Tether Ball Anyone?

***CAN ANYONE FIGURE OUT WHY I PICKED THIS SONG (THE PROMISE) FOR THIS POST??

Just to be sure, I hope you all know how much Ben is missed. And not that you don't know this already, but he is such a great Dad! Boston's favorite thing to do at school, is to play tether ball. Last weekend, Ben was all excited for this "surprise" he was putting together for the kids. Sunday night he couldn't take it anymore, and showed me his "secret" that he was putting together on the side of the house. He was constructing a tether ball court. I don't' really know if I should call it a court, because you can put it where ever you want. He finished it up on Monday, while the kids were in school, and He was so excited for the kids to get home, so he could see their reaction. They were sooooo excited!!! Of course, they started fighting a little saying, "this person is cheating" etc. Boston got grounded from it for a day, and Aubrie for three (because she was giving me lip). The first day Aubrie was off restriction, they were out EARLY that morning playing. They have been very careful not to fight since. I only hear a little squabbling here and there!

LIfe Without Ben

So Thursday was quite a busy day! It started early, 6:20am, when my friend dropped off her son, so she could make an early Dr. Appt. Erin then texted me to see if I could watch her girls while she had Lunch with Eliza. So I had a full house, but all were happy, even Sophia. Sophia loved the extra company. I need to remember that she probably needs play dates more than any of them. Anyway, after all the kiddos went home, I headed to Target and scored some cute shirts for a great price, and Ethan spent his allowance money on Lego's. He quickly had them put together by the time the kids were home. Aubrie had Activity Day's, but luckily she had a ride. In the mean time I made a meal for someone in the ward, and had to time it just right, so it would be ready to go when we left for baseball practice. We headed out around 6:00pm. Practice went well. Sophia wasn't too difficult, and Ethan played with the other siblings who weren't on the team. Toward the end, some members of the team, (mainly Aubrie) got distracted catching grasshoppers! We finally left practice around 7:45! On the way home we rolled the windows down and rocked out to the radio. We sure party hard when Dad's gone! LOL When we got home, Aubrie was in charge of bathing and putting Sophia down while I got the boys in bed. Then is was to cleaning up the kitchen and picking up the house, with Aubrie's help (what would I do without her?). Finally, I got to bed around 11:00, after Aubrie finally fell asleep talking my ear off. I didn't wake up once until 7:20 the next morning.

I shot of of bed hurrying around to get the kids ready for school. My Mom watched Ethan and Sophia so I could get some shopping done at Kohl's, and then I dropped the kids off at Erin's so I could go to Boston's "Hero" presentation at school. His was on the Military. He read really fast, and was so serious. I was trying not to laugh. I was impressed that he picked the military, though. One of Botson's classmates, that goes to our church, said her hero was Heavenly Father. It was interesting to see the parent's reaction and she read hers. I was so proud of her. She was being a missionary and didn't even know it....or maybe she did?!

Last night my Mom and I had a mother/daughter date. We had dinner at Top Shelf and she told me all about her new boyfriend. It's kind of funny to be on the other end. Usually it's a daughter who is having that conversation with her mother, not the other way around. It's nice to see her happy and feeling loved. There is just some things I don't' want to hear about, if you get my drift! After dinner, we went to the Mall and I bought some more stuff. Someone needs to stop me!! (Not really) I do need new clothes. None of my winter stuff from last year fits, because I was still chunky from Sophia....not that there still aren't soft parts of me (mainly my butt and thighs) that need some firming up. I'm hoping to be disciplined enough to start aerobics soon!:) We'll see.
Today started with a baby shower, and then I came home and swam with the kids. I still need to get ready for the day. Ugh! Oh, how I hate getting ready! Anyone else dread that part of their day? Guy's have it so easy, especially Ben! (He has no hair:) Besides me putting that off, I'm really enjoying today. It's so quite and laid back. I think part of the calming effect is do to the fact that there has been NO sports on the TV at all today! AHHHH!!! This is what heaven must be like! Of course, it does have to include Ben!!!

Here are some pics of the kids and what they have been up today!:)

Aubrie fell asleep reading her book!

Boston vegging on the couch

Ethan putting together more Lego's.

Sophia enjoying a snack and some "moov" (Her new word for TV)!

Two for One!

**Warning!! This blog entry may contain graphic photos! If you have a weak stomach you may not want to view:) ha! ha!

So yesterday was the day for Boston's tooth extraction, and Aubrie's fillings. When I went to pull the kids out of school, Boston came in the office saying, "Yeah, I get my tooth pulled now!" It's not like it's been hurting him, so that couldn't be the reason for his insanity. Then I found out, from Ben, that he was looking forward to the stash he would be getting under his pillow that night.

