Our Wicked Trip-no pun intended

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here is Aubries beloved cat! Not bad, huh?

Goodbye to a Wonderful Prophet!!!!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sick on Vacation

For the holiday weekend, Ben and I decided to get out of the cold (yes we are Arizona wimps) and go to California for the weekend. Guess we should have checked their forecast first! California was freezing! We left Thursday, after Aubrie's voice lesson, and arrived there around 10:00pm California time. The trip out there went well. Sophia cried a little here and there, but nothing Aubrie couldn't handle in back! She is a life saver on trips! Little mini-Mom! We stopped at McDonalds for dinner around 8:00 and let the kids burn off some energy. Afterwards, I put all the kids in their PJ's and they all fell asleep within 10 minutes of being back on the road. Of course, once we got to Danny's they were all fired up again!

Friday morning we spent some time around the house and then we headed up to Newbury Park to show the kids where I lived, went to school and church. It was kind of cool for Aubrie, since she was able to see where I lived when I was in 2nd grade. After "driving" down memory lane, we went to check out the Oaks Mall, a mall that I grew up with when I lived there. Pam said they were redoing it and that we should check it out. We walked around and and then took the kids to the new play place. The play place was so dumb! The old one was one of my favorite play places ever, and now it was turned into this "soft play", not like the one in Arrowhead, in which Ethan was almost to big to go and play. Aubrie took Sophia around on the toys for awhile, and Boston was too tall, so he had to sit around. Finally we left and got some food. The kids ate Hot Dog on a Stick and they gave them these hats with their kids meals. Of course, Aubrie didn't want a hot dog, Ben didn't hear her say that, so she ordered some Mexican Grill with us, quesadillas of course.

After that excursion, we headed back where Aubrie and I met up with Danny to go to Cassie's soccer game. It was a pretty aggressive game. The coach was in a bad mood and gave Cassie's coach a yellow card for something Danny did. He grabbed the ball when it was going out of bounds, and gave it to their team. I guess the coach thought it was the others team ball and so he got mad at Danny for doing that and therefore the yellow card. After the game, we grabbed some ice cream at 31 flavors, like old times, and headed back. Aubrie was having a fun time in Danny's car, asking him to go fast and to spin out...something he had done earlier (YIKES!). That evening we got some dinner at the Aloha Grill ( a new OVERPRICED place in town). The service was so slow and Sophia was way past her bedtime. Amazingly she did so well, sitting in our laps most of the time. I was really impressed how well she did the whole day. After dinner, we played Jr. scene it? and then we went to bed.

Saturday morning I woke up sick and after waiting it out through the morning, I still wasn't getting better. We decided to leave for home:( The kids did great on the trip, Sophia only cried the last 15 minutes, only b/c she was hungry and we didn't have any warm water to make a bottle. It was such a short trip, but luckily the traveling wasn't miserable. It felt good to be home. I climbed in bed and watched some TV with Aubrie while Ben got the boys to bed.

Sunday morning I slept till 12:30! I told Ben that I think I hadn't done that since college. I guess my body needed the rest! After I got showered and ate something, I went on a walk with the family . They rode their scooters to the park and Ben and I followed behind with Sophia. The park has a windy path that goes downhill to the park. The kids had fun taking their scooters down that path. AT one point Boston was going down, and he was goofing off making funny faces. He totally wiped out at the bottom and instantly picked himself up, nodding his head and putting his thumbs up, saying "I'm OK, I"m OK"! What a character! After the walk, I was very tired. I probably shouldn't have gone, but I wanted to spend time with the kids. Ben took the kids to his parents for dinner while I rested up at home with Sophia.

