Journal through pictures!

This week has had been a roller coaster and so my memory of what happened is barely existent. Luckily, I took some pictures and hey will tell this weeks story.

Here are a few pictures to go along with last weeks blog!

Aubrie's assembly on the author of Clifford.

Her part was "Coming up with the girls name was easy because Emily Elizabeth was the name of his daughter"

Ethan at Home Depot!

Ethan riding his bike for the first time!
Aubrie got to bring home "the Monkey" on Wednesday. The teacher picks a name, at random, from all the kids who are on green for the day. If they get picked they get to take this monkey home and add something to it. Aubrie put a baby "banana" bottle, from one of her own monkeys, in it's "suitcase". She was so excited to get it, and spent all day playing with it!

Video Games!!! This has been Ethan's most favorite (and monitored :) past time, and he has gotten really good at it. His favorite thing this past week was when I would sit down with him and take turns with the snowboarding game. Believe it our not, he can beat me! It's amazing how quickly he has picked up the moves!

Wednesday, I don't have pictures, was YW. We did a service project for our Stake President. He is having a wedding reception for his daughter this Saturday and is trying to get his yard in order. So the Laurels and Priests went and helped. I felt like a wimp shoveling dirt around. My age is creeping up on me!

Thursday night I went to an Enrichment Class that Erin put together, on Motherhood. We all shared our ideas and successes, and then Erin prepared a few words on the importance of being a Mom. She then presented a slide show of pictures of all of our kids. She put a lot of work into it, and it was a lot of fun and very helpful! Thanks Erin:)

Friday started with Boston's assembly. They did this little Hawaiian Song. Boston wasn't holding back! He was jigging all over the place! Gotta love that kid!!!

Around noon, Ben took the boys to a Spring Training game. It was hotter than expected and the boys wimped out after 45 minutes. While he was with the boys I was preparing for Ethan's 4th birthday party. I used to prepare day's before, making cakes, buying party favors, etc. Now I'm doing everything the day of. It's actually much more liberating, and the parties still turn out the same, minus the stress!

This was Ethan's first birthday party, with friends. I only invited 6 friends, and Shea. Some of the neighbor kids came over, too! It was a perfect amount. I asked Ethan what he wanted for his birthday and he said, "friends, a "pump it up", (aka, bounce house) and Car stuff. So that's what I got, and he couldn't have been happier! The kids had a good time, too. Ethan was so cute opening his gifts. He got excited over EVERYTHING and was so appreciative of everything. One of the kids gave him a 15 dollar gift card. He wasn't sure what it was and when I explained to him what it was he yelled, "All right!! I got 15 bucks!! Yahoooooo!" It was hilarious. I can't believe he will be 4 next week!! (We had it a week early b/c of my "girls trip"!)

After the party, Ben had an emergency work call, so he ran to that while I finished things up at the house. We then had dinner with Matt and Nicole. It was nice to talk w/o the kiddos! Nicole is coming to Wicked with us next week! She took someones place, who had to back out due to a baptism. After dinner, we made our Walmart run and grocery shopped! Fun stuff! LOL

Saturday started with me going with Erin and Marcy to welcome a new Laurel into our class! Once Sophia was done with her first nap, we headed off to the Outlets! We had to find the boys some church pants (they have the skinniest waists and it's so hard to find them anything that fits). I also like to hit the Gap for jeans! They are on sale, and they fit my kids the best! After dragging them around we got some lunch and let the kids play at the outlet "play ground". The kids love that play ground b/c the monkey bars are low to the ground! Here is Ethan's attempt at the monkey bars! Sophia had a good time just sitting in her stroller and watching all the kids play! What a cutie!

After about 45 minutes of playing, Ben took Sophia, to get the car, while I rounded up the other natives. While we were waiting I noticed a pretty water fountain and rounded them up to take a picture. They weren't posing like I liked so I told them to put their heads together. Taking things too literal, and being the obedient kid that he is, here is what Boston did!

Here is some of the stuff Ben bought at the Nike outlet!!

This is what Ben was doing while I was getting ready for church! Wish I had time to do this kind of stuff in the morning!

Today, at church, Sophia wasn't happy at ALL! It's becoming a common occurrence with her. UGH!!! "It won't last forever", is what I kept telling myself as I walked the halls with her.

Today I had the lesson in YW. It was on Eternal Families. I had them write a list of qualities they want in their future husband. Then I read mine, that I wrote in college. They got the most amusement out of my wedding photo. They couldn't get over how different Ben looked! LOL

After church, we let the kids have a picnic on the lawn. It was a beautiful day. Sophia slept most of the afternoon (she does GREAT when she has a crib!), and when she was out she hung out in her entertainer and watched the kids swim while I relaxed in the lounge chair! It was nice:)

Gone in a fash!

Another week gone by in a flash! It's really the weekends that go by so quickly! Why couldn't weekends be four days? I would prefer one of them to be Monday! Sometimes, lately, I feel like Sunday is the least relaxing day. Between getting the kids ready for church, fighting to keep Sophia occupied and happy for three hours, then some weeks a meeting, then dinner, I don't feel as relaxed as I should! I"m sure once Sophia is a little older, things will be more "laxed". But till then, I sometimes feel like a need a day after Sunday to recoup! It was a good week, though!