Both the kids did fabulous. The Doctor said neither one of them complained once. Aubrie said the laughing gas made her feel like "she was out of her body". She said she fell asleep in the chair. On the way home she fell asleep in the car. I had her skip dance. Boston did great, too! While they were pulling his decayed tooth, they accidentally knocked out his loose tooth. Boston came out of the office saying, "They accidentally pulled two teeth!" He was all excited because that meant more money for him, and I was panicked thinking they made a mistake! The lady in the front quickly found out what happened, as she saw my face full of panic! Then Boston came to me with this cute little tooth holder, and when he opened it up I almost fell over. His decayed tooth was HUGE. I felt so bad for him, and so proud that he was so tough! The doctor said his decayed tooth had a huge root, bigger than most teeth at this age. Apparently the root starts to disintegrate as they get older. Guess this tooth forgot to mature. To give you perspective at what Boston so bravely endured, here is a picture of the front tooth that fell out and the one they pulled. Sorry, gross I know! He's going to want to see this when he is older. So moving on....

Bedtime for the boys was a breeze, last night. Ben was making some calls for T-ball, and they were asleep before he came to kiss them goodnight. He asked them what kind of drugs I gave them. Apparently, the possibility of the Tooth Fairy skipping your house, because you are still awake, motivated both boys to get ready for bed and fall asleep at lightening speed!

When I went to put money and a note under Boston's pillow I found a note along with his teeth. I thought, "Oh, how sweet, Boston wrote the Tooth Fairy a note." I was wrong. Aubrie wrote this note....saying that the Tooth Fairy was the best (in case you can't read it). She is already sucking up for her next tooth loss! Smart girl. Along those same lines, I have seen on her school paper margins comment's like, "Your the Best Teacher in the World," or "I can't wait for school tomorrow". She sure knows how to suck up!!

Boston woke up early very excited with his loot! Here is the note I left Boston, along with Aubrie's note! Fun times!!!

Today I got the house cleaned up, along with some help;), and then I jetted off to the outlets with Michelle. I found some long skirts for Aubrie, which she desperately needed for church, and even had a chance to buy some things for myself. Thanks Michelle, for watching the kiddo's for a minute so I could do that. It seems like when I go shopping I always buy for the kids, unless I'm by myself. It's too hard to concentrate with them around, and even trying things on can be a pain. Anyway, we ended our shopping by letting the kids run through the "water"playground.

Sophia didn't want to participate, because she didn't have any shoes and last time is was too hot on her feet. I couldn't believe she remembered that. She made sure to only stay under the shade of the umbrella's. After the kids were done playing, Michelle introduced me to the Apple Pie Carmel Apple! YUM!!!

Here is a picture Boston drew of himself. On Curriculum night, at school, we couldn't pick his out of all the drawings. Maybe it was because he made himself look like A GIRL!!! What's up with the girlie eyelashes and red lips!!

Here are some cute clips I got at the craft fair and one of my newest favorite hairdo's. Maybe because it's so easy!!!

This is Me!...Now show me "you"!

I know these are a pain, but it's good journaling material! Hope I don't bore you with my life! Can't wait to see it on your blogs!!
1. What time did you get up this morning? Ugh....woke up, or got out of bed? Finally got out of bed at 7:00!
2. Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds.
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Mummy 3 (for the second time, with the kids)
4. What is your favorite TV show? House and Everybody Loves Raymond
5. What do you usually have for breakfast? yogurt or cereal
6. What is your middle name? Marie
7. What food do you dislike? fancy stuff...like caviar and escargot...Yuck!
8. What is your favorite CD at the moment? Wicked Soundtrack....still! Coldplay is also a fav!
9. What kind of car do you drive? Lincoln Navigator (that soooo needs a detail!)
10. Favorite sandwich? Chicken Walnut from Paradise Bakery!
11. What characteristic do you despise? Narcissistic
12. Favorite item of clothing? My green PJ pants...soooo comfy!
13.If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? African Safari
14.Favorite brand of clothing? American Eagle
15. Where would you retire to? Wherever there are good friends to retire with!
16. What was your most recent memorable birthday? 8 years ago, when Aubrie was born
17.Favorite sport to watch? Olympic gymnastics and any Boston Red Sox play off game!
18. Farthermost place someone might be reading this? North Carolina
19. Person you expect to respond on their blog? not sure
20. When is your birthday? April 26th (take a minute to write it down if you want! LOL J/K)
21. Are you a morning person or a night person? If I were an animal I would be an Owl!
22. What is your shoe size? 7 1/2
23. Pets? 3 cats
24. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with us? Sometimes no news is good news, right?
25. What did you want to be when you were little? Doctor
26. How are you today? the kids are in bed, so doing great! Doing well, anyway:)
27. What is your favorite candy? Reese's' peanut butter cups
28. What is your favorite flower? I like a wild flower bouquet best, but if I have to choose....Daisey
29. What day on the calendar are you looking forward to? The first Wed. in November, because we leave for Disneyland.
30. What is your full name? Rachel Marie Pribyl
31. What are you listening to right now? Cold Play
32. What was the last thing you ate? Taco Soup
33. Do you wish on stars? no, but I make a wish when the clock says 11:11!
34. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? red
35. How is the weather right now? well, it's only 90 degrees at 7:59 at night! It's finally cooling off! LOL
36. The first person you spoke to on the phone today? I can't remember that far back.
37. Favorite soft drink? Dr. Pepper
38. Favorite restaurant? Paradise Bakery
39. Real hair color? medium brown
40. What was your favorite toy as a child? dolls and my cats! (I would dress them up like dolls)
41. Summer or winter? We don't really have a winter here, and summer lasts for 8 months...so I'm not sure how to answer that.
42. Hugs or kisses? Both!
43. Chocolate or Vanilla? chocolate, but vanilla wafers!
44. Coffee or tea? neither
45. Do you want your friends to blog this? but of course
46. When was the last time you cried? that, too, is too hard 2 remember. Probably at church. I always cry at church!
47. What is under your bed? who knows? I never go under there!
48. What did you do last night? played Disney Scene It? with the kids and then played Guitar Hero with Ben
49. What are you afraid of? losing a loved one, mostly my children!!!
50. Salty or sweet? Both!
51. How many keys on your key ring? 3
52. How many years at your current job? 81/2 years at the hardest but most rewarding job ever...MOTHERHOOD!
53. Favorite day of the week? Saturday
54. How many towns have you lived in? (11) Woodland Hills, Ca; Newbury Park, CA (3 different times); Lake Tahoe, NV; Redondo Beach, CA; Las Vegas; Thousand Oaks, CA; Oklahoma City; Provo, Draper, UT; Holly Springs, NC; Peoria, AZ!
55. Do you make friends easily? With all that moving, I had to learn!