Yesterday the kids were out of school. Luckily they all slept in...Sophia the latest (9:30!), so I was able to get some more rest. After they got their chores, reading and piano done, they played with the neighbors until Ben came home at 1:00 to catch a late lunch. We were so looking forward to Olive Garden, only to be disappointed with a 45 minute wait. ARGH! We ran next door to On the Border...it wasn't the same!:( When we got home I took another nap ( I sure sound lazy, huh?!), while Ben put speakers in our bathroom and bedroom! After my nap, he worked on Aubrie's room some more and then we had family home evening. We did it on the Lehi's dream. At the end of every Sunday School lesson, they have an application for the family. Most of them are great ideas, so when they are appropriate for the kids I will use them. This week they said to blindfold one of the kids and have them find a picture of Christ randomly taped on the wall somewhere. After not being able to find it, we were to have them hold to a rope that ended up at the picture. The kids had fun with it and got the idea!

After the lesson, it was time for bed. Aubrie was cute, and wanted me to sleep with her. I told her I couldn't and she said, "That's fine! What if I scratch your back and then you can scratch mine." I said it was a deal. I then pretended to fall asleep to see what she was going to do. She covered me up and then started to go to sleep. I pretended to wake up and then I started to scratch her back. She told me when I was done she would scratch mine again until she fell asleep. Guess she wanted me to stay with her really bad! :)

I forgot to mention that last week Sophia turned 9 months old. I can't believe how fast time has gone by. She has matured so much in just a month. She now crawls everywhere and pulls herself up on everything. She can entertain herself for a few hours now, which is great! Of course, I have to keep an eye on the stairs!! She still hates the baby food, so that is still a challenge. She is also starting to phase herself into 2 naps a day. I could still get 3 out of her if I wake her up at 7:00, but that's when I'm working out! She still sucks on her thumb when she is tired or hungry, or bored! One of her new favorite things is to be upside down. When you sit her on your lap, she throws herself back and over! What a funny thing, huh? Also, her favorite toy is a little fish toy that came with one of Boston's Spiderman bath toys. It has a string attached to it, with a little ball on the end. She can play with that for a good 10 minutes!

She is tall, but still on the light side! Maybe a future model! Not if I have anything to do about it! LOL! OK, maybe for modest clothing lines..Ha! Anyway, 9 months have gone so fast! Before I know it we will be celebrating her first year!!! YIKES!

Sophia

at

9 months!

Upside down!

Day with the Cousins

Yesterday I watched Shea and Carson. I knew I had to wake up early to get my work out in, so I was up, exercised, showered and ready by 8:00. I realized how much I could probably get done in a day if I always started my mornings like that....to bad I'm not a morning person! By the time they got here Ethan was already at school and Sophia was napping. Shea was anxious for the kids to get out of school. Every 20 minutes or so she would ask when we had to go get Ethan. She was running to the car when I said it was time to get him. Ethan played well with both of them. Carson enjoyed riding around in Ethan's car and Ethan had fun on the teeter totter with Shea. They spent a lot of time outside and occasionally would come in to start a movie, only watching about 10 minutes. The day went fast! Before I knew it, it was time to pick up Aubrie and Boston from school. That was kind of interesting having all 6 kids in the car. A total of 5 car seats!! It all worked out but made me think of how those Mom's do it that have a like 6 kids under 8!!! There would be no more running to the car a few minutes before you had to be somewhere. You would have to set aside 5 minutes of buckling time! LOL

Matt came and picked the kids up before Aubrie had dance.

Ben actually made it home to take her, which left me at home with some spare time to relax. Sophia didn't fall asleep for her 3rd nap until 5:00 (its usually 4). (She slept until 9:0o and went back to bed at 9:30. Sunday night she went down at 4:45 and woke up at 5 the next morning, just for a bottle.) We did our family night on the Exodus and how God answers prayers and how you have to have faith He will deliver you from your trials. Our closing song was "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam", and I asked the kids what that song meant. After explaining what being a Sunbeam meant, Boston got up and told us about his day at school and how he was a Sunbeam. A girl in his class was making fun of another girls coloring. She told the girl she wasn't doing it right. The girl started to cry. Boston said he said, "Do you know what I like about you, you are a good drawer. I also like the way you color. Do you know what, too, you have a nice room and a nice house....even though I haven't seen them yet!" (random, huh?). Anyway, he said the girl stopped crying. Where was the teacher on that one, b/c he didn't come home with a Yee Haw (recognition certificates they hand out on a daily basis)? Instead he came home with a red for accidentally writing on his desk and getting out of his seat! I told him to put a quarter in the jar anyway!

