Still sick and carving pumpkins

Here is a picture I took the other night when the kids stayed up late to watch a movie. Guess Ben makes a good pillow!

Anway, today didn't really go as planned. I was planning on dropping Ethan off at school and then head off to Sophia's 6 month appointment. Instead, Ethan woke up throwing up, so I had to call Ben home to stay with him while I went to her appointment. Poor Ethan was so pathetic. He couldn't even keep down some Tylenol I gave him for his fever. It all ended up on himself and Ben! I had a lot of laundry to do when I got back. I had to strip his bedding and so he got the special "sick" bedding. It's old Buzz Light Year bedding that I put on the boys beds while I wash their sick ones. It makes them feel a little special.

Sophia's appointment went well. The wait was a little longer than usual, about 20 minutes, but once I got in it went pretty fast. She had Dr. Mitra. I like him a lot. We just talked about different medical philosophies until we realized we were ignoring the main reason we were there, to check Sophia. I like a Dr. who doesn't make me feel rushed. Anyway, he said that she looked great! She weighed in at 14lbs. 5oz, which was the 15th percentile. He said she is still following the same growth curve, and so there was nothing to be worried about. She was just petite! She is tall, however, 26 3/4 inches...the 75th percentile. Definitely Ben's genes working there. Poor thing had 5 vaccines today, along with a flu shot. She did pretty well, considering. She cried as they were sticking her ( Hate that more than anything), and as soon as I held her she stopped crying. She slept well this afternoon, but tonight was a little fussy. Poor thing!

When I got home I told Ethan he needed a nap. He was so cooperative. He just walked upstairs, climbed in bed and was out within minutes. He apparently wasn't feeling well. He woke up around 3:30 and was feeling himself, again. He wouldn't stop eating from the time he woke up until dinner. Guess he was making up for not eating anything before then. Poor boy could hardly drink water this morning!

After dinner tonight, we decorated our pumpkins for Halloween. They are small pumpkins and so we were able to finish them really fast. Good thing, since Monday's are crazy with Aubrie's dance, FHE, etc.

While we were carving pumpkins I asked Ben to get my Halloween container, hoping that I still had one of my carving kits. Unfortunately there wasn't one, but Ethan found some stuff in there he liked. Here is what he did with the fake flowers he found in there.

Hopefully tomorrow will be uneventful. We are having our year walk through tomorrow. I can't believe we have almost been here a year already. Time has flown by!

Aubrie's fancy nails!! They don't even look like kid hands, huh? They only lasted a few hours! Long enough to scratch my back!

Aubrie's new 150 piece puzzle...she couldn't keep Boston away!

Boston Sweeps World Series!

The Red Sox did it again! For some reason them winning the World Series wasn't as exciting as it was in 2004! Of course, it had been 80 something years since they had won it and now it has only been 3. It was cool to see them win it again, and we even thought for a second it would be somewhat cool to wear our Red Sox shirts in our Christmas picture. Ha! We did figure out that every year I had a baby in Arizona the Red Sox have won the World Series. Good thing I'm fixed, our who knows what Ben would do. LOL! Anyway, good series! Too bad Boston fell asleep and missed them win!

McGee's visit

There is so much to catch up. I'm sure I will leave out some things. The McGee's got in Monday night. After Ben picked them up from the airport, they came here for a quick dinner before we headed up to Williams. The drive up was uneventful, which is a good thing. Ben and Jason talked up front, while Abbie and I caught up in back. The kids watched a movie and fell asleep about 20 minutes before we got to the hotel. When we got there we were all starving. Ben and Jason left to get food only to come back with a bunch of junk from the gas station. Apparently nothing else is open past 10:00 pm in Williams. We were also planning on swimming, but this particular Fairfield had to be the only one w/out an indoor pool, except for the one at Disneyland, but that's in California. HELLO! The kids were disappointed, but found a way to have a good time in the hotel rooms. So much so, one of our neighbors banged on the wall. The kids just hit the wall back. I guess they thought it was a game. A few minutes later the manager came, and we decided it was bedtime!

Tuesday morning we started off w/ the free breakfast. We were starving! The kids loved it...and I loved that they were old enough to serve themselves!!! After breakfast, we headed over to the train. Before departure time, they had a cowboy shootout performance. The kids had a good time watching that. They didn't enjoy the smell of the horse poop, but luckily they scooped it up pretty fast. I don't know how Abbie held her breakfast down? She is 14 weeks pregnant and still has a queasy stomach. At 10:00 am our train left for the Grand Canyon. It was a 2 hour ride. The kids liked the music and the refreshment car. They made a few trips back there and filled their bellies w/ a lot of junk.
The Grand Canyon was nice, but didn't really compare to the Havasupia experience. It was still amazing to see how deep the hole really is and all the layers, etc. I wish we had more time to stop at more points. Boston was really freaked out at first, because a four year old girl just recently fell in and died. Once he took a few looks, he got almost too comfortable. Boston, Aubrie and Sydney had fun looking through their binoculars at all the different spots. I purchased one of those backpack harnesses for Ethan. He didn't like it at first, and neither did Ben. He wanted me to take it off him, but I figured my son's life was worth more than what others thought. We didn't even get any looks. I think everyone was glad to see we were using precaution! Ethan got used to it and by the end liked it. After we finished taking the free shuttle around, we had lunch at Bright Angels Lodge. The food was overpriced and average, but we had a view of the Grand Canyon while we were eating, so that was nice. Ethan was so tired he fell asleep in Ben's arms before the food came. We had to box it up for the train ride. I guess he isn't used to so much excitement. After lunch, we strolled back toward the train depot and then headed back home. The ride back was the same; entertainment, refreshment car, free drinks. We did have a little more excitement. The cowboys held up the train and "took our money", or more like our donations. They spent a lot of time talking to the kids (they recognized them from the shoot out) and the kids ate it up. The kids were giving them a hard time and our car was getting a good laugh out of it. We have so many pictures from it all, I don't know what ones to post. I do know that I want a new camera. The McGee's have a new 10 MP camera and it takes the BEST pictures. I thought I just lost my touch b/c my pictures were so much better when I used to have my 35 mm. Now I want their camera...so NICE!!!
Anyway, on the way home we had a little excitement. Our suspension warning came on and when we stopped to check the car out. Our tire was hitting the rim of the tire well. Ben tried driving it for about 5 minutes, until he realized it wasn't going to work. We put our spare on, which is a normal tire, and that luckily got us home safely. Thank heavens for our custom wheels! I never thought they served a purpose till then. Also, I'm so glad our car is still under warranty. Whew!

