a freak about being on time. like if i was ocd about anything, its about being on time for everything. i don't care what it is. my motto is if you are on time, you are late, because i hate (almost as much as spiders) being late. it drives me up the wall and gives me anxiety. like really bad. sweaty hands, heart racing, i start panicking, yelling at everyone else, you get the picture. like was the first person to get to seminary at 6:13 for two years (when i was driving) straight.

so.... when the chain reaction of everyone's classes getting out late at church happens, i kind of freak out. like when sacrament meeting runs over, then sunday school runs over, then relief society runs over... well it all kind makes me batty. (this is because everyone has to say everything that they want to say, because their meeting is the most important meeting in church. of course.) because then i end being that obnoxious parent that doesn't come and get their kid out of nursery until everyone else is gone and the leaders are sitting there just waiting, and my kid is bouncing off the wall. i HATE being that person.

anyways... everyone has their thing, right? my is being on time. it drives me crazy. so when there is a perfect opportunity for each meeting to go on time, and then ONE meeting runs more than a little late causing the meeting i REALLY need to be on time to start has to start late, i am a little put out. i really, really wish i could change how i am about this, but i really just can't. but i'm working on at least trying to cool it.

so... if you are ever the victim of one of my freak out moments because something is happening late, i sincerely apologize.

how about a story?

2011-04-15T15:44:00.002-06:00

i am so, so embarrassed.

but i am sharing this because it is so, so funny.

set the stage, shall we? i keep going back and forth with potty training claire. i just need to do it. today was the day to do it. she had been doing awesome- telling me she needed to go, pulling down her pants and running to the bathroom all day. joe was home, babies sleeping and playing quietly, so i thought i would take claire and run around for a minute while we go to the church so we can make some copies. no biggie, right?

grab the keys, claire and the needed copies and walk, because its a nice day and our church is two seconds away. claire was loving it. i get into the building, into the materials center, put stuff down, get claire to stop doing whatever, put paper in machine, turn to check on claire and she is peeing all. over. the. place. in the freshly deep cleaned church, mind you.

it gets better.

i run to the bathroom as fast as i can, grab paper towels, get some wet, some dry, extra for claire, and run back and watch claire slam the door. the locked door. with the keys inside, one of her shoes, my copies, and pee soaking into the floor. awesome.

i start to panic. no phone, no car, dripping wet girl, no phone.... ah! phone in the lobby on the other side. call joe, and beg him to help me out, while he is dealing with the two now screaming babies at home. get claire cleaned up, find some toys to play with while we wait, and hold wet pants over blowing heater vent to dry. joe calls back- no one will answer their phones to come rescue me! i tried jiggling the lock, no luck.

it gets even better.

we wandered around for a while, trying to keep claire occupied while we wait to see if joe got ahold of anyone. suddenly claire does the crosses-legs-holds-crotch-and-panicked-face and tells me she needs to go pee-pee. claire only goes in her potty. ONLY. i tried to get her to go in the bathroom, she wouldn't even look at it. i called joe seven times trying to see where he was at. i was almost to the point where i was going to take her outside so she could leak on the grass, but she managed to hold it.

finally joe rushes in, unlocks the door with that look on his face, and gets back to the other screaming kids. get claire in the diaper he brought, get the pee cleaned up, and claire settled. okay. back to square one. paper is in the tray....

and the copier. won't. copy.

absolutely refused. wouldn't budge. sneered at me even. error message, after error message, after error message. so great, huh?

hoping your day was a little better than mine! at least you have something to laugh at, because it didn't happen to you!

hanging with the crazies

2011-04-12T12:06:00.004-06:00

today i was thinking about how much i missed my kids, and they were sitting right there. i wanted to just squeeze them and kiss their chubby cheeks and hold them for hours after they fell asleep. they frustrate the heck out of me every once in a while, but it makes me love them even more.

saturday i spent some time with lindsay without the kiddos, and intended to go to the store before going home (since going without kids is such a luxury) but had some other things on my mind and completely forgot. after getting home, i let joe nap for a bit with the bubbers and brought claire to the store with me, since she was in a really, really good mood. i am so, so glad i did. the lucky girl got a balloon, and i am here to tell you, listening to her giggle in the car on the way home made me so, so happy i shed a little tear. something so simple made her so happy, it was like christmas morning happy.