"Burning" in the Snow

One of my New Years resolutions was to start working out on a consistent basis. Unfortunately, I am far from being a morning person, which is my only possible time to work out, so I haven't been very good at sticking with anything. I finally committed to an exercise program which takes me through 6 weeks of grueling work outs and eating low calorie meals! Surprisingly, I haven't had too much of a problem with eating well and getting up to work out. The hardest thing was realizing my body is way out of shape and having to deal with the soreness. This week I was hating that we lived in a two story house! I finally started feeling a little bit better on Thursday, but still had some soreness in my legs....those evil squats!! Friday afternoon Ben surprised me with a professional massage as a "reward". I think he felt sorry for me.
After the massage, Ben and I caught dinner and a movie. We saw the Bucket List. It was a great film....funny, serious, tear jerker, etc. We saw our Bishop there, the second movie we have seen him at this month. Guess we are watching good films!LOL After the movie, we did our regular Walmart Stop and ran into some old friends we saw there last month, on a date night. Two "run in's" in a row....weird!


















This morning I woke up early (Wow! ) and worked out before we left for Flagstaff. My Mom was great enough to watch Sophia for us, so we didn't have to drag her along. Flagstaff was covered in snow. In fact, we didn't even have to go all the way up to Flagstaff to find a place to sled. We took an exit, about 15 minutes out of Flagstaff, and followed it up to a great spot. Soon after we got there about 6 other cars showed up. Guess it's a common place...it was a lucky guess. We had a great time and so did the kids. Ethan was having a hard time climbing the hills b/c the snow was so deep. So Ben and I (mainly Ben) had to carry him. It was very hard on my legs from all the working out I have been doing, therefore the "Burning in the Snow"! After an hour and 1/2 of sledding, the kids started getting wet ( mainly Boston's hands) so we packed it up and headed out.







On the way home we were all hungry and we saw a sign for Johnny Rockets. We have a weakness for that spot since Ben and I both worked there. (So much for a low calorie diet!) We didn't realize that the restaurant was in a Casino, but luckily it was right by the doors so we didn't' have to pass by too many slots! The kids enjoyed a fun lunch! They all took turns picking out songs on the juke box, and were lucky enough to see the employees dance. We dared them to go out and join them, and finally Aubrie and Boston got out and started dancing. The people in the restaurant got a kick out of it and later on Boston said that was his favorite part of his day. Right next to Johnny Rockets was a bowling alley. The kids begged and we caved( I actually wanted to play myself!). So we all played one game. The kids did really good, carrying their own balls and throwing them themselves. Boston had a good spin on his, Aubrie was all about THROWING it down the lane, and Ethan was good with the Granny style. They all scored around 60, which isn't bad without help. I won't mention my score! Ben ended w/ 2 strikes! All I have to say is that Wii bowling threw me off!LOL

On our way home the kids starting fighting over Boston's Nintendo DS. Thankfully, I remembered the Alphabet game, and Aubrie really had a good time doing that. She wanted to play it the whole way home. Towards the end, Boston joined in, too! We ended up playing it 5 times.
We finally got home around 4:30. I really missed Sophia, and was excited to see her. She was happy and kept following me wherever I went. It was really cute. I spent time with her and watched some professional ice skating , the kids played w/ friends and Ben started putting his weight set together. Ben has had so much exercise equipment through out our marriage, and hasn't ever really used it! It all started our first Christmas when he asked for an Ab Roller. That never got used! I'm hoping things will change w/ this "gym" he is putting together in the garage!
Tonight the boys went hot tubing while Aubrie and I played Memory. Then we all played Disney scene it? The kids have had a FULL day, and I am exhausted. Thank Heavens for a day of rest....ha! I wish Sunday's were restful. Maybe when Sophia is in the Nursery!