Wednesday I moved the kids piano lesson to the morning, so we could head out to the state fair early. Wednesday is dollar ride day at the fair. It's such a good deal! We got there around 2:00 and it couldn't have been a better time. It was so empty! We had a GREAT time! Sophia was perfect and I only ate a funnel cake (big accomplishment). We bought 80 rides between the two families and the kids rode about every ride they wanted, except the ones they were too short to ride. Poor Ethan had to hang back on a lot of rides. He was fearless, running up to rides that were clearly too big for him. We actually snuck him on a few that were harmless, like the log ride. We squeezed 6 on the ride, so Ethan was pinned in between Jason and I and he wasn't going anywhere. He LOVED that ride along with the other kids. I would say that was their favorite along w/ the GREEN roller coaster. Jason and I rode most of the rides w/ the kids. Abbie couldn't ride anything and Ben refuses to do the water rides or any of the "motion" rides. I had to go on a few of the spinning rides, and almost lost my water! Oh how I sacrifice for my children. Ha!
We got home around 5:00. We just picked up some take out and enjoyed the hot tub. After the kids went to bed, we finally played some cards with the McGees. That is something we have always done with them. We used to hang out at each others house almost every night when Aubrie was a baby. We started with Canasta, and some how started playing Spades. So now we always play Spades. It's Abbie and I against Ben and Jason. So far Abbie and I are the reigning champions and still are:)

Thursday the girls went shopping while the boys hung out and did guy stuff; fix our electronic set up for our TV's, watch Transformers for the millionth time, etc. We then swam, fed the kids some dinner, and luckily were able to find a sitter so we could enjoy a dinner out. We had a nice time at the Cheesecake Factory. I got my favorite dish; the fish Tacos. When we got home we had a few hours to play some more games and finally after midnight we called it a night and went to bed:(

Friday morning the kids went to school b/c the McGee's left that morning to go back home. I was so sad to see them leave. Their trip went so fast. Aubrie and Sydney had such a great time together. They were inseparable and enjoyed their late nights bunking in Sophia's room (she slept in ours) in their blow up sleeping bags. They did everything from playing Uno, listening to music, playing w/ dolls, playing w/ their webkinz online(under supervision of course) playing in the backyard, shopping and buying matching cloths, etc. They are already planning their trips to visit one another:) Aubrie wants to go to there house first b/c they have 7 cats! Not a big surprise from my little animal whisper! LOL
Friday night Ben and I had our date night. We had dinner at In and Out! How funny is that? Nothing else sounded good to us after all our eating out w/ the McGee's. That also gave us plenty of time to catch a movie. We saw "Dan in Real Life". It was such a great "feel good" movie. When we got home the kids were finishing up their movie "Meet the Robinsons". That was a "feel good" movie, too. So we went to bed on a high note. Ha!

Saturday we didn't do much. Boston had another T-ball game, but Ethan had pink eye, so I kept him home. Boston had a great game, so Ben stopped at Sonic to get him something. Ben swam w/ the kids while Aubrie and I tried to find some black Sunday shoes. Doesn't anyone go to church anymore? It took me 5 stores before I could find some decent ones, argh! After we got back, we made our dreaded weekly trip to Walmart. It's really not so bad, but going on a Saturday isn't the best idea. Unfortunately we were pretty wiped out after the company, so we had to restock on a few things. Of course, you just don't go there for a few things. So we ended up coming out w/ several things not on the list, including a Halloween costume for Ethan. I realized that he never has had a new costume. He has always wore the hand me downs. So this year we let him pick out something. He picked out a Superman costume and is already wearing it around the house!:)
After we got home, Aubrie put on some fake nails the I reluctantly bought her. What 7 year old need nails, right?! Well I definitely changed my mind after she scratched my back, arms and legs!! The best $4.oo I ever spent. Aubrie got smart today and started charging money for a back scratch (not me of course). After she scratched Ben's back, she said I need 2 dollars. Ben asked her why and she said "because this is Aubrie's Spa and that's how much it costs".
Saturday night we watched the Red Sox win another game. Ben had to run and give his Mom a blessing during the beginning of the game and when he got back they were ahead 6 to 0! I told Ben he should take off and serve someone else to clinch the win! Ha! While Ben was gone, I was trying to hold the fort down. Boston was so sweet, wanting to help me bathe Sophia. He was so gentle with her. He, too, will make a good babysitter! Oh, speaking of Boston, Saturday morning Ben said he came out front to find Boston in the small garage. He asked him what he was doing and he told him "he was organizing the garage b/c it was driving him crazy!".....he is so my son. Anyway, back to Saturday night. While Ben was gone, Aubrie wanted to put Sophia down. She rocked her and fed her a bottle and put her in her crib. She did that tonight, too! She definitely has that mothers instinct! When Ben got home I played Uno with the kids while Ben finished watching the game. As we were putting the kids to bed, Aubrie's eyed started looking crusty; darn it! That's when we knew we wouldn't be making it to church.