Name That Tune!

Saturday we started putting up Halloween decorations. The kids were anxious, and I was ready for my Autumn wreath to go on the door! (It's my favorite) The kids were bugging me for more decorations, like the spider webs and such. I decided I would wait until October to do that. Later in the afternoon we took the boys to get their Halloween costumes. Boston picked Jenga Fett and Ethan picked a Storm trooper. That kept them busy for about an hour when we got home. Ethan was invited to a birthday party for a girl in his Primary class, at church. He was complaining that he didn't want to go to a "girls party". I practically had to drag him there. I knew he would have a great time once he got there. Luckily the Mom is his Sunday School teacher, so when she answered the door, I instantly felt his body relax. When I picked him up, he was so happy and going on and on how fun it was. Backtracking....After I dropped Ethan off at the party, I took Aubrie to her afternoon play date with Gracey Blackhurst. She is one of Aubrie's newest friends in the ward. She is a sweetheart, and they get along so well. Aubrie loves going over to her house because it's full of girls! They had fun doing "girlie" things, and then she joined the family over at the Stockings for swimming. She didn't get home until 9:30 (we weren't home but she called us). When we finally got home, she was passed out on her bed in her clothes! (I got a glimpse into her teenage future) Guess my Mom and the boys were asleep when she got home!:)

Ben and I spent the first part of our evening at the Elders Quorum party. It was held at the Sharps house. First, we had dinner outside. David Sharp works for an air conditioning company, so we had two HUGE industrial fans to keep us cool. After dinner, we played "Name That Tune". It was girls against boys, of course! They first started with theme songs from TV shows and Movie's. Most of them were from the 80's along with the finally category which was just songs. Ben getting most of them, so much so they made a joke and just wrote his name on the board for his own points. People were starting to question whether he had a job. LOL Ben is has always been good at storing useless information in his brain and being able to retrieve it at anytime. I can never beat him at Trivial Pursuit, Jeopardy, or Scene It?. My proudest moment, and the girls were loving it, too, was when he was the first to get the theme song for Ghost! I was shocked when he didn't get the Depeche Mode song. I think he just didn't want to tip his hand that he was a fan! (FAnatical FAN, I should say!) After that game, we moved down to their basement, where we could play Rock Band, pool, or cards. Ben took a turn singing, and I took a turn on the guitar and drums. It was fun! Then Ben and I played a few games of pool. We headed out with the Lorenzan's around 9:30 and went to their house for a few games of Seven's and Hearts. It was another late night, and I felt it in the morning.

Today I was so tired at church, especially with little Sophia needing to be constantly entertained. I took her in the Nursery, again, today and I am still so worried about her being in there. All the other kids are two and above, and are doing bigger kid things. The 20 minutes of play time isn't going to cut it for an eighteen month old. After being in there for about 45 minutes, Sophia was done. Luckily my "shift" was over and Ben took her while I went to Young Womens. After church today, the kids and I watched 3 episodes of Little House on the Prairie while Ben napped. Then I took my 2 hour nap, which seemed like 20 minutes. Boy was I tired. After dinner, we went on a walk and then played Disney Scene It? ( Aubrie and I almost beat the boys)! Next week is going to be a crazy one for me. Busy is good, though. I'm starting to realize I am liking busy. As long as I have one day to break it up! Ben is leaving Thursday, for Utah, to golf with college friends. I'm glad he gets to go, and glad he has such great lifetime friends.

Best Parent's in the World! (If only!)