Monday went by so fast, I don't remember too much. I remember Sophia and Ethan sleeping very late...Ethan until 10:00. I couldn't bare to wake both of them up so I let Ethan skip preschool. I also remember that Aubrie gave the FHE lesson on when Nephi built the boat. She did a great job! She was quoting lines from the scriptures (along with Boston). They knew the story so well! Gotta love the Living Scripture movies! Ha! They probably sound so knowledgeable in primary...little do they know it came from watching TV! LOL No, we have been reading them the Scripture Readers since they were little, but we all know what sticks in a child's mind the most....visual aides!
Tuesday was a relaxed day. I ran a few errands in the morning, and during Sophia's second nap, Ethan and I went and rode scooters, while my Mom was at the house with the baby. I have to admit that I really like riding that thing. It's kind of like a mini-roller coaster...if you live on my street anyway! Then the rest of the day the kids just hung out with the neighbors, after chores of course. Later that evening, I had a girls camp meeting. I'm glad I'll have the chance to go. I kid around that I dread it, but truth is, I LOVE the outdoors! I just don't look as cute roughing it, like when I was young, is all!
Wednesday was mutual. Erin did a class on photography. It was a nice refresher for me. I haven't taken a photography class in 6 years, so some of the things I had forgotten. I wish I had the time, to give to it, like I did when Aubrie and Boston were little. Maybe one day I'll do landscape photography....one day! Ha!
Thursday Ben was nice enough to come home early so I could get my haircut. I went short, shoulder length. I'm loving the new look, but I haven't tried curly yet, so we'll see how that goes. I like to mix it up and have different looks! I thought about going even shorter. Maybe next time!
Friday Aubrie had an assembly. It was on the author of the Clifford books. Her line was clear and audible. Ben and I noticed that a lot more parents show up for the Kindergarten and first grade classes. There weren't too many parents there for Aubrie's class, which was nice b/c we got a nice parking spot and front row seats! Friday night was date night. We went to a ward missionary party. There was a pretty big turn out, keep in mind I thought there would probably only be like 15 people or so. We had fun catching up with some of the older couples in the ward, that we don't get to talk to on a regular basis. It was good times! We really have such a great, diverse Ward. It's almost perfect, I must say! We left the party a little early to see that new Movie, "Vantage Point". It was a little annoying, but had some good twists! We didn't make a normal Target/ Walmart stop. I was so tired!
Saturday was soooo busy! Here is the quick run down
-Ben took the kids to the Home Depot kids thing. They made something they have made probably 3 times already. They really need to start being more creative with their kids' days! Oh well, the kids had a good time and that's all that mattered.
-We finally took the training wheels off Ethan's bike. We should have done it a long time ago. He was so ready. We gave him one push and he was off like a champ. He just needs to work on the take off. Too bad we don't' have curbs in our neighborhood. That always helps!
-Ben helped with a move in the Ward while I hung outside with the neighborhood kids. They like when I bring Sophia out and "come play".
-Ben bought a few new trees and planted them and hooked up the drip. Go Ben!!
-I went to a jewelery party, Lia Sophia, that my friend from Midwestern was having. Cute stuff...but dangerously expensive! :)
-Then I stopped at a craft fair to see a friend that I have bought some amazing stuff from. I say friend, but I never really met her till yesterday. We email all the time, so I don't' really know what else to call her. We were both glad to finally put the faces to the emails!
-Then I took Aubrie cloths shopping. Can I just say that it's Ben's turn next time. It's not like it used to be, where I would run to Old Navy, where everything fit her and I was done in 30 minutes.... great! Not anymore. We went to several stores looking for things, and unfortunately, ended up at a store I did not want to "end up" at b/c of the price. They had clothes that fit...she has the tiny waste but normal body everywhere else. It was 7:00 pm by then(we started at 4:00) and I was tired and hungry. So, I bit the bullet, bought them, and headed home! I think I'm actually looking forward to the day when I can just give her some money, drop her off at the mall and say, "here you go. Spend it wisely b/c that's all your getting...and don't forget about modesty!"

A relaxing weekend!

When a sickness runs through our family it usually hits someone new every couple of days. This time it has hit someone new a week at a time. First it was Boston, then Ethan and finally( I'm hoping this is the end) Sophia! So that means that Ben and I have been playing tag team at church the past three weeks. Fortunately, church is close so Ben and I can trade off during meetings! This week Ben had some part in the combined lesson (that he forgot about) so I ended up staying home with Sophia the whole time. Poor thing has the worst sounding cough and a nose like a faucet. I'm sure she is teething on top of it all, so I wasn't about to compound the miserable state she is in with no nap! While everyone was gone, I was able to get some good one on one time with her, which was WONDERFUL! I don't get much of that, since she usually naps while Ethan is at preschool. While I was playing with her, I was reminiscing back to the time when it was just Aubrie! I was thinking "no wonder she did everything sooo fast and matured so quickly! She had my undivided attention!"

When Sophia was napping today, I tried to make up for lost time at church by reading some of my lessons (Gospel Doctrine, RS, YW, etc.) but it just was not the same as the real thing! When people get to the state where they feel like they don't need church b/c "they can just read their scriptures themselves", today I was thinking "NO WAY!! There is wisdom and reason for church people!" Can't wait to get back into things! Alright, in all reality that won't be for another 8 months (nursery!!!).

Tonight was the annual ward "baptism" meeting for all the kids turning 8 this year. We showed up 30 minutes late b/c they announced the time over the pulpit wrong, but we were there for the main stuff...talk on preparing for baptism! They has some refreshments afterward and ALL the kids were running around the building. I was thinking to myself, " these kids are seriously old enough to get baptized?" Of course, I was pretty rowdy myself...but as a teenager!LOL It is weird for me to think that Aubrie will be getting baptized in a few months. In many ways she is so mature for her age and she knows the Gospel much better than I ever did at her age, but her behavior, at times, makes me think...is she ready for this? It's such a big step and commitment. I'm excited to see how, or if, it will change her!

Now going backwards, as I always do!