Back in Session

Well school is back in session and things are getting back to normal around here, which includes waking up early, dealing with homework and after school activities, ugh! The bright side is that it gets me going in the morning and having a structured day is good for us! The kids have done well, jumping back into the thick of things. Ethan is doing great, too! I was concerned he might slip back into his old ways...crying and whining, but he is doing so well we are now trying preschool 3 days a week. Today he was a little confused at first, but I told him to give me "5", and he did and then he was off to play.

Ethan has had some "funnies" and some "firsts" this week. This Sunday was his first Sunday in the primary. I wasn't there for it, b/c I was sick:( But here it is from Ben....

He was not too happy to go in since he would no longer be treated to treats on demand and toys all over the place. I took him into the primary room and he would not let go of me and started to fuss. His new teacher, sister Rigby, asked Ethan to be her special helper and ended up holding him in her lap for the entire time. I think that Ethan was working her, but he seemed content sitting in her lap. I checked in on him every now and again to make sure that he was alright. He seemed to be fine as the day went on.
....thanks Ben. Wish I could enjoy the help of more entries from him, but I'm not counting on it!

Monday morning I had to get Ethan out of bed to go to school. He was not waking up and so I had to dress him while he laid there comatose! I had to leave his room for a second to get something and when I walked back by his room I saw him sitting up on his bed. When he saw me he quickly laid back down and pretended he was sleeping, again. I said "Ethan, I caught you" as I continued to walk on by. He then yelled back, "you got me Mom, you got me!" Then on Wednesday I was getting him ready for school and he pulled his Book of Mormon out of his drawer and said, "Mom I'm going to bring this for Show and Tell". I told him that was a great idea, but he needed something that started with an "S". He said, "I know Mom, Scriptures!" I was impressed!!! Then I told him to go put them in his backpack and get his shoes on. When I came downstairs that funny boy was making his own lunch. He actually thought about how he needed a lunch, and by the time I got down there he already had a yogurt and applesauce with a spoon in there. I asked him if he wanted a sandwich, as I pulled a sandwich out of the fridge I had already premade. He said, "Oh ya, that would be GREAT"! The things he does just take me back! I just LOVE his personality.

Today Ethan was having grahm crackers w/ milk. I told him to he should keep the cup on the paper plate, so he wouldn't drip milk on the table. He didn't want to do it that way. Two minutes later he said, "Ooops, I spilled milk. I'm sorry Mom! I should have listened to you". If only I could hear that from my children more often!!

Aubrie had a BIG learning experience this week. She has been wanting a new Comforter for a VERY long time. Her's was getting old, faded and falling apart. They were having a sale at Target on a really cute quilt, and so I bought it and surprised her with it on Monday. Last night Ben told her to go to bed, but instead she started coloring on her bed (with marker). Well I probably don't have to tell you the rest. It ended in much tears and apologizing and me telling her it wouldn't come out and that when you don't' obey sometimes bad things happen. She said she prayed that it would come out, and I told her that maybe Heavenly Father wanted her to learn her lesson on obeying. I told her that everytime she saw the mark it would remind her to be obedient. She then said, "Well did he have to make me learn that lesson when my bedspread was so new"! Ha!!!!! After I was done controlling my laughter, I told her that she probably wouldn't have learned much if it was an old bedspread. Luckily the mark is up by the pillows...easily disguisable!;)
Aubrie has a hard time staying on task! She is so easily distracted with things going on around her. On Tuesday it took her 3 hours to do chores that should have taken 20 minutes. I decided to try a timer. Yesterday I set the timer and watched her go to town. She put her ipod on and quickly went to work. She was done w/ chores, reading and homework in an hour! Why didn't I think of the timer earlier? duh!

I was on Bostons bad list this morning. He came to me this morning (why not yesterday?), with tears in his eyes, saying "I missed Ben's birthday party". Ben is one of his best friends at school. They had his party January 5th and handed the invitations out before school got out....you do the math and factor in Holiday chaos!! He cried all through breakfast. Not that spoiled brat cry, but that "I feel so bad I missed his party" cry. I felt awful, and am trying to arrange a play date for the two. I love Boston's sensitive side, but sometimes it can be so heart wrenching!!