some days are really hard. some days joe leaves before i get up, and then he is home hours and hours after i want to go to bed. some days i wonder what the heck i am doing, this is not how i imagined things. but a moment like that made it worth it, a thousand times over. for 100 horrible, awful, exhausting, embarrassing, dreadful trips to the grocery store with screaming kids, i will take that one trip just to hear her laugh and giggle and smile like that again.

feel free to give opinions about the hair still. (thanks for all the comments! keep them coming!)

decisions decisions

2011-04-11T20:22:00.004-06:00

i just can't decide. ugh there are so many other important things going on in this world (like keeping bubba from walking. almost crawling but tries to pull up on things...) but i feel like i am at a point where i need to decide.

i need to decide if the next hair cut will be one to keep my current cut and freshen it up, or cut so i won't grow out weird. so we are familiar:

keep the hair short.

pros: really, really easy to do. takes five minutes. makes me look older/younger. (i've heard both. basically no one can tell my age. especially when i stand next to my sister.)

cons: only so many things to do with it. can't pull it all back. i miss long hair.

or let it grow back out.

pros: keeps me young (? or older? not sure...) so many things to do with it. i think it looks good? i miss it.

cons: takes forever to do, lots of maintenance. will take about three-four years to grow out.

i just don't know. so i need someone to tell me. my husband thinks its hot either way. (so long as its not a funky-weird short). he is of no help.

i sometimes think i look a little boyish with it this short. probably because i have ALWAYS felt i look a little boyish, thanks to always hearing that everyone (minus lindsay) thought i was going to be a boy before i was born. so i usually kept it long. but i have been loving the quick and easy lately.

anyways. someone give me opinion. insight. please? all thoughts that have ever come my way is that it looks good both ways... family, friends, and several hair stylists. no one will tell me i am a long hair or short hair person. are they just being nice? maybe it does look good both ways? does it not? makes me look too old? too young? keep in mind... i am only 23. with two kids. so i don't really know that anything is exactly appropriate, but maybe i don't want to look older than my sister who is 4 years older than me. ugh i don't know. someone else decide.

yoga master

2011-04-08T14:09:00.002-06:00

as much as everyone loves bob on the biggest loser, i really don't think that joe would like it if little man turned into him. i think joe finds yoga a bit un-manly.... not girly, just nor manly enough.

for the g-pas

2011-04-07T17:36:00.004-06:00

and i guess for anyone else who cares that bubbers is this close to crawling. it is so stinking funny to me to watch him try all day. he won't just sit anymore because he wants to get places. love it. see pictures below.

before we get to those, perhaps others might think this picture is funny? this morning's carpet cleanup was powdered sugar and before i got a chance to clean it all up, you-know-who (no, not voldy susan!) was rolling around in it. he thought it was funny.

he also does this back-scooting thing all day long. before he started to try and crawl this is what he was doing, and sometimes he gets his back and bum all the way up so hes on his head and feet. hard to snap a pic of it, but hes cute anyways.

furby sandwich

2011-04-07T11:11:00.003-06:00

furby smooshed in a book.

claire is on a rampage to destroy my house. or me.

flour, powdered sugar, poo, pee, laundry detergent, milk, juice, cereal in several varieties, and dry rice have all been smashed into the carpet in the last week. i don't know that my vacuum can hold up much longer. ugh.

another doughnut kind of morning

2011-04-02T10:25:00.004-06:00

rough night last night. not sure why... both kids were EXHAUSTED when they went to bed, but were kind of restless. at one point, while trying to ignore the crying, joe tells me how hungry he was. then he asked if we were going to get doughnuts this morning, because today is day 1 of general conference. what he was doing thinking about doughnuts at 3:30 in the morning, i don't know. i think i just ignored it, because he never heard the response, which in me head was "what are you thinking about that for?!?!"

so when we couldn't put off getting up any longer, we headed out. i particularly love claire's outfit- owl jammies, fuzzy vest, and sparkly shoes. awesome. i haven't laughed this hard at the pictures my daughter takes in a long while.

not sure about whats going to happen... something about sprinkles?

what is going on?

yum mommy!

i promise she is normal.

