How Time Flies...

Thinkin' maybe...

2010-06-09T20:34:00.000-07:00

Feeling a bit bored this evening so I grabbed the laptop and decided to check out the blogging world! It is likely that only Krystal has noticed my absence as she is one of the few I know that faithfully continues to post! While catching up on her blog, I notice the link to mine at the bottom of the list, last updated, one year ago! Sad. So much has happened in the past year! I spent a few minutes looking through some of my last posts and my kids, twins especially, look so young! They are all huge and crazy now! So maybe, just maybe, I will get back to business here!

Laundry anyone?

2009-02-09T20:57:00.001-08:00

Jeff and I spent 3 hours folding and hanging laundry last night. Our laundry is so insane. Blame it on a family of six or two 2 year old that tinkle their panties just enough to need to change them six times a day, or, the most likely problem being the fact that we have so many clothes I can get away without doing laundry for two weeks! It certainly doesn't help that Jeff wears dress clothes to work, jeans and a polo when he gets home, and pajamas that he doesn't even sleep in! Kate changes 4 times a day just because she loves her clothes so much! I have lost control because she can get the clothes and put them on herself now! I hate laundry!

This was just what was clean. The laundry room was still covered, the shower stall full of blankets and sheets, and a load in both the washer and dryer. Does anyone else have this much laundry??

Hardware Ranch

2009-02-09T20:48:00.001-08:00

We took the kids to Hardware Ranch a couple of weekends ago, and even though it was raining and we were soaked, we all had a good time. The kids thought it was so exciting to see the elk so close! Jack and his daddy can't wait to shoot one!

Jane!

2009-02-09T20:37:00.001-08:00

This is Jane in heaven! Anything and everything pink, makeup, ponies and the like, gathered and then laid out! This lady will sit forever sorting and organizing her "stuff" into piles and rows of things that go together. Jane is the kid that makes the most messes because she leaves piles of toys everywhere, but I think it is so cute how she plays!

Lucky me

2009-01-29T15:37:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I wonder why I was lucky enough to have so many kids so quickly. Somebody out there must think I am some amazing woman with an insane amount of patience, tolerance, kindness, and strength.

Mom, I love your boobs!

2009-01-18T20:27:00.000-08:00

After a few squabbles over "spots" while snuggling one morning, Jack went from the side of me, to the middle, back to my side when he nestled into me and said, "Mom, I love your boobs. They are so soft and comfortable. That middle spot is hard, I like this side best."

Santa came to our house!

2008-12-30T20:19:00.000-08:00

Christmas was a lot of fun for us this year. Even the twins had a good understanding of what Santa was all about. The build up to the big day was so exciting for them. We went to see Christmas lights, had a personal visit with Santa where he called them by name to give them a gift, and made gingerbread houses, all of which was so fun to see the joy in their little faces.

This year, the kids thought that putting out cookies for Santa and veggies for the reindeer was awesome. Because we don't have a fireplace, we have a magic key we hang on the door so Santa can get in. I had to take the key off four times so everyone could take their turn!

Luckily, the kids were tuckered out and fell asleep pretty quick! Santa and Mrs. Clause worked their magic and all efforts paid off when we watched them open their presents. We left their "big" present unwrapped and piled all the other gifts around it. In the morning, we brought all the kids down together and it was so funny to watch them run straight to their own pile just based on the one unwrapped present. Lily got a dollhouse that Jeff and Grandpa built for her and that my dear cousin Joi Lin painted for me on Christmas Eve (thanks to my procrastinating husband). Jack got a powerwheels jeep, Kate got an art table with a bunch of color wonder supplies for her room, and Jane got a "makeup table".

Santa pointed out that Mrs. Clause had gone a bit overboard when we had to move furniture out of the front room and because everything wouldn't fit around the tree! More than anything, Jack wanted Spike the Dinosaur. Spike is a $140 dino that I didn't want to have swallow up his whole Christmas so Grandma Jeri, Santa #2, purchased it for him. While Jack was pretty excited about his Jeep, he was obviously disappointed about not getting Spike. It broke my heart. Grandma and Jeff both told me to switch grandma the Jeep for Spike, especially since Grandma was giving the three girls each a Jeep. I was worried that Jack's pile would look to small compared to the girls if his "big" present was a 2 foot dinosaur. He seemed so bummed out although he didn't say to much about it except, "I didn't get my Spike." Finally, late Christmas afternoon, he got Spike. The boy was exstatic! He was jumping and screaming and smiling so big. I was so happy he finally had what he wanted most, but I felt so bad he didn't get it from Santa. I have learned a lesson though. No matter what the pile of presents "looks" like, as long as they get what they ask for, they are HAPPY! We spent the entire day with our family which was wonderful. The kids made out like bandits and Jeff and I received some great gifts too. Thanks to everyone for all the fun things.

Our front yard was sure to look like a Jeep safari with four Jeeps cruisin' around out there. The kids were so excited to finally go try them out after just sitting in them inside for three days. I bundled them up in their snow clothes because I knew they would not stay out of it and who knew that the snow would win over the Jeeps. Jack drove his around about 10 minutes, and the girls about 5 minutes before they headed for the snow. They fashioned a sledding hill out of my terraced flower garden and spent the next hour sledding.

I am already excited for next year! Happy New Year everyone!

Family Pictures

2008-11-29T07:29:00.002-08:00

My friend Lori took some way over do family pictures of us a couple weeks ago, and all things considered, they turned out cute. Lily was cooperative for the first 10 minutes or so, but after that she was a stink. Jack was the most cooperative and there some really cute shots of him. We haven't had family pictures taken since the twins were 8 months old! We have all changed pretty significantly since then!! Thanks for all your work Lori.

Great Anticipation!