This afternoon Aubrie had her first singing lesson. He teacher made a CD of her lesson, so she could practice along during the week. It's almost a free lesson for the rest of us! She said Aubrie did well and seemed to really enjoy herself! After her lesson she went to Madison's (her best from from Kindergarten) birthday party at Pump It Up. Aubrie is excited to go to West Wing next year and be with her. While she was there the rest of us went to Streets to eat and "celebrate" Boston having made first Honors last semester. Yeah, I know he is in Kindergarden, but if we make it a big deal now hopefully he will keep up the good work! We were going out to eat anyway, but he didn't know that!;) After Streets we picked up Aubrie and made a Target run, I think my 5th this week....pathetic!

A January day...gotta love Phoenix!

READING TIME!!!!

Happy New Year!

Wow, I am still recovering from New Years Eve. Usually Ben and I ring in the New Year in our own family room, with a bottle of Sparkling Cider, watching the ball drop at Times Square. I remember one year, and I'm thinking it was last year being pregnant and all, that we went to bed before Midnight. Well we made up for that this year.
I started my day with a Mother/Son date with Boston. We went to see the Water Horse, which was pretty good, and then we walked around the Mall. Then we made a stop at McDonald's. I asked him to pick ANYWHERE he wanted to eat, and lucky me I got to go to McDonald's...ha! ha! While we were in the play area Boston asked me to time him as he raced through the play structure. He did that a couple of times, and had fun trying to beat his previous "time". As we were leaving to go home I asked, "Boston, what was your favorite thing we did today?". I was expecting him to say the Movie, or the kids pack I bought him at the Theatre that included popcorn, candy and a drink (total rip off by the way). But, NO, he said, "me racing through the play area?" I guess next time I can save 30 bucks and skip the movie!!

For New Years Eve we went to the Frandsen's house to ring in the new year. My Mom was great enough to watch the kids. Ben and I grabbed some dinner and killed some time at Walmart and Blockbuster before we headed over to their house. On the way over there I was telling Ben how tired I was. That was at 8:30! We started off eating, well not me b/c I was full from dinner, and socializing. Then we decided to start a game of Mofia. That basically took us till 1:30am!! You would think that would be enough, but then they pulled Rock Band out and we played that until 2:30. After talking for another hour, we were out the door by 3:30 and home a little before 4:00. Unfortunately I have this problem where I have to wind down a significant amount of time when I get home from something. So I didn't fall asleep until a little before 5:00....ouch!!

On New Years day Ben took the kids over to his brother, Matt's, to check out some new stuff he got and to visit. I was able to get an hour nap in....not enough! I spent the rest of the day cleaning out my closet, a task I haven't tackled since we moved in! Goodbye maternity clothes, in between clothes, and way too skinny cloths!!! I was too tired to make dinner, so we ran in the New Year w/ McDonald Happy Meals and Panda Express...LOL!! Aubrie gave a cute FHE, she read the Christmas Story out of Luke by herself, and had the kids act out stuff. A week late, but still very cute. We also went over family goals for the year. One of our family goals is to work together as a family. When the kids do something good we will put a quarter in a jar and when the jar fills up we are going to Disneyland. It's a big jar!:)
I was so tired by the end of the night, but we still had Ben's sisters and Mom over for some Chicken Feet ( a cool domino game). I probably would have not had them over, but Amber was going home the next day. They left around 10:00. We had fun!

Yesterday I really felt my lack of sleep and I started getting sick. I was so tired throughout the day...my old body sure can't take the late nights!! I cleaned out Sophia's closet and started on Aubrie's. I actually mustered the strength to make dinner. Ben took the boys to the mall to return some shoes so I could relax. Aubrie was such a big helper with Sophia. She played with her and fed her, while I lied comatose on the couch. She even put her to bed!! Then I could hear her in the kitchen doing something with water. She brought me a glass of water and a bowl with water and a washcloth. She put the washcloth on my head. I guess she thought I had a fever:) The 20 minutes of sleep I got on the couch threw me off, and so I still didn't fall asleep till Midnight.