Today we just took turns taking naps, we have had too many "wake up calls" the past few nights! We also made some Halloween sugar cookies, practiced piano, watched some church videos, and had our home teachers over. Oh, we also had to get some more eye drops. Our first trip over there they were trying to give us eye drops that cost 55 dollars. I told them I never have spent that much for "pink eye" drops. Finally, an hour later, Ben picked up another type of eye drop that only cost 3 dollars! What were they thinking?!!!! I was almost panicking there for a second, especially since I needed two!
Now it's very late! I hate playing catch up on journaling, but there was really no time while our company was here. I'm sure I left out plenty, but something is better than nothing! Pictures will have to wait until tomorrow!

Go Red Sox!!

I have a confession to make, I have sinned! I have somehow managed to instill a "no sports" rule on Sunday, which is a miracle to say the least. Ben grew up in a home that was full of sports games on Sunday. I, on the other hand, grew up in a home where we never watched sports. My Dad would watch an occasional baseball game here or there, but that was about it. After we had kids I slowly started this no TV rule (except church movies) and that also included sports. I thought time could be better spent as a family. Of course, I didn't impose that rule on Ben, but after the kids got after him so many times he resorted to watching them in the bedroom and eventually resorted to catching a few highlights at night, after the kids were in bed. To me that was progress, and I am happy with that. However, today I broke my own rule. I knew Ben was probably wondering what I was going to do about the whole thing, but when I came down stairs in my new Boston shirt he had a huge grin on his face and gave me a huge hug. The kids had fun catching the first few innings while we ate dinner. After dinner we missed the middle of the game while the kids practiced piano, took baths, read and went down for the night. We picked things back up around the 6th inning and Ben and I enjoyed about an hour of watching the Boston win the Pennant. I have to admit it was fun spending that time with Ben. It is a rare moment where he and I are both "into" a game. Now I must go and repent! ha!!

The rest of the day has been great! My lesson, though very rushed, turned out well. The girls were very quite at first, not wanting to comment on anything. I brought that to their attention, and after that they contributed a little more. It's such a delicate subject and I put a lot of prayer into it!!!!! I hope I handled it well. I think I did, so I'll just keep believing that! After church, the kids and I watched some Living Scriptures while Ben and Sophia napped. We then spent most of the day out back. It was so cool and breezy outside; it was wonderful! Around 5 I left for a visiting teaching appointment, and when I got home Ben had dinner going...how nice!!! Tomorrow I have to gear up for the trip. It shouldn't be very hard to pack for one night, especially since I won't be packing for Sophia. This will be the first time I'm away from her overnight! She does so well at home, and I'm sure my Mom will have so much fun with her. She is starting to put on some baby fat, finally! I love squeezing her little thighs, and love watching her make her "cheese" face. She is also trying to get on all fours and push herself around. Personally, I hope I don't see any crawling until after Christmas, but it's nice to see that she catching up!

relaxing weekend at home

Last night was fun. We had some semi-new couple ,from the ward, over for a BBQ. Ben went to High School w/ the wife, but didn't know it until they started talking at church one day. We have been trying to get together for quite awhile, but our schedules never seemed to match up. They are a very nice couple and so down to earth. They have a 4 year old son who played wonderfully with Ethan. We just sat outside and talked until 10:00! Luckily the kids had their new Transformer movie to keep them entertained between playing in the backyard.
Today was relaxing, for the most part. Ben took the boys to Boston's 8:00 am T-ball game, while I stayed home w/ the girls. Aubrie and Sophia were still sleeping and waking a sleeping baby is just not right!!! Ok, I have to admit I was enjoying the fact that I got to sleep in a little, too! Ben said Boston had another good game and Ethan behaved himself.
While they were at the game I started one of my love/hate tasks...washing all the bedding. I HATE making up the boys beds! They are pushed against the walls and it makes it so hard to get all those corners and sides tucked in. On the other hand, I LOVE the smell of clean fresh sheets, AH!
After the boys got home , Ben planted the 45 gallon pygmy palm that has been haunting him on our back porch for the past two weeks. Ethan was so cute out there w/ his shovel, thinking he was helping him. While Ben did that, Aubrie, Boston and I took some Halloween cookies to some neighbors. As a result, a few neighbor kids came over to swim. The weather was so nice, I was able to sit outside and prepare my lesson while I watched them. After about 3 1/2 hours of swimming, lunch, playing in the backyard, and swimming again, we had to end the fun to run a few errands.
Boston got all greens last week, which is an accomplishment for him. He is learning to keep his mouth shut when he finishes his work, which has been very hard for him. The teacher said he finishes so much faster than every one else, and since he has the gift of the gab it is actually quite the miracle. To reward him we took him to the dollar store and let him pick out a toy. He thought that was the coolest thing. I better enjoy it while it lasts! Boston and Aubrie brought their own money w/ them so they also bought a few things on their own. Ethan had fallen asleep in the car on the way there, so Ben sat in the car while I took them in. Aubrie said, "Mom, don't let me forget to buy something for Ethan because I don't want him to be sad". It's funny how they all fight, but then also look out for one another. I told Ben about that and he told me that today at T-ball one of the parents brought doughnuts. Boston went up to the Mom and said "Can I have a doughnut for my sister, b/c I don't want her to be sad when she finds out we had one"! I guess we are getting through to them on some levels!:)
After a few other errands, we came home and watched the Boston game. They crushed Cleveland 12-2. YEAH, go RED SOX!!! One more game and they are off to the World Series!!
During the game, Boston (our Boston) started complaining of a stomach ache. He has been getting them frequently, so I didn't think much of it. He kept complaining more and more until he started running to the trash can. He just threw up in the kitchen trash can, while the other two kids were eating dinner (YUCK)! He didn't' cry or anything and when he was done he just walked away like nothing happened, and finished watching the movie he had on. I think Aubrie was more affected by the whole thing. She told me she couldn't finish her dinner b/c she was too "sicked out"! Boston feels good as new, but was very tired and fell asleep during scripture.
Ben is off to another one of his "ultimate fighting" nights....whatever?! I put up with it, but don't understand it! After he left, I finished up few things for my lesson.
I have the pleasure of giving the "Sacred Power of Procreation" lesson. I'm actually not nervous about the content, but nervous that I might leave something really important out. I hope it all goes well. Luckily I'm teaching the Laurels and not the Beehives. Maturity will definitely help my lesson....no giggles, smiles, gasps, etc.!

