A relaxing weekend!

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

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

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

Now going backwards, as I always do!

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

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

Saving that for later?

What side are you on?

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

Here are a few pics!

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

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

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

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

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

The View makes it worth it!

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

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

A little craft that Aubrie made!!

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

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

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

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

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

Baby Mozart... pictures compliment of Aubrie!!

Back in Time!

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

Day at the park!

Flying Solo!

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

Finally in 3's!!!

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

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

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

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

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

Our Wicked Trip-no pun intended

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here is Aubries beloved cat! Not bad, huh?

Goodbye to a Wonderful Prophet!!!!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!