New Christmas Jammies from Grandma

visualize a really cool picture here, and when I finally find the card reader for my camera, I will post said picture - Thanks for tuning in!

Haha- I told you I would find the right camera card!! (Okay so it is April!!)

And as always - you are welcome! (for all the effort I put in to cropping and scrapbooking these pictures all cute for you)

(Hehe, you only thought I missed November)

I did this on facebook, but I thought it pretty well summed up the year!!

Moab Pictures (2 posts in a month!)

Hey, someone said they wanted pictures from Moab, and I remembered that Jeff emailed me the ones from his phone. So I can share!! The depth perception isn't really great on this one. I was completely freaking out as Jeff took this picture. That is like 800 feet down and they are right on the edge! This was actually the only bad part of the ride, and it wasn't even the ride that was bad. The trail was called Chicken Corners. So that made me a little nervous, but then when we got to the end I realized it was called that for people who ride pedal bikes. At the end of the trail you can ride your motorized equipment on there is a walking or bike trail. It is literally less than a foot wide, and again about 800 feet down - straight down! I was sick to my stomach when our party started walking out and I finally had to ruin the fun and make everyone come back because all I could think about was one of the kids slipping and all of the dads dying trying to save them. Luckily we made it back, no worse for wear, but now Jeff knows why he doesn't take me on the rhino rally. And I am really sorry I now have some visual of what happens on the rhino rally! Don't you just hate when your little sibs mess up the picture of you acting all old for your age, Courtney does! This month was also Jake's first real hunting trip with dad (mom decided Gage was still too young and made him go on the 'girls trip' to St. George)

And just for the sake of more pictures, and knowing where they are in the future, here are some from our labor day family reunion trip to Moab.

October

Okay, someone said that I "never" update my blog. I defended myself by saying that I update at least once a month. Well, the month is almost up and I haven't updated yet so I thought I better.

The first weekend in October we loaded up the family and went to Moab for some Rhino and 4-wheeler fun. It was actually mostly fun. That is always good. I have to say that for trips, Redbox is becoming one of my favorite things!

(but no pictures because I suck at that!)

The next weekend we were pleased to have the blessing of my nephew, baby Marcus

(Yes, the rocking, awesome photographer was me!)

Sadly, that same weekend we said goodbye to Grandpa Lloyd. I know that I have been very blessed to have my grandparents around for so long - I mean how many people have all 4 grandparents still here when they are 30 (I think Heavenly Father was cutting us a break for taking dad so early!). But life must keep ticking. We lost grandma Bev a few years back. She was the first grandparent I lost. Grandpa Lloyd was the second. (We have already told grandpa Trent and Grandma Von, they need to keep sticking around for a while, because we are selfish and this is really not very fun for us!)

Isn't he so fun and cute!

This is him touching the ocean in Florida!

We will miss him, but we understand that is just another step in life that we must take. I did get the opportunity to speak at his funeral (an opportunity I don't really wish to repeat - but how could I say no - don't tell the others, but I was his favorite!) His funeral was held the third weekend this month.

All the details of that are on Facebook, which is really why I don't update the blog, I give up to the minute reports there and I don't have to sit down and put it all together.

Thought I would share a gratuitous picture of me with grandpa and grandma

See - the look of adoration he has for me is already there - of course, according to Becca, I am scared of the mustache (which was shaved off for most of my actual memories of him!)

By the 4th weekend of October, I was just happy to have some downtime!

And as you all know the 5th weekend is Halloween. (Luckily I can save that for my November post!)

We will miss grandpa, but know that grandma is missing him the most. So if my cousins do actually read this blog give your grandma a call or drop a note in the mail (by the time you read this she will be in Yuma though, so use the correct address) - (and if you are on the other side of the family - grandpa Trent would love a call!)

Do you like to read?

I found this blog that is a fictional novel. The author posts a new chapter twice a week. Just thought I would pass it along. http://thejellobelt.blogspot.com It is kind of a cheesy LDS novel, but I think it is pretty good so far.

Worst Mom Ever???