"Hairspray!!!!"

So I have to start this out with a funny. It actually happened last week, but I forgot to write about it. Ben, in his excitement due to the new Transformers movie coming to DVD, said to Boston as he was doing some weird movements with his body (trying to impersonate a transformer), "Boston! Guess whats coming out to DVD?" Boston yells with excitement, "Hairspray!" I never have been so proud, except when I hear him sing all the words to the High School Musical songs! The girls are going to love him!!!

So today...... not eventful! It' s was one of those days where I was running all around my house from one task to the next and not feeling like I had anything to show for it. I was able to find some time to paint w/ Ethan. Painting and Playdoh are 2 things that a treat for him. It seems like it takes forever to set up and clean up those two things, so we don't do them as often as he would like.
Tonight the I took the kids to the book fair. Aubrie made it out of there w/ a High School Musical Book and a few Hannah Montana books. She was talking about one of the Hannah books all week. When we got home she went straight to her room and started reading one on her own. That isn't like her at all. Glad she found something that interests her like that. Boston picked out a few Transformers books and I grabbed a few easy readers for him. He wasn't too excited about them, but after I told him they would help him learn to read the Transformer books, he was more excited.
The book fair went faster than expected, so I was able to make it to Enrichment. It was a "get to know you" night. They had you bring three things in a box that would tell something about you and then after a minute or so people would switch. I wasn't planning on going, so I just used things from my purse. It worked better that way. I didn't have to tell people things I'm too embarrassed to share anyway. I'm definitely not meant to be famous. I can hardly handle a compliment. Doesn't mean I still won't take them. Ha! It was fun just getting a few minutes to speak w/ everyone, but having a forced exit strategy at the same time. I'm always so bad at ending conversations, so it was perfect for me!
Ben was happy tonight when I got home. The Red Sox won, keeping them in the playoffs! Hopefully they can pull through and win the next two games and a shot at the World Series. That is about the only sports you will ever hear from me, Ha!!! Tonight Bean and I caught up on some TV (Smallville and the Office). Now, Ben is in bed and I'm still wide awake. So much for taking a Benadryl to help you sleep. I wish I could feel this awake at 6:00 in the morning!!!

6 months already!

Yesterday Sophia turned 6 months old. I can't believe how fast this time has gone. I guess it's hard for me to believe she is that old already b/c she looks and acts like a 3 month old. I guess Heavenly Father heard me when I asked for her to not grow up too fast!:) She is our doll baby. She has the cheesiest smiles and loves to be independent, rolling all over the floor and playing in her entertainer. She doesn't like to be rocked or held when she is tired. She wants to be left alone to fall asleep. That's what makes church so hard, but evenings a breeze! She doesn't like to eat solids; prefers the bottle, which she can now hold on her own! Her naps are unpredictable,1 hour one day and 2-3 hours the next. She usually only lasts 1-1/2 hours before she needs to go back to bed. She still LOVES the water and a fresh diaper; my other kids could care less about that! She is long and skinny and has the smallest head. She is adored by all who see her, especially when she has one of those big bows on top of her head!:) Aubrie loves playing with her and the boys adore her. What a blessing to our family.

family, friend & temple visits

Sunday was another one of those "wake up and look at the clock and see we only have an hour till church starts" days! Luckily Ben's parents went to church and saved us a soft bench! There is nothing worse than sitting in the hard chairs with all the little kids. Every move they make is magnified on those things. Church was good, except for the fact that Sophia did not want to fall asleep or be happy during Sacrament. That's always fun. After church, Ben and Sophia napped

while the boys watched Church Movies and Aubrie got another sewing lesson. I finally made some burp cloths (thanks to one of Erin's great discoveries) and a diaper holder. I committed to go to my neighbors baby shower as part of the missionary buffet, but didn't realize that it was the same day as Women's General Conference. So I thought I would make it up to her by making her something special. I thought they turned out alright for my first time and also considerring Aubrie did some of it!:) Here are a few pictures.

Sunday night we had a family get together at Ben's parents new house. We celebrated Matt's birthday. It was nice to see everyone, but felt so different being in their new house. There was so much more room in their old house. We were really spoiled, having a huge family room to hang out it. Their new house is all tile and there isn't really anywhere to lie Sophia down and play. That made it kind of hard. Here are some pictures of the family.