Yesterday was a such a nice relaxing day. We finished a few projects, including putting together some new bookshelves, first thing! During Sophia's first nap, I relaxed by the pool while Aubrie read. It was such a NICE day. I ended up being out there for an hour. I should have put my suit on! Of course, I might have downed aircraft with my glowing body! I ended up getting some color (red of course, thanks to my Scottish ancestors) on my chest and neck!! So attractive..LOL! After Sophia's second nap, we rounded up the kids and went hiking on the trails they recently carved out on the mountains in our neighborhood. It was a great hike! Ben strapped Sophia in the Bjorn and the other kids walked. Of course, Ethan was crying that his legs hurt just as we started to head back. We carried him a few times, when we were going uphill. I'm looking forward to another hike. Next time I'll bring my Camel pack and bring goodies and more water!! Last night was pizza, more hot tubing and Ghostbusters 2! I was loving it! Yeah...I'm a 80's nerd!! The kids all fell asleep watching it, except Ethan. I love just plopping them in their beds and being done with bedtime! So effortless...AHH!

Friday was date night! Ben and I had dinner at Pei Wei, saw the movie "Jumper"...ahhh Hayden Christensen!! I just love his smile! Honestly, it was hard for me to separate his character from Darth Vader! After the movie, we made our usual date night stop...Walmart! Funny how that or Target always creeps it's way into our date night! Never thought that would be the case B.C. (before children's!) ha! That's a wrap ! Enjoy the pics!

Saving that for later?

What side are you on?

Last night was our Young Women's New Beginnings. The theme was "Who's on the Lord's Side?". It was done up very well, with a "sports" like emphasis. We had it in the gym, which was decorated with posters, balloons, and the chairs facing each other, like bleachers!! Everything was related to us all being on the same team, working together for a common goal. It was a very clever and original idea! The YW who recently received their YW medallions put on a cute little skit about being physically and spiritual "fit". Then I had to fill in for the Personal Progress leader, who was tending her sick child, at the last minute. It was pretty easy. I just had to read a few paragraphs and a poem. It felt like deja vu, being I spoke at Young Women's last year, on Personal Progress. This year was much easier:) Especially since I wasn't having contractions this time!! (I was very pregnant!) Then we introduced the new Beehives, like they do at basketball games (music playing, running through girls on each side giving them high fives, and then breaking through a banner with their name on it (a last minute idea). That was fun! Then someone spoke using sports analogies...church being like a "locker room", the team being the Lords team, etc. For refreshments, we had it set up like a concession stand. It was all very creative. Wish I could say I thought of it, but the only thing I came up with was the banners they ran through!

Here are a few pics!

Today was pretty laid back. I didn't do much because Sophia was not feeling well. She fell asleep in my arms each time I was giving her a bottle, before a nap! (Very unlike her!) I spent some good time with Ethan today. We colored , played some video games and pulled out the playdoh! Before I knew it, it was time to pick up the kids. The first thing Boston had to tell me, when he got in the car, was how a boy tried to buy his CTR ring off of him for 5 dollars. Now if it was one of those green ones they give out, that would have been a great deal and a great missionary experience. But we just bought him one of those 15 dollar ones from the bookstore. Anyway, he said, "Mom, I told him no way! I'm never going to sell this ring!" The thing is, he had no idea if that boy was offering him a deal or not! He just knew that there was no way he would ever take it off his finger! I'm thinking I might ask the Primary President for one of the green ones, and he can give it to the boy and have a missionary experience and hopefully doesn't come home with the 5 bucks!!

Today was nice because both kids got 100 on all their pretests (alright Boston always does) so I didn't have to worry any homework or studying!! Chores and piano went fast, so most everything was done before Aubrie's voice lessons! Her teacher said she was very impressed with Aubrie and how she said I was working with her! I was thinking..."what??" I didn't work with her! When I asked Aubrie why she told her I was working with her, Aubrie said, "I was talking about piano Mom!" Why she thinks her voice teacher would be asking about piano is beyond me.

Tonight Aubrie helped me with dinner...taco soup! We haven't had it since Aubrie had a case of the stomach flu right after eating it!! This time only one kid complained "it was yucky!" (Ethan of course). The others ate it up, and Boston kept saying how he loved the dinner! He just was sucking up for a DS game I have been holding hostage. It has been working wonderfully I must add. He has been extra good, and has consciously been trying not to fight with the other kids! I think I'll keep buying him cheap DS games from Target and keep them "hostage"! Now if I could only find something that would work for Aubrie!

After dinner, we piled the kids scooters in the car and headed to the park. Within a few minutes, Boston wiped out and I was bandaging him up...thanks to my handy dandy "car" first aid kit!! He was pretty brave, no tears, and went straight to the playground. Since his scooter was free, I decided to take the trails around the park! It was A LOT of fun. The kids started to follow me after while! The trails go behind the houses near the park! I was wondering what people were probably thinking, looking out there back window's, seeing a Mom scooting around with their kids on a kids scooter. They were probably thinking, "Lady, get off before you break it or break something on you!" Hey, I got my exercise for the day...so back off! LOL I would have liked to stay longer, but Sophia wasn't feeling well:(

When we got home it was baths and a little bit of impromptu dancing. Then Ben pulled out Napoleon Dynamite, so the kids could dance to the end of it a couple of times! After we put them to bed, I heard Aubrie and Boston sneaking around. Knowing they were up to something, I went to spy on Aubrie. She had a long piece of yarn tied to a rubber spider. A few nights ago the kids were whispering about something they wanted to do. Last night they were asking if they could stay up "to do something". I'm expecting that they are going to try to scare us soon! Funny kids....they get the whole "prank" thing from my side of the family. They, especially Aubrie, loves to scare people. Once, Ben's parents were watching them while we were out of town, and Ben's Mom was upset with Aubrie b/c she kept scaring the boys. I couldn't help but to laugh inside because I couldn't really be upset with her, since she learned it from Ben and I , and my Mom is just and incorrigible. Hee! Hee! Gotta love a good scare once in awhile! BOO

The View makes it worth it!