Today was much better. It took me awhile to get out of bed, but once I did things were productive. We made a trip to the Mall and got a few errands accomplished! We had a few "circus acts", Ethan banging his head in the shoe store and some teenagers cutting in front of me in line at another store, RUDE! But we survived it all and made a short stop at McDonalds for an ice cream cone and a little time in the play area. I was the hero!;) Sophia did so well the whole time. Tonight we made our "family" trip to Sams and Walmart for some groceries and school supplies. I guess they like to get us twice a year now!!

Well that's the New Year so far. I haven't exercised yet, that will come when school starts...along with the good eating! So far scripture study and maintaining my composure around the kids is going good!!:) I love the New Year....a fresh start!!!

Christmas 2007 and Beyond

Christmas Day was wonderful and relaxing. Those two usually don't go in the same sentence. Usually we are rushing through our presents so we can rush over to Ben's parents, to open presents. Then we are rushing home to clean up and get started on all the dishes we plan on taking over to Ben's parents....you get the idea. This year I wanted things to be more simple. So I decided that we would take our time opening our gifts and have a nice breakfast and go over to Ben's parents when we were ready. It really doesn't matter if we are there when everyone else open gifts, b/c we all get the same thing anyway. Even with us taking our time, it still ended up that we got there about the same time everyone else did. After opening gifts, we came home and relaxed. I made dinner simple this year; the raspberry chipotle dip for starters, then a ham, mashed potatoes, my Shoepeg casserole, sweet potatoes and store bought rolls for dinner. We were all in charge of making something, so I didn't spend all day in the kitchen. It was actually the perfect amount food! We filled our day watching the Christmas Story, the Testaments and the kids played with their toys.

The kids had a great Christmas. Boston was excited to get his Nintendo DS. I swear he had DS radar. We put his gift behind the tree so it would be the last gift opened. The next thing we know Boston is in the middle of opening it. I don't even think their was a name tag on it! He also was happy to get several games to go with it! His other gifts included some Star Wars Legos, Magnetix, some Wii games and clothes. I never have seen a 6 year old BOY so excited to get clothes!

Aubrie enjoyed a new shuffle loaded with Hannah Montana and High School Musical. I feel like I have a teenager, her beboping around and not being able to hear anything I tell her. She also got a jewlery box, a lot of clothes from Justice (one of her favorite clothing stores), a baby set that included a high chair, pack and play, stroller and swing. She has been wanting that for a long time. She also got a handful of other things, like the rest of the kids!

Ethan's favorite toy was a cleaning cart. I found it at Ross and instantly knew it was for him. It has mops and a mop bucket, and broom and "pretend" cleaning bottles, and sponges etc. All Christmas day he was going around cleaning all the rooms. That's all he did for the next couple of days. Moon Sand and a Nerf gun was also high on his list! All the kids also got Razor scooters from Santa. They didn't touch those much, until they made it through all their toys and ventured out front! My Dad also bought them digital cameras, the cheap kid kind of course. That was also a favorite! Ethan took many pictures of his cleaning cart!!:)

Sophia didn't get much, of course. She doesn't even know what's going on and she has plenty of toys and clothes from the other kids already. Her favorite thing was eating the wrapping paper!

Ben surprised me with a trip to see Wicked and a new Camera, and Ben enjoyed a new shuffle and some work out clothes. We also bought ourselves an early Christmas present, a generator! To bad preparing spiritually can't be as easy as preparing physically!

We ended our Christmas day starting a 750 piece puzzle. My Mom bought it for Aubrie, only looking at the picture and not realizing the amount of pieces. I should have known better than to start it. I love puzzles, and also can't stop once I get going. Aubrie did a pretty good job helping and finding pieces I just couldn't find. She has an eye for puzzles! My Dad joined us around 10:00 pm and Aubrie, my Dad and I finally went to bed at 12:30!