Monday was pretty normal. Sophia actually took some pretty good naps and I actually got a full hour of working out in. It felt great! She also took another great nap that afternoon, so I put Ethan down for a nap and took one myself. Monday night was crazy. Aubrie had dance till 6:00 and around 6:10 our friends, the Dana's, called to say they were stopping by at 6:45 with some cookies. So we rushed dinner, quickly ran the baby gift to the neighbors and had our FHE before they got here. I don't think we have ever been so efficient! Did I mention that we also got the kitchen clean and house picked up, too! Maybe we should have people drop by more often. Ha! It was a good visit with the Dana's. We hadn't seen them in awhile. She just had her baby in July, so things have been a little busy for them. After they left, we fit in a quick swim and soak in the hot tub. By the time we got out, I was ready for bed!

Last Night I had the chance to go to the temple for the first time, with my Mom. When I was married she didn't have her temple recommend, yet, so she wasn't able to go in with me, and living apart for so many years, etc. we never had the chance to go together. We went to go see one of our friends go take out her endowments. I am so happy for her. She has been through a lot and it made me think of how I have taken the Gospel for granted. There were a lot of people from the ward there to offer their support. We have such a great ward. I love going on trips to the temple with the ward. It's like having a ward social at the best place ever. It makes me think of how it will feel when we see each other in the eternities. After the session we had some dinner at Rosa's, before we headed back. My Mom and I rode with Trina, Maruiann, and Evie. It was fun having dinner and catching up and getting to know each other a little better.

A Season Ended

It's weird when the reality finally hits that a season of your life is over. I finally conquered my closet, which has been begging for some type of organization, as it looks like a dresser exploded in there. It consisted of piles of maternity clothes, in between cloths, after pregnancy cloths, and those skinny cloths that are collecting dust; will I ever fit into those again? boo hoo! Anyway, I finally gathered up all my maternity cloths (minus some really cute shirts that I can still wear...how pathetic!) and put them in a huge container and hauled them out of my closet. As I put the last thing in and shut the lid, the weirdest feeling came over me, a weird twist of relief and sadness. I am positive I will be a complete wreck for Sophia's first step, first day of school and so on!

Friday night, Ben and I took our usual night out and went to Pei Wei. I remember really liking that place, but it wasn't the greatest experience and the food wasn't as great as I remembered. It really worked us....leaving us w/ upset stomachs. So after a trip to the mall, we decided to wash dinner down w/ some Jamba Juice. Just before we got there, Ben suggested we call some friends of ours and see if they were up for some cards. As we pulled up to Jamba Juice, there our friends were sitting outside....it was fate!) After talking to them for about 30 minutes we headed back to their house and talked and played some cards ( really more talking then playing cards)! We left around Midnight and felt it this morning!

Today was pretty laid back. Boston had a 9:00 am T-ball game. He had some great hits! I had a chance to chat w/ some of the Mom's which is always fun. Especially when they talk about chili cook outs that include Jello Shots and Co-Ed Softball teams that are called "I'm Just Here for the Beer" and I'm sitting their thinking , "If you only knew I was Mormon!" I did drop some hints like, "Oh we don't drink." But that only got me comments like, "Oh, we don't either just for things like this." Don't get me wrong, the ladies are soooo nice, it's just funny how we can live in the same world but "live in such different worlds!" It is nice to have the chance to meet friends of other faiths. Missionary work would me nonexistent if we didn't.

After T-ball I ran over to Lake Peasant's Super Saturday. They had so many cute things! I wish I would have signed up for more. It did give me some ideas. Oh wait, like I have time to finish my own things at home! I was there for a few hours. It was nice catching up w/ friends from the old ward and visit w/ those from ours who had crossed over for the overly cute crafts:)

The rest of the day we just relaxed. Sometimes its hard for us to do nothing. We kept asking one another, "What do you want to do?" Why can't we just sit around and enjoy doing nothing? We live in such a fast pace life, I think it becomes hard to take time to just relax and recharge!

We did have a little drama today. Ethan fell out of the back of his motorized truck and busted his lip. There was blood everywhere and at first Ben thought we were going to have another thousand dollar ER visit. Luckily he just cut the inside of his lip...no stitches required! He was really upset, and Aubrie was very helpful. She got a stuffed animal of hers and wrapped it up and gave it to him. She also got a book and read to him until he fell asleep. I love that side of her; that loving nurturing side. Anyway, he still has a huge fat lip, but now believes us when we say, "that kids are not supposed to ride in the back!" Sometimes they have to learn the hard way!

Tonight we had the Frandsens over for swimming and pizza. The kids have a great time w/ their kids. We spent a lot of the time in the hot tub, and after some time the kids finally adjusted to the pool temperature....CHILLY!!!! After they went home, the kids wanted to watch a movie. Before it even got started Aubrie fell asleep in this position. That left Boston to picking the Movie...Star Wars, Episode II! By the time Ben put Aubrie in her Bed and came back down, Boston had fallen asleep. Guess today really wore them out! I'm worn out! The difference is that kids don't have all these little tasks they finish up through the late hours of the night.....oh, to be a kid again! The grey hairs are reminding me that I am getting further and further from that every day!

Zoo Day

Well my headaches are gone....and I'm assuming it was the Ambein. It feels so great to feel more like myself again! Monday we were able to go to the Wildlife Zoo, since I was feeling better. Ben wanted to go w/us, so we waited while he finished up some early morning appointments. Unfortunately, it wasn't as nice and cool as it was was over the weekend. Around 12:00 it was getting pretty warm. I was pushing the stroller from shaded spot to shaded spot, and all the kids were fighting over the front seat of the double stroller. Besides the heat, we had a great time. The monkey's were entertaining, as always. One of them stuck his hand out of the cage, like he was wanting me to stick my finger out. I figured it would be harmless, so I put my finger out. He then would pull his back in and stick it out lower. He kept teasing me like that for about a minute. Finally her grabbed my finger, but it was more like he was pulling it towards him, HARD! It scared me big time....won't do that again. The kids thought it was funny!

