Graduation Day; toothless wonder; serving boy

Well Sophia finally graduated from the 1 diapers today. The 2 diapers are big around the waste, but the 1's were too short. She was the only 5 month old sporting a coin slot. So I had to make the switch. She is long and skinny....my little string bean.
Yesterday Aubrie lost another tooth. Her mouth is so full of holes right now. She will be singing "I'll I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth, and That Other One On Top, Oh and Those Two On the Bottom...". I'm beginning to think she is pulling them out for money, ha!
Today Boston did some really sweet things. Last night the kids and my Mom watched a movie that had Panda Bears in it. My Mom had mentioned how she wish she had something soft and cuddly. Boston has this really soft stuffed animal that had a hole in it and he asked if I could sew it up. I told him I couldn't do it that night. He acted like it was really important to him, so I told him I would do it while he was sleeping. After we got home from church today he said to my Mom, “Grandma I have a present for you. I know it’s not your birthday or anything, but I have something for you.” He then came downstairs a few minutes later with that stuffed animal. He told her it was something cuddly and soft. He is so thoughtful. The second thing he did was make Aubrie’s bed on his own. The other night he found one of those “secret server” strips from one of our past Family Home Evenings. He asked me when we were going to do that again. I told him he could serve people anytime he wanted. When I saw him making Aubrie’s bed I assumed Aubrie had coned him somehow; she hates making her bed. I asked him if Aubrie asked him to make her bed, and he said “No Mom, I just wanted to serve her”!

Boston's First T-ball game!

This morning started a little crazy. It was Boston's first T-ball game. Ben's the coach (have I already mentioned that?) and had told everyone the wrong place for the game. He had to drive out of our neighborhood (since our phones were down and we don't get cell reception) in order to call all the parents. He took Boston and Aubrie w/ him and went straight to the game. I had to stay back until the flooring guys got here.

Luckily the flooring guys arrived on time and Ben was able to get a hold of all the T-ball parents ( I kept praying he would!), so everything worked out. It was much hotter at the game than I expected, since things were breezy at home, so one of the parents let me borrow a stroller for Sophia so she didn't bake in the sun!

Boston had a great time, as did Aubrie. She was very excited for the game. She made Pom Pons out of yarn this morning. She was also making sure the boys had water and was helping place them in their field positions. Boston had some good hits and had fun fielding the ball. When the game was over and we were driving home Boston said, so sweetly, "thank you for coming to my game". He is always so grateful!

The rest of the day we spent hanging around the house, waiting for our floors to be done. It took much longer than expected. They got here at 8:00am and left at 9:00pm! It was actually driving me crazy. Not them being here, they were really nice guys and I would recommend their work to anyone, but just having our stuff everywhere was driving me insane. I CANNOT function in chaos, so I was was so disfunctional today. I didn't know what to do with myself. I can't wait to get everything put away!

The kids had a fun day. The neighbor kids were over all day. It's becoming the hang out here, which was what we intended when we did our yard, hoping to keep our kids close. It just means more noise, which I don't have a high tolerance for lately! I think once Sophia is a little older and not napping so often, the noise won't bother so much.

Tonight was the RS Broadcast. The were some good talks on the family and on serving. President Monson spoke and had some great stories and some funny jokes, as usual. I love hearing him speak! After the broadcast, my Mom and I came home for some dinner. They had a fondue "social" afterward, but I knew I would probably get sick if I ate that first. I missed out on some socializing, but I also knew I needed to get home to help watch the kids, since Ben was watching the BYU game.

When we were driving up the neighbor kids were just hanging outside of our house. They said Ben told them they could come back over to play as soon as I got home....thanks Ben! They are really good kids, but I was tired. Finally they all left around 7:30. It was bath time, bed time and then my time!

A better day!

Here are some pictures of Ethan and his new truck! It's great for bribery!:)

Today went well. Sophia took an hour and a 1/2 nap this morning, and a 2 1/2 hour nap this afternoon and an hour evening nap. She was happy and smiley all day. My Mom did have some problems getting her down while Ben and I were out. I think it was b/c she was trying to rock her to sleep, which she does not like! She wants to be put in her crib, get her back patted a few times, and be left alone.

I had the chance to eat lunch w/ the kids today. I love doing that. Boston's face just lights up as soon as he sees me. I never tell them, so I can see that excitement every time. Boston said the funniest thing at lunch. I always put a spoon in his lunchbox, when I give him applesauce. Today I noticed his milk comes with a packet that includes a spork, napkin and straw. So I said, "Boston, I don't need to give you a spoon b/c you already get one w/ your milk". He said "Mom, it a fork and a spoon (with excitement). It's like a transformer!" Funny boy!

Lunch w/ Aubrie was interesting. Five minutes after eating w/ her, I saw her teacher. She sat down w/ us and we ended up talking the whole time. It was nice to be at a personal level w/ her. She is a really dedicated teacher and is a really nice lady. I'm so glad Aubrie has her! Of course Aubrie kind of got ignored, but she didn't seem to mind. I think she liked hearing her teacher talk about her personal life!

Ben I had a short date night tonight. We had dinner at the Outback, and the owner happened to be there (who Ben knows really well). She pulled a chair up to our booth and spoke w/ us for awhile. She is really nice. We found out her Dad is a member....missionary opportunity? She comped our dinner which was nice! The server was probably excited about that! I loved when managers comped my customers meals, when I was a server, b/c that usually means your going to get a HUGE tip! After dinner we went to Lamps Plus to find some lamps for our pillars and then we made a stop at Target. As a result we are now watching CLUE..$5.50 Target Special.

Before we started the movie we had to take everything out of Ben's office, to get it ready for the wood floors tomorrow. That wasn't the easiest thing to do w/ all the computer stuff, invoices, paperwork, etc. The thing we realized about 5 minutes ago is that we don't have use of our phones. They are connected through our cable modem, w/ is sitting in a box right now. Good thing our neighbors have wireless networking!;) Here are some before pictures. We had to tear out the carpet and bleach the concrete in Ben's office! Not fun!!!!

Before!!!

3 rooms in 1!