The next day we woke up and finished the puzzle. It took us about 7 hours, total, to finish it. I had to leave that one sitting on the dining room table for a few days! It hurt to finally break it down and put it back in the box.

Later that day my Dad and I enjoyed some Daddy/ Daughter time at Red Robin. That evening my brother Joe came over to spend time with my Dad, and Ben and the kids and I went to see the movie "Enchanted". It was a cute movie. The kids really enjoyed it and kept going over their favorite scenes on the way home!

Thursday morning my Dad left, with tears in his eyes (mine were a little watery, too) and then Ben and I rushed to Home Depot to get paint for the kids bedrooms. We picked out a nice blue for the boys room, and Aubrie picked out a bright pink for her room. It was way too bright, and I couldn't convince her on a lighter pink, so instead of fighting her I just switched the paint chips when we had them make the paint. Good thing, b/c the lighter pink is still quite bright! Luckily the white bead board in her room softens up the color a little! Of course, the bead board is still only half way done, so Aubrie has been sleeping in our room the past couple of days!! Why do we start these projects?! LOL

Friday Ben went golfing with a friend while I stayed home catching up on 20 loads (not really but it sure felt like it!) of laundry. I also cleaned out the boys closet and the kids craft cabinet! I feel like after hours of work I didn't even make a dent in all the organizing I still have left to do! Later that night we finally finished all our returns. We had a few at the mall and somehow we left that place spending more money than we got back. After returns, we grabbed some dinner at Uncle Sams, a pizza/ hoagie place we hadn't tried yet. Their pizza was yummy and their is a new hoagie that I am already addicted to! (Chicken, mushroom, cheese toasted and served w/ honey BBQ sauce for dipping. YUM!!!)

Pictures we took at Uncle Sams!

Saturday I met up with Ben's Mom and the Sister-in-laws for lunch at Chilis. Aubrie wanted to go to Pets Mart afterward, and convinced Krista to come along. Krista ended up getting a tabby cat that looks like our cat Simba. Aubrie insisted we visit her and her cat later, so after dinner Aubrie and I made a trip over there. When we got back the family played Aubrie's new High School Musical game. It's pretty fun watching the kids do the dancing and singing parts! After the game, Ben headed off to his "Fight Night" get together...still don't understand the appeal of watching that stuff! Anyway, while Ben was gone Aubrie and I enjoyed some alone time.

Sunday we were running a little slow. The kids have been waking up later, and so we forgot that we had to set our "real" alarm clock! We made it to the last two meetings which were really good. The Laurels were in Relief Society, so Erin and I got to go to RS, too! We sat in the very back w/ our babies. Sophia, of course, didn't want to fall asleep so I passed her off to Ben so I could enjoy the lesson. It was on supporting our leaders! We spent our afternoon playing Disney Scene it with the kids. Sunday night we had dinner over at Ben's parents. We had a ham dinner and I brought my yummy Seven Layer Salad. I have to remember to double the salad next time. It went fast and everyone went for seconds only to be disappointed that there was nothing left. They brought out the Ninetendo 2 for the kids, so that kept them busy while we all visited. After we got back, Ben's sisters came over for games and visiting. Aubrie wanted to stay up w/ us and play games. So we played 10 minutes of Disney scene it? and one round of Hide and Go Seek. After we got her to bed, we played Chicken Feet (a domino game) and Ultimate Spoons. I have to play that game with the YW sometime. They will love it!

Well, that's a wrap of our 2007 Christmas and Beyond. Now it's time to take down the Christmas decorations (outside is actually down already), make new goals for the new year (working out and consistent scripture study are always a winner) and preparing for early school mornings and endless activities (our new additions are voice lessons for Aubrie and Karate for the boys)...Heaven help me and give me strength! Only 4 1/2 months till summer!!! My Mom took Ethan out on Saturday. This is what he came home with!:)