We did the normal Lory bird feeding. It hasn't been so great the past two times we have been. There aren't as many birds as there used to be, so your lucky to even get a bird to sit on your hand. I talked to one of the zoo workers and they said that West Nile killed a lot of them and that they will be getting more birds this winter. I hope so, b/c that's the best part of the zoo! The kids also did their next favorite thing, which was feed the giraffe's . As we were putting money in the feed machine, one of our quarters fell down through the wood platform, down below. We looked down there and realized that happened a lot, b/c their were several other quarters down there. A few minutes later Ben told me to look through the planks again, and there was Aubrie down there collecting all the quarters. She ended up with about 4 dollars! That's our Aubrie!

After the Zoo, we were pretty hungry. We were there until 2:00 and the only thing we had to eat were the two Icee drinks and pretzel, that cost us 9 dollars! We stopped at the new Chili's and had a late lunch. Aubrie was excited that they had ribs on the child's menu! She is the only kid her age , I know, that loves steak and ribs! She is always asking to go to Outback and Texas Roadhouse. She is going to be an expensive date!

We then went home and gave Sophia a nap, while I went back out with Aubrie and Boston for Halloween decorations and threats for the secret "booing" we had to do. Sunday night someone dropped off a basket w/ a lot of fun goodies, and so now it was our turn to continue the chain! The kids had fun picking stuff out. That night we did the secret drop offs for family night and talked about service, and how serving without recognition is the best kind of service. I was hoping to see some of that this week, but that didn't happen!

Let's see....the rest of the week was the normal stuff; school, T-ball practice, YW, etc. For YW we went to an improv theatre that someone in our ward opened up. Our youth group combined w/ Lake Pleasant. I drove 7 kids there, and as I heard them talk, I once again realized how old I was getting. One of them was talking about how they loved Blues Clues as a kid! I realized that came out when Aubrie was born! Then I was playing some of my music and they had no idea who the artist was! Then when I was singing to some of the current songs on the radio they said "Sister Pribyl, you do know some songs that aren't from the 80's!" Ha! Ha! It was good times! There were some funny skits and its always great to get together with the youth. They are so strong and valiant. I feel honored to work with this special generation!

Yesterday was weird. I took a Unisom Wednesday night ( I took them every night when I was pregnant) and the next morning I was so tired. I couldn't get myself off the couch. Luckily Sophia took a 2 1/2 hour morning nap and Ethan was good enough to sit on the couch and watch cartoons. I was so out of it! It felt like I took a Ambien that morning! Guess I won't be taking Unisoms either! Luckily I felt alright by the afternoon. Last night my Mom and I had a Mother/Daughter's night out. We had some dinner at Texas Road House and then hit Ross and Target. I helped my Mom pick out some Christmas Presents for the kids and I ended up finding the cutest Ralph Lauren snow suit for Sophia, for next year of course! We got home around 9:30, and it felt like Midnight. Ben and I still started to watch our Thursday night line up! We were halfway through Smallville when he got an emergency work call. It was 10:30 and he had to head out to Goodyear. I waited up for him, of course, so we didn't get to bed till 12:30. Surprisingly, I was wide awake at 6:00 this morning. I'm sure I'll feel it tonight!

Kids are doing well! Aubrie was a little disappointed that her teacher told her she couldn't read Junie B. Books b/c they are too easy. I'm wasn't too upset about it since I'm not too crazy about those books anyway. The girl is so bratty and is such a bad example. Luckily her teacher helped her pick a book from her personal library that Aubrie is excited about, and it more her reading level. Aubrie is liking her teacher more and more, and so am I. She is really good w/ the kids and is very organized and responsive!

Boston is doing well in school. The other day he said, "Mom, I love school! I wish I could stay there all day." His reading is really coming along! He loves to grab books from our library and read them over and over. He is getting more greens at school. We talked to the teacher and she said that he always finishes his work so fast, that he gets bored and starts talking. I guess he is learning to control that. He did get a yellow this week for showing someone his underwear. LOL! He gets yellows for the most random things, it's so hard not to laugh!

Ethan (and Sophia) have had this awful cough, for most of the week. Since he has been sick, he has been a little more laid back. We have played with playdoh a lot this week, so he has been a happy camper! :)

Sophia has done wonderfully, especially since she has been sick. Yesterday she took 3 2 1/2 hour naps, and was happy all day! Sophia has finally got the feeding thing down, which has been nice. Today she almost finished a full jar in one sitting. She also has started holding her own bottle....yeah, FREEDOM!!!!!

Common Side Effects are...

The new kid in the family! ;) Boston found these, and I couldn't resist taking a picture!


By the way, we are alive!!!! I've just been feeling awful, since Wednesday! I have had a headache that just won't go away, and have been so tired lately that it has seriously been debilitating. I actually went to bed at 9:00 one night, which is nothing like me! I couldn't figure out what was wrong w/ me, and at times it was so bad it left me in tears. After some prayer, a thought finally came to me as to what might be causing the continuous headache and tiredness. I got online today and looked up the side effects of Ambien. One of them was headache, and another...tiredness (2%), lucky me! I'm going to stop taking them for a few days and see if it gets better. I'm praying that's the problem, b/c I was seriously at the point of asking my doctor for a CATScan.