Okay, so I live with kids and lots of times the toilets are magically NOT flushed. So when my closet area started to smell slightly off I immediately checked the boys bathroom which shares the back wall of my closet. It was kind of gross, but not real stinky. I flushed and didn't think much off it. Later that day I still noticed it and checked my bathroom, which is right next to my closet. It was flushed and clean, and I thought, wow someone must have had a tummy ache to still have that scent lingering. Well, this morning the scent was still there, so I made a mental note to call Beau - my resident toilet expert, because a few months ago we had some bad sewer smells and he found that our toilet wasn't quite set right. He reset it and, voila, no more sewer! Then the more my brain processed it the more I thought, that is really not the bathroom, that is the closet. Jeff has been going to the gym at 5 every morning, and the boy works out hard!! I decided to tell him that we needed a new system of where to put dirty gym clothes. Again, my brain is still working and a while later I had a thought, "that is not sweat smell, that is DEAD smell". I immediately remembered the mouse trap I had placed almost 2 years ago. When we first moved in we had a huge mouse problem and it took me about 3 months to get rid of them all, but I hadn't seen a mouse since so I quit checking my traps. This trap was under my dresser in my closet. Put there by pulling out the bottom drawer. It took me about half an hour to work up the courage to even look. (I know, am usually a very strong, get it done kind of girl, but I can't stand dead squished things - I can't step on bugs either!) So I get down there and pull out the drawer, while on the phone with Becca. She was in the middle of a story so I decided I would just peek and not say anything until she was done. It didn't work out that way. The minute I pulled the drawer out it saw it and the "Oh, My Gosh" was out there. She asked me what happened and I told her there was a dead mouse in the trap in my closet. Just once (okay maybe it is not the only time) I was wishing for a husband who thought I was a incompetent little orchid so that I could call him and have him rush home from work to save me from the dead stinky thing. However if you know Jeff, and our relationship, you know that I didn't even consider calling him. I think he prides himself on all the things his wife can just get done without making a big deal about it (yes, I even do plumbing and hang sheet rock). What to do now? Do I just spray air freshener and close the door until Jake gets home from school (or more likely Brooke, because for a crazy boy, Jake hates this kind of stuff as much as I do)? Well, NOW every time I even get near my room, I think I can smell it even more. I know I won't last 6 more hours. I get my dust pan, and cover it with TWO plastic grocery bags. Then I get FOUR skewer sticks and cover them together with tin foil to hold them together. (I needed a stick, I wanted it to be something I didn't care about throwing away, and I wanted it dull enough not to puncture the stinking carcass!) Here is the WORST MOM EVER PART!! Then I went and found my sweet (read:disgusting) little five year old boy, Gage and said, I have a job for my big brave boy. I then explained to him how he had to get the mouse onto the dust pan with the stick, then turn the bags inside out so that the mouse was inside, and them deposit them into the outside garbage can. HE LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT!! Except the throwing away part. He wanted to "teep it to show the tids". He wasn't at all grossed out by the bloated oozing body (hey another addition to words I hate OOZING!!) So is it bad for a grown woman to make her 5 year old SAVE her from a DEAD mouse? (Yeah, like you wouldn't have done the same!!)

Let This Be A Warning To You All

So I took Jake to the Dr. yesterday and his nose is probably not broken - and even if it is, they won't do anything about it for now. However you have to love a doctor that you can joke about child abuse with. He walked in and asked "So what is happening here" and I said "I told him not to talk back anymore" and the doctor said to Jake "Have you learned your lesson?".

Jake didn't get it though and just said "I fell out of a tree"! Oh well - probably not the funniest of my jokes anyway!

So I thought I would update you on how beautiful this bruise is so you can all imagine the colorful glory of it on Saturday!

By the way, the Dr. suspects a green stick fracture of the Radius, but Jeff and the x-ray tech couldn't see anything. I should hear back officially today! (Do you like his matching Sponge Bob Shirt?)

My Handsome Boy!

Jake is getting baptized this weekend. So I had Jeff go buy him a fancy new suit. I dressed him up, actually combed his hair and took him over to grandma Sally's for a photo shoot (I am glad someone likes yard work.) Anyway, I loved the results so I thought I would share!

He is so cute (and I am a great photographer too right!!)