Can you guess where this picture was taken? In our neighborhood! Hard to believe, I know! For a short time, the color Green graces us with her presence. What a great view, huh?! Guess that view make our HOA worth it. "What?", you say! Yes, our HOA has been the hot topic in our neighborhood these days. In our CC&R it says there is no overnight street parking. Well they have taken that to the extreme and have now said that there is no parking in the street at anytime and will start towing in March. Our neighbor wasn't happy about that and called channel 5 news! They were here last night getting the neighbors opinions. They got Ben talking, and got Aubrie and I on camera (even though I was trying to avoid it!) So there is Ben's moment of fame! Aubrie was so excited to be on TV and couldn't wait to see it the next morning!

So now to go a little backwards! Last week was busy with Valentines Day. So many Valentines to fill out, parties to get treats for, etc!! Valentines started with a good bye party for a friend, who moved to the East side! Then, before I knew it, the kids were home with all their candy...what a mess! Ben bought me a new kitchen aide hand mixer (in pink). So romantic, I know! LOL He knows I don't want flowers on Valentines. I have told him, since we have been married, to buy me A LOT of flowers throughout the year, instead of paying the high price on Valentines Day! Besides, shouldn't he be showing me he loves me all the time, instead of just one day of the year! He has made good on that deal! I'm loving the new mixer. The old one, of 11 years, beaters would fall out if I lifted it out of the bowl. It makes it hard to mix things that way! Here are a few pictures, from the V-Day!

A little craft that Aubrie made!!

Poor Maggie... guess Aubrie thought she needed to dress her up for the Holiday!

Friday we spent with the kids. We took them to Fuddruckers, and sat right by the video games. By the time we left, I think "can I just have one more dollar" turned into 10 dollars! They walked out of there with some pretty cool bouncy balls, and some necklaces. Boston has been wearing his since. He looks like a California boy with his shell necklace on! After dinner, we made our Target stop and raked up on some good deals on some home decor! When we got home we hit the Hot Tub! It was a fun family night!

Saturday we finished up the bedroom and bathroom, Whew!! (Will post pics later!). That evening we went to a Valentines Party that the Baird's and Higgins were throwing. We had dinner and then played the Newlywed game! It was A LOT of fun! Very fun to see the answers that couples give! Definitely a party we need to do every year!

Sunday Ethan was sick, so I went to the first two meetings, and Ben and I switched off during the 3rd hour. While I was getting ready for Church, I realized I hadn't heard Boston for awhile. I heard him on the piano for a bit, and then hadn't seen him since. This is where I found him, sitting on the couch all ready for church, reading the Book of Mormon! Ben couldn't help but to take a picture!!! It's hard to see, but I had to post it for proof!! LOL Then there was Aubrie, who was such a stinker in Sacrament. She wasn't getting her way and when she started acting bratty I refused to give her attention. That resulted in her pouting in the corner to get attention, and then writing on her notepad...no love, no attention, from Mom....over and over. Then she drew a girl crying. She put it on my lap and I didn't even give it the time of day, putting it in the hymnal sleeve! She then drew up another one, so I did the same and then took the notepad away. Afterward, I gave her a good talking to. I explained how if she wanted my attention she needs to behave, b/c I won't reward misbehavior! I hope she gets the message! Ben and I have decided that the best way to describe Aubrie is PASSIONATE! If she wants to be nice and kind she is VERY nice and kind, but if she is grumpy, frustrated, etc...watch out, b/c she is the extreme in EVERYTHING! On a side note, while Aubrie was drawing her pathetic "mom is mean" picture, Boston was drawing this!

School was out on Monday, so we did the normal...run errands and take the kids to Chuckee Cheese! It was packed! It was the first time ever there was a wait! Luckily, once we got in, things started dying down a little. They had a great time blowing through their coins on the "chance" games and Ben and I had fun with Skee Ball. Even Aubrie and Boston started to get into it! Ethan...well...not so good...balls going everywhere! We even saved a few coins to put Sophia on some rides. She loved them! We have to start preparing her for Disneyland! LOL

Baby Mozart... pictures compliment of Aubrie!!

Back in Time!

It's been awhile....life has gotten away from me this week. Boston came down with a fever on Friday, after school. It lasted through the weekend, so Monday I took him to the Doctor. So Monday I was rushing around to his Dr. Appt. and then to the pharmacy, and then tried to make up for lost time. During Aubrie's dance, Ben stayed with the kiddos so I could get a pedicure I DESPERATELY needed. Ben was actually encouraging me to go. It was nice to relax, even though the lady I got wasn't my favorite (I'll have to remember that!) This time I brought a book, WICKED, and read. The book is actually quite scandalous, and I probably should have put it down for good. I won't be recommending it to anyone, but instead tell them the story. After my pedicure, I ran to Sams and did some grocery shopping (my back is still aching from the heavy cart), and then showed up for the last 15 minutes of Aubrie's Jazz class. They started teaching the recital dances and the pictures of the costumes are already displayed. They are soooo cute! It helps when the owners daughter is always in the same class as yours:) After we got the kiddos in bed, I met up with the girls and leaders, to help one our Laurels celebrate her birthday. We brought stuff for ice cream Sundays, and surprised her. She hasn't been coming lately, and it was a great visit, so that was encouraging!! When I got back Ben and I headed out to do some grocery shopping at Walmart! Our fridges are full, what a great feeling! That's when I feel like...If anything is going to happen let it be now...when my fridges and cabinets are stocked with REAL food! LOL