Since the headaches have been so debilitating, there really isn't much to report, or maybe I just simply can't remember:) Wednesday was piano and YW. Thursday I had a church meeting, which had some great information on teaching and gave me some ideas for our family. Friday I insanely went to eat lunch with the kids. I don't know what I was thinking? A caferteria of kids isn't exactly the best medicine for a headache! I barely got out of the house for date night. We spent our date night at Caramba's, the Mall, and Walmart; where got all of our kids Christmas presents. You should have seen the looks we got from people as we passed them w/ this cart full of toys. They must have thought we really spoiled our kids!! Friday night is when I really started to go down hill. When we got to Walmart, at 8:00, I was sitting on a bench waiting for Ben to make a return, and I seriously felt so awful I didn't feel like moving. It felt like it was 1:00 am, and we just got out of a heavy metal concert.


Saturday morning we had Boston's T-ball game. The game started 30 minutes late b/c pictures took forever. Luckily I brought the stroller and strolled Sophia around the park. She fell asleep right before the game and woke up about 15 minutes before it ended. Boston had a good time and the weather was GREAT; a little chill in the air. When we got home, I started to go down hill, again. Luckily I was able to concentrate on Conference, which was really good. I loved the second session, especially. It was all on missionary work. I have been thinking about missionary work a lot lately, and they seemed to answer a lot of my questions. It's amazing how the General Authorities pick their own topics, and yet they all seem to follow the same theme. Speaking of General Authorities, Elder Henry B. Eyring was sustained as Second Counselor in the First Presidency, and Elder Quentin L. Cook was sustained as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. After the first session, they had a Press Conference and asked the two Authorities questions. I think that is the first time they have done this. I was still feeling pretty crumby after conference, but mustered the strength to hold the fort down, while Ben went to Priesthood session. Nothing Pasta Ravioli's and High School Musical couldn't take care of!:)


Today I woke up miserable, but was able to keep the kids quiet enough to listen to conference. There was a great talk, given this afternoon, about picking the best things out of good things. He, I can't think of who gave it right now, talked about where you place your priorities and cutting out the unnecessary frills that take up our time and are not necessary. I have the tendency to be guilty of that. I actually think it's a sickness that many Mormon women suffer from. We sometimes expect perfection in everything we do... things that don't really matter. Most nonmembers I know don't seem to suffer from this. I wonder why that is?! I'm not obsessive about everything; my hair and my body prove it! Ha! I'm more obsessive w/ projects and keeping order!


After conference, Ben prepared a nice steak dinner and then we took advantage of the great weather, (78 degrees!) and went on a walk. We actually ran into another family from our ward who had the same idea. Sophia really enjoyed the walk, and Boston got really long piggy back ride; my back is still feeling it. Tomorrow school is out, so if the weather is nice and I'm feeling better, we will probably attempt the Zoo! I hope I'm right about the Ambein!!!!!

Disclaimer

As sweet and thoughtful as Ben is, he must have forgotten how embarrassed I get when any attention is directed towards me. Anyway, please keep in mind that this blog is for our family journal and he is probably unaware of the HANDFUL of people I gave this address to. With that said, it did make me cry. I put him in charge of FHE last night, and that is what he did. He wrote it up at work. For FHE, he connected the computer to the TV and went over all the things I did for this family, w/ the kids, so they could be mindful of what a Mom does for them. We'll see how quickly they forget...ha!

After FHE we cleaned up a little, and put the groceries away. I had two grocery carts full from Sam's (luckily I ran into my Mom there so I could load some stuff in her car) and one from Walmart. Needless to say, it took a LONG time to put everything away! Ben said that if a famine was going to hit, this would be a good time! LOL We then watched Prison Break and made it to bed before 10:30...WOW!

This morning, when I woke up to feed Sophia, I couldn't go back to sleep. Around 6:15 I climbed into bed w/Aubrie, hoping to sleep in there (she has room darkening shades:). As soon as I pulled the covers over me, she started talking to me like crazy. So much for getting back to sleep. She was asking deep questions like, who was Heavenly Father's Father, and his Father and so on? Then she asked if we were all good in Heaven. I told her probably, and she mentioned the people who went with Satan and asked why they would follow him. Before I could come up with an answer she said "He probably is just really handsome, and a lot of girls wanted to follow him." You can tell where her mind is...boys!:) She watched a movie the other day that had the boy from High School musical in it, and for the first 10 minutes she kept saying "Grandma, he is so cute I just can't stand it!" I was a little worried to hear that until I remember feeling like that with Ricky Schroder and Kirk Cameron. I was a little boy crazy, but I turned out alright;)

Today was productive. I went to find something in my car and noticed something on the carpet. I got a rag to clean it, and then I noticed it needed to be vacuumed, and the seats were dirty, and well.... 45 minutes later I had a clean car! ( Ethan helped with the vacuuming, of course!) My house is picked up and I finally got to a lot of things on my to do list! There is still so many things on it; will I ever get caught up? Maybe after Christmas!!!!!

Sophia took some good naps, and Ethan went with Grandma Lorraine and Elias for a play date. So things were pretty quite here for a few hours. I probably should had taken a nap! Oh well, who needs sleep? After school was pretty uneventful; chores, homework and piano. Aubrie did make dinner tonight; shake and bake chicken (she loves to do that), green beans, pears, and a salad (my Mom made that). I'm so glad she has interest in cooking. I didn't as a child. I told my Mom I didn't need to know how to cook b/c I was going to marry a rich man and I would hire a cook! Ha!