Then this weekend, this cute boy was climbing trees (I know big shock right) And he fell right out of one. About 6 or 7 feet to the ground. Don't worry he didn't break both his arms like my cousin Russ. In fact I doubt there will be any casts involved (we see the Dr at 2 to be sure). No he didn't break his arms because being the SMART handsome boy that he is, he broke the fall with his nose!

And these bruises just get prettier every day. By Saturday, he should be a joy to behold!

Reverence Game That Works

I said on my facebook that I would to share what I did with my kids to help them reverently listen to conference (and how I use the same theory for Sacrament meeting). I wrote down the top twenty words you might hear at conference. Then I had my kids make tally marks when they heard those words. I set up a"store" based on point, 1 point per tally, and they got to "buy" things for their points. My kids currency is candy, so it was different levels of candy, but none were more than dollar store boxes. (They averaged 300 per session so I priced it in such a way that they could get ONE big box for watching 2 sessions of conference with a few points left over for the smaller stuff) For church, I give everyone a paper and the we all write down important words we hear in the talk. Then I compare them to mine, and they get a point for every word that matches. Then it is 30 points for a dollar store box of candy, 5 points for a mini candy bar, and 1 point for a small candy like a skittle. (They average 35 points - you would want to do it once to see how your kids do.) The first time I did it, I just gave them one sugar baby per point. This is the most conference they have ever watched, and no complaining!! And Sacrament meeting is the easiest it has ever been!

You're invited!

Girls Trip 2009 Okay, the top three suggestions for the Girls Trip of 2009 are Chicago, Pennsylvania (to see the Amish) or Texas (to go to a different Sea World!) Flight all look to be about the same price so what do you want to do? Who is in? Do you think I can convince my husband to let me go?? If you are interested, let me know. And give me your input on what you would like to see in each place!!

25 Random things about me

I was doing this for facebook so I thought I would share here, too. RULE: Once you've been tagged you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you it's because I want to know more about you. To do this, go to "Notes" under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people (in the right hand corner of the app) then click publish..) 25. When I grocery shop, I buy in even numbers. (Never an odd number of apples, loaves of bread, milk, or bricks of cheese) 24. I will waste 6 hours to avoid a job that takes me 10 minutes. 23. I feel like a stalker every time I have to make a "first contact" call; even if you are my very good friend. (So if you wonder why I haven't called, it is because you have to call first!) 22. I either over-do or don't do. Hence, the never-ending diet yo-yo. 21. One quarter (I know I am dating myself) in college I took 32 credit hours, it was the only time in college I felt like I was getting something accomplished. 20. It took me 18 months to get pregnant with my first child. I was pregnant again with each successive child before the one before it was even a year (if you are calculating ages, I had 3 miscarriages to figure in there) 19. I tell people I hate chocolate. I don't really hate it, but I am very selective about what chocolate I will eat. I do HATE hot chocolate!! 18. I don't eat stinky food (Chinese, Japanese, Thai). 17. I have never had anything at Cafe Rio but the Chicken Tortilla Soup, because I am too intimidated by all the questions they shout at you to order anything else. 16. I waste money trying to find bargains! 15. I have been married 15 years, but still think I am 22. 14. My mom can tell you dates, times, weights, and who was present for each of her children's births. I have to use memory tricks just to give you the date my kids were born. 13. I have a "caved in chest" (and I am not talking about my bra size - I am talking about my rib bone structure). 12. About #12 - if I ever reach my goal weight, the bra size will be enhanced! (Wow that was TMI!) 11. I will make up excuses to get out and talk with other women (a shout out to my River 5th game group - almost 2 years and still going strong!) 10. I love to read, but I totally judge books by their covers. 9. I will attempt to read almost anything that is recommended to me (as long as it is fiction) I hate deep thinking! 8. I would like to be a labor and delivery nurse - but I can't even imagine going back to school. (Nursing is what I originally went to college for.) 7. I still have my last baby's binkies in my drawer because I am not ready to let him grow up. 6. I hate rhetorical questions. When someone says raise your hand if you are perfect - I always will! 5. I am a devoted blogstalker. (I am getting myself a "Hot and Righteous" hoodie from Seriously So Blessed) 4. I hate email forwards and crap like this, but I want to learn more about others so I have to do this. (I think this is better than email forwards because I only have to do it once) 3. Since we discovered DVR, I never watch commercials (I don't even want to know if my new one for A-Shed is running. - Okay, I kinda do, has anyone seen the one with me and Dr. A-Shed and my fake husband?) 2. I am overly obsessed with my high school class and our reunions, even though I don't do a very good job of keeping in touch. (I am more interested in a Little Caesars Reunion though, because those people were so much more influential on me than anything I did in school) 1. (I use parenthesis way to much) (However, I also speak parenthetically) (I like to use parenthesis within parenthesis but when I do my high school English teacher comes back to haunt me) (Not Mrs. Hazen - the other one that told me chic wasn’t a word and made me put “sheik” in my poem (what is her name April)).