2008-11-24T21:44:00.000-08:00

Three days. The best shopping day of the year is almost here! I feel like a giddy school girl. I anticipate this day months prior to its arrival. It is so thrilling to me to be part of the crowd and the mad dash for the coveted bargains! This year, I am attempting to get my hands on four Jeep Power Wheels! This ought to be interesting! I will be spending the night in Wal-Mart along with Kim and Amy! Good luck to us!

For those of you who do not brave the crowds, you are missing out on great entertainment. If anything, be at Wal-Mart at 4:45 a.m. and just stand back, watch, and listen! It is great.

The year I was pregnant with the twins, I was crowding around some pallets for a $10 Cabbage Patch doll, hoping to get two. I made a couple of friends as we waited for the 5:00 whistle to blow. One gal had cancer, and the other was a tough chick with no regard for the group planning to take as many dolls as possible to sell on ebay. As the magic hour neared, the crowd became tighter and tighter as we all inched closer to the pallets. Finally, the announcement came and all hell broke loose. All I remember was hearing screaming and being forced forward. The tough lady turns around and tells myself and the gal with cancer to stand back and she'll take care of us. Oh girl plowed through that crowd and came out with an armful of dolls and handed them our way! It was awesome watching from the back end! The year prior, I went out with a few friends I worked with. Once again, we were at Wal-mart and Vincie was after a $30 DVD player. We were crowded around some pallets in the frozen food section so space was very limited. As the Wal-mart employee tore off the packing wrap, people were going crazy. Some tall fella grabbed Vincie, lifted her up over everyone and she just started chucking DVD player back at everyone.

Now, for those of you who don't go, tell me that doesn't sound like awesome fun! Yes, there are massive crowds and you will wait in line a while, but you need to head out expecting that. It is all part of the fun if you ask me!l

100 Things About Me!

2008-11-13T20:26:00.000-08:00

I am bored out of my mind as Jeff is watching some boring football game so I decided to give this a shot.

1. I do not enjoy watching football on T.V. at all
2. I LOVE when my house is clean
3. The entire house is rarely spotless at one time
4. I spend my entire day cleaning my house, but it is never done!
5. It drives me crazy when the light switches are flipped the wrong way
6. My one and only favorite T.V. show is HOUSE
7. I rarely watch T.V.
8. Jack Johnson tunes are my favorite
9. I have a weakness for chocolate
10. Who am I kidding? I have a weakness for all sweets
11. I love to run, the high feels so good
12. I am unhappy with the few pounds I have gained, but it doesn't stop me from eating treats
13. I delivered 4 children in less than 3 years
14. I think I am wonder woman for that
15. I am grateful for cosmetic surgery:)
16. I think I have the most beautiful kids in the world
17. I was lucky enough to have multiples
18. I am starving right now!
19. I am thrilled Obama is the President- elect
20. I don't have any biological sisters, but I have three sisters
21. I adore my Mother-in-law
22. Jeff and I fall asleep on the couch every night and hit the sheets around 2:00 a.m.
23. I am excited for Christmas
24. I have a lot of shopping left to do
25. I frequently go shopping at night just for the feeling of relaxation it gives me
26. I have Wal-mart's shelves memorized
27. I love a good bargain
28. My favorite pair of shoes are Rocket Dog heels which I have almost worn through the soles
29. They hurt my feet now, but I still wear them
30. I love a good pair of lounge pants
31. I could only dream of having myself and my family ready before 9:00 a.m. every morning
32. I am a night owl
33. I miss exercising as often as I used to
34. My bedroom is always covered in toys
35. I really hate it
36. My son believes I have eyes in the back of my head
37. He calls them my "back eyes"
38. I can never refuse a kid with a book
39. I say, "In a minute" way to often.
40. My lap is no longer big enough for all my kids
41. I am trying to break my addiction to Diet Dr. Pepper
42. I complain that my kids are driving me crazy to often
43. I should expect to go crazy, I am pulled in four directions all day
44. I hate potty training
45. I love to snuggle
46. I love reading, but never do it (except for kid books, of course)
47. I loved being pregnant, but I don't miss it
48. Being pregnant with the twins was the absolute hardest thing I have ever done
49. My reward was watching my husband carry two healthy babies down the hall to greet our
family
50. I regret that I didn't name Jack after Jeff
51. I hate how we spelled Kate's name (Kathryn)
52. I should have stuck with Catherine or even Katherine
53. I really wish I had a Bajio salad right now
54. Wow, this is tough
55. I am married to an amazing man
56. I hate to not have makeup on
57. I love to soak in the bath tub
58. Too bad I don't have a big tub and only 50% of my body is submerged!
59. I rearrange furniture often
60. I love to have fresh flowers in my kitchen
61. Sometimes I shop online, but never end up buying the items in my cart!
62. If I don't prepare a good meal for dinner, I feel like a bad wife/mom
63. I love to go out to eat
64. I eat all my meals standing up
65. This has become a habit because I can never sit long enough to make it worth it
66. I have a lot of great friends
67. I love watching my kids experience new things
68. Jack asks so many "why and how" questions that it wears me out
69. I am whizzing through this faster than I thought I could
70. Gave in to the hunger pains
71. Eating a banana right now
72. I hold my pee forever before I finally go to the bathroom
73. I have always wondered why I torture myself like that
74. I am always stressed out when I am making dinner
75. I used to be extremely Obsessive Compulsive about the cleanliness and order of my house
76. My kids have forced my to let go a bit
77. I can't wait to live that way again
78. A spotless house, and everything in its exact spot is heaven to me
79. I never experience heaven anymore:)
80. I do not make my bed everyday
81. My Christmas decorations are up
82. I love that Lincoln loves me so much
83. Jack and Jane are Mommy's kids
84. I don't understand why Kate insists that she is Daddy's girl
85. I really do enjoy cleaning, but only when I can do it, finish it, and it stays that way
86. When I hang laundry, all the clothes must face the same direction
87. I have had a message flashing for 2 days and still haven't listened to it
88. I use my ipod as a coping mechanism when I am stressed out
89. I love singing out loud while I listen to my ipod, but I sound really bad
90. When I get to overwhelmed by something, I just put it off (my house)
91. I like Wheaties better than sugar cereals
92. I stuck to a New Years resolution for the first time in 2007
93. I am sad that my Mom doesn't know my kids
94. There are 100 other things I should be doing right now
95. I leave my curtains open in my front room 24 hours a day
96. I need to go to the dentist
97. I am more content to stay home when the weather is cold
98. I have a bad habit of scratching my scalp
99. I can't believe I finished this
100. I posted about Jane below so read on!

