One more thing...

Michaela and Reagen have been sharing a double bed for the last couple of years, but lately they seem to be staying up later whispering and giggling so we decided to put the bunk beds back up. It should help them get more sleep having their own space and it should also help avoid this from happening.

Long Catch Up Post

Bear with me as I catch up on the last few weeks and all the "good stuff" going on in life.

I can't believe that the last day of school is this week. It seems like we were just buying school clothes and getting ready for a new school year. Reagen just graduated from preschool this week. She will miss Miss Janet. She is one of those teachers that was put on this Earth to teach little kids. She has so much patience and loves each one of the children. If you grew up in Grantsville, you know Miss Janet and she probably taught you in preschool.

It's kind of sad that we will never have another preschooler. Mike and I are both feeling a little sentimental about it, but not quite enough to make us want to have another baby. You just realize with your youngest that it's that last time you'll experience all of this fun stuff. We know with the blink of an eye, they'll all be grown up and doing their own thing so we are trying to enjoy everything that they are involved in now.

Spring has been busy with softball and soccer for Michaela. Soccer just ended and her team is going to play in a comp league in the fall. We are really excited about that (not sure how we'll fit it all in, but it always seems to work out). They are nine and ten year olds and they played in the twelve year old division and still went undefeated this season. They are so fun to watch because they know each other so well. They usually make sure everyone on the team gets to score. They are all really good kids and good friends.

Softball is coming to an end this week.  It's been a great learning experience for Michalea. I'm sure she'll play softball again in the future, but I'm not so sure she'll ever do the cheers and chants that the girls on the team do. It was funny watching her watch the other girls. She looked at them like they were crazy when they were screaming their little guts out.

Part of what makes softball so fun is the ballpark treats!

Dallon has been training really hard in TKD. We just got home yesterday from the Young In Cheon Tournament in City of Industry, CA. It is a really fun tournament that is outside under a big horse arena pavilion. It's up on a hill surrounded by trees. We stayed at a hotel on the same hill and got a really good deal through the tournament. Both Dal and Kayla fought two fights. Kayla pointed out (if you get ahead by 7 points they end the fight) the first girl and then had a better match with the second girl. She ended up losing by two points. It was hard for her to lose but also good because it got her fired up to train hard for the Jr. Olympics in July. 

Dallon fought great. He got rocked by a hook kick to the head by the first kid, but we saw him give Will a grin and we knew he was ok. He ended up  beating the kid. The second kid was 138 lbs. compared to Dallon's skelator 90 lbs. and Dallon pointed him out in 43 seconds. Their teammates did really well, too. I think everyone medaled.  A lot of us went out to eat after, it's kind of a tradition after big tournaments. It's like a big TKD family! 

We were there from 9:30 in the morning until 9:00 at night. Reagen is such a trooper and keeps herself busy during these tournaments. She enjoyed some roasted corn on the cob and caramel corn. I guess we sit a long time and eat a lot...not a great combo. We've been dragging Reagen around to all of these tournaments ever since she was born and she is always so good. It won't be long before we are watching her compete. We drove to CA, which took around 10 hours and she was so good in the car, too. I think she does better than me. 

On the way home, we stopped in St. George and Chad and Ash were kind enough to let us take over their basement. The kids had a great time playing with their cousins and hunting lizards. Steve and Deb were staying with Scott and Pam so they came over along with Ryan and Angie and we had fun visiting with everyone and laughing over stupid stuff.

This pic is somewhere between Mesquite and St. George. I think this is the prettiest part of the drive. On the way down, Dal threw up right before this point. Fortunately, he made it into a WalMart bag because we coudn't pull over in time. When we did pull over and he got out the wind was blowing and it blew his slober across his face and gave us all a good laugh. He's such a good sport that he was even laughing. Poor boy.

Mike also discovered Red Bull on this trip. He was like a giddy school boy! He drank one each day that we were driving and couldn't beleive how good it made him feel, but since he hasn't had caffeine in almost a year, it played a mean trick on his stomach and he spent most of last night in the bathroom. Good thing it didn't hit sooner in the van or I'd have a really good poop story to tell everyone and you know how I love a good poop story!

Spring is FINALLY here!

Fun with fake poo.

Maybe we just have really simple minds and are amused by the stupidest things, but we sure had a good time with a fake poo that I borrowed from my friend Penney at work. I took it home and laid it on the toilet seat with a little piece of ripped toilet paper (to make it look more authentic). It took forever before someone went in there, and that lucky someone was Mike. I hear him yell, what in the he** is that? I played all innocent and was like, what are you talking about? Dal and Reag came running in behind me to check it out and we all started laughing when we looked at it. It was this big old terd on the seat. I asked Dallon if he did it and he says all disgusted, NO! So I asked Reagen and she said, I didn't do it, with great big eyes, so I blamed Michaela because she was at soccer practice. I walked over to it like I was examining it real close and grabbed it and threw it at Dallon. He about jumped into the tub. Mike knew as soon as I touched it without rubber gloves and a half a roll of toilet paper that it must not be real. We all laughed until we cried (remember, simple things for simple minds).