Tonight we were the best parent's in the world!! We were smothered with hugs, and kisses, and showered with saying's like, "thank you so much" and "I love you", and even "you are the most awesome MOM/DAD in the world". Is it because our children finally realized how great we are, and all we do for them? Is it because Mom went crazy the other day and they finally didn't want a repeat? Or could it be that my prayers have finally been answered, and my kids have now turned into perfect little people, doing everything I expect from them (which is completely realistic I assure you!;). I'm sad to say, it's not any of those. It's because we took them to the beloved house of the "big Rat", otherwise known as Chuck E Cheese's. As my kids were in this euphoric state, I turned to Ben and said, "why can't they love us this much all of the time?" If only!
The kids had a great time. Ethan had a routine. He would come to the table with his tickets, get a bite of pizza, wipe his hands on a napkin, and get two coins. He did that exact routine for 45 minutes, and ended up eating 3 pieces of pizza without even realizing it. Sophia didn't want to sit for a single second. She walked from game to game, even trying to push people out of the way! Another strong willed one! Why do I keep getting them that way? Boston and Aubrie stumbled on a game that turned out GREAT dividends, and of course they all walked out of their with CRAPPY toys. I guess it's all about walking around with the most tickets in your hands, because the toys are definitely not worth anything! It is pretty exciting when the tickets keep coming out of a machine and everyone stops to look, um.... I mean for a little kid! Did I mention that Ethan is petrified of Chuck E? I think all my kids have gone through that. Really? What person thought a big Rat was a kid friendly animal? Why not a bunny, or dog? I guess it would have to be Chuck E Carrots, if it was a Rabbit, and that would sound kind of funny!

Today, I finally was feeling better (after a two day bug) and finally got out of the house. Michelle texted me, wanting to know if I wanted to get lunch and do some shopping. That was way better than my Walmart game plan! Sophia did so well at Paradise. I let her sit in a chair, and she sat there the whole time munching on gold fish and picking at my salad. I guess she just wants to be like the rest of us, or she heard us say we might not take her to Disneyland, and is trying to promote herself! LOL I found some cute stuff at Micheal's and Scene It? game for 3 dollars at Ross! Score!!
Today, was one of the days where I felt completely helpless, as a Mother. Aubrie was crying and upset that her "friends" were being mean to her. I guess a few girls started talking about her, and for anyone who knows Aubrie, she wouldn't put up with it. She marched right over to them and told them to stop. They just kept ignoring her and then threatening her, and so she put her arm between them and pushed them apart. Of course, that is not acceptable, and she got in trouble for it. She had to write up a "think sheet" while the other girls got to have a fun time in class, for their "fun Friday". Aubrie couldn't understand why those girls didn't' have to write up a sheet for being mean to her. I couldn't really explain that one, because that would make sense. Why are girls so mean?? They are so envious, back biting, and preoccupied with being the most liked or most popular, and hurt people in the process. Boston never has to deal with this. When boys get irritated with each other, they just fight it out, and are fine two minutes later. They don't care who's their friend and if someone is a jerk, they just go find a new friend! Any of my friends who have all boys, that is one thing you aren't missing out on....THE DRAMA!!!

I'm Rich!

So the other day Boston was complaining that he was out of socks and he had to wear flip flops to school. I guess flip flops cramps his tether ball performance because, "If it comes off he has to stop and put it on, and then he might lose." So tending to my "Motherly" duties, I washed all of his socks and put them in his sock basket, that's kept in our mudroom. The basket was so full it was almost overflowing with socks! This is all leading up to something, I promise. So this morning, as they are getting ready, I hear Boston exclaim, from the Mudroom, "Yahoo! I'M RICH!!!". Confused as to what he is even talking about, I ask , "What?" He says , "I"M RICH IN SOCKS! Thanks Mom for washing my socks!" So I do get brief moments of appreciation, and it's over clean socks! You can leave that type of appreciation up to Boston almost every time!

Reality Check

I hate when blogs are all fluff and no reality. All they do is put out a fake sense of reality to others, which can lead to feelings of inadequacy! I hope mine doesn't ever come off that way. I have problems, too, and many moments I'm not too proud of. Some of my "moments" create such fear in my children they freeze as if afraid to talk, move, etc. Tonight was one of them. Being a Mom is about the most thankless job in the universe. A child asks for clean underwear, and "poof" when they get home there is a stack nicely folded on their bed. A child says they are hungry and "poof" a sandwich appears on the table. A child needs their hair done and "poof" her hair is in a creative new hairdo that Mom has spent time looking up to keep things "fresh". It's not like my children don't say thank you, because they do. But like I always tell them, "it's your actions that show gratitude, not your words!" So tonight, I'm sitting down at the kitchen table helping Boston and Aubrie with their homework, after a long tiresome day of hearing Sophia cry for almost an hour before she finally went down for a nap, and also dealing with my wonderful Aunt I like to call "Flo". Instead of my children, graciously and tentatively, listening to me as I show them how to understand the concept of rounding, or how they need to correct their penmanship if they want their teacher to accept their homework, I get complaints and whining. Boston is whining because he doesn't want to rewrite his sentence, and pushes his paper across the table. So I put him in timeout, and then quickly tries to change his tune before I follow through, which I did. Then, as I try to give Aubrie some more examples to work on, so she can really "understand" a particular problem, she complains that I wrote on her paper and starts to erase. Fed up with the complaining I go to grab her pencil. forgetting she was erasing, and then I realize my finger feels like it's on fire. I look up (or down, I really can't remember) and see the pencil hanging from my finger, and then I look at Aubrie's face, and she says, "Mom, that must hurt!" Then I realized what happened. OOOUUUCCHHH! Then I lose it! I started screaming things like, I'm sick of helping you guys and getting complaining in return, etc, etc. and then I run upstairs as I'm tearing off my apron and slam my bedroom door (I don't know where my kids get that? J/K I never do that, really!). I could tell that Ben was really concerned because he comes up, after giving me a few minutes (smart man) to check my hand. There are still pencil marks, and my finger was so swollen (good thing I thought to take off my wedding ring). He covers me up and turns down the blinds, and then takes off with the kids (to get some dinner) and he didn't come home until their bedtime. About an hour before he returned, I was getting a little bored and missing the kids. I sat there thinking how funny it was that I had it up to "here" with them, and within such a short time I was missing them terribly. Isn't Motherhood funny that way! So now there is proof that my life isn't always a walk through the park, not that you thought that anyway, if you even know me!!!