Cash in your stock!

2008-11-13T19:19:00.001-08:00

Watch out Kimberly Clark/Huggies! Twin number two is out of diapers! I swear, I have kept that company in business for the past five years. Yes, for five straight years we have been buying diapers without a single break! At one point in time, we had four kids swaddled in Mickey Mouse, comfort stretch cotton!

For the last day or so, Janie has been asking for panties and wanting to sit on the potty. She was dying for her pink lipstick that hung in the bathroom, but still would not pee in the toilet. This evening, just as I sat down to my dinner plate (of course this was when the kids were just finishing) Jane announced that she needed to pee in the potty. Another 45 minutes with my bathroom floor. This time was not in vain. I was not giving up as we had been in there so long. I knew she had to go because she started to panic. She finally let loose and started yelling for her lipstick! I was so excited I started crying. I don't really know why. Jane ran up to me about 20 minutes later and said, "I need a diaper." I rushed her back to the toilet, her protesting, but when I sat her down, she went right away. I hope she keeps it up tomorrow as well as Kate did because there is no turning back now! Way to go Jane! And so long Huggies!

I am Thankful

2008-11-08T21:36:00.001-08:00

I could post all day about the things I am thankful for, but I will try to keep it simple. I am blessed with amazing children. They light my life and bring me joy everyday. I have been lucky enough to marry a man with a wonderful family who love and support me everyday! I have a husband who loves me unconditionally, makes me laugh everyday, and truly respects me. What I am thankful for is that he respects me for what I do, staying home to raise our children. Finally, I cherish each one of my friends, old and new.

As the holidays approach, I find myself lost in thought about all that I have. The joys in my life are many, the sorrows, few. To everyone I love, I wish you the same.

We have succeeded!

2008-10-28T22:34:00.000-07:00

Woo- hoo! I am proud to announce that Kate is potty trained! I hope I am not celebrating to soon, but from morning til night, no accidents. After my rough Thursday, I took Friday, and the weekend off as we had lots going on, and I was frustrated! First thing this morning, we put on our panties and hoped for the best. Katers did awesome. I am so proud of my little pirate!

Jane, on the other hand, peed on the floor. I am going to give her a week, let the excitement die down a little and then work on her. Jane thinks she is still "sad" about the whole thing!

I am so relieved to have gotten somewhere with this potty training business. I never had luck with my other kids until they were 2 1/2 so I didn't plan to try with the twins until then. Other than a few trial runs, just to see, this is our first attempt at really doing it. I hope Janie will be as easy, but it's not looking that way.

Now, I know most of you moms out there are much better than me at following all the rules, but I love to break them! I guess I have come to accept that my babies are not really babies anymore. I decided this morning that they can't have their bottles anymore! ( I can just hear all the gasps of disbelief!) In my defense, the reason they still have them is that for some reason, they will NOT drink milk from a cup. I worry that they need their calcium and vitamins so I just continued with the bottles... for another year and a half! Also, they only have one first thing in the morning when we watch cartoons and snuggle, and before they go to sleep. I gave them their same warm milk in a "big girl cup" and they would have nothing to with it. Both girls told me it was "yucky"! The diapers and bottles are on their way out, but YES, the Binky's will remain awhile longer! (I hear another gasp)! I LOVE Binky's. Those things have been a life saver for me. Nothing is better than a quiet, content child. The girls love their Binky's, and they comfort them, alot. Maybe after the diapers, and the bottles, we will move on to Binky's. But for now, they will enjoy them!

Motherhood is not for sissies!

2008-10-24T18:40:00.000-07:00

I am attempting to potty train my 2 1/2 year old twins. No fun at all. I have been stuck on my bathroom floor for two days and if I am not there, I am cleaning up pee somewhere else!

I decided Jane was more ready than Kate so I was just going to work on her. After a few previous attempts at doing both together, I decided that was not going to work. Yesterday, I hyped up some panties to Jane, and the whole idea of being a big girl and using the potty. Jane excitedly took me up on the idea and went strutting around in her princess underwear. All the while, Kate is looking on and looks like she feels a little left out. I felt bad for her so I went through the same hoopla for her. Together, the three of us went straight to the potty and had our first attempt. No luck.

The girls venture off to play animal rescuers with Jack and I was quickly distracted with my list of things to get done. After about twenty minutes, I remembered we had panties on and called the girls to the bathroom. Kate jumped on the potty first. Jane is observing. As I sit there encouraging Kate to go, Jane leaves the bathroom, closing the door. Why I didn't stop her, I don't know, but she opens the door and said, "I peed on the floor!" Great! Here we go. I made Kate stay on the toilet, knowing she had to go. Twenty five minutes later, we had success!

We had to go get Lily from school right then so I figured keeping panties on her was safe. As promised, we were heading straight to Wal-mart for a prize and some new panties right after getting Lily. Well, we were not safe. As we were standing in the middle of the crayola isle, Kate looked up at me and said, "uh oh Mommy, no potty." She started peeing, making a big puddle in the middle of the isle. Another shopper had to be right there. I was mortified. With no shopping cart, I herded my kids to the other side of the store for some paper towels so I could clean up the mess.