Yesterday, Boston was feeling better and went to school. The day was a little more relaxing...I made sugar cookies, read my book and Ethan played outside (it was a beautiful day!!). The evening was crazy, though, b/c I planned on making cookies that night and delivering them, but Ben had a meeting he didn't know about. So we rushed through dinner and he had to take off while the kids and I decorated cookies and had FHE (we postponed it). I talked about ropes and how ropes that are frayed aren't as strong as those that aren't. I related that to our family, and how we have to work together instead of trying to pull away. I told them we need to be strong so we can face trials when they come!! Aubrie then ran and got her "Why are You So Grumpy Book" and the kids discussed how in different situations they could change there attitudes. It was very cute! Wish they could do that for real!! These past couple of days I have been saying, when they start fighting, "what kind of rope do we want to be?" Tonight Aubrie prayed that the family can be a "strong rope"!

Today my day started crazy! As I was dropping Ethan off at preschool, I realized that I forgot his Valentines, so as soon as Sophia woke up from her morning nap, I rushed out the door and dropped them off and then headed out on my quest to get 80's clothing! Our youth was having a "decades" dance, so of course I picked the 80's! I got a sweet jean skirt and pink sweater with a big purple belt and white flats. When I picked up Ethan, I asked his teacher if she had any 80's stuff, and I totally scored with some bangle bracelets, net gloves, and leg warmers. Here is a sweet picture of Erin, Marcy and I! My Mom said she felt like she had her 10 year old girl back! Hee! Hee! There were some other great costumes there...Elvis, poodle skirts, rockers...the YM actually didn't really do so great with the whole dressing thing, but that's expected. The music was good and they had some fun games. It feels good to get out on the dance floor....other than my family room! LOL

To go backwards a bit....Saturday we finally finished the wood work in Aubrie's room. I just have to finish hanging a few things and her room will be done!!!! Finally!! Her bathroom is almost done, too! Just trying to find time to make her curtain!!!

This week I have also stayed busy trying to find and purchase tickets for a girls "WICKED" trip! It's actually going to happen, and I'm so excited about it! I have never been on a "ALL" girls trip, unless you count girls camp! It's going to be a blast, especially since I get to go with such great friends!! We have 11 girls in all, so far! Hollywood, watch out!

Just a funny for the week....Boston had a birthday party today and I had to rush him there right after his piano lesson. When he got in the car, after his lesson, he said "Mom are we going home first so I can do more chores before I go to the party?" I told him there was no time. He sounded disappointed and said, "I like doing my chores". When Ben picked him up he said.."Dad I didn't do ANY chores today!" What planet is this boy from? Really... I want to know!!

The new Chore Charts....Ethan was excited to be included and Boston was sad b/c he wanted the blue font!! You can never make everyone happy! It is funny how they were all excited to get them..."come on kiddos they are CHORE CHARTS! You realize that don't you!"

Day at the park!

Flying Solo!

*warning....spell check has not been working and Ben isn't here to proof read!! Read at your own risk!!!
Today I was flying solo, like the good ole days!! Well I guess I shouldn't say "Good", just less complex! Ben left at 6:30 this morning, for Tucson. He is going to be opening that area soon! He will be coming home tomorrow night! Today I kept busy. I cleaned up this morning. Then I took Ethan to the car wash after school. He has been bugging me to wash my car (the clean freak that he is), even offering to clean it himself. After being there for 45 minutes, it was really dirty, I headed home and put Sophia down for a nap. Then I called Kayleen (it's great having YW who have early release) to come over to watch Sophia while I ran to pick up a baby gift...more joneseybaby stuff!:) Aubrie had voice lessons after school, so I stopped by Erin's, who lives in the same neighborhood, just to visit while I waited for her 30 minute lesson to be done. It's hard to really do anything during that 30 minute lesson. I guess I could take my scriptures and read in the car while I let the kids watch a movie or something! After the lesson, I rushed home to get Sophia down for another nap. During that time I had the kids read. It was a half an hour of peace and quite...NICE!
After I was done reading with Boston, I thought I heard him singing the words, under his breath, "Oh it is wonderfuL". I didn't want to embarrass him so I started singing "I Stand All Amazed" (FYI my favorite hymn) and when I started singing it, he chimed right in. We sang the first two verses together. It was a little patchy, but he had the Chorus down perfectly. When I was done I said, "Boston, how do you know that song?" He just shook his head giving me the "DUH" look, and said "at church of course". I asked him if he was learning that in primary, and he said, "No, just from the main part"....meaning sacrament! Good to know that even though I feel like I'm wrestling the kids for an hour, things are sinking in. (BTW Aubrie was singing it with us, too, for the first verse). I then went on to talk to him about the song and how amazing it was that he died for us, and how much he must love us. I told Boston that I loved him so much that I would die for him, like if a car was coming and I had to push him out of the way. He gave me a big hug and started to tear up. Then after a minute or so he said, "Mom, if Ethan was in the street I would push him out of the way and die for him, because I love my brother." I was thinking how sweet that was, and then thinking....then why do you two fight SO MUCH!!! Gotta love kids!
After our little reading/singing session I took the kids and headed over to Kari's. Her husband and Erin's husband are out of town, too! Kari made dinner, so nice of her, and we ate and let the kids play. It was nice to socialize a little and let the kids get out some energy! We left around 7:15 and the kids were in bed by 8:00. Of course, they weren't asleep b/c the were all wound up, but I'm sure they will sleep good!
What a full day! Oh it feels good to get a lot done, but now my body is TIRED!

Finally in 3's!!!