The Rundown

Wow! I've neglected the blog. I can't watch all my season premier's and do the blog at the same time. LOL Guess I need to schedule that out, or cut down on TV...yeah, not going to happen! We keep saying we are not taking on any new shows, but we took a sitcom on this season. So now we watch Prison Break, House, Lost (whenever that starts up again), Back to You....and then Thursday it our huge night; Survivor, Smallville, Office and ER. Thank you for Teevo!
Actually, I probably would had no problem doing both, my blog and my addictive TV habit, but things were a little crazy this week. Sophia was going through this phase where she would sleep and hour and then be awake an hour. It was hard to get anything done. Especially since when she was awake, she didn't entertain herself b/c she was so tired. She slept through the night last night...till 7:00. She usually wakes up at 5:30 for a bottle and goes back down. It was nice, but then I was awake worried about her. She was all smiles this morning. I hope this means she is back to normal!
So here is the rundown of the week
Tuesday-
-Started the Sophia craziness.
-Ethan rode his new "truck" most of the day. He left his paci outside and when he went to the restroom, I took it. I told him I saw a fairy outside and to come look. He ran down the stairs and ran to his paci, which was gone. We have been
telling him about the paci fairy, who takes your paci when she leaves you a gift. We told him the fairy gave us money for that truck. Anyway, the paci wasn't there and he asked where it was and I told him the fairy must have taken it. He said "Mom quit lying. I'm sick of you. It's not funny". Not really back talk I usually would allow, but he was pretty traumatized. I actually tried not to laugh. That evening was hard for him. He kept crying for his paci. I told him he got the truck for his paci. He told me to take the truck back and get his paci back. I laid with him as he cried "I want my paci", until he fell asleep! he hasn't had a problem sleeping since. I have to admit, it was hard for me to see him give it up. It meant he was growing up, and obviously I have a hard time with my babies growing up!
Speaking of babies growing up, Boston had his first T-ball practice Tuesday night. Ben is the coach, and he said he was doing well. Boston seems to be getting so much older, since he started school.
Wednesday
Ethan didn't have school, because his teacher was sick. So I tried running some errands. Since Sophia was only lasting an hour, it was hard to go anywhere.
Wednesday I spent my day trying to finish up a FHE kit I had to make as part of this group thing for church. I had the rameumptom. I had no idea what I was going to do, but it ended up working out. So I spent my day gluing different sized blocks, spray painting, laminating, etc. Oooohh, what fun...NOT! I'm always a sucker for those types of things. That night, after the kids went down, Ben let me take off for a few hours. I needed it! My Mom and I went to Kirkland's (I didn't buy anything this time), Target, and Micheal's. We then stopped at the new Chili's for dessert. The new Chili's is so different. They have changed the floor plan. It's much more open, but just weird for me since I used to open those restaurants. It just didn't seem like Chili's to me.
Thursday
Yesterday started off with Ethan crying that he didn't want to go to preschool; will this every stop? I then came home and was able to pick up the house before Sophia woke up from her hour nap. I can't really remember what I did with the middle of the day; but when I put Sophia down for her third nap for the day she slept for 3 hours!!!! I couldn't believe it. I wish I would have known, b/c I would have started a big project! After she woke up I had to take Ben to pick up one of his work trucks, so on the way back we stopped at Mixteca for dinner. Sophia stayed awake the whole time! When we got home, the neighbor kids came over to play. The all wanted to hold Sophia and she was still happy. By the time I bathed her, fed her and put her down, she had been up for 3 hours! Now that I wrote all this down, she will probably be a pill again. Ha!
Tomorrow they are putting in our wood floors, finally! So Ben and I won't have much of a date night, since we have to spend it breaking down his office. I hope this day goes much smoother than the rest of the week, where Sophia is concerned. Keep me (I guess her) in your prayers!

Dumb Scary Stories!

Sunday morning was a little crazy. Ben had an early meeting, so I had to get everyone to church on my own. Luckily Sophia slept until I woke her up, at 8:00, so I wasn't having to worry about her. I got up at 7:00 and had Aubrie shower while I got ready. We were both ready before the boys woke up. Aubrie was a lot of help; waking the boys , putting a Jesus movie in , and getting breakfast on the table (or at least tyring, b/c after she poured the cereal she realized we were out of milk). So what's so crazy about all this? Ethan cried from the moment I woke him up until we got to the church building. He kept cryinhg for Ben...BIG surprise (NOT)! He is such the Daddy's boy. He cried so much he was so tired all through Sacrament. Speaking of sacrament, things went great! The kids did their parts (Boston asked for his, even though he new it, silly boy!). Aubrie had the "final" part and she thought that was pretty cool. They were so reverent (all the primary kids were) and Ethan sat in Ben's lap the whole time and we didn't have to take Sophia out once!
The rest of my day was pretty full (isn't this supposed to be a day of rest?)with VT, choir practice, and the building dedication. Only Aubrie and my Mom joined me at the dedication. Neither Ben nor I thought it would be a good idea to bring Sophia or Ethan. Boston wanted to come at first, until he found out it was basically like another Sacrament meeting. The dedication was short, but nice. The longest part was the dedicatory prayer. My neck was hurting from bowing my head so long! It was very good, though! We have a very dedicated and inspired Stake President!
Today went well, except for Ethan's break down before school. I hope he goes through this stage quickly. He dreads school so much he doesn't even want to get out of bed! He moans and cries the whole morning, and when we drop him off he runs to Ms. Sarah's arms. Luckily, she said that every time we take him, it takes him less time to get over it! He did have a break down moment when he hit Jackson's back, really hard. We had a good talk, and he told me he was sorry and knew he shouldn't do it. After school, he had Andrew over for a play date. They had a great time! They started off playing cars, and then they played w/ the fake food. Ethan was running the show, knowing exactly what he wanted them to play with. Andrew was a good sport and followed along. They then played outside in the fort, on the teeter totter (at Andrew's request) and then they dug in the sand, forever. After a quick snack and 15 minutes of Dora, it was time for him to go home.
There was a little drama today, when I picked up the kids from school. Aubrie's friend, Alexis, had told her about that Bloody Mary Folklore that was going around when I was a kid. Alexis told Aubrie her brother did it and he saw "Mary" in the mirror. Boston is so ultra sensitive, and it scared him so badly. He was so scared he was shaking and said he felt like he needed to throw up. He kept freaking out and was telling me he wasn't going to use the bathroom at school. I tried to explain that Heavenly Father would not allow something like that to happen, and that Satan wants him to feel scared. It wasn't working! When Ben took Aubrie to dance, he took Boston and Ethan w/ him to try to get it off his mind. When it was time for bed both Aubrie and Boston were freaking out. I called Lexi's Mom so she could tell Aubrie that nothing like that every happened and Ben took them in the bathroom to prove to them that it doesn't happen. She seemed to feel better, but still wanted me to close her bathroom door that is connected to her room. THE DRAMA!!
Oh, while Ben was out w/ the boys, he made a stop at Walmart for some T-ball equipment. Ben is a sucker for that place! He came home w/ that John Deer motorized tractor that Ethan has been eyeing for months, and I was planning on getting him for Christmas. At Ben's defense, it was mismarked at 50 percent off and they had to honor it. Still, now what am I going to get Ethan for Christmas?!? Oh well, I guess we saved money...I think?!
Here are some pictures of Aubrie giving the FHE lesson tonight, on repentance. She did a good job!

Cutting a rug!

Tonight was so much fun. Our ward coupled up with Lake Pleasant for an adult social. It first started out with some dinner and entertainment. They had the cultural hall decorated so nicely w/ lights and black paper cut and put around the room to resemble a city skyline. The tables were decorated w/ nice linen, rose petals, etc. The Laurels and Priests were our servers. They were dressed in black pants and white shirts. They served a salad w/ a roll and the main course was like a brisket with potatoes and green beans. They also had a chocolate fountain....YUM!! They had people sing, for the entertainment. It was so nice to hang out with all the people, from both wards, and not have to worry about rounding our kids up every 5 minutes. After dinner, they had dancing in the Ramada. It was decorated with lights, also, and Brother Thornock was the DJ. I had a blast dancing w/ the YW. I danced for at least a hour! It felt great! Hopefully I lost a few lbs!:) That was probably one of the best ward socials I have ever been too. Maybe the fact that it was all adults made enjoyable. Does that sound bad?
The rest of the day was great, too. We woke up around 9:0O and rushed the kids off to their Primary Sacrament Program Practice (whew that was a long description), that started at 9:00!!! While they were there Ben and I cleaned the house and finished hanging up some of my Kirklands "damage"! When the kids got home we swam, in the rain for half of the time, and then ate lunch outside. Elias' birthday party was tonight. It was at Peter Piper Pizza. The kids got about 300 tickets in the first 10 minutes and ended up with a bunch of worthless junk. Funny how that works?! Boston picked out this army guy that has a parachute attached to its back. When they got home they immediately went up to the "ealges nest" of their play set and started dropping it off from there. I guess that was one good pick!
Well, I guess I better get to bed. The kids Primary Program is tomorrow, so I need to wake up in time to get them looking their best!

sleepy head!