this is lame. i get nothing?

shoved it all in

exhausted. but love the sugar first thing in the morning.

shockingly, she loved the hat. kept it on forever.

the end.

hope you are all enjoying watching/listening to general conference. claire is a crazy girl making it kind of hard, but we are trying. i love just being home together and talking, playing, eating and listening. happy weekend.

phone pics

2011-03-29T16:14:00.003-06:00

thank you phone for being available to snap pics when camera is not around.

although i wish you would take pictures faster, so i could share my funny moment with a picture:

driving out of our neighborhood i was suddenly REALLY annoyed at the person in front of me for coming to a complete stop when i thought it was unnecessary to do so. (i had already lost my patience for the day.) finally the person started moving again, and i could see what-the-heck was going on. there was a chicken crossing the road. and i asked myself, in my head, why-the-heck is the chicken crossing the road? and then started laughing really, really hard out loud. get it?

i crack myself up. pretty sure the kiddos thought i was crazy. probably am.

but it really was so funny to see the chicken crossing the road. and i couldn't figure out why, which made it even funnier. good times.

weekend to remember

2011-03-28T08:48:00.002-06:00

our friends have a cabin up in mountains that they invited us to stay at this weekend. of course we joined them and totally had a blast! there was still tons and tons of snow, and it dumped quite a bit more while we there. we had lots of down time, sledding, and game playing, late nights, and tons of good food. we had 6 couples and 7 kids 3 and under, including 4 babies 5-8 months old. they were all so cute together! love it.

pictures are backwards.... whatever. claire is obsessed with taking pictures but usually looks away so i wasn't really paying attention to this one, but love her cheese face.

all the ladies- thanks again cara!
joe fulfilled a dare and went and hopped in the snow with just shorts. i missed this because i was putting kids down, but it was pretty funny to watch the video.
some of the sledding- the kids loved this! and the big boys too. they were all out there having a blast.
bubba and his gf kaylyn. the lucky guy has a few of them, but we love little kaylyn. she has such a happy personality just like mr. caleb and think they are so cute together!
the three girls were somewhat crazy together at times- they all took turns being the ringleader of getting into mischief, but lets be honest: it was usually claire leading the way, layton telling her not to, and adi just trying to figure out who to listen to. but they were good sometimes, and yesterday were all looking for each other at church. so cute!

they played lots of ring around the rosie with dog piling at the end. love it!

still waiting for the self timer pictures of everyone, but we had so much fun! lets play dip again soon, please?

i love him.

2011-03-22T23:08:00.003-06:00

messy face and all.

because he is a stink bum and won't sit still, i will just tell you- kiddo has FANGS. yes fangs. little jack-o-lantern. two bottom front teeth, top two side front teeth. yes it hurts sometimes. that little stink bum. getting teeth that early should not be allowed! but that is about the only early thing. claire started walking right about now, and he is no where near. thank GOODNESS. i would probably die. no crawling either, which is probably a good thing because claire still doesn't get the whole "don't dump food on the floor" bit. working on it.

we are hiding away for a couple days in the mountains starting tomorrow. yesss... that means no work, just lots of play and good food with some friends. until we return, enjoy this chunk face sticky mess.

going to bed these days

2011-03-16T22:24:00.005-06:00

is getting really pretty difficult. especially when claire gets a nap, like today. it can be pretty frustrating. no matter how hard i try to get the energy out, the routines we set up, the white noise, blacked out room, blankies and toys/lack thereof, and all that jazz, it can take up to three hours of bedtime stuff before she finally passes out. it is really wearing down my patience. it has gotten better the last couple of weeks, but some nights you just never know.

bubbers on the other hand- dream boat. wrap him up, binky, aquarium, gone. (most of the time.) dreaming of the day that used to be claire. sigh.

here's a little pre-bed recap:

up close and personal

diamond in the sky

cheese mommy!

mid kick

no more pictures!

i'm not gonna fall over!

bum in the way

fly away bubba!

i'm a frog. i jump allllll day

claire- turn on the lights!

now time for jack. (jack bauer.)

how did you start your day?

