Diary of an Everyday Housewife

A Trip to Victoria's Secret

2012-02-15T17:50:00.000-08:00

Victoria's Secret Employee (VSE): Hi. Can I help you find something today?
Me: I'm looking for a piece of lingerie for Valentine's Day.
VSE: They are right over here.
Me: What would you recommend for someone without boobs?
VSE (with a look of shock on her face): Well . . . a lot of the lingerie is sized by bra size.
Me: Do you have anything smaller than a size A?
VSE: (speechless)
Me: I guess I'll try a 32A.
VSE: (still speechless)

I headed to the dressing room armed with a 32A little number to try on. I got it on, only to find that the cups on the outfit had about 2 inches of extra space/gaps on each side.

VSE: How are you doing in there?
Me: Well, I have lots of space inside these 32A cups.
VSE: Maybe you can fill them with marshmallows.
Me: (speechless)

Valentine's ended up being a hit. Aaron really enjoyed the fluffiness of the miniature marshmallows. Also, I'd have to say that he really "Skor"ed! (Thanks to my dear friend for the brilliant idea of presenting Aaron with a Skor candy bar on his pillow.) I couldn't stop laughing when I saw his face light up at the sight of the candy bar. I told Aaron he could reuse the Skor bar as many times as he wants to this year. All he has to do is lay the Skor bar on my pillow. Funny thing is, I found the empty Skor bar wrapper on the dresser this afternoon. I guess that's it for the year!

Nyah's Piano Recital

2012-02-06T07:47:00.000-08:00

Nyah did a beautiful job at her recital! She played "Scarborough Fair" which was made famous by Simon and Garfunkel. I'm so proud of her for practicing so hard for this performance!

Lowes Xtreme Air Sports

2012-02-06T07:40:00.000-08:00

Nyah and Ian decided to combine their mommy/daddy/kid dates and go to Lowes Xtreme Air Sports together. I found out later that Nyah wanted Ian to go along because she didn't want her mom and dad to jump with her. "That would be soooo embarrassing!"

Lots of jumping. Lots of swinging on trapezes. Lots of fun. (It was actually smart of Nyah not to let me jump. I would've peed my pants and been kicked out for "messing" up the gym!

Fast Sunday+SuperBowl Party=

2012-02-06T07:24:00.001-08:00

Today started out as

Fast Sunday

. "On Fast Sunday, members of the LDS church are encouraged to fast for two consecutive meals; most members of the church choose to skip the first two meals on Sunday, though some skip the last meal on Saturday and the first meal on Sunday. Members are also encouraged to give the money they save by not eating as a fast offering which will be used by the church to help the needy" (Wikipedia).

We got home from church at 4:30 and ended our fast. We then proceeded to stuff our faces with Taco Salads, Guacamole, Queso Dip, Mozzarella Cheese Sticks, Chips, Soda, and Strawberry Shortcake.

We now call SuperBowl Fast Sunday . . . Fat Sunday!

St. George 1/2 Marathon

2012-01-23T07:48:00.000-08:00

Jill, Marisa and I ran the St. George 1/2 Marathon together this past Saturday. We all wore our Kinvaras. We all decided to stay together the whole race. We decided to just have fun. Well . . .

We all stayed together. It was fabulous. When I felt like giving up, they wouldn't let me. It was super hard. It felt super fast. It was amazing crossing the finish line together. Hands held high. What a memory! Plus, we beat the man in the red T-shirt. That was my only goal. And we did it!

Friday the 13th

2012-01-13T06:19:00.000-08:00

Is Friday the 13th unlucky? Judge for yourself.

Friday 13, 2012. My 38th Birthday. I woke up at 3:30 a.m. to get ready to go for an early morning run. Yes. I am psychotic. Here's my excuse for the early morning wake up call though. I had to leave my house at 4:30 a.m. and I need an hour of prep before I run. Prep=sit on the toilet.

So, after my "prep" I stood in front of the mirror to put my contacts in. I squeezed the contact solution bottle over my hand. Empty. Thank goodness, I had bought a spare bottle a few days before at Walmart. I opened the package, noticing that there was a red cap on the bottle. Doesn't red usually equal danger?

I pored plenty of the new solution onto my contact and stuck it in my eye. Oh, the pain! My eye was on fire. I could hardly pry my eyelid open to remove my contact. I had just blinded myself on my birthday. I knew something bad was going to happen on Friday the 13th!

With my good spare eye, I checked out the packaging on the contact solution. Of course. Guess I should've checked out the warning label: NEVER PUT SOLUTION ON CONTACT AND THEN DIRECTLY PUT IN EYE. LET SOLUTION SIT ON CONTACTS FOR AT LEAST 6 HOURS!! IF SOLUTION DOES GO DIRECTLY IN EYE, QUICKLY RINSE EYE WITH MASS QUANTITIES OF WATER!

Seriously. Now I have a bum eye for my birthday.

