Busy week..with a Conference finale!!!

This week has been pretty hectic! I was pretty much down for the count on Monday, trying to recoup from the trip. I also haven't been feeling very well. I have been feeling very fatigued, having stomach pains and feeling a little nauseous in the morning. NO! Pregnancy is impossible for me. I'm not sure whats going on, but I'll survive. I always do! The hardest thing was that I couldn't take it easy. The week was very busy and I had to push things in high gear to get stuff done! This week I hosted a baby shower for Leslie. I really didn't do much as far as food, every one pitched in and I just made a cake and got some food for the kids. Another friend got all the decorations, party favors etc. So I don't know why I felt busy. I still had to make her gift (hooded towls) and buy the stuff to make them. In between all of that, I had loads of laundry, a house to pick up, a meeting Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday night. The shower was Thursday at 11:00 am, and seemed to take up most of the day, setting up, actually having it, and then clean up. My Mom was a gem to help with it all, and it was a great time. I was glad that I could help out and host it! So I hope it doesn't sound like I'm complaining. I guess when you sit around relaxing all weekend, throwing yourself back into real life isn't the easiest thing!

This weekend was Conference weekend. It was a great General Conference! It was a little hard for me to accept the fact that I would no longer get to see sweet President Hinckley's face! On the other hand, President Monson is amazing! His humility and gratitude for the support during the solemn assembly was endearing, and the words spoken on his account were all so supportive. The talks given during the second session were my favorite. They focused on very specific and basic principals of the Gospel. Elder Ballard gave a great talk on Motherhood, which really gave me much to think about. His message was to mothers of small children. He said that the time you have with them when their little ( the developmental years) is so short , and to be careful how you spend that time. He cautioned us to not busy ourselves with things that can be done in a different season of our life. It is so true, so this is my last blog entry! Ha! Just Kidding! This is actually my way of preserving those sweet memories. I did realize that there are things that I can cut out of my life, that I can do later or not at all. As I was taking some pictures for Aubrie's baptism announcement, I sat there in astonishment at how fast 8 years have gone by. It seems like yesterday that she was Sophia's age. Then as I was rocking Sophia, tonight, I thought how quickly the next four years will go by, when I'm sending her off to school! When I look back at that time I would rather have put my talents, interests, etc. on hold, instead of regretting the time I lost with my sweet little Sophia, and the last year I have with my cute Ethan, before he goes off to school!

Tonight we had a few couples over for dinner. It was a nice visit. Ben and I keep saying how we should have at least one family over for dinner a month. I'm always so lazy to get things going, but once they come over I always have a great time. It's just a great way to get to know couples better. They were here until 7:30 and then we put the kids to bed!

Here is the 411 on the kids!

Boston...Was sad when his "girlfriend" had to go on yellow this week, is currently on his 5th Junie B. book (he keeps asking me how many Aubrie has read); got his first Webkinz and is anxious to get on the computer to feed him (it's a tan dog and he named him Jack Jack); jumped in the pool with his clothes on today (along with the rest of the crazy family); put a dollar and some candy in Kate and Sarah Frandsen's birthday cards that Aubrie made for their party (always so generous and thoughtful); and told my Mom that he was going to be an actor when he grows up because he is the "best actor in the world".

Aubrie...Was too tired to go to dance on Monday after a long plane ride home on Sunday; was too embarrassed for me to listen in on her voice lesson (is this the Aubrie I know?); went to Sarah and Kates birthday party and had fun painting nails, a pot, and doing girlie things; insisted that I buy her seeds on Saturday so she could grow them in the pot she painted, wrote in her journal that she thinks she is rich (she just got 10 dollars...ha!).

Ethan...told my Mom and I that he likes to "build things, clean things, and play in the kitchen" (what kind of profession fits all three?); did all his chores on his own while I was sleeping in Monday morning; randomly has been coming in the room where I'm at and saying, "Mom, I love you" and then blows me a kiss; had fun going to the outlet malls with Mom and getting pizza and playing in the play area!