After dinner was T-ball practice and then swimming. I couldn't go to T-ball with Ben and the kids b/c Sophia was ready for another nap...at 5:30! She is still asleep. She did this about three times last week, where she would fall asleep around 5:30 and sleep till morning. We did wake her and give her a bottle before we went to bed. I guess she must be growing!

When I was putting Boston to bed tonight I asked him how he liked his lunch. I put some new things in there and was wondering how he liked them. He told me he didn't have time to finish so he put it all back in his lunch box and it got all over and was sticky. I'm thinking as he was telling me this, "great, now I have to go down and clean it". He then preceded to tell me how he had to get a washcloth and clean it up, and how it was hard to get it all cleaned up. Is this kid for real? His wife is going to LOVE him!

I finally took an after picture of the floors. Here is the dining room. The lighting isn't the greatest! Notice the curtains are gone....guess wood floors are shorter than carpet, so I had to get the hem let out! Ben's office looks the same, except messy!:O

Future race car driver, auto mechanic or car salesman?


Future Architect?

The best mom in the world

I know that I am not the blog master that Rachel is, but it is very important that our children know how lucky they are to have such a wonderful mom. There are so many things that Rachel does for our family that go unnoticed and I want her to know how much we appreciate her and all that she does for us.

Laundry Cleaner- There has never been a time that I have not had clean clothing. Mom works very hard to make sure that we have everything we need and that it is clean. This is not always easy with boys or Dads :).

Piano Instructor - Mom took piano lessons for 6 months as a small child, but will spend hours a week with Aubrie and Boston to make sure they are learning to play and play correctly.

Homework Helper- Mom is obviously the smartest of the parents. She makes sure that Aubrie and Boston have gone over their spelling words and math facts and other various assignments that are given for them to bring home and have signed. Mom is on top of it all and makes sure that she knows exactly what is going on at school.

Taxi Driver - Mom picks up Aubrie and Boston every day from school. On Mondays she then takes Aubrie to dance where she gets to sit and watch Aubrie dance for 2 hours. On Monday and Wednesday mornings and afternoons she gets to pick up Ethan from preschool. On Tuesdays it is Piano lessons. These are just a few of the trips that mom makes throughout the week and she does so with a smile and never complains.

Dental Hygienist - Mom makes sure that all the teeth are brushed and flossed nightly. It is a good thing because Dad is lucky to brush his own teeth.

Disciplinarian - I am sure you won't appreciate this aspect of your mom but it is very important to both mom and dad that rules are followed and respect is given. Mom is always fair and slow to anger. Dad is probably the exact opposite. Good thing mom is around.

Family Home Evening Instructor - Mom makes sure that there is a lesson ready every Monday night. Once in a while Dad will have something to contribute but Mom makes a point to all of us getting together for family night. We are lucky mom cares so much.

Church Preparation Coordinator - Mom is the first one up Sunday morning and makes sure that baths are taken, hair is combed, clothes are laid out the night before, breakfast is eaten, the church bag is packed........basically that we have everything we need for church.

Church Calling Magnifier - Mom always works hard to do her calling to the best of her ability. She may not always like the calling that she has, but she gives it her all every time. Mom goes to meetings, makes crafts, makes phone calls, is guided by the spirit. Mom does it all.

Psychologist - Mom is the sounding board for the family. Mom listens to the problems or challenges that we lay before her and she helps us to get through those times and helps to bring us back from the edge.

Executive Chef - Cheese toast and Ramen noodles? Only when dad gets to cook. Mom makes sure that we have a great meal to eat and that all of the food groups are present and that junk food is to a minimum despite dad's continual attempts to smuggle candy and ice cream into the house.

Comforter - when you are not feeling well mom is there to make sure that you have a big hug and feel loved. Mom makes sure that you have medicine when you need it or a doctor's visit if you aren't right.

Lifeguard - Mom is out at the pool for many hours of the day during the summer. Mom is one of the kids in the pool. She will go down the slide, jump off the waterfall, play sharks and minnows until the sun goes down, she will do all of this so that the kids can swim and have a great time.

Dance Instructor - Mom works with Aubrie to prepare for dance recitals. Mom learns the dance along with Aubrie and then helps her to fine tune her performance so that she knows what steps to take and has confidence in her presentation.

Birthday Cake Maker - Mom goes above and beyond the call of duty when it comes to birthday cakes. Mom has made some masterpieces over time to give the kids the best birthday they could imagine. Every cake gets better and mom is awesome.

Backyard Designer - mom has many skills. One of them was to design our backyard when we moved into our new home. Mom looked at the backyard and started drawing. It turned out perfectly and Rachel did a great job with pool, plants and overall design.

Photographer - Mom can take some serious photos and has a very good eye. Mom took several classes and several cameras to hone her skills. She does not talk too much about photography, but she is very gifted.

Interior Designer - the house is all mom. Dad has tried to put up some posters here and there but mom knows what looks best. Mom wants the best for our family and has worked very hard to make our house our home.

Grocery Shopper - this is one of the hardest things that mom gets to do. Take 4 children 7 and under to WalMart and see how long you last! I have done this before and got my butt kicked. Mom not only does WalMart but will also do Sam's Club in the same trip. Juggling four kids and a full cart of groceries is truly a gift.

Best Friend in the world - mom will do anything for you. She always thinks of others and takes little thought or time for herself. Mom's roots are probably outgrown and she probably looks a little tired but she will make sure that everyone else is picture perfect. Mom is always there for you when you need her and will drop everything to make your day better.

There are so many other things that Mom does that I have either forgotten about or don't realize. We are so lucky to have such a wonderful mom who loves us and takes care of us. We would not be where we are today if it weren't for our wonderful mom. Thanks mom. We Love You!