I wasn't kidding when I said I was tired, as I signed off last night. I could hardly keep my eyes open to proof read, if I can call it that, and all I remember is saying to myself, "I'm just going to rest my eyes for a second." The next thing I know it's 5:00 am and I'm being woken up by the feeling of the computer cord being pulled out from under my leg. Ben was heading out the door for an early temple session and he found me asleep sitting up, more like slouched on the couch, with the computer on my lap. He said he thought I was faking it when he came down to find me there. I was thinking, "Yeah right, why would I be up that early?" So I have learned my lesson. If I take another one of those pills, make sure I go straight to bed. I am thinking those will work great next time I fly over seas! :)
So enough about my lack of consciousness. Today I stayed at home. I finally ordered my food storage and boy am I glad. It is actually an interesting story. I knew we needed to do it, but I was putting it off b/c I had to do some research, which I was not in the mood for. On Wednesday I had this feeling I needed to do the research once and for all, so I dropped a lot of stuff I had planned for that day. I finally figured out what I wanted to do, but was still putting off the ordering, just out of laziness. Then this morning something just told me to do it now! I called up to order and the lady said they just got the call today to raise the prices 15 percent. Luckily they had to honor the price that was still on the Internet. Now I finally feel prepared and we also saved a good chunk of money! How great it will be not to be consumed with those feelings of guilt and worry when they talk about food storage this conference! Finally!
Today Sophia started running a fever again. I am beginning to think that she must be getting a tooth or something. If so, she would be the first to get one this early. I can't imagine her being sick this whole time. Anyway, she wasn't content to just laying on her play mat, like usual, so I pulled the Johnny Jumper out, only to find that it is too short. All our other homes had 8 foot ceilings, so she was just hanging in mid air. My Mom pushed her, like a swing, and she like that. The fact her feet didn't touch the ground defeated the purpose of helping her leg strength and also giving me a half an hour to get things done. So I brought the entertainer out of the garage, cleaned it up and let her play in it. She had a great time in that. Now my family room is officially full of baby equipment...swing, bouncy seat, entertainer, play mat.....man I need a bigger family room, just for for a few months anyway!;)
Ethan built a fort today in the family room. See above picture. This is one of their favorite spots to make forts. They even put Sophia in there with them the other day. As I was trying to lay down for a minute, while Sophia was sleeping, I told Ethan to pretend he was sleeping in his fort. After about 20 minutes, this is how I found him. He falls asleep in the weirdest places. After he woke up we spent some time playing Memory. He cracks me up. In the middle of the game he made his Buzz phone ring, and the precedes to pick it up and pretend to carry on a conversation w/ Ben. For the past week he has been carrying that thing around w/him everywhere he goes and keeps having fake conversations. Monkey see monkey do, I guess! Also, notice his tool books in the picture. He has been carrying those all over the house, too! He has been sleeping w/ the smaller of the two! He is so random! Oh, did I mention that Ethan eats 2 sandwiches a day. My mom said I should probably order extra food storage b/c of him! LOL Ok, that was random. Guess I know where he gets it!
After the kids got home from school, Boston went straight to his responsibilities while Aubrie parked herself on the couch to watch TV..TYPICAL. After about 20 minutes, Boston comes downstairs with his stuffed monkey around him. He then said "guess who I'm taking care of?". I said, "Ummm, the monkey?" He then said, " I'm giving him attention because he has been neglected." The monkey has been hanging on his bed post for the past couple of months, instead of in his bed like all the others. Guess he was feeling guilty about that. Ha!
After chores, the kids all went out to play with the neighbor kids. It's amazing how they all play so well together. There is such a wide range of ages. The oldest is 12 and the youngest is Ethan. They all motor all over the cud-de-sac on scooters, bikes, skates...whatever. It's such a blessing to have such great neighbors. It's nice that it's finally cooling off so they can all hang out. Unfortunately, we had to break up the gang to run some errands. We had to run to Home Depot and Target. I love they are soooo close now. A trip that once took us a few hours now can be done in 1! Like normal, we didn't get out of Target w/out buying something we didn't need. This time it was a few movies, including the Disney Princess Enchanted Tales and the Karate Kid. After dinner we invited the neighbors for a swim, that only lasted about 20 minutes. It started to storm as soon as I put my suit on and headed outside:( Oh well. The kids came in and got to watch their new movies. Watching Karate Kid made me feel old!

Money tree, anyone?

Alright, I am seriously needing a money tree right now b/c it seems these day's it going out faster than it's coming in. Our first big expense this week, and a much needed one, was our order for some wood floors. As impractical as it may seem, it was very the contrary. Our beloved Simba, cat of 11 years, decided to make Bens office his personal litter box. It started when our other cat, Maggie (aka sophie, before Sophia was born) was declawed. We had to change out our normal litter for newspaper shreds and Simba wanted nothing to do w/ that, and so Ben's office gets worse by the minute, reeking of cat pee. I'm not sure if Simba is even peeing in there anymore, or if by giving up on using a bottle of Febreeze everyday, has made it seem worse. Nevertheless, we had to do something about it (maybe that has something to do with my daily headaches), before our little Sophia starts motoring around. It took Ben forever to make the call, for obvious reasons. But hey, he was acting like he was giving up a kidney or something:)
Our next big expense finally came in the mail. It was Ethan's ER visit for his split chin he has a few months ago. If anyone wants to know how much an ER visit is for stitches I can tell you now, 1000 smackaroos!!!!! Can you believe that?! It's about 550 for the hospital cost, and 500 for the Dr. What a rip off since that wound opened right back up right after the stitches came out. Anyway, what can you do? Oh ya, nothing!
Oh, Kirkland's just opened by us, and that isn't helping things much either. Ok, not necessary, I know, but they have the cutest things and for such a GREAT deal. I have been patiently waiting to buy stuff for the house knowing this was coming, and now I am making up for it. I actually could have done a lot worse damage, because boy I could easily fill Ben's tuck up with all the stuff I like. Whoever came up w/ that place is EVIL! OK, not really, but man it's my biggest temptation right now!
To top off our "money flying out of our lives" week, we are finally going to buckle down and order our year supply of food storage. We found this great website where they have these different year packs for a family of 6 (didn't that work out nice for us). It's all put together and dropped off at your door on a palate. That's my kind of food storage. Not only that, they have some prepared meals and breads....which is right up my alley. I'm excited to get that done. The Church Leaders have really been putting a huge emphasis on that lately, and I get more uncomfortable each day we go w/out it. I don't think we could live off our pasta, potato pearls( from who knows how long) and wheat supply alone. Time to revamp!

With all the money flying out, Ben has been working in the office and in the home office doing collections. He really needs to find a office person, but for now he is doing it. It's been kind of nice having him around, especially when I need to pick up kids from school, etc. and Sophia is sleeping. She needed the extra sleep, too, since she wasn't feeling well. She seemed to be doing much better today. She woke up w/ a fever but has been fine since. It was also nice to have Ben around to rescue me from Sam's today. I hadn't been there in awhile and I was afraid I wouldn't be able to fit all the food in my car. He came to my rescue, his office only being 5 minutes away, and helped me unload everything. It was nice. I hate those carts. They get so full and are so heavy to push, especially with a kid in the basket, and one strapped to my chest. They need to motorize them! B/C It take some muscle power to push those things around. How am I not losing weight?!!