The Prognosis!

So yesterday, around 9:00, I called and left a message for Sophia's doctor. Not the nurse, but the Doctor. He called me back within the hour and he told me to come right in to look at it. I got to the office and they called me in before some people who were already waiting. (Yeah, I felt a little special:) It was just what I thought it was, a Staph infection. Aubrie had something similar on her little bum, several years ago, and I knew it looked like that. He wrote me up a prescription and I was out of there in under an hour. I told him how I was a little frustrated that the Nurse Practitioner told me it was a bug bite, when I knew that it wasn't. I then made sure to tell him that he does a great job, though. Don't want to bite the hand that so easily works with me:) He told me how he will hear Mom's complain about their Pediatricians when he is waiting for his daughter at dance, etc. It just makes him laugh. I told him he should bring cards. LOL He really is a great Doctor. You know they are good when they don't discount your concerns and they admit that your right! Anyway, her foot should be cleared up soon. The lesson here is to never ignore your mothering instincts!!!

Bug Bite?

Friday was a crazy morning! Sophia woke up to her foot looking like this! Ok, I'm sure your thinking why did she just show me this (and in a large format to boot, YUCK!)I wouldn't thought much about it, until she wouldn't' walk on it and was really fussy. Since I had to volunteer at Boston's school that morning, Ben offered to take her to the Doctor. He left the house at 7:50, with no Dr. Appt. and returned at 8:50! I love our Pediatric Office. Unfortunately, her normal Dr. wasn't there, and the Nurse Practitioner said they were only bug bites. She said they have had a lot of kids come in with bug bites, due to recent humidity. I don't know if I buy it because I have never seen a bug bite like this before, and now it has spread up her leg. I'll be calling the Dr. in the morning. He is GREAT at calling me back and not discounting my concerns. I'll post if anything is different!

So I showed up to Volunteer for Boston's class, and she only had about and hour of work for me to do. Thirty minutes of it was copying (BOR-ING) and the other half was reading with about 10 students, individually. I had an hour before Boston's lunch, and so I headed to Karlee's(see places to shop) to pick up Julie's baby gift. It was this bag, with a diaper keeper and some matching burp cloths! Way cute! I ended up with one for myself by accident (a long, expensive accident) and so now I have a new YW bag! I then jetted back for Boston's lunch. He was so funny to watch. First he made sure he was the first to get his lunch. He sat by his "girlfriend", and when she spilt her milk everywhere, he was such a gentleman, cleaning up the whole thing himself (with me giving him a constant supply of paper towels). He didn't waste anytime eating his food, which was pizza, applesauce and baby carrots. He watched the clock closely, making sure he was done with his food the minute they could leave for the playground. He made sure he was walking just fast enough to the playground without having to sit against the wall for "running", but yet be the first one to the tether ball court. He asked me to watch him play a few games, which I was planning on anyway. He did very well, beating every one of the four kids I saw him play. He always talks about tether ball. Like I will say, "How was your day today?" and his response is always based on tether ball.."Oh, it was GREAT because I beat the hard kid today at tether ball", or "it was OK, so and so beat me today at tether ball." What a funny kid!

Later that afternoon, I took Aubrie to dance while Ben stayed home with the kids. After I dropped her off, I met Kayleen to get pedicures. I totally forgot her birthday last Sunday, and so I made it up to her by treating her. It was great to catch up and hang out! She followed me to Aubrie's studio and watched her for a few minutes and then left to catch up on homework. I stuck around and talked with the "dance" Mom's a bit. I have never been the one to sit around and talk it up at the studio. Either I'm watching Aubrie, or not there. But, now that our girls are in this dance group together, I figured I better get more "involved"! Ha!

After dance, Ben and I jetted over to Paradise Bakery to get a quick bite with the Trimble's before Connie Purtyman's birthday party. In the invite it said they would have some snacks, and we knew that wouldn't hold us over. It was fun, as always, catching up with them. It was actually nice enough to sit outside! When we showed up to the party, they were cooking up shish-kabob's and other sides! Snacks???? Ha! Actually, I enjoyed my salad and cookie, and I still had half a sandwich left over for my lunch the next day, so it was all good. We had a great time at the party. There were people from all of the three wards we have been in since we moved here. It was great catching up with them all! I just love our stake. Such amazing people, and so diversified!