Of course, the fun couldn't end there. Mike took it over to his mom's, poor nana is in her 80's and he thinks it's just great to play practical jokes on her. He laid it on her floor and then called her back and asked her if she was losing her mind. She was so upset that she was going to stay home from her Elderly Singles Activity at the church that night. Mike finally told her that it was fake and all was fine again.

Michalea missed out on all of the fun and so we had to put it in her bed for her to find that night...good times.

A few shots from yesterday and today...

There's no such thing as bored if you have a stick and some dirt.

When I got home from work today she was out feeding the horses in the field next to Debbie's.

She was bound and determined she was going to get in with them.

If I wouldn't have showed up, she probably would have climbed in taken them for a gallop.

I love her little freckles or "frankles" as Reag calls them.

Note to self...

When the alarm clock starts blaring and you roll over and turn it down and think why is that stupid thing so dang loud...it's actually so you get your butt out of bed so that you don't sleep through the soft FM100 music and have greasy 2nd day hair and have to drive at warp speed to get to work on time. It's been one of those Mondays.

Happy Mother's Day!

I hope all you mothers have a wonderful day full of obedient children, no dishes to wash, and possibly some chocolate. All of you are great examples to me whether you have young kids, old kids, a baby in the belly, or just nieces and nephews. I watch your excitement to be a mom or the relationship you have with the children around you and I learn from all of you.



I also want to pay tribute to my mom today. In the short 15 years that I got to spend with my mom, she taught me valuable lessons about life, unconditional love, and courage. I treasure the moments I had with mom that at the time seemed like little everyday things...helping her grocery shop every Thursday while Amy had piano lessons, running to 7-11 to get a big gulp and nachos, laying in bed watching tv with her. These are some of my favorite memories.



It's taught me that it's not the fancy vacations or the expensive shoes that your kids will remember, it's just the simple things like playing in the yard, reading stories, Sunday dinners, and bedtime kisses that will stick with them for the rest of their lives. I realize how precious and sometimes short the time we have here is. I think it makes me try a little harder to be a good mom. I try to be grateful for all the diapers I've changed, for all the little bums I've wiped, for the hours spent in the car driving kids where they need to go, for the sleepless nights washing sheets that have been puked on, for the little hand prints all over every window in the car, and for all the scraped knees I've got to bandage over the years. These are the things that someday we all will miss.



Enjoy your day! Love you all.

You Will Be Conquered...

Who knew...

Mike came in this morning while I was still in bed and said, you better go and see what your boy did. I have to admit that my first thought was, Oh No! What did he do?

 Memories of Michaela's hair tangled all up in a little hand fan, courtesy of Dallon came to mind. I mentally prepared myself and got up and wandered into the kitchen and there was a plate filled with two huge pancakes, scrambled eggs, and toast. He had made me an early Mother's Day breakfast. He knew that Saturday he'd be leaving for TKD before I was even up and on Sunday's I always beat him out of bed. Holy cow! It was delicious, too. He makes fluffier pancakes than I do. Who knew this cute kid could cook!

Also, who knew the kid could drive? I took him and Reagen to hunt lizards yesterday afternoon and he asked if he could drive up the mountain side (just a bumpy dirt road). I thought he was kidding so I'm like, sure. He jumped right into the driver's seat and off we went! I guess he's growing up. Let's just hope that in four years he's still this excited to drive the family van.

I've been tagged by Ade..

20 Things I Love Right Now...

1. Sleeping in on the weekends.

2. Cocoa Pebbles, I crave them all the time.

3. Watching Reagen dance during the commercials of Dancing with the Stars...hilarious.

4. Sunsilk anti-flat shampoo. Had a buy one get one free coupon, tried it, love it.

5. Olive Garden bread sticks and alfredo sauce. 

6. Having no where to be and nothing to do.

7. Going for a walk.

8. Blogging, way funner than I imagined.

9. Shopping for baby clothes (for family, not for me).

10. Going to lunch with Mike.

11. Getting to hang out with my friends yesterday.

12. Watching Office. (had to steal this one from Susan)

13. Painted toe nails. (only fair to steal one from Ade, too)

14. Sitting around in the yard when it decides to be a nice day.

15. Finding all 3 kids playing together. Rare, but nice.

16. Homemade cards from my kids.

17. Finding a killer deal.

18. Watching Michaela teach Reagen some of her soccer moves.

19. Spending time with family.

20. Any type of organization product.

I tag anyone that hasn't given us their list of 20 things. Come on, get on it!