Today I was able surprise Boston at lunch. He got in the "hot lunch" line and looked right over to the parent table. I was wondering if he looks every day hoping I'm there. Anyway, when he saw me he was so excited, and I was laughing hysterically inside because I noticed he was wearing his brother jacket, which looks like his but 2 sizes smaller. The sleeves went down to his elbows and it could be considered the first boy mid drift jacket ever. He didn't even notice. When he sat down he pointed out all of his friend to me, and then they were flashing peace signs to each other. Boston finished his pizza fast, b/c Ethan had brought him the best cookies EVER! The frosted animal cookies with the sprinkles on them. Boston was excited to get his teeth into those. Being their my favorite, I snagged a few for myself. After Boston is done w/ lunch, Aubrie comes in within minutes. She acted excited to see me, but it was fake. When she got her lunch and sat w/ me she told me she knew I was here because her 1st grade teacher saw her in the bathroom and told her I was here. Aubrie peeked around the door to make sure it was true, so she already knew. Oh well, she was still excited to see me. Lunch was good, and Ethan had a good time. He likes to bring his food in his lunchbox and then carry it in backpack. It's funny how he gets so excited about doing that, but hates going to school. Again, he cried on Monday and Wednesday. Both times he is so happy when we pick him up and he tells us he had a great time. I can't figure it out. He was so excited to go, so much so he was disappointed that he couldn't go everyday, and now this. What a complete 180!
Things were pretty relaxed after school today. Both of them received 1oo's on their spelling and math, so they didn't have homework. Boston made his Bed before school and without being asked. What kids does that? Anyway, with Soco being here on Tues there wasn't too many things for them to do. So they had play time early, which was nice for them and me.
I was on the phone for about 30 minutes with Abby McGee. There is no such thing as a short phone conversation with Abby. It was nice to talk to her and about her pregnancy. I'm so excited for her. She has a 7 year old and now she is due in April. This is a 7 1/2 year gap. This would be like me having Aburie and then having my second in a few months. What a different life that would be....w/out the boys. The are rambunctious and full of energy and noise, but I couldn't imagine life w/out them.....pretty boring I think?
We had to run some faxes off at Ben's office, since the home fax was having issues. Since we were out Ben suggested we hit the normal spontaneous eating spot, Streets. We eat there all the time and get the same things. Ben gets the Philly, cooked Brett style, and the kids and I eat the kids Alfredo. It's good and filling....perfect for us! After dinner the kid came home and had a water balloon fight with the neighborhood kids. They did that for about a 1/2 hour. Then Ben brought them in to shave the boys hair (it was getting pretty nappy) and then swim. They spent most of their time in the hot tub. Besides the landscapers making a mess out if it, it has been on the chili side these past couple of days. We sure are spoiled, huh? I'm sure our pool is still warmer than my brother's who lives in Cali. Our bodies just acclimate to the heat here, I guess.
Tonight I Made one more purchase at Kirklands, while i was retuning another item. It's a great ironwork that will go over our bed. I think Ben likes it, but wants to play the martyr of me spending all the money.....I still recall the golf clubs that were sent to our house. I'm put a big Christmas bow on it and put it on our bed.
When we got back we watched a movie that I really enjoyed on the Big Screen called, "Holiday". Ben entertained me by watching a girls flick. I think he enjoyed it, but wound admit to anything beyond that:) I just barely took an Ambeium (sp?) and now I can hardly see the screen and type. Guess that's my cue. Goodnight!

Forgetful Tooth Fairy

Aubrie lost another tooth on Monday, at school. She said she was eating one of her carrots and it came out. She was all excited that she was going to get another visit from the Tooth Fairy. I usually put her teeth in these pretty drawstring bags, but I this time I told her to leave it in the toilet paper, she had wrapped it in at school, and put it under her pillow. This morning I woke up to Aubrie by my bedside with a look of disbelief saying, "the Tooth Fairy didn't leave me any money!" Oh no! I totally forgot about it... Panic!!! What do I say to that? I quickly scrambled for something to say and told her that she must had gone to bed to late, and so the Tooth Fairy had to skip her house. She accepted that idea...thank heavens! Aubrie left the tooth, wrapped up in the toilet paper, on her dresser. When she got home form school she was all upset b/c she couldn't find her tooth that she had left on her dresser. Well, the cleaning lady came today and I instantly realized that she probably saw the toilet paper on her dresser and threw it away. I told Aubrie what happened and she was in tears. First she gets "skipped" and then the tooth gets thrown away. I helped her go through the trash, YUCK, and we couldn't find it. I told her I would write the tooth fairy a note. This is what the note said.
"Dear Tooth Fairy, The cleaning lady accidentally threw out Aubrie's tooth. Can you please use your special tooth wand to find it? It's probably in the trash in the garage. Thank you. Ms. Pribyl"
Aubrie was content w/ that and quickly went to bed as to not miss her, again. When I was going through my mail I got this cheapy fake pearl necklace from overstock.com. I put that in a bag w/ her money and wrote this.
"Dear Aubrie, I found your tooth in the trash. It was stinky! Here is a necklace, too. I'm so sorry I missed you last night. The tooth fairy." That should make her feel extra special. I just hope she doesn't recognize my handwriting!
Tonight Aubrie was my big helper. Ben was at the Diamondback game, and it was time to put the boys to bed and Sophia was ready, too! Aubrie gave her a bath, in only a half inch of water, lotioned her, dressed her and fed her. I told her that I was very proud of how she took such good care of her sister, and that Sophia will really love her a lot b/c of how much she serves her. That made her happy!


Today Boston was practing his Christmas Recital Song, for piano. He has Jingle Bells. When he got to the Chorus of the Song he started singing it. It was so funny to see him sing while he was playing. The inflections in his voice were cracking me up. So much so I got it on camera. Then Ethan started making noises and it was making him mad, and he would start all over ever time he had to stop to yell at him. I think I should send it in to America's Funniest!

Last night we were putting Ethan down and he had one of those "puzzle" books. It was one with pop out tools. Ben told Ethan that he needed to put that away b/c it was time for bed. Ethan said "No, I need these in case something gets broken", with a very serious and cute look on his face. He went to bed with the book!:) Today, after the kids were done coloring on the table Ethan got a wash cloth and a dry towel and started wiping down the table. He was very thorough, doing it just like I do. Washing w/ the washcloth and going right over it with the dry towel. A few minutes later I saw him doing the same thing w/ our tile medallion at the front door. Guess he was watching Soco, our cleaning lady, today. Maybe I don't need her anymore?!


Sophia caught her first illness. I guess I should thank my blessings it has been this long. Aubrie and Boston just got over tonsillitis, which was accompanied by a fever and headache. Sophia had a fever yesterday and today and she has also been a little fussy. I realized she probably had tonsillitis when she didn’t want her bottle. I read somewhere that babies don’t like to drink when the have it b/c it hurts their throat. I made her formula on the cooler side and that seemed to help. Because she isn’t feeling well, her sleeping has been a little off. It hasn’t been terribly bad, but she has fussed a little when I put her down and a couple of her naps didn’t last very long. I hate when my little babies don’t feel well. They just don’t understand what is going on and I can’t say anything to make them feel better Sophia has finally got the rolling over thing down. Now that she can roll all over she gets stuck between the “bars” of her play mat. She also get’s a little frustrated now that she see’s something in front of her and can’t get to it. I see her moving herself like she wants to crawl, but she is far from that. After a few minutes she realizes she can roll in that direction and get a hold of it. It’s just those few minutes where she cries and grunts a little until she figures it out.

Look who's 5....months!

Look who is 5 months...and still in 1 diapers, by the way! What a peanut, but we like her that way!

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A Concert and An Early Teenager!