Sophia...has been gracing us with 6:00am wake up calls; bottom teeth are growing fast; climbed the ladder on the play set outside; started doing the "crab crawl" since I put her in shorts; stood by herself in the middle of the room; fell in the pool (with me watching her of course). She didn't go near it after that; laughs when we sing to her!

Here are my two girls! Eight years goes by in a flash!!!!

Raliegh Trip

Aubrie and I just came back from our first Mother and Daughter trip, since she was an infant (which really doesn't count since she can't remember it!) Our good friends (more like family) from Raleigh are having their second baby. It's a very exciting time for them, especially since they have been trying for many years to have another baby. Did I mention it was a "he" and they are naming him Dawson (my maiden name if you didn't know!) I decided to surprise Abbie and fly out for her baby shower. Since Aubrie LOVES the McGee's, and gets along with Sydney (their 7 year old) so well, I decided to bring her with me. Aubrie was very excited for the trip!

Since our flight left Thursday, at noon, we had to pull Aubrie out of school most of Thursday and all of Friday. Aubrie was very excited for the plane ride. She used to fly all the time (we counted over 20 times at one point) before we moved to Phoenix. Once we moved here, there weren't any Christmas or Thanksgiving trips on the agenda! So the last time she flew was when we went to Raleigh when she was 4 1/2. So flying is a distant memory for her. Unsurprisingly, she was trying to be very independent the whole time. Wanting to help carry luggage, find her seat on her own, and figure out where our gate was etc. We had about an hour to kill, so we got some lunch at the Starbucks right by our gate, and sat down and played Go Fish. Every time we passed a Starbucks in the other airports she would say, "I love that place"! What did I start? I can just see it now at the next Testimony meeting. "I just loved when my Mom and I hung out at Starbucks together...blah, blah, blah". HA!

Finally it was time to board, and she was a little nervous to take off. The fact that the landing gear was making a popping noise, really didn't help matters! Once we were in the air, she was fine! She spent the time listening to her ipod, reading, and playing card games. I spent my time doing the same. She also liked looking out the window. The guy in our row was nice enough to switch seats with her...I'm sure he liked the aisle better!

We had a layover in Memphis and got some pizza and played some more cards. Our flight from there to Raleigh was on a little commuter plane. It was very small, and Aubrie kept making comments about how small the bathroom was, etc. Luckily the flight was only a little under 2 hours. We arrived in Raleigh at 10:00 PM and Jason was waiting in baggage claim to greet us. It was a nice surprise, much better than curb pick up! It was also nice that I didn't have to carry all the stuff to the curb by myself! Aubrie was excited to see the luggage come down the shoot and she was very anxious to find ours and "try" to get it!

We got to their house about 10:30 and Sydney woke up and shot down the stairs as soon as Abbie whispered to her that Aubrie was there. We didn't see Aubrie and Sydney for a few hours, after that! Jason, Abbie and I stayed up talking till about 1:00. The girls spent the night up in the attic, and Aubrie was in heaven with Abbie's new baby kitten. Who knows how late they were up. I took an Ambein and was "out" by 1:30!

Unfortunately, I had an early morning wake up call. At 8:30 the girls were up singing to the High School Musical Wii game. It resonated through my bedroom making it impossible to sleep. Remember now that 8:30 translates into 5:30 Phoenix time! I still laid in bed and finally was able to get another 30 minutes of sleep. Friday consisted of just hanging around the house, which was GREAT! Sometimes the best vacation is where you do nothing! The Shower was at 7:00 that night. It was at the Henderson's house (friends from the area). They did a lot of things to the inside of their house since we were there last, so It was nice to look around at the improvements. I also got to catch up, on life, with a few friends. It was nice to see a few familiar faces, even though a few is all there was. I also chatted a bit with their neighbors, who lived in Phoenix for 5 years. The commented on how they loved the weather in Raleigh. Who wouldn't, after living in "hell" 6 months out of every year! They asked me how I liked Arizona and they were surprised to hear that I liked it. Of course, so was I! Ha! I told them it wasn't the summers that sold me, but the great winters, our friends, and our church members. The shower wrapped up around 10:30. We headed home and hung out for a few more hours, including Aubrie and Sydney. By 1:30 I gave up on falling asleep and took an Ambien!

