"Hairspray!!!!"

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

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

6 months already!

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

family, friend & temple visits

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

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

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

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

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

A Season Ended

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Zoo Day

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Common Side Effects are...

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


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


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


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


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


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

Disclaimer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Future race car driver, auto mechanic or car salesman?


Future Architect?

The best mom in the world

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Graduation Day; toothless wonder; serving boy

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

Boston's First T-ball game!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A better day!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Before!!!

3 rooms in 1!

The Rundown

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

Dumb Scary Stories!

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

Cutting a rug!

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