Thankfully I was feeling better on Saturday, so Ben and I were able to go to the concert. The only problem is that I realized that I didn't have anything that really fit, that was appropriate for the event. If it was a normal concert I would have thrown on my jean Capri's and been out the door, but we would be sitting at one of the charity tables and so I needed to look a little nicer. Ben watched the Boy's and Sophia while Aubrie and I went to the mall. Aubrie and I made a quick stop at the Nail Club so I could get a much needed pedicure, and Aubrie was able to get her toes and nails painted. She picked a bright orange and was thrilled when she got a flower painted on her big toe. She was a little impatient waiting for me, wishing she could have had the massage, foot bath, etc... For some reason they just paint her nails, assuming she is too young for all that. Maybe when she turns eight I'll spoil her with a real pedicure. I kept reminding her that I had my first pedicure when she was a month old. She didn't seem to care about that. Her generation is so spoiled! Actually, I don't really remember my Mom getting them at my age either:)
After going through the clothes at Charlotte Russe ,FOREVER, I decided on something simple...jeans and an button up shirt. It was a black long shirt that covered my butt...PERFECT! I just added a splash of color with a red necklace and bracelet and I felt somewhat pretty when I walked out the door! We all had to meet over at the Knights house over in Litchfield, so Ben and I had to leave here at 4:00. My Mom was well prepared for the long night with three blockbuster movies:)
The Limo picked us up at 5:30. There were 5 couples...Scott and Natalie Godown (who invited us to come), Jenny and Jason Knight (the host of the evening) and two other couples who are good friends of the Knights. The limo was kind of a tight squeeze....when they say a 10 person limo they must be thinking of teenagers or something! Not Adults! It was still fun to all ride together and talk. It was also funny to see the faces of people who were driving by. Of course, they couldn't see us b/c the windows are tinted, but we could see them staring at the car. I realized that I hadn't been in a Limo since Jr. High School. Really the only cool thing about it was that we could all socialize face to face. (pictures will be coming later....I forgot my camera, duh!)
We got to the concert around 6:00. The only people they were letting in at that time were the people who had a "charity" table. I guess businesses buy these tables, which all goes to charity. It includes a nice dinner, some gift bags and of course the floor seats at the concert. Jason had called the lady in charge before the concert and asked if she could put the Knight table in the front. When we got there it was the middle table right in the front...pretty nice! Anyway, after dinner they had an auction which lasted about an hour. There was actually some cool things, like a "Dancing with the Stars" package. It included a personal dance lesson and trips to the recordings and things of that nature. I wouldn't have minded winning that one, esp. since Marie Osmond is doing it this year, but I really didn't have 11,000 dollars to spend! Ha!
The concert started out with Cheap Trick. At first it was weird b/c they are so old now. Towards the end they started playing some songs I remembered and they ended w/ one that the kids love to play on Guitar Hero all the time, "Surrender". The lead singer kept looking at our table....that was kind of creepy since they are the age of our Grandpa's! Ha! It was still fun to be up close and take it all in. I kept telling Ben I wish we were that close at the Madonna concert!
After Cheap Trick, Sammy Hagar went on. I wish I would have had more fun with Cheap Trick. We were just saving it up for Sammy, but I was totally unimpressed! The whole concert had a Jimmy Buffet feel, kind of like I was at a Spring Break Party. I actually was very bored in the beginning, but our table was being entertained by an older lady two tables away from us, who obviously had WAY to much wine and making a big fool of herself. We kept thinking how she was going to have to face all those people at the office on Monday!
The concert ended about 11:30, so by the time the Limo took us back to the Knights it was Midnight...ARGH! Of course, we still had a 30 minute drive home. We were so tired, but Ben still had to watch the BYU game he recorded, so we didn't get to sleep until 2:00 AM! I woke up w/ the biggest headache. I don't know how I ever survived those late nights in college, night after night.
Yesterday was church, we didn't make it to sacrament b/c my Headache was so bad. Ethan was also breaking down. I think we have to make sure my Mom puts the kids to bed by a decent hour from now on. We didn't go to Sunday School either, b/c we were watching the kids practice their primary program in the Chapel. It's amazing how they can get all that organized. Young Women's was good. The lesson was on service, and there were some heart touching stories shared. I cried, of course! Last night Erin, Marcee, a couple of Laurels, and I went to wish a new Laurel happy birthday. She is struggling right now and we are hoping that we can help her want to come. We have such a great group of Laurels, she is really missing out on such a great group of girls.
This morning has actually gone well. (I shouldn't jinx myself!). I actually woke up early and laid down w/ Aubrie and Boston before they got ready for school. I made their lunches, did Aubrie's hair and sent them out the door. I then jumped on the Elliptical and Sophia was nice enough to sleep until I was done. About 8:15 I went in to wake Ethan up for School. I swear I have a teenager already! I opened his darkening shades and his shutters and he started mumbling something and then put his covers over his head. I told him it was time to go to school and I put his clothes on his bed. I came down stairs to eat breakfast and all the sudden I heard his door slam. I went to check on him a few minutes later only to find that he had closed his shutters and climbed back in bed. He moaned and complained that he wanted to sleep and didn't want to go to school. What is he going to be like when he is a teenager!
He pulled the same stunt he pulled last week, when I took him to school. He cried and cried saying he wanted to stay home and sleep. I didn't give in this time. I dropped him off and left. I'm sure he doing fine now...guess I'll find out when I pick him up in an hour.

Sickness has struck!

Well these past couple of days have been crazy. Wednesday started off normal. I got up and worked out, yes again, and started to clean up. My Mom got a call on her car, which she had dropped off earlier for repairs. The estimate was well over what was fair, so I had to hurry and make some calls to find a decent price, and then help her pick up her car and drive it to the new repair shop. That ate most of my day, at least it seemed. Luckily I finished my cake Tuesday night b/c there would have been no time to do it. Young Women's went well. Here are some pictures. We had someone speak on Marriage and she did a really good job. Then the girls cut out wedding magazines to start their "wedding planning" folders. We then cut up the cake and enjoyed a little dessert. Oh ya, I bought two dozen pink roses to decorate the cake. I only used about half of them, so we decided to give them to the girls. I was thinking that it was kind of dumb to just say "oh, here is a rose have a great night". So I scrambled to think of something clever. I had all these stems w/ no buds on them, b/c I used them on the cake. Anyway, I decided to say here is a flower and just hand out the stems. As I was doing it the reaction from the girls were so funny. They were all trying to be so nice, one girl even said "Oh, how pretty". But I could see a look of confusion on their faces. I then told them I was kidding and handed them a flower with the rose bud. I compared the "stem" to a civil wedding and the rose to a temple wedding. It was pretty funny and a good analogy.

Thursday was an interesting day. It started w/ Boston waking up around 5:00am saying he wasn't feeling well. I felt his head and it was hot. I told him to climb into bed w/ me. The next thing I know it's 7:30 and Ben had already left to take the kids to school. I figured that Boston must have been feeling better. Then Ethan started crying about 30 minutes before school, saying he didn't want to go. I thought it was kind of weird for him, since he asks to go every day. I drove him there and he was still crying when I dropped him off. I had another Mom go in and check on him and he wasn't doing well. I took him home and he took a nap, until I woke him up around 11:00. I woke him up b/c something told me to go eat lunch with Boston. When I got there I couldn't find him anywhere in the lunch room. Come to find out he was in the nurses office and they were about to call me to pick him up. His teacher said he just started crying during his comprehension test, which isn't like him. Before I left I had the office call Aubrie's teacher to make sure Aubrie was feeling alright. They sent her up to the Nurse to take her temp. but they said she was fine. I came home and put Boston to bed. As I was putting him down he said, "Mom, I want to read my new book." He overheard his teacher tell me that she put a new book in his back pack. He was so excited to read it. I thought, "what sick kid cares about something like that?" He slept for an hour and a half and when he woke up he was all ready to read. By the time I picked up Aubrie, I wasn't feeling well and neither was Aubrie. That's the great thing about school, NOT, all the wonderful viruses the kids bring home with them. We ended up going to Urgent Care after dinner and they said it was tonsillitis. They prescribed some Amoxicillin and a steroid. I always feel like we got our money's worth when we get the "pink stuff"!:)

Today the kids were doing much better, but Aubrie's head and throat still hurt her a lot. We spent the day playing board games, watching TV and trying to nap. Ben had to help his parents move tonight, so I was trying to hold the fort down, make dinner and all of that, SICK! Not fun! Oh well, what can you do? When he got home I soaked my bones in the hot tub and tried to get in some laps in the pool. (I have been missing the work out!) Probably shouldn't have done that b/c now I really feel wiped out. Hopefully I'll feel better tomorrow. We were invited to go to a concert tomorrow. I'm hoping we can make it.