Between that and the end of today, I have cleaned up enough pee, and spent enough time on my bathroom floor to drive me out of my mind. My house is a mess because I can't clean it if I am stuck in the john all day and my kids ate fast food twice in one day. Talk about feeling like supermom. This crap is for the birds! I want to give up, I hate potty training. I will buy diapers the rest of their lives if I have to!

On a more comical note, Jack scored a new pack of Lightening McQueen underwear in which he is obsessed with. I made him throw away some spiderman undies yesterday and he was not happy about it. My kids have some weird obsession with their underwear, they love 'em. I promised him some new ones if he would quit whining about it.

The boy was on cloud nine when he woke up to a new pack of roos. Jack laid out each pair trying to decide which ones he should wear. After choosing one, he went to check himself out in the mirror. He kept looking behind him at his bum as if it was the coolest thing he had seen!

He told my mom when she called, and made sure his sisters and I all checked them out. When he went outside to play with his buddy Treysen, the first thing he did was run up so him and say, "Hey Treysen, do you want to see my new underwear?" As he is ripping his pants off, I am running after him yelling, "No dude, you don't show people your underwear."

How great would it be if your toughest decision was which cool new pair of undies you should wear, and even more so, if something so silly could make you so happy!

Happy Birthday Jack!

2008-10-08T20:47:00.000-07:00

My little man turned four. Wow. Was he ever even a baby? Jack's life has just flown by. The life and laughter he brings to our family is priceless. I am so grateful to have him for my son. Jack loves to do the same things as Dad, he is in constant competition to be better and faster than everyone... even Dad. He is ALL boy. The bottom line is that he is the world's biggest Mommy's boy! The kid loves me. He follows me around all day. When I ask him why, he says, "because I love you and you smell good!" As much as I love my space, how can I not appreciate that? On the other hand, he complains that my kisses are wet and he always wipes them off!

(oops!)
I always have doughnuts and balloons for my kids when they wake up in the morning. Jack remembered this tradition and reminded me not to forget. Jeff was attending a health care conference in south Salt Lake and had to leave home at 6:00 a.m. I wasn't about to let my boy down so I was on my way to Walmart at 5:20 a.m.

Jack wanted a happy meal for lunch so we headed to McDonald's. Lily had an early out day and it was National walk your kid to school day so we got our lunch to go so we had time to go get Lily. We planned to go to the park with his buddies Jayden and Jackson so we parked the truck at the park and walked to school to get Lily. Krystal, Lincoln, and Amelia joined us for some playtime!

We headed to Chuck E. Cheese for dinner and a party. Jack was so excited about it. He had so much fun playing all the games. He loved the Chuck E Cheese guy too. All in all I think he had a great day. He told everybody it was his birthday, literally, everyone he could get close enough to hear him. The McDonalds worker in the drive thru was even informed! Thanks to everyone for all the great gifts and especially to our family for all their help.

And like always, Aunt Kim came through with an amazing birthday cake. Jack wanted a race track cake and since Lightening McQueen is his favorite, we used those for the racers. The cake was awesome, and Jack loved it. Thanks Kimi for all your effort!

Enjoy with me as I look back on the four wonderful years with my boy!

3 months old

At 5 months, Jack has already had a haircut and still has more hair than Lil at 21 months!

6 months old and handsome as ever!

Jack turns 1 year old!

At 17 months old, Jack is a proud big brother!

2 years old

3 years old

And here he is today, 4 years old and riding the dirt trails... on his sister's bike no less!

Enjoying fall festivities!

2008-10-08T19:01:00.000-07:00

We had a fun-filled day at Black Island Farms, actually it was about 2 weeks ago, but the kids had a great time so I need to post about it anyway! The fall festival is great fun for all ages, there are corn mazes, a cow train, animals, a blow-up jack-o-lantern to jump in, a corn box, cool home-made slides, and a hayride out to the pumpkin patch to cut their own pumpkins!
It wasn't crowded yet because we went right when it opened so the kids got to circle around a couple of times on the cow train. Jane had to have a pink pig and Jack and Logan had to have "boy" ones! Thank heavens Jack has Logan because he is a bit obsessed with the boy and girl thing... since he is always out numbered, he loves having his cousin to do boy things with.

This slide is enormous. The picture does not do it justice. I know it may not mean much because I am a wimp, but when I got to the top and looked down, I tried to head back to the stairs... Jeff and Kim wouldn't let me! I went down it, screaming the whole way! The trip down really wasn't as bad as it looked, but for a little kid it must have been insane! Anyway, Jack and Logan eagerly headed up the stairs before I had ever ventured up. It didn't seem to bad looking up at it so I was just waiting at the bottom. Kate and Jane being the tough little cookies that they are, excitedly followed their brother. Jack came out first, eyes as wide as they could be, with a look on his face that said, "holy crap!" Jack shot out of that thing and jumped up with a big grin on his face. Logan followed Jack with about the same reaction. When the boys came out, their little bodies jerked forward because they were going so fast and then suddenly stopped. I yelled up to Bretten and Mychael telling them not to let the twins go down alone. Jane came out next with Bretten, she looked terrified. Bretten's body lurched forward, right on top of Jane. The landing looked so harsh, I thought Jane was sure to start screaming. To my surprise, she jumped up and screamed, "That was AWESOME!" I have never heard her say the word awesome and to use it so appropriately surprised me. I was laughing hysterically. It was one of my all time favorite moments with Jane. I am sure you had to be there, but it was super cute. Kate came out with Mychael, she had the same expression on her face as Jane. Kate thought it was great fun too. I can't imagine the rush that must have been for their little bodies. Lily was far to cautious to ever consider such a thing.

Fall is my favorite time of year. I love to get out and enjoy all the fun things the season has to offer! The kids had a lot of fun picking their pumpkins. Kate especially loved hers, she hugged and kissed it the entire ride back! We are grateful for Grandma, Aunt Kim, and Bretten and Mychael for all their help wrangling the herd!