Of course, I had to take a picture of the cake!

Saturday started at 11:00am for Aubrie and I! It was very nice to sleep in! AHHHH!! Again, we didn't do too much on Saturday. We went to Target and I helped Abbie with things she might need to prepare for the baby and then we got some lunch at Hibachi Express, one of my favorite food places out there! YUM! Then we just hung out at their house, and played some cards later that night! Aubrie and Sydney were still having a ball. There was a little drama when a neighbor girl decided to join them (3 is never a good number with girls this age!). They got over it quick, and played Webkinz together until the wee hours of the night, while we played Canasta (yes we are starting our retirement years early!!:) We used to play Canasta with the McGee's when Aubrie was a baby and Abbie was pregnant with Sydney. We would play till 2 in the morning sometimes! When I imagine our retirement days it always includes the McGee's and countless hours of cards!
Sunday we slept until 11:00, again. Still remember we didn't' go to bed until 2:00 and that 11:00 is 8:00 our time! Church started at 1:00 and so we only had a few hours to pack and get ready for church. Aubrie loved going to a different primary! She was gleaming when they asked for visitors and she got to stand up front while they sang to her! I guess when you think of it, she really has never done that! I snuck out of 3rd hour (which is their wards first hour) to find some friend from our old ward. When I walked in the Chapel it was so surreal! I didn't recognize anyone! I finally found the friend I was looking for and after that only ran into one other familiar face! Then when we got into the McGee's second hour (which was the first ward we were in when we moved to NC) there were only a handful of familiar face. The whole 3 hour block just felt like I was in an unfamiliar place. It just didn't feel right and then I started getting sad, realizing that the place had changed so much and if we came back it wouldn't be what we once knew. Then towards the end of the testimony meeting, one of my YW when I was a Beehive leader in the ward, stood up and bore her testimony. She thanked every one of her teachers she had every had and wanted them to know how much she appreciated them since it was her last Sunday before she went off to college. (I guess Spring semester?) I then realized how much time had passed since I was in that ward, and how wards do change! Then it was affirmed to me, once again, how North Carolina is no longer the place for us and that we are right where we are meant to be! Though sometimes I feel as though I want to run for the hills, this is the place for us! Of course, I miss the trees, our few good friends that remain, being an airplane ride from family, the sweet southern smiles and the the South Carolina beaches,....oh and the not so hot summers, but for now Peoria is where we need to be! Retirement is a different story! Ha!
After Church, we rushed home, packed up the car and headed to the airport. Jason was a gentleman, parking and carrying in our luggage and walking us to security. I was glad, once again! Aubrie was sad to leave Sydney, and it came out in her behavior. She wasn't listening to anything I told her and was being more defiant than ever. When we got on the plane a girl let her have the window seat and in turn I had a 30 minute conversation with her. She was a young girl, barely engaged to a air force boy leaving for Iraq. She offered up the whole story and then the drinks came! By then, Aubrie softened up until I told her she needed to read. She fell asleep reading. Aubrie slept the second half of the first leg, which landed us in Minnesota. I looked for the Mall of America as we were landing, but I couldn't spot it! Aubrie and I got a quick dinner at Chili's Too! Then we walked half the airport to catch our connection. Aubrie and I played Seven's for about an hour, and then she fell asleep. I talked with the guy next to me, who was a Pilot, so I got some cool info on airplane stuff. Then I tried to sleep, which is impossible for me! We finally landed at 11:15 and got home and in bed around 12:45. Whew! It was a long day and Monday was tiring! It was a nice trip! It was nice to relax and not run around, and having such good friends that we felt comfortable just doing hanging around the house! It was also a great time for just Aubrie and I! Thanks Ben for holding down the fort for our little "get away"!