We tried to give Sophia some more cereal today. Here are some pictures. Obviously a left over bib from the boys! Anyway, she did really good when Ben was feeding her. The hardest thing is that she smiles so much it just comes out of her mouth. Oh, she FINALLY rolled over ,back to front, today. She is in no rush to do ANYTHING! Well, now she can go both ways.....no more leaving her on the couch!

Kitchen and Bikes

Go Boston! Cheese ball!

Our comedian! Grumpy!

Poser!

Well I can't have a project just staring me in the face, so at 10:00 last night I started my cakes. I didn't finish till midnight and finish means just the plain cakes. I still had to decorate them. I didn't even clean the dishes I used, which is unlike me, but I was ready for bed...until I got there. I didn't end up falling asleep until 1:00, so Ben let me sleep in, after I fed Sophia her 6:00 a.m bottle. Don't fall over, but I got another work out in today. Not that it matters much for my weight. I'm beginning to wonder if my scale is broken b/c it's stuck on the same number every time I get on regardless of what I eat or don't eat and whether I work out or not. Oh well, there are more things in life to be worried about.

I spent my morning in the kitchen. I had to make the "real" cake that we are actually going to eat (I make all my fondant cakes out of Styrofoam b/c I refuse to eat fondant...YUCK!), then I had to make a dessert for someone , and then clean up, so it just seemed like I was cooking till about 10:30. That's when Sophia woke up, so I took her and Ethan swimming till lunch time. Swimming always makes Sophia tired, so she took a good 3 1/2 hour afternoon nap. Guess I should take her swimming every morning, ha!

The kids took forever getting their responsibilities done today, but luckily it was all done by dinner so they could have some play time. They decided they wanted to ride their bikes.....do they not feel the heat?? Anyway, they had a good time and went next door to our semi-new neighbors to invite their 7 year old boy out to play. They are from Poland, but speak very well English, and so their boy doesn't know anyone. I thought how sad that was and how they have been living here for a few months now and he could have been coming over to play this whole time. I kind of felt guilty that we hadn't been over there sooner to welcome them to the neighborhood. I'm just happy that the kids thought of him and invited him over in the backyard for a little bit. I think that really meant a lot to him.

Well, tomorrow is picture day for the kiddos. Aubrie wants to wear a headband. I'm not to thrilled about that b/c we all know what headbands on kids look like about 10 minutes after their in....awful! I don't think I 'll win this battle, so I guess I'll send her with a hairbrush and tell her to brush it out before. Guess we'll see the outcome a month from now! Guess I better get to bed, looks like another late night for me. Don't think that will ever change!

I did what?

Today Sophia did great! She seems to be back on schedule. Of course, now that I say that she will have to prove me wrong. I was finally able to work out today and it felt great! I found my Shuffle so that helped distract me. It still had the songs on it from when I worked out pre-Sophia. Obviously it's been a long time.
Today is one of those day's where I can't think of what I did, but I felt as though I was busy all day. It seemed like I was picking up the house all day, which doesn't make sense b/c it was pretty clean to begin with. Funny how meaningless things add up so quickly. I guess by the time I worked out showered and picked up upstairs, it was time to get Ethan from preschool. Then I only have a few hours before I have to get Aubrie and Boston. I did spend some of my time trying to figure out what kind of wedding cake I'm going to make for YW on Wed. It's going to be a wedding/marriage theme, and since Erin knows I've made cakes, I got the job. Unfortunately, it has been several years since I have made a "Wilton" cake, since I have opted to do the ice cream cakes for birthday parties. I sure hope it turns out alright.
Oh, weird thing. I was thinking I wanted to put flowers on the cake, particularly yellow roses. Ben called me from Sams and I asked him if they had yellow roses there. He said he wasn't sure. He then came home w/ yellow roses. I asked him if he got those for my cake and he said "No! I had them in my hand when you asked me and I started to look around to see if you were in the store." He was way weirded out!
For Family Home Evening we had a lesson on gratitude. Our neighbors, Bailey and Andrew, brought over a lot of their old books on Saturday and gave them to Aubrie and Boston. Aubrie received about 12 Junie B. Books along with some others, and Boston received about 10 books, also. We made some cookies along w/ a thank you card and delivered them next door to show "thanks"! We also took them to our new (not really, but we haven't met them yet) neighbors on the other side of us. We also took them to a few other families on our block. The kids had a good time and were anxious to get home for the left overs.
We ran a little long and so it was crazy trying to get the kids off to bed and me out the door. I had to get to Micheal's ,for the cake stuff, before it closed. I barely made it. Tomorrow I'm going to attempt the cake. I'll take a picture, if it's not too horrible. Luckily it's not for a real wedding or anything.

mud pie

Mud pies are what I got to eat yesterday. We had a combined, YW and YM, activity at a farm out in Surprise. They call it mud soccer, but it's basically just a huge mud fight. I came prepared, wearing some old clothes, but was hoping to come out of it unscathed. The leaders tried to look busy making sandwiches but we couldn't do that the whole time. Some YW came and grabbed Erin and after seeing her get attacked with mud pies from every direction, I decided to hide behind the other leaders. Erin wasn't going to allow herself to be the only YW leader out there, so she readily volunteered my name when they all were asking "Who's next?" As the YW were dragging me out on the "field" a huge stick went up my pant leg and scratched me pretty bad. I had a huge welt all day. Luckily I was distracted from the pain as I was trying to defend myself from the attack of the pud pies! At one point, one of the YW attacked me from the back and put my face right in the mud. I have to admit that it was fun. Luckily they had plenty of water to rinse ourselves off. Of course, I was welcoming our pool as soon as I got home. It was sure nice to feel clean again. Here are some pictures. I'm hoping to have another of Erin and I real soon.

Yesterday we swam for a long time and then the kids played outside on the trampoline and in the playhouse. I think they were out a little too long because Aubrie swore she had a fever (I think she was just suffering from some heat exhaustion), and Ethan broke down much earlier than normal. We ended our evening with a movie Ben picked up from Target, Black Beauty. I had never seen it and still haven't. I was busy preparing my lesson for Church on Exaltation. I really enjoyed preparing that topic. There was so many great object lessons, I had to narrow them down. I finished up my lesson around 9:00 b/c I wasn't feeling so good. I guess rolling around where Cows hang out could be a potential problem:) Of course, by the time I laid out clothes, prepared the church bag, read scriptures, etc...it was past 10:00.

This morning I wasn't sure I was going to make it to church. My stomach was turning, and my allergies were acting up. I laid in bed thinking "I'll just go for YW". Something said "Rachel, get out of bed. You'll be alright!" I'm glad I did. It was a GREAT sacrament. The spirit was strong! It ran a little over, but the kids did so well. I didn't even have to take Sophia out! Sunday school was great too, again Sophia did great.

The YW lesson went well. The girls and leaders are always so good at participating and making great comments. I love teaching the Laurels. They are such a great group of girls who KNOW the Gospel. I feel lucky to teach them.