Princesses, Pirates, and Lullabies

2008-09-24T15:06:00.000-07:00

I am so in love with the differences between Kate and Jane. Twins are the most amazing thing I have ever known, but I love that they are their own person, each so unique. Jane is my pinkalicious princess, the girlyest girl I have ever known. ALL her clothes must be pink, her hair accented with a bow is a must, and she is always wearing at least 2 necklaces and 3 bracelets, her favorite pink tutu, and of course, a purse! I have to admit, she is a lot of maintenance, but I LOVE it. Kate on the other hand is not bothered a bit with all the fufu. Opposite of Jane, she could care less what she is wearing, her hair in her face is no problem, if she is dirty...even better. All that kid cares about is the marker in her hand! Yesterday, Kate had been coloring all morning, her cute little face was covered in black marker as she can't resist coloring herself! I was running a little late getting Lily and Jack off to school so Kate had to go as she was, black marker and all! After dropping Jack and his buddy Jaden off at school, I looked at the twins in the back seat to answer their ever pressing question, "Where's my going?". I just started to laugh as I mentally compared the differences between the two... Jane, a perfect princess, and Kate, a hooligan. I said to Kate, "Princesses don't color black on their faces." Kate came right back at me saying, "I not a princess. I a pirate...Arrgh!". While I love a girly girl, I love that I have a pirate princess as well!

Last night, I was ironing Jeff's work clothes and listening to my ipod when I heard a song that reminds me so much of my baby Jack. Often, I find myself complaining about Jack, and how he is such a handful most of the time. I love and adore him despite all of it, Jeff even says Jack's my favorite, but I'm not so sure about that, I couldn't pick a favorite! But, he does have a very special place in my heart! Anyway, when I went into pre-term labor with Jack, I was terrified. Not just because I had experienced the pain of a premature baby, but because at 19 weeks, he wasn't a viable fetus. As I drove home the doctors office the afternoon they had injected me with something to stop labor, I was listening to a Dixie Chicks CD and the song Godspeed (sweet dreams) played as I was driving. I had to pull off the road because I was crying so hard. For those of you who are unfamiliar, it is a lullaby to a baby boy. That song has been a favorite of mine ever since. When I used to nurse Jack, I would always sing the song to him, despite my terrible voice! As I ironed and belted out the tune, I turned to look up at my all time favorite baby picture of Jack in the front room. I was overwhelmed with love and appreciation for him. I went upstairs and laid next to him in his bed as he was sleeping, so precious. I quietly sang the song as I starred at his cute face. Jack stayed asleep, but he smiled at me and put his arm around my neck. I started to cry. Jack is a busy boy, but I love him for all he is and I am so glad I have him.

She's here...she's here...she's here!

2008-09-19T09:25:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Krystal, Derek, and big brother Lincoln. Baby girl Bell, (she is still nameless) was born at 6:00 this morning. She weighed in at a whopping 6 pounds. She is absolutely gorgeous, which is no surprise, and has a head full of dark hair. We are so excited for Krystal and Derek, enjoy those sleepless nights!

Anxiously waiting...

2008-09-13T21:58:00.000-07:00

I don't know about Lincoln, but I am getting very anxious for the arrival of his little sister! Anticipating a birth is the best thing ever, I can't wait. Somehow, Krystal manages to be so patient. I guess the fact that if she makes it until Thursday, her Mom will be in from California to witness the birth! When Lincoln was born, the delivery room was packed, it was like the paparazzi was invited to the event. Cameras were flashing at every angle! I will never forget the moment Lincoln arrived, I think everyone was holding their breath as Krystal made those final few pushes and when he was out, we all cheered so loud! What good times, we can't wait for the newest addition to our family of cousins. All of our kids are so close and see each other so much, they may as well be siblings!

Another thing I am eagerly waiting to come to an end is the home improvement project we have going on. This would be the reason I have not been blogging much lately. I guess the fact that not much else is going on also contributes. Jeff and I have been working every night after the kids go to bed in our kitchen and front room. Who knew that we were getting in to so much when we started?

It began with a fresh coat of paint in a new color in both the kitchen, front room, and through the hallway. This turned out to be way more work than it seemed, I mean really, painting isn't that hard, right? Well, when you only get a few hours a night here and there, it is a crap load of work.

We decided to put hardwoods throughout this area which meant removing all the mouldings (more painting). One should not leave linoleum in the entry way with wood floors so we must tile. I have always hated the color of my kitchen cabinets so I better paint those, add some bead board to the island, and hardware. Talk about a million steps: remove doors, clean, sand, clean, primer, sand, clean, one coat, sand, clean, second coat, stain treatment, reinstall doors, add hardware. Whoa, just should have got new ones. Keep in mind, I can only do one side each night so it can dry before I flip it over! I must mention I have to put four doors back on each morning so the kids don't get into stuff they shouldn't all day. Sounds like I am complaining (I am a little), but it really has been kind of fun because while I paint, Jeff installs the wood floors so we get to talk a lot! The counter tops are ugly as well so something will be done about that. We are putting in new carpet throughout the house and we put in some new light fixtures.

On top of all this, we have had some poor luck with our appliances. About nine months ago, our dryer died so of course, we replaced that. I can't blame the thing for lasting only six short years, it had dried more loads of laundry than anyone wants to think about. Three months later, the oven finally went, we saw that coming forever... piece of junk. We do like to eat around here so Jeff went out on his lunch break and picked up a new oven. He acted like he had bought me a present or something.