After the party, we were going to go to Dramagenics (a great improv place in town) but those plans were postponed (can't wait Trimble's to laugh it up with you guys) and so we stopped by Michelle's and Marco's (some new fun friends in the ward) for some cards and speed scrabble. I was soooo tired, but for all who know me, know that I am not good at giving up fun times for sleep. Just ask the YW who went to camp and Havasupai with me, or Erin for the matter. When I got home I couldn't fall asleep and spent some time on the computer. Obviously, not blogging the evening! Saturday morning came way too quick.

Here is the Saturday rundown.

Julie's shower- Karlee's stuff was a hit!

Leave the shower early because one of Ben's restaurants (no he doesn't own a restaurant, just one he takes care of) had a fire that he had to take care of.

Caught the end of one of the local craft shows.

Came home and went to Chili's with the Lorenzona's. Let me give you a little visual of how this dinner went. We put 6 of our kids at one table by themselves; two 8 year olds, one 7 year old, one 61/2 year old, one 4 year old, and one 3 1/2 year old. The babies sat with us at our table. Considering the circumstances they did very good. I'm sure the couple behind them were not appreciating the loud games of I SPY, but I'm sure the quiet game was their favorite. The worst part was Sophia. She wanted nothing to do with the high chair, so Ben and I took turns walking around with her. Marco and Ben even switched the babies and that seemed to do the trick for awhile. It was way better than cooking, and the company was nice.

I came home and prepared my lesson. Probably the shortest prep time ever...about a half an hour. I had read over it this past week, and I had an attention activity that took up a lot of time. It was on reading your scriptures. I even had this great handout, thanks Erin, that Ben even used for his class. It was a great lesson, but my new Laurels don't comment like my old ones. I even told them that today! Ha!! I felt like I was talking to the wall most of the time. I hope I'm getting through to them!

Today we swam a little, and then took a short nap. I made a new dish for dinner, Spinach and Mushroom Manicotti. It was yummy! The kids weren't too thrilled about it, but Ethan was the only one who ended up not eating the "yucky stuff" (aka mushrooms and spinach). We put Ethan and Sophia down at 7:00 and the rest of us played CLUE!!! The kids love that game ( and so do I:) Now it's time to gear up for a new week!

When I should be making dinner!

When I should be making dinner, instead I sit at my computer making this cool Mosaic! Oh well, it will make the family appreciate me more! LOL Hope you find some time to do this so I can see it on all of your blogs! Thanks, Erin, for passing it on! 1. Rachel, 2. Mexican SKY, 3. Back from the North! / De retour du Nord!, 4. Fresh Dinner, 5. brad_pitt, 6. Got milk?, 7. The Giants of Africa, 8. Good News Ice Cream!, 9. Dr. Ramona, 10. family love, 11. Happiness, 12. lilian pribyl

To make your own:
a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker.
The questions:
1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One Word to describe you.
12. Your flickr name (or your blog name or handle or whatever)
Now it's your turn!!

Eiffel Tower and Hexagon

Thursday, Aubrie came home and said, "Do you know why we were supposed to wear red, white and blue today? Because today was the day the Hexagon and Eiffel Tower were hit by airplanes and went down." I missed that History lesson. She was so concerned about it, though, wanting to talk about all the details. When she found out Ben was two blocks away, when the towers fell, she became more interested and wanted to see all of his stuff. She took it to school the next and shared it with the class. Come to find out, one of Aubrie's friends, in her class, lost her grandparent in 911. That really concerned Aubrie, and I could tell she was thinking a lot about it. I hope that gives her greater appreciation for all the loved ones she still has in her life, especially her Dad. We were so lucky that day, and every year I think about how blessed we were that he was kept out of harms way. I also say a heartfelt prayer for all those families who weren't as fortunate.

How I buy myself 10 minutes of peace!

Outside in September??

This is what we get to do when it's under a 100 degrees! I woke up today to an overcast morning! I was LOVING it! It was cool enough for me to take Sophia on a walk, and out in our backyard to play. It drizzled a little, and it didn't even phase her. She had so much fun. I went a little crazy with the pictures. I just can't believe how old she looks! Where is my baby??!!:(

When They're Sleeping!

It's funny how my feelings for my children can change so drastically within a 30 minute time span. Often, when it's bedtime, I get so frustrated with their last minute requests for potty breaks, glasses of water, last minute stories that go on and on, etc. I just want them to go down and get on with my long list of things I need to finish up for the night (this is usually on weekday's of course). Then, once they are asleep, my feelings become much more tender. They always seem so sweet and peaceful! I then want to linger, often sitting by their bedside rubbing their little foreheads. I'll miss when I no longer get to check on my children at night! It's one of my favorite times of the day!

Aubrie feel asleep like this the other night! She is so much like her father, who sleeps on the floor with the floor fan right by his head, about 50 percent of the time! He even keeps a blanket under our bed, so he doesn't have to get up in the middle of the night to get one! Ha! No wonder we don't need a King Bed!

Boston is almost always the first one out!
Ethan always sleeps without a shirt! Take note of his "blanket" that he's had since he was a baby (the Relief Society baby gift).
Our lightest sleeper of them all! I'm surprised I was able to get this without her waking up! We usually crack our toes before we go check on her!