Now we are just enjoying a relaxing Sunday. The kids are playing "babies" right now. They set up a fort in the boys room and basically pretend they are a family. A few minutes ago I heard Aubrie say, "Come on let's go to Chuck E Cheese". The boys started to follow her downstairs. Ethan called to Boston, "Come on Daddy!" I asked him if Boston was the Daddy what he was. He said he was the son and Aubrie was the Mommy. Aubrie was holding a doll and I said is that your sister, and Aubrie said "yes she is the sister and she is sick today". I love when they play like this. I hope it stays that way. I definitely need to rest! I need to feel better for another week of LIFE!:)

Lazy Day

Today Ethan and I just chilled. I was recouping from a 3:00 am wake up call from Sophia. I made her cry it out, but probably should have just fed her b/c she woke back up at 4:30. She took two really short morning naps, which was really frustrating, but at least she was happy when she was up. Ben picked the kids up from school, so I didn't have to wake her from her third nap, which lasted over 3 hours!! Wish she could do that when Ben wasn't here!
Once she woke up we took the kids to the Outback. They were really well behaved, so much so that the server told me "your kids are so well behaved" as we were walking out. I just smiled and said "thanks" and was thinking if only they were like that all the time. I have to admit that going out isn't as crazy as it used to be. The kids are content to color and when the food comes we don't have to bug them to eat. I remember the days when even thinking about taking the kids to a nice restaurant made me cringe. Of course its a trade off, having an enjoyable dinner means that my little babies are growing up.
After dinner we stopped by Ben's parents new house. They have been wanting us to see it. So we got that out of the way. We then had to get home so Aubrie and I could go crash a birthday party. Kayleen Brazelton turned 18 today and her parents threw her a surprise party. It was fun! They had a dunk tank. Aubrie got in it and was dunked 3 times. I had a white shirt on so luckily that exempted me from going in there:) I did get in on the water balloon action. It was a little risky with the white shirt and all, but I just couldn't resist! Besides that I just stood around and talked, while Aubrie had fun doing everything. Aubrie had a blast and she wasn't intimidated by the fact that she was surrounded by a bunch of teenagers. That's my Aubrie.

play date

Today went well, considering it was a full house. I watched Erin's girls so she could eat lunch with Eliza. Libby and Ethan played well together, while Ellie did her own thing, mainly playing with Aubrie's dolls. Hattie and Sophia just laid on the play mat and grabbed at toys and each other. It was kind of interesting having the two babies. I never have watched two babies at the same time. Luckily they are both really easy, so I didn't have to do much. The only tricky thing was timing their feedings just right. I had to make sure Hattie was fed before Sophia started screaming for her bottle. I was getting a glimpse of what my Mom had to do with her twins! After about and hour, Kristina dropped off her son, Andrew, so she could go to her Dr. Appt. Still, everything went smoothly. When Erin got back ,one of our friends came over and brought her son and we all went swimming. Sophia only slept for about and hour, so that wasn't so great. But beside that, all was well!

Tonight was very laid back. The kids didn't have homework and Aubrie didn't have to study for tests b/c she got 100 on both her Math and Spelling pre-test! I love when that happens b/c we don't have to spend Thurs. night studying. After they had their snack, they went upstairs to do chores. I was downstairs lying on the couch, while Sophia was playing on her mat. I dozed off for a little bit. I realized I hadn't heard any noises from Sophia for a bit and when I opened my eyes to check on her she was gone. I thought for a second that Ben might have come home and taken her. I called for Ben and got no response. I then called to Aubrie to see if she had taken her. She came in and closed the blinds and put a blanket on me and said "Mom, I put her in her crib so you could get some rest. Don't worry, Ethan is playing with her while I finish my chores and then I'll watch her". Sometimes she can act so grown up and then other times....well you know!
I really couldn't sleep, so I got up to help Aubrie finish up her piano practice. She was practicing with it turned down really low (while yelling up to the boys to be quite in the meantime) so as not to wake me:) When Ben got home he let Aubrie pick dinner b/c she did well on her tests. The truth is we didn't feel like making dinner, so we made it out to be a "reward" for her good grades!:) Aubrie picked pizza, and was very specific as to what kind she wanted...Papa Johns! We love their pizza, but hate driving that far. We wish she would have chosen Sardella's. Oh well!
Ben took Ethan with him to get the pizza. Sophia was sleeping and Aubrie and Boston played video games, so I had about 40 minutes of quiete time...it was nice!! I got all my journals out yesterday and they were calling my name. I started to read one from the end of my Sophomore year of college. I love reading my journals, but rarely do b/c it's so addicting. I can't ever put them down. There is nothing like reading your own story. I'm always amazed at how I have changed so much while still staying the same in so many ways! I also get a kick out of the things I thought were so important, that really weren't. I was able to get in about 6 months of my life before Ben got home. That is pretty good, b/c back then I wrote almost every other day!
After dinner, we went swimming. It's so nice swimming after a storm. It was nice and cool outside and the hot tub was enjoyable. While we were in the hot tub we were asking the boys what they wanted to be. Boston always says he wants to be a missionary. It's very sweet, but he doesn't understand that he has to do something after his mission. Ethan said he wanted to climb mountains, drive race cars and do "other worker stuff"!

Running Around

Yesterday I ran a few morning errands. Ethan really wanted a cupcake, and I told him he could have two if he was really good. He did great! He held onto the cart the whole time we were in the grocery store and didn't get into trouble at the book store. We got home in time for lunch, so he could have his cupcakes ( he didn't let me forget!) While I was at the grocery store, I went down the baby food isle. I usually start my kids on baby food at 4 months, but since Sophia is bottle fed I haven't really thought about it. I decided to buy some and try it. I started w/ some carrots and she wanted nothing to do with it! Oh well, its more of a hassle anyway.
After I put Sophia down, Ethan and I sat down and painted. I usually just let him go for it on his own, but he asked me so sweetly I couldn't deny him. I actually enjoyed it! If it weren't so hot outside (yes we did it outside on the table, I just cleaned my floors! ) we probably would have done it longer. Things were crazy once the kids got home. I had to be out the door by 5:15, so I was hurrying to get dinner along and trying to make sure Aubrie finished everything so she could go with me. We went with Erin and her daughter ,Eliza, to drop off a birthday gift for one of our Young Women, and then we went to Mountain Ridge high school to see another YW play volleyball. It was a fun time chatting and partially watching the game. It's been a long time since I have watched volleyball. It just reminded me of the good ole days of YW volleyball and summers filled with pool volleyball:( Oh, this was weird. When I got home Ben and I were watching the news and they did something on high school sports and the heat. They realized they were filming at Mountain Ridge while we were in the gym. I went outside to make a call the time that they had stamped the footage. I didn't even notice the news trucks!

Today I felt like I was running all over the place, and poor Sophia got the brunt of it. Sophia slept through the night....till 6:45! I tried to feed her and put her back down and I thought it worked, until I heard her talking to herself about 20 minutes later. She was on her back kicking around. I knew I was in trouble b/c I knew she would be ready for bed again at 8 and Ethan had preschool at 9. So she got in 45 minutes of sleep until I had to wake her. Then she got back to sleep at 10:15, only for me to wake her an hour later so I could meet Boston for lunch. Boston was excited, but wanted to know where his McDonald's Happy Meal was. I told him I was just there to visit and if that was good enough. He got the hint! He showed me Emma again, scarfed his food down and played with Sophia a little. I stuck around this time to see Aubrie for just a second, she has lunch right after him. I let her hold Sophia for a second and then I had to take off to get Ethan from School. We came home and Ethan picked out a movie while I went through some journals, trying to find something for my lesson on Sunday. Sophia didn't go back down till 1:00. I had to wake her up at 2:15 to pick up the kids and take them to piano. I came home and tried the solids again, cereal this time, but she wasn't really interested. I decided to try when she is 6 months. I then had to head back out to drop a gift off to a friend and pick up the kids from piano. Sophia was being so quiet. I looked back and she was OUT!! I was able to transfer her from the car. I think she just had enough.
Tonight Aubrie and I downloaded some pictures for one of her projects while Ben and the boys swam. Sophia went to bed before 7 tonight. She needed to catch up on sleep, I guess. She is sleeping well in her crib at night. I started putting her back in the potable crib for her naps. She seems to like it that way, and it's not a big deal, so why mess with it!
Oh, I forgot to mention that I bought Boston another Book of Mormon action figure while I was at the Bookstore. He was excited to get it. He wanted to take them to school, but I told him toys weren't allowed, and I definitely didn't want to push that issue with religious toys! I let him take a few in the car, but told him he had to leave them there when he got to school. Well when I picked them up and was on the way to piano, I noticed Aubrie and Boston were playing some type of game in the back. After listening, I realized Aubrie was holding up the figures to "quiz" Boston on how fast he could tell her what figure they were. I was thinking "how many kids are spending their time memorizing BOM characters right now?" Too funny!