I remember packing Ethan's, size 3 ,diapers away after he was potty trained, and thinking it will be forever until Sophia is in these! I was right! After 10 months (almost), Sophia has finally moved up into size 3! As I was putting them on her I was thinking about how time has flown by so fast! She has really seemed to grow up these past couple of weeks. She likes to motor around, discovering whatever she can get into. Because she gets around so quickly, I have created the biggest play pen ever, by pushing all the couches in the family room into a semi-circle. Sophia is finally eating, and A LOT!! I nailed it when I said that I just don't think she liked the baby food. I started giving her solids and she is going to town. Last night she ate fettachine noodles with chicken, bread, peaches and cheese. This morning she pounded a bowl and a half of oatmeal and some yogurt and tonight she added BROCCOLI to her menu! Banana's are one of her favorites. It's like a whole new Sophia!

I have stayed busy these past couple of days, trying to catch up on some things on my "to do" list. My Mom watched Sophia, while I rushed around for 5 hours on Tuesday getting everything done, including VOTING!! My main projects right now include finishing the girls bathroom and Aubrie's bedroom and the boys bathroom. Sometimes I feel like my house will never be done. Guess that's what happens when you move in a new home when your pregnant! Wait, I was pregnant in my last house and got everything done! How did that happen? Oh ya, Ben didn't have his own business back then!!! Just wish I had a couple of weeks to really crack down and get everything done, uninterrupted!!!:)

This week, for family home evening, we had the kids think of something they wanted to work on for the week and think about during the Sacrament. Aubrie picked, being obedient...it's a work in progress!:) Ethan picked being nice and Boston picked, you won't be surprised by this, remembering to say his morning prayers! That kid is unreal! What's more unreal is that when he realized he forgot Tuesday morning, he was real upset by it! We won't talk about what Ben and I are working on!:) Overall, it's really helping! I hope we can stick with it!

The newest thing the kids started doing is putting on performances. I think me playing the Wicked Soundtrack over and over has gotten them in the "performing" mood! They are excited to see Wicked, we told them we would take them soon! Monday night the boys set up the play room for a puppet show. They used a transformer and a Darth Vader mask! LOL Tonight Aubrie put on a "Hannah Montana" performance. She started planning it all out the minute she got home from school. I wasn't there to see it. I was at Young Women's. Apparently Ethan wasn't cooperating as her "curtain boy" like she wanted to and they had a tiff. She was sent to her room and missed American Idol! Sometimes you learn the hard way.

Young Women's was good. We made Sugar Cookies and delivered them to girls who missed Young Women's. I also made a plate for my family. They were so good, I admit I ate my Mom's, too!! I think I'll be making a batch for Valentines Day! YUM! Ohhh.....soooooo not good for my whole "eating right" thing!

Our Wicked Trip-no pun intended

Ben made good on his Christmas Present and took me to see Wicked. I thought we were going to fly to LA, but instead he arranged to use his brother's car, so we could drive out. ( I didn't want to take our car in case my Mom needed the family bus for an emergency!) At first I was a little irritated that we were going to drive, since we were going up Wednesday and coming back Thursday, but it turned out alright. Probably had to do with the fact I didn't have screaming fighting kids in the back seat! It was nice to have some time to talk and have no other distractions, like TV, kids, blogging, etc. Ben wanted to drive so we could stop at the outlet stores. I had my suspicions, bcuz he told me that there was a "reason" for us driving. As we were coming up on the exit he said, "I can't have you going to Wicked with that purse". My suspicions were confirmed! I have been complaining that my purse isn't big enough to hold all my baby things, and so he took me to the outlet and bought me a new purse, wallet and wristlet. I guess he figured since he saved money on airfare, he could spoil me a little. I'll take it! After hitting a few other outlets, we headed out to make our drive to the hotel. At least that is where he made me think we were going. He actually had arranged for us to stay at the Hellewell's. They are good friends from college. They lived back east for about 10 years, and while we we lived out there, made a few Thanksgiving visits to their place. They finally moved back to California. Kristen's husband bought her tickets to Wicked for Christmas, so Ben bought them on the same day so we could all go together. We all went out to dinner, after fighting 2 hours of LA traffic; gotta love LA! We had dinner by the Pantages theatre, in Hollywood, so I got to see all the "stars" on the sidewalk. I can't believe after all the years I lived there, I had never been to Hollywood.

Here are Frank Sinatra's and Michael Jackson's "stars". I gave up looking for Brad Pitt's!;) It was very cold and windy that night!:(

After dinner, we headed to the theatre for the show. We showed up just in time, only 5 minutes before it started. I was a little nervous for the show. Weird huh? Why would I be nervous?? Well I have heard so many great things about Wicked and I have been bugging Ben to see it for so long, I was afraid that it wouldn't be as great as everyone said it was and the whole trip would be a disappointment. The first song was very unusual, and I was thinking to myself, "GREAT!! It is going to be a disappointment!" Luckily, the rest of the play was absolutely AMAZING! I am so ready to go AGAIN!! Not only was it extremely entertaining, but it also had a great message and left you thinking! Ben was great enough to let me get a Wicked Hoodie Jacket afterward. They make so much money off their shirts and sweatshirts!! OUCH!!!