Another Weekend!

Thursday was great! There were no after school activities and no extra meeting, etc...so we got to stay home and just hang out with the kids! I love when we can just relax! Friday was a busy day, and that is a good thing, too! It helps me forget about how tired I have been lately. No need for worrying about me. I haven't seen a doctor, yet! When I finally get myself in, he'll probably just diagnose me as, "Mother of four and staying up too late", syndrome! LOL

Aubrie had a great time at dance, and Ben got there a little early to watch her. He said she is doing great, and has come far in just a few weeks! I guess the performance group is paying off!

After they got home, Ben and I did headed out for dinner. We had no idea where we wanted to go, and so I suggested we just drive down Bell Road until something jumped out at us. Ah-So jumped out at us! Mmmmm such yummy food! We got right in, too! There was a table next to us that was celebrating someones birthday. There was a guy at the table (looked like the Dad) who kept taking shot after shot. Ben and I watched in amusement as we saw him make a bigger idiot of himself after ever shot. Ben called it "liquid courage". I have another name for it and I can't write it down! LOL Guess I need to repent just thinking of it! ha!

After our dinner, we headed to some friends to play cards. When we showed up, they realized they didn't' have cards. The boys stayed behind and talked while we ran to Jamba Juice for dessert!:) We ended up playing speed Scrabble and talked. Come to find out, their good friends from back east were Chili's coworkers, of mine, when I was in Utah. I just couldn't believe it! I always wondered what happened to them, because they got engaged, married and pregnant so quickly (a shock to all the staff, but all on the up and up) and then they moved to the other side of the country! Anyway, LOVE those type of connections!! Makes the world seem a little bit smaller! So we got a little carried away in conversation (Yeah, big surprise, huh?), and we didn't' get home till 12:00. It took me over an hour to fall asleep, and I still was in an out all night! Don't you hate when that happens!?!?!

I had an early wake up call, 6:00am, from Sophia. I thought I would be dead tired but instead I got in my nesting mood! (NO!!! I'm not pregnant. Impossible really! Well, I guess nothing is impossible with God!) Anyway, I cleaned out some closets, including Aubrie's. Aubrie is appreciating how organized her closet is, and even said in her prayers tonight, "Please help me keep my room organized." Yes!!! Am I finally rubbing off on her? Or is this a fleeting thing? I just can't imagine having a child who isn't like me! LOL After some good cleaning, Aubrie had Gracey and her sister,Jillie, over to play. They had a great time! The girls didn't want to get out of the pool, and they couldn't get enough of Sophia, especially Jillie (probably since she is the baby of the family). Aubrie gets a long with Gracey so well! I'm so glad she finally has some great girls, her age, in the ward! It was hard on her when she was split off from Kate and Sarah. They are like sisters to her. Later that afternoon, I took the girls back home and Aubrie stayed and played with them while I ran to Walmart. Because I got in my organizing mood, I had a long list of plastic containers I needed to buy. My cart was so packed with plastic containers, I couldn't see over my cart! It felt so good to get home and get things in order. I know, I'm a total nerd! I am a total "Monica" (from friends) personality! Ok....maybe not so uptight and not the frizzo hair that she had on that one episode!

Later that evening we had friends over for pizza and swimming. The kids had a fun time, and it was nice to relax in the pool. I haven't done that enough lately! Ben headed out to fight night, and I put the kids to bed, and fell asleep watching a Raymond episode, around 9:45!

Today we made it to church with time to spare. Sophia was good the first hour. It was testimony meeting, and there were several good testimonies, including one from one of my Laurels! Second hour I took Sophia to Nursery. She seemed so young compared to the other kids. Not only that, but I don't' know how she will do in there. They only have 20 minutes to play with the toys, and then they were pulling out play dough. My 18 month old will only do one thing with that, eat it or mush it into the carpet (OK that's two things!). How is she going to mature enough for that in one month? (When she officially goes in.) Third hour was good. Melissa gave a great lesson on having a change of heart, and the testimonies from the girls were so uplifting. We have a great group of girls! I know I always say that, but its true!

Today I watched the second Work and the Glory with the kids. Aubrie and Boston were really into it! I was emotional already, and I cried so much during the movie. Some parts just made me realize all that Joseph Smith sacrificed to bring the church back on the earth. I think any other man would have given up, after being beaten, tarred and feathered, and experiencing so much loss, but he rose above it all, to do God's will. How amazing it would have been to be on the earth and know him in person. I also felt so spoiled how I get to enjoy all the wonderful blessings of the church without the persecutions that the earlier saints experienced! Though I often get discouraged at the evils that are rapidly engulfing the earth, what a blessing it is to be a member of the church at this time!

I Know He Loves Me!