Happy, Happy Birthday!

Michaela had a birthday on Sunday and she is now officially in the double digits, 10! We ordered pizza and had cheesecake on Saturday night and watched the Jazz game. On Sunday morning she was so anxious to get her present, but we thought she should have to work for it so we gave her a little clue...

that led to another clue..

and another clue...

and you get the point, there were a lot of clues.

Finally, with the help of Dal & Reag, she found the long sought after present.

An ipod nano! Since it was her only gift from us, and I still wanted her to feel like she was opening a lot of presents, I wrapped it in four different boxes. Each one inside of the other. She thought she was getting shoes, and then a box of Capri Suns (woo hoo), and then a phone. She was happy to see that it was a Nano. And to think, I didn't know Michaela could even sing because in Primary she just lip syncs the words, but she was singing up a storm to Johnny Cash's Ring of Fire. I found out she inherited my tone deafness...dang! 

That night we had everyone over for cake and ice cream. Reagen and the cat were the official welcoming committee.

Michaela also got some cash and a couple of itunes gift cards, some jacks and a jump rope (cute g-ma jane), writing pad, gel pens, anda shirt. She said she had a great birthday. Thank You Everyone for making her b-day a good one.

A Trip to the Farm

Reagen got to go on a field trip with her preschool class yesterday to the Titmus farm. This is always a much anticipated activity for all the kids. Little baby lambs are being born almost every day and Dal and Kayla both got to watch one be born when they went. We were in the van talking about the farm and Kayla said, "when I went, it was gross because the guy had to stick his hand up the lambs bum because it was pregnant". Reagen asked, "to get the eggs out?". Obviously, she has her farm animals a little confused.

36 things i know at 36

So, I'm a few weeks late, but that's the way I seem to roll lately. I guess it comes with the age...ha! You'd think I'd have some really wise advise for everyone.  This isn't all that wise, but I do have a list of 36 things I've learned over the last 36 years.

1. It's ok to say no sometimes.

2. Chocolate is a food group.

3. Your kids are the only people that can drive you absolutely bezerko-nuts on a daily basis and you still love them to death.

4. Just because you didn't have allergies when you were little, doesn't mean you won't get them now.

5. Life is not fair.

6. The good do die young.

7. Try and pay someone a compliment every day.

8. Mean people suck.

9. The more you stress about weight, the more you'll weigh.

10. Let your kids have a pet.

11. Write thank you notes.

12. Some friends will be life long friends, even if you don't see them often.

13. It's ok if your kids clothes don't always match when they dress themselves. (this is a hard one)

14. Eat more fiber.

15. The laundry, dishes, mopping....will wait.

16. Be thankful for what you have.

17. Try not to gossip...so much.

18. Reading a bedtime story is one of the best things you can do for your kids.

19. Don't take a bad day at work out on your husband.

20. I have a LOT of room to grow spiritually.

21. I wouldn't switch lives with anyone.

22. Men are not very observant (refer to bang story)

23. Stretchy jeans are one of the best things ever invented.

24. Don't wish your time away.

25. What comes around, goes around. (I didn't have to watch My Name is Earl to learn this)

26. What sounds really lovely and eloquent in my head usually doesn't come out that way when I try to say it.

27. Try not to cough while eating carrots because they end up in your sinuses.

28. Tivo is the 2nd best thing ever invented.

29. When a sick child makes a funny sound when you are holding them, they are probably going to throw up on you.

30. Don't always act your age.

31. If your husband cleans toilets and does most of the cooking, he's a pretty good husband.

32. If you want an honest answer about how you look, ask a four year old.

33. Read something besides magazines.

34. Chapstick in someones pocket usually makes it through the washer, but the dryer is a different story.

35. If you get mad at someone for spilling a glass of milk, you'll be the next one to spill something.

36. Don't flush the toilet while Mike's in the shower.

Now you have to tell me something you've learned from livin' the life.

Oh, and a random picture because I feel like every post needs a pic.

Twilight

Have you read the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer? I had heard about it for close to a year, but I always seemed to have more time for tv than for reading. When Dallon wanted a book for Easter, I "recommended" Twilight. We both started reading it and I was hooked. It's about vampires (I know that sounds really, really dumb, but it's so good). There are three books in the series, New Moon and Eclipse are the other two. I'm on the last book right now and I'm trying to pace myself because the 4th book doesn't come out until August and I want this reading goodness to last. I even talked Mike into starting the first book by telling him his brain cells are dying off and he needs to do more reading. If you are looking for something to read, this series is awesome and such easy reading, they are even making a movie out of it that will release this later this year. Pam just posted a link to the making of the movie if you want to take a look. It is here.