This is the only picture I was able to get inside. One of the usher ladies yelled at me to put my camera away!:(

We didn't end up getting back to the Hellwell's until midnight, and of course we had to play some cards like old times. Except it wasn't like old times b/c after one game we were ready for bed. Guess that's what kids do to you! We still didn't get to bed until 1:30. Ben had a 6:30 T-time the next morning and I slept in. AHHH!! Of course, sleeping in isn't what it used to be. I woke up at 8:30 and finally got up at 9:00, after trying to force myself to go back to sleep for a half an hour. How did I ever sleep until Noon!??? Kristen and I did some shopping at a nearby mall, which made me realize what a loser mall Arrowhead is. I could have shopped there all day, but only had an Accord to bring everything home in....should have brought the Navigator!! LOL After shopping, we got some lunch at the Nordstroms' Cafe. Can you say RIP-OFF!!!! Of course they have no prices on anything, just displays so you can pick out what you want and get your total at the register. I got a half a sandwich, a cup of tomato soup, bottled water and a dessert. When he rang me up for 20 dollars I wanted to say, "Oh, I'm not paying for the lady behind me". It was good, but Paradise bakery is much better and half the price! For the sake on not complaining too much, the dessert was pretty awesome and so was the company. Ben said the bottled water that said "Nordstrom's" on it probably cost 10 dollars! Ha! Anyway, after the mall, I was so tired. I was almost embarrassed how tired I was. I slept in and still needed a nap. I took a small nap before dinner.
For dinner we met the Hendricksons & Cooks ( other good college friends) for dinner at the Dana Point Harbor ( I think that's what it was called, I'm sure someone will correct me! ). It was so good to catch up. It was like old times, and when I say that it's b/c none of the guys have changed one bit. They may be getting older, but they still act like a bunch of freshman guys whenever they get around each other. Of course, the wives are used to it by now and over time have become a part of some of the stories. It would be fun to live by all of them again, being by the beach wouldn't be so bad either!:) Of course that would mean leaving all my awesome friends here! Wish I could just group all my friends in one place! We finally left the restaurant around 6:30. We hit some bad traffic and so we knew we weren't going to be getting home till late. I played the role of DJ, picking the songs for the next 4 hours. It was fun, Ben and I singing to our favorite songs over 11 years of marriage! Even though we weren't "talking" it was like a form of communication. Weird, I know, but it really was. It's amazing how songs can bring back memories and feelings you had when you listened to those songs. That's one thing I LOVE about music. Finally around 1:00am I couldn't stay awake. I was in and out until we got home at 1:45. I was out by 2:00! (I am so tired right now!!! Why I'm typing this up and not sleeping is beyond me!!!!)

Today was fun. It started off with a baby shower. It was just a small group of friends for lunch and celebrating. We brought our kids and they played while we talked. It was good times. While talking we decided that it would be fun to take a girls Wicked trip. It would take a lot of coordinating, but if we could pull it off, ohhh..... how fun!! Anyway, it was a good afternoon. Sophia actually took a nap there, after 10 minutes of crying, and Ethan let go of my leg after 5 minutes of being there. He would show up once in awhile to make sure I was still there. One time he showed up and said, "I love you Mom", and left. On the way home he said, "Can I have a sucker because I was so good?" .....always trying to get candy!!!

Tonight a group of us went to dinner to celebrate Trina's birthday. We had a great time, and I'm sure the server was hating us!! We were there for over 2 hours! I'm surprised he didn't charge us a table rental!LOL While I was gone Ben had a fun time with the kids. He ordered pizza and had the neighbor kids, Bailey and Andrew, over. They went hot tubing and watched a movie. Bailey was walking home in her PJ's just as I pulled up. I'm so glad the kids have great neighbor kids to play with! I know....broken record....I say that all the time. What can I say, I'm a grateful girl!

Here it is....the Special plate. Sure looks "special", too! It's actually looking a little yellow in this picture, but actually is a cool green!

Here is Aubries beloved cat! Not bad, huh?

Goodbye to a Wonderful Prophet!!!!

Tonight our great prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley passed away, at age 97. He died at home, with his family beside him, at 7:00 p.m. When I found out, I was upstairs reading with Aubrie. Ben came in her room with a very serious demeanor and I knew something was wrong. Amber had texted everyone, of course hearing it so quickly living in Utah! At first I was stunned and could see Ben's eyes teared up. The tears quickly began to fall down Aubrie's face. She was very upset about it, which jump started my water works. We are so happy that he finally gets to be with his wife, who passed several years ago, but we all feel a great loss! He was such an amazing prophet! He was so good publicly, and always made us laugh. I never felt so loved by someone I never met, except the Savior and Heavenly Father, of course! Every time he spoke in General Conference, or at BYU devotionals, I felt so loved by him and felt the wonderful Spirit he brought with him. It's amazing how we can feel such a loss for someone we never met! We are so grateful that we got to live during the generation of President Hinckley! What a great man! We will miss his youthful, vibrant spirit!

Don't really know how I follow that with anything, but I have a lot to catch up on!

Thursday night Aubrie and I went to Color Me Mine. Krista invited us for a special girls night, where it's only 2 dollars for the session if you have 3 or more people. It ended up being Lorraine, Krista, Keri, my Mom, Aubrie, & Laura Simon. It was a fun time with Laura, and I also thought it would be fun for Laura and Krista to meet since they are both single and have some things in common. We had a great time. We first met up at Paradise Bakery for dinner, which is always yummy! I had the chicken walnut sandwich, of course, and a bowl of the tomato soup....the best ever!! We then headed next door to Color Me Mine. Very convenient!:) I made a "special" dinner plate that family members can use when they did something really special that day. I have had the idea for awhile, but have been looking for the perfect plate. I'm excited to finally have one! I'll post a picture when I get it back. They have to fire them up, so it takes a few days to get them back. Aubrie made a cat, of course, and did a pretty good job.