2011-03-14T08:01:00.005-06:00

on top of the dresser giggling and smiling! what a crazy monkey that one. she sat and waited for me to grab the camera, and then even posed. happy girl- love the way she normally wakes up. glad to see me, huge hug and smile, dancing away.

by-the-way that thing sitting next to claire? a hippo my grandma made. my mom thinks its hideous, but has kept if for all these years.... i love it. i don't know why. maybe because i don't have many things from my grandma, but i think hes a little charming anyways. just a goofy little guy.

happy monday.

crazy in the brain

2011-03-13T09:54:00.002-06:00

so much going on in my head right now.

mostly gratitude for so, so many things. so many prayers answered. my children- they really are the best. the more i know them, the more i want everyone to know them, because they are that awesome. the rest of the fam is the best- always there. couldn't live without them. knowledge of my savior is such a comfort. everything else makes complete sense because of that.

anyways. there was a moment yesterday that really struck me, that makes me want to jump up and do a jig. i had been thinking about the temple, and how to get the girls in our yw to want to go there. we were having a meeting just discussing different things, and one girl expressed wanting to visit the temple, and for each of the other girls to be able to go and visit before we head to girls camp. i almost jumped up and yelled yes! yes you get it! lets make it happen! it might sound a little silly, but for this particular girl to express that desire was an incredible thing for me to witness.

still so much more that is still in my head, but really glad today is sunday. my favorite day. the sun is shining and i think we will walk to church.

oh my lanta what a day (and some other things!)

2011-03-08T17:14:00.004-07:00

this is a happy face :)

this didn't last too long....

it hasn't been alllll bad... despite the

waking up at 5 am

total meltdown by 745 and back to bed for claire

mess with playdough

some general grumpiness and

snow on the ground

it was a rather lovely day. the sun came out. the playdough was pretty easy to clean up. claire and i had some fun at the golden arches (empty play place means no worries about claire stealing anything- bonus!) fresh baked cookies and milk. i got two LONG-AWAITED packages (not that long... but one came early!) i am wearing new earrings (sorry sarah!). i got a nice looong shower. my face wash is here=good bye zits! really. a pretty great day. oh, and claire actually let me do her hair. double bonus!

*********

i am totally laughing to myself right now. my parents are in the loooong and grueling process of moving (again.) and my dad is mostly not around for helping while he is traveling like a madman and starting his new job, so my mom is up to her (recently straightened) teeth in getting the house ready to be sold. as such, things are pretty hectic, and her creativity for birthday presents (normally AMAZING) is just not up on the priority list. TOTALLY UNDERSTANDABLE. so joe and i got a little cash for birthday presents this year, and i just can't decide what to do! you must know, this is a very first. my parents are really ones to think up some great gifts, and cash is just not usually one of them (which is just fine! they are always so thoughtful) we kids always had jobs and such, so when we wanted something, we worked for it. hmmm. what to do, what to do! i could

get new shoes

clothes or swimsuit

make up

go skiing

night on the town

hmmmm... it might be a while before i decide! i am feeling the usual tendency of hoarding any extra cash and just keeping it. the possibilities are endless- don't want to decide too soon and then find something later.... ugh.

**********

and finally, a word of caution. do NOT, ever EVER rent the movie catfish. possibly the worst movie ever made. really and truly. i get a free redbox code every first monday of the month, and forwarded it on to joe to pick something out on his way home last night, since he would be home earlier than usual. he had no idea what it was, but said it had "good reviews." i had never heard of it, and we got about 15 minutes in to it and just had to turn it off. it claims to be "suspenseful" and such, but really it was the biggest waste of a free movie rental. save yourself. do not bother with it. he already apologized profusely, but it didn't matter too much. i just put on another episode of 24 and called it a night. (i am having jack bauer with-drawls, and have been re-watching all the seasons. addicted? probably... but i only watch it after kids are in bed while waiting for joe to get home!)

********

now off to mutual, kids in tow. always an adventure. can't remember the last time claire actually sat still. no really. she is always. on. the. move. i sometimes (seriously) think she has restless leg syndrome.

love this girl

2011-03-03T14:39:00.002-07:00

i may have been up a little bit earlier with her today than i would have liked, but "crazy hair claire" is my best little bud. and i will gladly spend every minute with her, that she wants. most of them anyways.

and check it out----> i'm a mormon!

love that website. or click here