Lost Kitty?

While we were gone on our trip, my Mom realized that she hadn't seen Aubrie's cat in awhile. Saturday, she looked all over the house and couldn't find her. She called me on Sunday and told me that she hadn't seen her, but I wasn't too worried about it because this has happened before. Well, Aubrie's cat has not returned and Aubrie is, in her own words, "heart broken". Tonight I had to lay down with her and rub her back and head until she fell asleep. She slipped a note in through our bedroom door that said, "Could one of you lay with me? I miss my cat and am heart broken. I don't think I will ever get over it, and it will take at least a week for me to stop crying." After that, I couldn't not go lay down with her.....so pathetic!:( This is the second cat we have lost this year. I'm beginning to think there are coyotes camping outside of our yard. I'm still praying that Maggie will return. She was so good for Aubrie. She slept with her every night, always came when she called her. She loved Aubrie so much. she would wait outside her bedroom every night while I read with Aubrie, and would run in and jump on her bed as I would leave. People say that cats aren't smart and that dogs are a mans best friend, but I beg to differ. She was amazing. For Aubrie's sake, I pray that she comes home!!!

Utah in 4!

We just finished our four day trip to Utah! At first I wasn't sure if two days in Utah was worth two, 10 hour days of driving!! But, because it was the kids Spring Break and we have been wanting to get up there, I decided that we would make it work. I was starting to second guess our decision 2 hours into the trip. Just out of Flagstaff, Sophia started crying and cried for 30 minutes straight (more like whimpering....so pathetic) until she finally fell asleep. I thought, "If it's going to be like this for the next 8 hours I don't know if I can handle it!" Luckily, she was a gem the rest of the way. We made a lot of stops, so I think that helped.

Aubrie orginal!:)

We finally stopped at Moqui Cave, just out of Kanab. We see it ever time we go that way, and I always wonder what's in there. It wasn't what I expected...mainly just some antiques and crafts. The back of the cave was dark and they had fluorescent lights and lots of different rocks. I was expecting it to be like the Timpanogas cave; stalagmites, stalactites, etc... The kids still had fun, and they each got something from the gift shop. Aubrie got some colored rocks. Ethan got a cork gun. Boston got this awesome coons skin hat. He wore it the WHOLE time we were in Utah. Everyone got a big kick out of it! He even tried to wear it to bed. Gotta love that kid!

We also made a stop in Beaver, at the cheese factory. We got the famous "squeaky cheese", also known as curd cheese. We call it that, because it squeaks when you eat it. We also bought a magnet paper doll kit for Aubrie while we were there. She really liked it and she helped so much with Sophia on the ride up, it was kind of our "thank you".

With all the stops, it ended up taking us 11 hours to get to Provo. An hour before we go thIt was a nice trip! I prefer the stops because it made it feel like we didn't waste the day "just traveling". Ben is getting better at enjoying the ride, instead of driving straight through! When we got to Provo, after a quick stop at Krispy Kreme, we headed straight to the hotel and went swimming in their heated pool. The kids had a lot of energy to burn, and Sophia was so happy to be crawling around. We then came back to the room and put Sophia down. Ben headed out with the boys to get some groceries, and Ben surprised Aubrie and I with Ribs from the TGI Fridays, that is part of the hotel. That is one of Aubrie's favorite foods and she kept asking him for them. She was complaining when she didn't think she was getting them, and then when they showed up at the door she started to cry. I asked her why she was crying and she said, "because I feel so bad that I was complaining". Maybe she learned her lesson?!