Today I received another witness to the fact that God knows each of us, individually! He knows everything about us. He knows when we are happy, and knows when we are down! He wants to help us, and many times the only way he can is through others. I always try to listen to the promptings of the spirit, even when the thing I'm prompted to do seems ridiculous. Sometimes I never know what ever becomes of me following his will, but I just have to believe that I did the right thing. Today I was feeling down and alone. I don't know why? I foolishly let some dumb things get to me. I do that sometimes. Not often, but it does happen. I was standing at my kitchen island, while Ben and the kids were out swimming, and I felt like I wanted to cry. Then the doorbell rang. I quickly wiped a few tears that had already escaped me, and answered the door. There was one of my Laurels, from the old ward, with a card and a box of candies. It wasn't a girl that would normally stop by, and I was so surprised to see her. She thanked me for being such an amazing leader, and had specifically bought me these candies while on a trip. I had forgotten that I had given her a care package to take on her trip, and that was her way of thanking me. Before she had the chance to leave, another car pulled up and it was Terri P. and her family with a plate of cookies. Then the tears came. They came because I knew that God loves me, and wanted me to realized how much I was loved. Through these people, he was able to do his work. So I encourage you to go off those small promptings, even if you think they may not make a difference, because you never really know!

Steak and Mani-Pedi's

So we didn't make big plans for the Labor Day weekend. Traveling with a 16 month old is quite the challenge, and the last trip wore me out. There is nothing like having their own toys and bed close by. I knew we would have more fun hanging out by our pool than juggling something else. I know, by next summer, everything will start to change. I'm just trying to enjoy this stage of Sophia's life before it ends too quickly. It's hard doing that when I'm frustrated with her. So right now, I'm trying to avoid situations that make me feel like that! Of course, I can't avoid Sunday's! So what was I talking about?? Oh ya, Labor Day. Anyway, Ben suggested we invite Matt and Nicole over for a lunch BBQ and swimming. We cooked up some steak and hot dogs, and had a fun time. They left around 1:00, and then as I was getting ready to take the kids to see the Mummy, my Mom walks in with all these groceries. She had work that day, so we were a little confused. When we asked her, she said she took off early for the BBQ. Ben and I had no idea what she was talking about!! She bought steaks and all the typical BBQ sides. Ben and I just looked at each other, thinking "steaks, again?!" We didn't' have the heart to tell her that we had already done that for lunch, because she seemed so excited to have Joe over and have fun. So after the movie, we came home for more steak. Needless to say, my stomach didn't feel so great the next day!
Here is a picture of some of Ben's handy work! He disappeared with Sophia for a few minutes, and came back with her toes and nails painted! What a cute Dad! He always painted Aubrie's toes when she was little, too! I love that he likes to do that kind of stuff for his daughters!
So, when I went in last time to get my haircut, he didn't have time to do color. So yesterday I go in to get it colored. The next thing I know, he is cutting it! I'm thinking, "what the heck are you doing buddy? You just cut it, and besides that, Terri just cut it this weekend!" So I say (because I'm too chicken to tell him straight up that someone else just cleaned up his mistakes this past weekend) "Wow, did my hair grow already?" He was all, "Just want your haircut to be on the same schedule as your color!" What the heck!?!?! Did he not already see it was shorter!?! I wish I could just not be so nice, for once, and tell the guy what was up! When I said I wanted it as like Katie Holmes, I meant her first short haircut, not the current one! YIKES! Ok...maybe a little exaggeration!
This week we have been working on memorizing the Family Proclamation! The kids get their favorite cereal for memorizing the first paragraph. Aubrie memorized it and got Lucky Charms. Then she asked if she could share. I was wondering if that was a nice gesture, or some plan they are conjuring up. "You memorize the paragraph this week, and you the next and we'll just share the treat?" I'll never know! I like to believe Aubrie is being generous.
While I'm on that subject, Boston did something very generous. I have to post this, because over the weekend I seriously started to feel like I failed when it came to my children. (Anyone else ever feel that way?) They just kept fighting, to the point that I took away all video games and TV! Anyway...back to the story...Ethan has been saving for a tool box, and he finally saved enough allowance to buy it. For some reason Boston gave Ethan four dollars right before we went to buy it. I was thinking that maybe Ethan didn't' have as much as I thought he had. As I was dropping Boston off at piano, right before we hit Walmart for the Toolbox, Ethan said, "I have the best brother in the world", with a huge smile on his face. That made my heart smile!!! Well, it turned out he didn't' need Boston's money, and when I told Boston that, after piano, Boston said, "I know Mom, but he would have to use up all of his money, and I wanted him to have some money left over". He can be so thoughtful! Of course, Aubrie was trying to borrow the left over money, while we were at Walmart, for something she found in the checkout line! She is definitely an opportunist! Of course, she paid it back! Also, the kids passed the Service Star off (refer to earlier posts) 5 times today. I think when you start getting really discouraged, Heavenly Father sends tender mercies your way to say, "Be of Good Cheer My Child...Your Doing Better Than You Think!"

Calling all Bloggers!

Ok...for some reason I'm having problems putting my friends blogs who are private (you know who you are) in my Google reader! So if any of you blogger experts know how to do that, or know how to make them some what accessible so I don't' have to retrieve the addresses from and old email, I would greatly appreciate it! I could be sending this via email, but I figure my blogger friends would see this first before email! LOL Thanks for taking the time to blog! It's a great way to still feel connected to my friends, amongst our busy lives! How did people do it in the old days?! LOL