Labor Day?

Today was Labor Day; never really understood that! Shouldn't it be Non-Labor Day, since people take off work and rest from their labors? Go figure?! I guess I didn't really rest from my daily labors. Hmmmm... I still made dinner, cleaned up messes, went to the grocery store, changed diapers, etc.... Guess I got some help from Ben, so it was a partial relief.
I'll take it!

Today we really did take things easy. Ben fed Sophia this morning, but I still didn't sleep. I was wondering the whole time whether he fed her the right amount and whether he knew to put her on her stomach, and if he even realized she went right back down. When he got back to bed I was still awake and the sun was out, so I climbed in Aubrie's bed (she has those awesome room darkening shades...Ahhh). I finally got up at 8:30. Ben and I made breakfast and got the kids to hurry through chores and piano practice, so we could head to the store.

For some reason I always feel like we are more of a circus show when Ben is added to the mix. I don't know if it's b/c there is one more body, or if the kids know my routine and don't try to pull anything when it's just me. Check out was the craziest! Sophia started to fuss b/c she was hungry. Aubrie and Boston each paid for a toy on their own, which takes FOREVER! They have to get their money out of their wallets and figure out the change etc. and then putting their change back is so hard for some reason. I think the receipt always throws them off. When Aubrie and Boston were done, I took all the kids to the car while Ben checked out.

By then it was lunch time so we decided to stop at Wendy's. It was actually pretty calm, until the end when Ethan said the funniest thing that set us all into a goofy mood. The kids were talking about the movie Underdog and their favorite parts. Ethan, out of the blue, said "my favorite part is when Underdog died." I just stared rolling and couldn't stop laughing b/c what the heck?!!! He doesn't even die in that movie anyway, I think, and the way he said it was so nonchalant. After that we all started laughing at the silliest things. I'm sure people were curious as to what was in our food. LOL
When we got home Ben watched some golf while I rested. We then swam for 2 1/2 hours!! I actually treaded water for 30 minutes. Not that I'll notice anything when I get on the scale!!
After that Ben made some of his famous Carmel Corn and he and the kids delivered it to some church leaders today to thank them for their "labors". We then had dinner, a short lesson on gratitude and accountability. Then it was off to bed for the kids.

Oh, I forgot to tell of my great misfortune yesterday. So I was putting clothes away in my room and I accidentally kicked my coffee table/chest that sits at the end of the bed. I have done this before and it hurts like the dickens!! I ran out of the room not wanting to wake Sophia, who was sleeping in our closet, as I let out a yelp of pain. Once I got out of my room I looked down and my toe was bleeding BIG TIME! It split my nail right down the middle and ripped the right half of that sucker right off. GROSS I know!!! My kids were worried and were all trying to take care of me. Guess that 's one way to get some attention. Hee, hee! Now, how am I going to explain this to the lady who does my pedicures? LOL

Weekend Update

Thursday was normal...thank Heavens!! No news is sometimes the best news, right? The kids had a normal day, and that evening my Mom and I were able to catch a movie. She has been begging to see Becoming Jane, a movie about Jane Austen. I didn't realize that was who the movie was about till the very end. It was slow and sad, but good to know her story. Her life was a lot like her books!

Friday I did a lot of organizing, part of a project I'm doing for PP. I have been putting it off since we moved here. I have been conquering closets...getting them ready for food storage. It felt good to purge myself of all our junk! Ben finally went to the doctor for a tetanus shot and the spots on his back. He then had a round of golf with Sione. We didn't have our normal date night. My Mom left for Texas around 4:00, with my brother Joe, so we didn't have a sitter. As soon as Sophia woke up from her afternoon nap, I surprised the kids and took them to Chuck E Cheese. On my way there I was thinking how I would have never attempted that place by myself when it was just Aubrie and Boston. Now I'm not even flinching to take all four kids by myself!

Right by Chuck E Cheese is one of my favorite Mexican spots, Mixteca. I told them that's where we were going. There was actually no complaining, and Boston actually said "Oh, I love those quesadilla's!" What?? Oh ya, Aubrie new about the secret b/c she keeps the coupons in her room (how funny is that?) and I had to ask her for one. As I started to turn into Mixteca I made a quick turn toward Chuck E and the kids were all ecstatic. The promised to be good and listened to everything I said. As I was in line and getting out my coupon and Chuck E. Cheese cups, the couple behind me said "Look at you! You have four kids and you are still organized"! I just laughed thinking inside that they should have seen my life a few days ago as my child was running away, and my baby didn't want to sleep all day.

I ordered everything and got a good spot right in the middle of everything. Aubrie helped me get my salad and fill the drinks and the Ethan stayed close since I only gave him one token at a time. He and Boston played air hockey, that was right by our table, for about 10 minutes. They both were having a good time, and Ethan gave him a pretty good game! The pizza came and I made the kids eat a piece before they played more games. Ben arrived half way through eating pizza, just in time...as Sophia started to fuss! After the kids ate their first piece they got to play another game. After that, Ethan was so cute. He would get a token, play a game, bring back his tickets and put them in his cup, take a bite of pizza, wipe his hands and mouth, take a sip of soda, and grab another token. He did this routine the whole time. Aubrie and Boston scarfed their second piece down and collaborated at getting the longest ticked chain ever. Boston would run and grab tokens while Aubrie fed them in the "Chance" machine. They ended up with a ticket chain of 175 tickets. The girl at the ticket counter was so cool. She didn't even add up the tickets and basically gave me the look that it didn't matter. I didn't want to take advantage, so I told the kids to pick two things each. After Chuck E, we came home swam and watched Robin Hood, with some home editing. The kids loved it!

Saturday Ben cleaned out the small garage and I cleaned out the pantry...only a few bedroom closets to go!! Yeah! Aubrie spent the day at Alexis' and the boys went to Home Depot for their "kids" Saturday. The boys came home and painted their projects and swam. When Aubrie got home, Ben took the kids to Target and they picked up a Slip and Slide and some steaks for dinner. They had a great time sliding on the slip and slide, reminded me of the simple day when I was a kid! After the steak dinner, we swam (do I really need to say that anymore? LOL) ,and watched National Treasure. We totally forgot that we had that. We are always trying to find movies the kids can watch and can't believe we forgot about that Disney movie! The are excited for the new one to come out.

Today was church. Things ran pretty smooth until it got out and Aubrie's teacher told me she left the group and went to the bathroom w/ out permission. I was so furious since this just happened. She said "but Mom I didn't leave the church". She then said her earring was coming out and she had to fix it. I had to explain to her that her teacher is responsible for her she can't leave the group without her permission. She said " I was so good in class Mom, I just needed to fix my earring". It's so hard to explain to her things that are not appropriate for her to do at her age. She probably sees the Senior Primary kids doing something like that and thinks "I'm sure that's alright for me to do". So INDEPENDENT she is!! (My Star Wars coming out there, ha!)

When we got home I made her spend a few hours in her room, reading! She then tried to suck up big time by recruiting the boys into making an indoor "tea party"! (Herbal tea of course:) They set up the tea set on the upstairs table, had bowls of applesauce, grapes, and miniature marshmallows on our saucers. It was very cute! I can't believe I forgot to take a picture!

After dinner we did our normal ritual, Funniest Home Videos. Sophia had a hard time going down, again, so I finally decided to give her a cereal bottle and she seemed much happier. After her last appointment I stopped giving them to her b/c the doctor said they didn't really make a difference. I don't think I really agree with that b/c her naps have been worse and she hasn't been falling asleep as soon as I lay her down. Of course she is rolling over on her back now, so I'm sure that has something to do with it. I'm still going to try the cereal again and see if it gets better.

Wow! That was a long entry. That's what happens when you don't write for a few days!!