Really? Why do I have a blog?

So nothing even happens that I feel like blogging about, maybe if I talked to my sister for less than 8 hours a day there would be something left to say. However, I really cracked myself up today, so I thought I would share. Do you ever think that your inner dialogue is just SOOO funny? I always do. You will catch me smiling and chuckling to myself all day long (I am so lame, I can't even believe I am telling you this). The worst part, is it is not even funny!! If I said any of this stuff out loud (and let's be honest, I have) it can bring an entire room to a stand still. People just look around like, "Did she really just say that". On that note, the word that I have been meaning to share (again, words I HATE) . . . . Erect! Never buy your kids an erector set. I never want to hear the phrase Sit erect, or stand erect. Let's just do away with that word!

Where in the world is ... a cool place to visit?

I don't know if anyone even reads this blog, and I especially don't know if my ladies vacation club members read it, but I am getting the bug to plan our next girls trip. The only problem is, I have no ideas where to go. So . . . whether you choose to vacation with us or not (you choose to be a party pooper) I need some ideas of where to go! I am open to just about anything in the continental United States. We try to keep total costs under $1000. (Well under if possible) Give me your ideas. Where is a fun place you have lived or visited? Where is a fun place you would like to visit? Are you going to join us this year? (And April, if you are reading this, yes you are invited, and no, sorry, Disneyland won't make the cut - I know I am a hater!)

Clean office=New Lame Word

I promised not to update my blog, or read any one elses blog until my office was clean, and here I am, so you guessed it, MY OFFICE IS CLEAN!!! That should last for about 2 minutes. Anyway, there is stuff happening at our house. Kim and her family are moving in tomorrow. They are going to stay here until they sell their house and buy a new one (she doesn't read my blog so can you say TRIPLE COMMISSION) . Anyway, I am sure there will be adventures to share during this transition (or maybe that can't be shared - you will have to just call me for the trash talk). I still wanted to leave you with the word of the day. I actually was going to put this one up a few days ago but I was reminded again of it during scripture study the other night. The word is . . Bosoms I put it small so you would remember to do little giggles! My kids have recently discovered this word and think it is hilarious so imagine the response when we were doing our stake sponsored 100% month challenge and reading our scriptures together as a family and we came across this word. I wasn't sure Jake would be able to keep reading. I had to quickly look in my index to find another scripture that appropriately defined the word. Nice - what is up with all the good words that have turned bad. (Are you old enough to remember "When grandpa comes we're GAY") It is just terrible. Which gives me a great idea for a word I have hated for over 16 years. Now you have something to look forward to. p.s. 100% month for our stake is daily scripture study and prayers, meeting attendance, home and visiting teaching and attending the temple - so get on your 100% month. I can send you the cute little calendar with the fill in boxes if you want!

words i hate

Okay - so your are seeing that my life is boring (either that or I am too busy reading other peoples blogs to have my own life!!) So I decided that because I am bad at letting you know what is going on in my life I will make myself post something. I decided that my "something" will be ranting about words I hate and why I hate them. (The idea came to me about 1 am yesterday - I know I am a loser!!) So are you ready for today's word? . . . . . . MOIST I don't know why - it is a seemingly normal word, but it grosses me out!! And I hate in prayers at church, when people say thank you for the moisture - it is RAIN or SNOW. Moisture - eww. So I hope your cakes are delectable, delicious, airy whatever, but just not MOIST. Now be honest, who thinks I should be voted of the blogging island!