Friday was a FULL day! We finally got out of the Hotel at 10:00, and our first thing on our agenda was to check out the house Ben and I lived in when we were first married. Last time we went by (last year) there was some fire damage. Now there is a new duplex in its place. After that, we headed up to see Grandma and Grandpa, but they weren't home. Ben then stopped by to see his old boss from the Frontier (a truck stop he worked at in College). We then headed up to Salt Lake. Our first stop was at a restaurant that Ben's college friend, Hans, is a chef at. It's an upper scale restaurant (mainly seafood). We weren't planning on eating there, but after he invited us in to eat , we couldn't refuse. I was a little stressed out at first, with the four kids in a nice place, but luckily after the first 10 minutes the natives settled down, and it was a good experience. The kids actually ate their salads, and most of there meal. Sophia was happy to gnaw on some bread, and we were able to make it out of there without any major breakdowns! Hans was nice enough to take care of the bill...I should have got the Lobster! LOL

After that visit, we headed up to the "This is the Place" monument! We have never been there in all the time we lived in Utah. It was cold and windy, so we quickly walked the grounds and headed back to the car. We then went to Temple Square and visited the North Visitors center, and then walked around the temple. I love that temple!!! Not just because we were married there. The history, hard work and all the service people rendered to build it just amazes me! We are so spoiled in these later days!

Here is one of Aubrie's

"orginals"! All the kids

took their turns on the

camera. I love this picture

that Aubrie took and the fact

she was paying close attention

to the prints on His feet!

After the temple, we headed to a Horse Facility that Han's wife (Priscilla) manages. Boston and Aubrie got to ride a horse in their indoor arena. Aubrie was so excited and wanted to ride longer. She kept saying how she wants to take lessons....yeah right! Boston was a little nervous at first, but ended up having a good time after a few minutes. Towards the end he did one of his "Ye Haw's" as he was swinging his coon skin hat in the air! What a performer. We then got a tour of the stables. It was a very nice facility!! After that adventure, we tried Grandma and Grandpa again, only to find Grandpa there. We visited with him for about and hour, while the kids played in the tree house in the backyard and Sophia happily motored around the house.

After our visit there, we had dinner with Ben's Uncle Jim and his family. They have two younger boys, who are 9 and 5. The kids had a blast playing with them in their backyard. The rest of the trip, they kept asking if we could go back there and play with "Douglas and Jackson". We kept telling them they would have to wait until the family reunion to see them again. They weren't too happy about that. I'm glad they will have something to look forward to when we go!

After our visit with them, we met the twins back at the hotel. Sophia was blitzed and needed to go to bed, so I stayed upstairs while they went swimming. When they got back we all went to bed. It was a long day!

Friday was almost as busy. We were planning on going to a Easter Egg hunt at Pioneer Park at 9:00 am. We slept in (I'm not complaining) and missed it. We scrambled to get over there because the sign said it was from 9 -11. We got there at 10:00 and it was already over. I have to say that I wasn't too disappointed because the park was PACKED! I think between that and the fact that it was so cold outside, it would have been miserable. So to make it up to the kids, we stopped at Walmart and got supplies to have our own Easter Egg Hunt. We took the stuff up to Grandma and Grandpa's, who had a fun time helping us fill the eggs and watching "the Hunt". We visited with them a bit more, and spent sometime listening to Grandpa play the piano, and then the kids played the piano and sang songs. We only stayed about an hour and 1/2 because Grandpa just got done giving a blessing and we knew he was pretty tired!

After their house, we headed up to "the BYU" as Boston puts it. We had lunch at the Cougar Eat and then we walked around the bookstore. Ben ended up buying matching shirts for him and the boys. When we got back to the hotel the boys didn't waste anytime putting them on. Sophia was so tired by the time we got back to the hotel, she went right down for a nap. After about an hour I joined her. When I woke up, the kids and Ben were gone. I texted him to see where they went, and he had taken them to the dollar movie to see National Treasure 2! I wished I wouldn't have gotten up! I was still tired, but woke up because I felt guilty that I had abandoned Ben with the kids, and he had taken them to the movie so I could rest. Isn't that the way it goes! I used the time, I had alone, to get the kids Easter baskets ready, so it all worked out! When they got back we got dinner at Wingers. They moved their location to the South Town Mall, which is a much better store/ atmosphere. The kids were full of popcorn, but amazingly ate their dinner. Aubrie was sold on another serving of Ribs and the boys loved that they had penne Alfredo! After dinner, we searched the mall for a toy store because Boston's money apparently was burining a hole in his pocket!! Both boys brought their wallets, and Bostons wallet was in his back jean pocket the WHOLE trip! They just wanted to buy something. They had a Game Stop in the mall, and he finally decided on a game that had a whole bunch of those 80's games on it (Pacman, Galaga, etc). It was a good pick, and Ben made up the difference in price. I told Ben that Boston has plenty of money and could have paid for it himself. Ben only made him pay a dollar. I hope they don't get a warped sense of how much things cost! LOL