Well, amidst all of the updating and improvements going on, the fridge went too. Needless to say, we assume the dishwasher and microwave are soon to follow so we went ahead a bought a whole new set of kitchen appliances. Yes, even an oven. Jeff really wanted to get a stainless steel fridge, I to prefer the stainless, but I was opposed to mismatch appliances. I told him just to get another white fridge, I didn't care that much. Once again, I got a present because we replaced them all. Why is it that all these appliance belong to me?

All the luck with appliances didn't end there. Three days after the fridge went, the washing machine exploded. Lily was helping me put in a load one morning and she says, "we need a new washer". I told her we did not and thought no more of it. I walk into the laundry room about an hour later to find the floor soaked. At first, I thought the kids may have been playing in the sink. Not so lucky. The floor and all the laundry piles, soaked. Yes, we lost the washer. I went to get the washer that matched the dryer we had bought months earlier. As I told the salesman about our misfortunes, he smiled and said, "Let me guess, you bought the house new about 7 or 8 years ago, right?" As a matter of fact, yes we did. The guy said he hears the same story all the time. I was glad we are just not that unlucky!

Ahhh...Vacation!

2008-08-30T20:11:00.000-07:00

It seems that everybody took a trip to Bear Lake this summer, but boy is it the place to go. Of the three vacations we took this summer, Bear Lake was by far the best. Funny that it was the shortest drive, and by far the cheapest trip, yet we had the most fun! I think Jeff and I liked it best because it was actually relaxing. The beautiful blue water is shallow for forever, allowing the kids to run and play without us being in constant fear of them drowning. My kids played in the sand for hours, literally. We made sandcastles, dug rivers, morphed into mud monsters, and jumped into huge holes all day. It was a great time, the kids were in heaven!

Do you see mischief in her face?

2008-08-21T23:11:00.000-07:00

I don't know what I am going to do with this kid. If she gets out of my sight for even a minute, she is up to no good. After this week, I have realized I have to know where she is at every second! None of my other kids have been in to as much mischief as Kate. This week has been her best at all her nonsense. The worst of it started when she somehow managed to get into my bathroom. It was right after lunch, I was cleaning up the kitchen, I take a quick head count as I peek into the family room where the kids were are watching a movie, winding down for nap time. I only see three kids. Kate is missing. Knowing she is the only one I have to worry about causing trouble, I scurry around the house looking for her. In hindsight, I think all I really did was make sure the bathroom doors were closed. Being as distracted as I always am, I never did see her so I made a quick mental note to keep looking after I finished doing who knows what. It was then that my sister Krystal showed up with her sweet baby Lincoln. Once again, distracted, I continue cleaning up and chatting with Krys. As random thoughts run in and out of my head, I realize at one point I never found Kate. I am off looking again! I head straight to my room because she does like to watch T.V. in my bed. Immediately as I walk in the room, I smell finger nail polish. I scream. Anyone who knows Kate, knows she loves anything to do with painting, art, and of course makeup and polish ("nails" as she calls it). I try to open the bathroom door which is locked. "Kate, let mommy in." I say. Well, she opened the door and to my horror, my kid was painted in every color of polish under the sun. There was a little on the toilet, tub, the floor, the rug, and her clothes, but nothing like her fingers. I ran to get the camera because I had to take a picture and as I came back, she smiled big and yells "CHEESE"! For some reason, I wasn't even mad. I guess it was my fault for not paying more attention. I quickly got annoyed when I started to clean up the mess. I put her up on the sink and start to clean her up with polish remover. I have a hold of her left hand and I am thinking that maybe this isn't so bad. I grab her right hand and holy crap, could there be anymore layers of polish on here? Kate is left handed so naturally her right hand was more decorated right? Her toes were painted like a rainbow, her fingers were every color of the rainbow! After cleaning her, I send her away so I can clean up the bathroom. After finishing, I go take a head count... Kate is missing--AGAIN!
Here I go, straight to the kids bathroom. Sure enough, there she is with my makeup. Can a mommy ever get a break?

These episodes have occurred day in and day out lately. I have been trying to never let her out of my sight, but in a four level home, that is impossible. Just today, I was getting ready and thought to myself, 'go check on Kate'. I found her playing with Jane in the family room, with toys, like a normal kid. I see the computer and think I should check my email. As I am sitting there, Kate heads upstairs. Mental note- go check on Kate. Distracted, I spent another 5-10 minutes on the computer. Where do I find Kate? Yep, in the bathroom, putting on makeup. This time she was a little more gussied up. Somehow, she escaped with my eyeliner. When I come downstairs after doing my hair, my kitchen wall, the play kitchen, the shopping cart, and all the play dishes have graffiti all over them, all at the hand of Kate!

It doesn't stop with the makeup and nails. Yesterday I found her closed in the pantry dumping out bread crumbs. This morning, while ironing, I hear her getting into the silverware drawer. I yell to her to get out of it, listen for a minute, don't hear much. I open the pantry door to find her spooning Ovaltine into her mouth my the loadful. While in the shower, there she is in the fridge opening all the yogurt. Thank heavens Jane came to tell me about that one before it got to out of hand! I could go on, but you get the picture. Maybe I just need to kick her bum, but I never get real mad about any of it! I guess she is just being a two year old.

Bum-itch

2008-08-19T10:28:00.000-07:00

About two hours ago...

Jack: "Hey Mom, I just pooped a huge poop and I wiped my own butt!"

Mom: "That's great dude. Good work, but Mom should probably wipe you too."

Jack: "I really don't need you to, I did a fine job. There is a bunch of toilet paper in the potty."

Mom: "I am sure you did a good job buddy, but really, let me make sure."

Jack: " No thanks Mom."

Mom: "Whatever dude."

I figured I would leave him alone about it since it would be nice if he really could wipe his own butt and do a good job! Well, about one hour later...

Jack: "Mom, I need some 'bum- itch'."

Mom: "Bum- itch? What do you mean you need some bum- itch?"

Jack: "I need that white medicine you put on my butt when it itches."