Oh, I forgot about Tuesday and Wednesday! Tuesday I went to this party at a friends where several people where showing their "goods"! There were Gold Canyon Candles, designer jeans, jewelery, Layers clothing, and some baby stuff. Silly me thought I could use a credit card, so I wasn't able to get all I wanted. I went a little crazy and bought Sophia a lot of bows for her hair. I guess they aren't exactly bows. Their headbands that you clip these cute flowers onto. Soooo cute! The girls company is jonesybaby.....such cute, inexpensive stuff! I also got an amazing smelling candle! Can't wait till it comes in! I love a great smelling house! Mmmmmm! When I got home, Ben and I caught up on American Idol! I love that show. It's so funny to see how people think they are so good and they are not! It's hard to believe that they really think they are good! I told Ben that if I ever sounded that bad he better tell me so I don't humiliate myself at church. He assured me that my singing was "good"! I'll never really know! LOL! That's what we did Wednesday night, too! Wednesday was crazy for me...I can't remember why now! But Ben tried to make me feel better with these! They are the most beautiful roses I have seen in a long time. The outside is pink and the insides are red!!

Friday Ben and I went to Olive Garden. I have a love/hate relationship for that place. Love the food, hate the wait!!! We ended up snagging a table in the bar area, so we wouldn't have to wait. I don't think we will do that again. The service wasn't very good, and our appetizer came out with our dinner. So now we have this 8 dollar appetizer sitting in our refrigerator that will never get eaten. I complained to the manager as we were leaving, but he didn't offer to make up for it! Don't they know how much food we buy from them for our Christmas Parties!!!!LOL! They know we'll be back for those bread sticks, raspberry lemonades and Ande Mints! After dinner, we saw Cloverfield. It was a pretty weird movie. It was all taken through the view of some one using a video camera, kind of like the Blair Witch Project. There weren't any real answers to anything, I hate that....no closure! I had a hard time sleeping, too! I shouldn't see those scary movies, but they keep sucking me back in!!! I had to go to bed early, too, b/c I had to get up the next morning at 4:30 for our Youth Snow Trip!

Amazingly enough, I popped right out of bed when the alarm went off. We had to meet at the church at 5:00am, but didn't leave until 5:30. I had to pick up a girl in our neighborhood, but I had the wrong address, so I had to go to the church to get the right address, pick her up and come back. I felt bad b/c she called the house and woke Ben up and he never got back to sleep, so he says! I drove up with Erin and so we got to catch up on things during the 2 1/2 hour drive. We went sledding up in Forrest Lakes, where the Bishops parents live. We meet at their house and all the youth get their snow clothes on and then we go to the "sledding place". The boys had camped there the night before, so when we showed up they were making breakfast. Brother Hintz was nice enough to make Erin and I some breakfast; pancakes, sausage and eggs! I think that gave me the energy I needed to enjoy the day. It was a beautiful day for sledding! The sun was out, but the snow was powdery and perfect! Erin and I took our first ride down the hill together. There was a lot of bumps and we are now feeling it on our rear ends, legs, etc. I have a huge purple bruise on my tail bone; sorry no pictures of that! HA! As the day went on, Erin and I got more brave. We did the plastic saucers, snowboard and started going face first on the "boogie board" type sleds! That ended up being our favorite. I also really enjoyed the snowboarding, except it took too much time putting the board on and taking it off! Erin and I also did some runs with some of the YW. That was fun, too! It was a great time! Erin and I were the only YW leaders that went sledding. I guess there was only one other YW leader there now that I think of it! Anyway, I'm glad that we participated! What good memories for all of us! The bruises and bumps were worth it all!

When I got home the kids were on the corner of our street selling Lemonade with the neighbor kids. They did pretty good; ended up making 12 dollars all together. After they were done, I rode scooters with them up and down the street! The kids and their friends thought that was cool. I was feeling youthful! Guess that's what hanging around the YW all day does to you! After Ben ran some errands, we all sat around the hot tub (the kids got in the pool a few times) and ate dinner...well just a rotisserie chicken....while sitting in the hot tub! We were wondering what the neighbors were thinking if they were looking down on us. It was actually the funnest dinner I have had in a long time. No messes to worry about, and no manners to scold for! Sophia even ate the chicken. She started grabbing at the pieces I had in my hand. I was beginning to wonder if Ben had fed her all day, she ate so much! LOL

Today was a full day. Ben taught Aubrie's class and then I had to teach YW. Ethan had a break down in Primary because his regular teacher was out of town and Sophia was doing her normal break down at the end of Sunday school. So I sent Ethan and Sophia home with Ben during the 3rd hour. My lesson went well, I am getting more and more comfortable teaching the girls. The lesson was on how we can grow closer to Christ. The girls are so willing to help and participate in the lesson and always have things to say that I don't think of myself. One girl in particular mentioned how we should invite those who seem like good people but don't have the complete understanding of our standards to join us in our activities. I couldn't believe I didn't think to mention that! Missionary Work is a definite way to come closer to Christ! Sometimes I follow the lesson too strictly I guess. But just a testament to what a great youth we have! I feel so blessed to work with them!

After church I did some Visiting Teaching; always fun visits! For dinner, Ben bought some baby back ribs and cooked them up on the grill. It was actually quite funny b/c it has been raining all day and he wasn't about to let a little rain get in his way. So he kept running in and out of the rain to go check on them. He did a pretty good job, but next time I think we will cook them on low! Aubrie loved them! She had 5 ribs all by herself. She in a huge meat eater. I feel sorry for her future dates....expensive!! The boys did alright once we took the meat off the bone. Boston was freaking out even thinking of getting his hands dirty, my little O.C.D boy! After dinner we watched Funniest Home Videos and played a few rounds of hide and go seek! Then it was bed time and that brings us to the beginning of the blog. Again, what a great loss for us, but I'm sure the Heavens are rejoicing to have him there, along with his sweet wife!