After dinner, we went and got ice cream at the BYU Creamery. Sophia was beyond tired, so we took turns walking around with her. Amber and Amanda met us there, so the kids had fun eating ice cream with them. They were huge helpings and so Ben and I didn't order anything for ourselves, knowing we would have left overs to finish! Of course, Ethan ate all of his being he is the ice cream King, but Boston and Aubrie left us plenty to finish off. After the Creamery, we drove by the MTC and Ben took the boys inside to take some pictures. Then it was back to the Hotel for swimming, while I stayed in the room with Sophia. It was nice to have some peace and quite, so I didn't mind being up there by myself. When they came back, the kids played the new DS video game while Ben and I played cards with Amanda and Amber. Then it was bedtime!

The kids woke up to Easter Baskets full of Candy, bouncy balls (their "new" thing) and eggs filled with some money ($3 total). We then talked to them about Easter and then we packed up and headed for home. The trip home went very well. We only made a few stops for gas and treats, and Sophia did well considering she didn't have as many opportunities to stretch and crawl around. Ben did make a stop by some snow on the side of the rode, and they played in the snow for about 5 minutes. They sledded down on their bottoms... CRAZY!! Instead of taking a lunch break in town, we stopped off at a nice rest stop in the mountains, about 20 minutes out of Kanab. I made some sandwiches for the kids and they had fun playing and climbing the hill. Sophia loved crawling around on the grass and we were busy making sure she didn't eat pine straw. After about a half an hour, Ethan tripped over some type of sprinkler head and scraped up his face. That ended that picnic! We pushed through the rest of the trip, only stopping for occasional bathroom breaks and snacks. Sophia started whimpering the last half hour of the drive, but overall did so well!! When we got home, we played out back with the kids for about and hour, and it ended up in a water fight! That lead straight to bath time and then bedtime!

The trip turned out to be wonderful! Ben said it was one of his most favorite family trips. It was nice to spend time with Grandma and Grandpa and other family members, and just to have memorable times with our kids. There were so many funny things they said and did. Even though they can drive us crazy sometimes, they bring us so much joy and happiness. I just think of Boston's hat, Ethan's laugh, and Aubrie sweet motherly instinct as she took over with Sophia in the back. I'll end with funniest comment made the whole trip. Ben had to pull the car over to the side of the road so Ethan could pee. Boston was in the very back and couldn't hear what was going on. As Ben was pulling over Boston said "Dad, why are you pulling over? Do you have to fart?" (Not my favorite word in the world, but we couldn't control our laughter!)

A WICKED girls trip!

This past weekend was our "Wicked" girls trip. It was a blast! We left early, about 7:00am! Leslie drove and Olivia, Erin and Nicole and I rode together on the way there. We had a fun time talking about anything and everything! Great therapy!! We got to the outlet stores, right out of Palm Springs, around noon. We shopped, had lunch and shopped some more. I went to the Coach store with Nicole and wasn't able to maintain much self control. I don't know why I'm obsessed with those dumb purses!! I ended up getting another purse. It was white, so I was trying to justify that it was for spring/summer. Luckily Ben bought Play Station 3 while I was gone, so once I found that out he didn't have much to say. I finally found a nice sweater jacket at one of the stores there, and it went perfectly with my outfit for the show. That was all I bought at the outlets, for myself. I found some other things that the kids needed, and just enjoyed running around with everyone else. I was just enjoying shopping with girlfriends, without the kids!!