Mom: " I told you I needed to wipe your butt better."

Jack: "What does that have to do with bum-itch?"

Mom: "Your butt itches because you didn't wipe good enough."

Jack: "Oh, I guess all that toilet paper didn't work afterall!"

What 3 1/2 year old says these things. He is hilarious. Jack always manages to brighten my day with the funny things he says. I guess hydrocortizone will now be called bum-itch at my house!

Life is sweet

2008-08-16T23:16:00.000-07:00

This kid is one her third ice cream bar! I just wanted them gone, Jane took care of that.

Christmas in August?

2008-08-16T22:44:00.000-07:00

Every time we pass R.C. Willey, Jeff says he wants to buy the kids one of those jungle gyms. I have heard it about 10 times in the past month or two! While going through the mail one afternoon, he sees an ad for a little bonus buy at Willeys. Basically, if you spend so much money, you can buy this great thing for a great price. Fletch gets so excited about the toys he is going to surprise the kids with, he went to buy it the next day. I had told him before hand that if he did get it, I thought it would be a great idea to save the big blow up bouncer for Christmas. This bouncing thing is huge, it blows up in two minutes and deflates right when you turn the blower off. It has a basketball hoop, and a slide to exit! Now tell me if you could get a better family present from Santa that is great fun for all four kids, folds and stores easily, and offers hours of good physical play for only one hundred bucks! Well, Jeff was way to excited about it. He was calling me all day long saying, " Now babe, we have to wait until Christmas, they can't have it now." He was being so hilarious, he knew he couldn't wait, but he was trying to make it like I was begging for it! In the end, my attempts to make him save the bouncer and just give them the jungle gym did not win. Jeff had a lot of fun with the kids, they do LOVE it just as I thought. Jeff said Santa didn't deserve all the credit anyway! The jungle gym was a huge it too, especially with Jack. Thanks Daddy, you're the best!

The girls get a haircut...

2008-08-16T22:20:00.000-07:00

Finally, we took the girls in for a haircut! When you are bald until you are eighteen months old, you really don't see the stylist to often! I have trimmed the girls mullets myself for a while, but it was certainly time for a "real" cut! The twins hair is still really short on the sides so I just had her cut it into a bob and then stack the back. Of course Lily has to be defiant and keep her hair long. She hates to get her hair done, but insists on it being long! I actually told the gal to cut it to her shoulders and add a bit of layering... I thought she would flip out, but she was happy with it. I was thankful for that because we cut off quite a bit. I knew Kate and Jane were looking pretty raggedy, but I didn't realize how bad until afterwards. They look so cute, I love it!

Breaking the silence

2008-08-07T22:17:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, Lily suffers from a speech delay. Despite years of speech therapy, she is still difficult to understand. I like to blame this on her prematurity. But is this really the cause? I am sure I will never know. For anyone out there who has had a child with a speech related disability may relate when I say, "her words are sweet music to my ears". Although she has said the necessary words to have her needs met, you know, eat, drink, potty, whatever; it is not typical for her to express how she feels, what she is thinking, what happened when she was away from me or anything like that. I will never forget the first time she said "I love you". I have honestly never heard something so simple that truly meant so much to me. It is hard for me to express how I feel about all of this, mostly Iwant to cry. I want to cry for myself, but more for her. Lily is so aware of the fact that people can't understand her so she usually just doesn't talk. I am often over her shoulder translating for everyone. I try so hard not to do it, but it is so hard to watch her struggle. It truly is heartbreaking. Over the past five years, her laughter has been so beautiful to me. Laughter is universal, everyone understands it! What I was getting to with all of this is to share something that happened today that was so wonderful. Today a note came home in her backpack to tell me what days she would have speech therapy. Armed with the name of the therapist and a few details, I asked her about it. Not expecting any response at all, she excitedly told me that yes, she had gone to speech. I asked her if the therapist name was Miss Burnett, she said, "No". I asked her if her name was Miss Kelli, she said, "Yes, and she is WAY pretty and she looks like you, way pretty!" All I could do was stare at her with tears in my eyes. Not only had she told me about something, but I could clearly understand every word, AND she told me I was pretty! Of course, one knows that children are famous for their honesty so a compliment from a child is priceless, but a compliment from my child, Lily, an expression of her feelings, was almost more than I could take. My sweet girl is my world, I love my Lily.

At it again, Jack & Mom...

2008-08-06T22:40:00.001-07:00

I had one of those days when I feel like I need to go get a job! My kids were making me crazy, not really for any particular reason, I just felt like they were right under me all day and every little thing annoyed me. To help me survive the rest of the week, my husband sent me shopping after dinner. Actually, I told him I was going and he agreed it was a good idea! Although I tried to avoid it, I returned home before Jeff had the kids in bed. In Jack's attempts to prolong the inevitable, he claims he needs to pee.... again! As he is dinking around the bathroom, I start nagging him to get to business. Jack is driving me crazy and he knows it! After a few minutes, I guess it was probably more like seconds with my patience level at that point, I yell at him, "Dude, hurry up, you are pushing my buttons". He looked up at me with a shit faced grin and said, "Mom, you don't have any buttons on you"! What could I say? I just started laughing.

The best thing I've heard all week...