Gotta Love Those Big Brothers

As soon as I walk in from work:

Dallon: mom, will you get on itunes and load "Ben 10" for me?

Me: how much is it?

Dallon: $1.99

Me: do you have $2.00?

Dallon: yep, here you go (hands me a bunch of change)

Me: where did you get the money?

Dallon: i sold Michaela dad's medals and trophies from high school.

Bang, Bang!

So, I got myself some bangs last week. I happen to be a creature of habit, just ask Ashley how long it took me to get rid of the "hair claw". I felt a little adventurous when I got my hair done last week so I said, go ahead and give me some bangs! Better yet, make it a swoopy bang. I was sure proud of myself and as I drove home and I thought how people would comment on the big change, because you know, this was big for me. Hmm...well three days goes by and my family still hasn't noticed that I have bangs. These are the kids that fear change and that wouldn't talk to me for half a day when I straightened and cut my hair, the same kids that just about cried when Mike shaved his goatee off. Could they have become this unobservant??? When we ran into my friend Keysha at Walmart and she commented on the hair, I was surely expecting Mike to come to attention and realize the change. Nope, still nothing. Finally, that night when all the fam was home, I got a little dramatic and I was like heellloooo, I have bangs. (I guess I've become one of those people that need recognition for all I do.) The response was, oh yeah, I thought something was different...I like it a 100 times better than the old way (seriously, 100 times?  did i look that bad?) I guess I have a hard time accepting compliments, too.

So I learned a valuable lesson...change your hair, and those closest to you may not notice, but change the type of grated cheese you buy and you could be in serious trouble.

Just to make you salivate...

not much to say today so I thought I'd just leave you with a picture of one of my good friends. her name is turtle cheesecake and she never does me wrong (unless you count what she does to size of my buttocks). mike made this for my b-day a few weeks ago.  the section without pecans is the "dallon doesn't like nuts" section. be sure to hide the leftovers in the fridge really well because someone that doesn't like nuts made an exception to the whole "no nuts rule" and snuck the last piece that i was saving for myself. Here's the recipe and make sure and invite me over for a visit if you make it. :)

Crust:

2 c. graham crackers crumbs 6 tbsp. melted butter

Combine crumbs and melted butter, press onto bottom & sides of buttered 10 inch springform pan. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Filling:

1 (14oz) bag light caramels 1 (5oz) can evaporated milk

1 c. chopped pecans, toasted 4 (8oz) pkgs. cream cheese softened

1 c. granulated sugar 4 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla 1 c. milk chocolate chips, melted

In heavy 1 1/2 quart saucepan, melt caramels w/evaporated milk over low heat, stirring frequently until smooth. Pour caramel mixture over cooled crust and top with chopped toasted pecans.

Combine cream cheese and sugar, mixing on medium speed with electric mixer until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each egg. Add vanilla. Blend in melted chocolate. Pour mixture over pecans and caramel in crust, starting at outer edge.

Bake in preheated 350 degree oven 1 hour and 20 to 25 minutes, or until edges begin to crack. Remove from oven and let cool at room temp. for 30 to 40 min. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Remove sides of pan and loosen cheesecake with spatula.

Chocolate Topping:

1/2 c. milk chocolate chips 1 tbsp. shortening

Pecan halves

Melt chocolate chips and shortening in microwave and stir until smooth. Drizzle over the top. Garnish with more pecan halves.

(We also melted extra caramels and drizzled that over the top (yummmm)

Wisdom from a wrapper

If you know me you know that I have to have my daily intake of chocolate in order to be a better person/mother/wife. But lately I had noticed that I was a little out of control (especially since the trip to Heber with my sistas. We (mostly meaning me) ate nonstop. When I got home I was feeling a little guilty and bloated. I decided to see if I could actually make it a week without sweets.  It took me several days to convice myself that I could do this. I did pretty well until day six, our family Easter party...not good timing. Well, five days was a record for me so I figured that was good enough. Who can say no to Hershey Easter eggs? After Easter was over, I did decide to be a little more conscious of what I was eating. I even took the left over Easter candy to work. I put most of it out for everyone to eat, but I kept one bag of Dove chocolate caramels in my overhead bin (I didn't say I was cured!). This was a real test of will power. The old me would have that bag gone on day one. I made it two days without touching them and then finally in a moment of weakness, I snatched one and opened it. I was savoring the creamy dreaminess when I noticed the message in the wrapper. Could this have been written for me?

So...that made me feel a little guilty. Of course, I hadn't promised myself that I wouldn't eat as many sweets, I just said I'd try harder. So I helped myself to another one and I was a little interested to see what the next wrapper might say...maybe something like, "Go Weigh Yourself". Luckily it wasn't quite that harsh.

I took the advise of the wrapper and didn't think about it at all as I ate five more.  :)