Erin, Olivia, Leslie and I at the Outlets!...Thanks Nicole for taking the picture!

We got to the hotel around 5:45. Leslie, Erin, Nicole and I shared a room. We all hurried to freshen up for the play, and headed out for dinner around 6:00. We ate a nice little Italian restaurant a couple blocks from the theatre. We were all at different tables, because they didn't have one for all of us. Nicole and I sat together at a two top right next to five other girls. It was nice because since there were only two of us at the table, we got everything really fast!! The food was very good, and the service was friendly. One of the waiters kept calling one of our friends "bella" (beautiful, in Italian)!

The show started at 8:00, and we made it there in plenty of time. While we were waiting for it to start, there was a couple in front of us that was quite entertaining. The girlfriend blindfolded her boyfriend to surprise him. We were all wondering how excited he would really be about the whole thing. We all thought it would be a much better surprise for a girl than a boy!

When the lights went down and the music started, I was so excited!! The play was great! The singing was a little better the first time I saw it, but it was still wonderful. It was hard not to sing along this time!! Everyone loved it, but how couldn't they? I'm excited to see it again with the kids!

After the play, we were all pretty tired. We headed back to the hotel, and Erin wasn't feeling very well. She went right to bed, and we followed soon after. I took and Ambein to make sure I wouldn't have problems sleeping. I warned the girls that I would knock out in the middle of conversation. Apparently, another room called and I answered and talked to Trina and Karolyn for about 15 minutes. I didn't remember doing that! I don't think I'll be taking one of those on a plane, EVER!

Saturday morning we left the hotel around 9:30 and headed over to the Beverly Center (a big mall). We all had breakfast there, which took about an hour. It was just a little shop in the food court, and I don't think they are used to 11 orders all at once. So it took them FOREVER to prepare our food. I got an omelet, which was yummy. I think at that point, anything was going to be good! LOL After breakfast we all headed to H&M to do some serious shopping. I bought a few things there, but really scored at Forever 21. After shopping at the Beverly Center, we split off and one car went home and ours stayed for some shopping at the District (It's like Tijuana)! Nicole was a saint to do all the downtown driving, and helped us find our way there. It was much better than I imagined it too be. Quite fun, actually! There was defiantly some interesting stores, like this formal store. And many interesting people and merchandise! There was also some great knock offs!! I ended up with a cute travel bag. If there was more room I would have bought Aubrie a cute brown and pink polka dot suitcase, for our Carolina trip. If I could go back I would have bought a Tiffany silver necklace I kept looking at! I'm sure Ben is glad I didn't!! We left the district around 4:00 and headed out of LA. About and hour out, we had dinner at Chevy's. We ended up getting home around midnight! I was so tired, but it was a great drive. Just 6 solid hours of girl talk, uninterrupted!!! It felt like my college days, again! It would have been fun to have them as roomies!! The whole trip was so wonderful. I'm already thinking about what we can do next year!! How about a weekend cruise!!?? LOL

Saturday night, Aubrie's ear was hurting her. Sunday, it was worse! How can my kids keep getting sick every weekend. If people didn't know us better, they would think we were purposely trying to ditch. I'm just feeling so frustrated that they keep getting sick. I'm going to start washing bedding every other day! (OK not really, becuz that's CRAZY!) But come one...will it ever end? I guess I can't complain, they could be getting sick with something much worse. So I'll count my blessings and name them one by one. Anyway, Ben has already missed Elders Quorum the past two weeks, but I didn't want to miss out on a song the YW were doing in sacrament and Erin's YW lesson. I realized they really didn't need my voice that bad, and new Erin would do a wonderful job without me, so I told Ben he better go, especially since he didn't know if he had the lesson...silly boy! Actually he can teach at the last minute and still do a great job. LUCKY! The rest of the day was pretty laid back becuz Ethan and Aubrie had to relax and get better.