2008-08-04T10:29:00.000-07:00

People in my life, especially my kids, say the most hilarious things. Because my memory is shot, I will post a few of my favorites as they are said. Over the weekend Jack & Lily were admiring Krystal's beautiful, bulging belly bump. I was telling Lily the baby needed to grow for another month or more as she was encouraging Krystal to go to the hospital now! After my explanation, Jack asks Krys, "Is it going to make a big hole?" Krys looked at me, looked back at Jack and said, "Yeah, I guess it does!" It really was funny! 08/01/08

Sisters

2008-08-03T21:22:00.000-07:00

I was not lucky enough to have a sister of my own, but that turned out alright, thanks to the three best sisters in the world. I could not imagine my life with out them, each of them adds something sweet to my life. Krystal is a sweet angel, always considerate of others. Krys has always been a great example to me, always looking to be positive and living to make the best out of life! If I ever need someone to talk to, I know Krystal will really listen. Krys is an amazing mother and I love that she comes to me for motherly advice... that's what big sisters are for, right? We have a bit of a camaraderie, one I cherish with all my heart. Kimi has been invaluable to me, especially in the early days with the twins. I can't remember a time she has ever turned me down when I ask her to babysit. If whatever was going on wasn't going to work for her, she rearranged things in her own life, just to help me. That is a sister. Kim has always been there for me, and always willingly. I love her for all that she has done for me and for the example of selflessness she has been. Kimi would do anything for me if she knew I needed her to, this is why I cherish her. And my JillyBean, the best Aunt in the world too. Jill and I have been close from the start. Despite the tears, she lovingly cared for my baby Lily. The peace I had leaving my crying baby with someone I knew would not hurt her helped me through it. Jill is the favorite Aunt, maybe because there is no competition for attention, maybe because she runs around with them, but most likely because she makes each kid feel as though they matter most to her. Jill never leaves without kissing each of their faces. Jill is my example of love, giving love to all, and loving each of us for who we are, and herself for who she is. Each of you mean the world to me. My life is better because of the wonderful sisters I have. Thank you for all you have given me.

2008-08-03T21:04:00.000-07:00

All I can say is "I love Dash." Whenever I hang out with him I always realize how much I miss him. I just don't see him enough. We got together on Saturday night for a little Rock Band party. This was the first time Dash had seen Jeff's new flat screen so naturally he was talking some crap to him about it. You know your manhood is measured by the size of your T.V.! Countless hours have been spent by Jeff and his friends in front of the tube, playing Nintendo games. We all played a little Mario Kart that night too and Dash had reminisced on how we once played on a 19" T.V., giving each player maybe 5" or so to play! I thought it was so hilarious when he said, "this is just like having your own T.V. to play on, this damn screen is so big!" Jeff loves the crap he gets from his buddies for all of his toys, he always has to go bigger! You are funny Dash and I love your company. You are one bad A on the guitar... here is to many more rockin' nights with you!

School Days

2008-08-03T20:43:00.001-07:00

Overall, Kindergarten is going great for Lily, she loves it. Every day last week after dropping her off, I loved to watch her go sit down and start working. She seems so big, I had to snap a shot. I think Kelsee will make sure Lily hangs in there O.K. Lily did have one misunderstanding with the recess lady. A long story short, recess lady didn't know teacher had given permission for kids to run on the grass, so as Lily was running away from the playground toward the soccer goal post (the boundary in preschool) R.L. takes off after her thinking she is running off. When Lily stops to turn around, she finds a very heavy breasted woman charging after her. What would you do if you were five years old and some enormous stranger was running after you... RUN? Well, she ran and by the time she caught Lily, my kid was hysterical, freaking out. Sweet Kelsee tried coming to her rescue, but R.L. sends her away, not making Kelsee very happy either. Recess lady takes Lily into her teacher who calms her down. The teacher told me that R.L. was dripping with sweat and just a huffin' & puffin'. A misunderstanding between teacher and R.L. about what was acceptable outside, in the end, really did not make a lasting impression on my little Lily though!

Out to lunch...

2008-08-02T13:35:00.000-07:00

O.k. I know I have been talking about all of these new things we have started doing now that the kids are a little bigger, but we had yet another great experience today! Now don't get me wrong, we have gone out to eat and all, but we usually visit somewhere with a play-place, go with an arsenal of family members, or just get a babysitter (one of my personal favs). Today we went to Chili's for lunch, just the little Fletcher family, no one else. We have done this before, but as with any other time, meaning with help at a restraunt or even at McDonald's, I feel like we are just a side show for others out to eat! Well, not today... my children sat like perfect angels the whole time. Rather than feeling like a freak, needing somewhere to hide, I felt like the proudest parent in the whole world. This may sound silly to most of you, but I have had people stare at me like I am some insane woman with to many kids for 2 years now and to have people looking at us as if we are amazing, and so are our kids, was a welcome change. I love my family, I wouldn't change our situation for the world, but I will admit it has been a very challenging 2 1/2 years. I think we crossing into the light at the end of tunnel!!!

Discovery Time

2008-07-31T22:30:00.000-07:00

This week, I decided I was brave enough to head to the Library for Discovery Time, a fun hour of story books, music, dancing, and crafts. To say the least, my kids had a great time. As I sat back watching the delight in their faces, I found myself wondering why on Earth I haven't been here for the past, well forever. I quickly remembered that my fear was four little kids and a Library...enough said! My little foursome did great and for the most part, behaved much better than I had expected. Reading with the kids is so great and there is never to much time spent with our faces in a book so we will continue to attend discovery time every week... watch out Miss Librarian!!

My little artist, Kate Grace

2008-07-29T23:37:00.000-07:00

All of my kids are dear to me, each of them are unique, talented, smart, beautiful, and of course, naughty in their own way! At the moment, I find myself thinking about Kate as I clean the kitchen at 11:30 p.m. I am missing her little face at the bar doodling with her markers, colored pencils, and crayons. Kate LOVES to color, most of her day is spent in the kitchen back & forth between the bar top and the art easel. While I just spent the earlier part of the day dissolving yet another MAGIC ERASER (I am keeping them in business), feeling rather irritated about her insisting on making a rainbow out of my house, I am now in awe of her pictures plastered on my refrigerator. I love that at 2 years old she has such a passion for something. I always help her write her name on all of her papers and I am proud to say she can verbally spell her name. If she writes it on her own, she will say each letter and when I look to see how it turned out, there are four O's in a row! Gotta love it.