Today the kids had their first day of Spring Break. Boston slept till 8:45 and Ethan slept until 9:30! Too bad Sophia got up at 6:00!!! They started their day with chores and then the boys played outside most of the day, while Aubrie stayed in and watched The Little House on the Prairie shows. My Mom bought the first season, and Aubrie has been loving them! I'm loving that she loves them. They teach such great lessons, and I actually have seen a difference in her since she started watching them. I think she is trying to be like Mary, her and Bostons favorite character. Boston like her because she has pretty blue eyes. The shows are also getting her excited to read her Little House on the Prarie Books. She stared one tonight! I hope this will get her more excited to read! Today I took the kids to Target really quick, for some much needed groceries and Easter stuff for friends. While we were there, I bought a poster board for each one of the kids. The kids wrote Ben a note on each one of them and put them in his office. He was having a bad day, so we wanted to cheer him up. It worked and the kids had fun doing it.

For dinner, we went to Texas Road House. We told them it was Ethan's birthday, and they tried to get him up on the saddle and sing to him. He was too shy! Funny kid! He wasn't too shy to eat the ice cream, though! For FHE I did the Easter egg kit, I do ever year, on the Resurrection. This time I hid the eggs in a room and had them look for them. Then the kids would open their eggs in order. It was a fun to do it that way, especially since Aubrie and Boston could read their own! They also helped one another get the same amount of eggs. That was refreshing!! Of course, that was after I talked to them about how brothers and sisters are gifts from Heavenly Father and compared that to how do they treat worldly gifts. They got the point, I think!

BUBBLES....Sophia's newest favorite thing! It's funny because she tries to eat them!

Happy 4th ETHAN!

Yesterday was Ethan's 4th Birthday! Those 4 years have flown by...making me realize how fast Sophia will grow up. Anyway, the night before, I put balloons and streamers in the kitchen and made this poster and put it in his bathroom. Why? It's the first place he goes in the morning! Ethan started his day opening a Birthday present from my Mom. It was a HUGE Buzz Lightyear remote control car. Then it was time for preschool. I sent Reese's peanut butter cups; cupcakes are much too messy for 3 and 4 year olds. When I picked him up he had a sticker that said "Happy Birthday Ethan". He felt special. Ethan's friend, Andrew, came home with us and they got to play for a couple of hours. I then had to pick Aubrie and Boston up from school and take them directly to piano. Instead of going back home, I got gas and let Ethan pump. I told him he was such a big boy, now that he was 4, and he could help me pump. He thought that was cool. We then went to the park by our old house. When ever he did something a little "risky" I would say, "Wow, you must be 4 today, because now you can do 'such and such'". He would a get a big grin on his face and say, "Oh ya, I'm 4 now!"

We had an early dinner, b/c I had mutual early. I always make the "birthday kid" whatever they want for dinner. Ethan requested pizza and "noodles with the holes" (aka, pene with Alfredo). He got the Special plate (first time I have used it!) and he got a Soda. He was so happy to feel so important. After dinner we told Ethan that we thought we saw something outside. He ran out there to find a new play kitchen. He thought it was cool, but was too embarrassed to act excited. He told Ben, "stop looking at me!" While I was at mutual, Ben's parents borught by his gift. It was this Gungslinger Target set he has been eyeing at Target. What a great day!

On a side bar....Sophia got her first tooth yesterday!! It's her bottom right. So Boston officially holds the record of getting a tooth the latest, 13 months!

Also, last night we were planning on going to the Easter Pageant for mutual, but the Bishop got down there and they weren't letting him save seats. So they did an impromptu social, which turned out being fun. We played human Foosball, and soccer. One of the YM kicked my toe, and I swore it was broken. Luckily its not, but its very sore and uncomfortable to walk on . I hope it feels better by tomorrow! After the soccer, we played name that tune and then we had some dancing and root beer floats. It was good times!!

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