I headed out for my run after frantically rinsing my eye out. Because I had spent so much time trying to fix my eye, I ran out of time to get back on the toilet, and thus . . . well, I had to use the restroom on the road. Nothing out of the ordinary.

When I got home, I hopped in the shower, put on my swimsuit, and headed off for a swim lesson. I am not a swimmer. But, I'd really like to become one. A really amazing trainer was at the pool to give me some swimming tips. Everything went fine until the final lap. I stood up. Fully vertical. And what do you know? Nipple hanging out of my suit. What?! You may wonder how this could happen to someone with no boobs. No boobs does not equal no nipples. And after nursing four children, let's just say, it is not a pretty sight. The horror. Poor trainer man. Poor me.

Happy Friday the 13th!

Caleb's Convertible, a Drive to the Cross, Family Time

2012-01-10T17:39:00.000-08:00

Caleb drove to San Diego in his new Mazda Miata. One of our adventures in San Diego was cruisin' around with the top down. Caleb and I stumbled upon a huge cross at the tippy top of Mission Beach during one of our runs. We drove the family up there one afternoon to enjoy the beauty.

Point Loma Lighthouse Run

2012-01-10T17:25:00.000-08:00

Caleb and I woke up Saturday morning to a thick, pea-soup fog. We wanted to go on one final run . . . to the lighthouse at Point Loma. It was one place I didn't get to visit during our trip. We couldn't see a foot in front of us. I could tell we were running up hill after hill. Eventually we got above the fog, and this is what we saw!

The Mission

2012-01-10T15:31:00.000-08:00

Basically, the best part of going on vacation is eating at FABULOUS restaurants. During our time in San Diego, we drove past one particular restaurant, "The Mission," on a daily basis. The restaurant is open from 7 am to 3 pm each day, and no matter what time we drove by, there was a LINE of people standing to wait their turn to get inside.

We decided we must be missing out on some big secret. We looked "The Mission" up on the Internet to check out the reviews. It turns out that the best french toast IN THE WORLD is served at this little "cafe style" eatery. People fly from ARIZONA just to get their french toast!
We knew we couldn't leave Mission Beach without eating at this top-rated restaurant!

The food did not disappoint!

Sweet Water Horses

2012-01-05T13:55:00.000-08:00

We surprised the kids with a big adventure on Thursday . . . horseback riding! None of them have ever been trail riding before. They have all sat on a horse, but the horses have all been attached to a turning wheel that goes around in a circle. We drove about 12 miles out of San Diego to find the horse corrals. After signing our lives away, we were each assigned a horse for the afternoon:
Caleb (Tank - the big, wild beast)
Aaron (Chip - the out-of-control hungry horse that had to be reigned in constantly)
Vanessa (Native - supposedly tough to control, but of course, caused me not an ounce of trouble! He knew who was in the driver's seat! ha! ha!)
Cali (Amigo - the naughty little brother type horse whom we later found out likes to roll in the sand, with riders on his back! Luckily, he chose to gallop through the sand instead of rolling in it during Cali's ride!)
Ian (Spirit - the most well-behaved horse out of the entire group! Ian was a lucky boy!)
Nyah (The General - out of control, galloping maniac. Nyah had to be taken back to the corral after a few minutes to be given a much nicer horse named "Pawnee!" Thank goodness Nyah wasn't thrown off The General!)
Carson (Penny - the only female horse of the bunch. Very nice. Very well-behaved. They should get more girl horses!)
We had a blast! We were told we'd have some saddle sores the next day, but none of us ended up with the John Wayne walk! Definitely the best part of the whole trip!

Scrambles and Boogie Boarding

2012-01-05T13:41:00.000-08:00

Instead of spending an arm and a leg on some "Scrambles" at the nearby cafes, Caleb decided to make made-to-order scrambles for all of us on Wednesday for breakfast. They were absolutely delicious!

Next, we headed to the beach for some FREEZING COLD boogie boarding. I watched from a safe distance away! The kids pretended to surf in a couple inches of water, built some sand castles, and did a lot of screaming and shivering.

Old Town San Diego

2012-01-05T13:30:00.000-08:00

We stopped off at Old Town for some delicious Mexican! It is a local hotspot. We had a terrible time finding parking. Aaron almost got in a fight with an 80 year old man that refused to relinquish his parking spot to us. The traffic behind us got so backed up during the wait, that the angry drivers started honking wildly at our Pathfinder. The kids and I escaped the embarrassment by hopping out and running to the restaurant, leaving Aaron and Caleb to face the angry honkers.

Beach Cruisers

2012-01-05T13:18:00.000-08:00

We decided to rent bikes on Tuesday morning to ride along the boardwalk. It was the most relaxing activity ever! Feeling the ocean breeze, watching people surfing yards away . . . It is definitely an activity for all ages. Unfortunately, the kids were a little disappointed that the "helmet rule" applied for all children under the age of 18! You can imagine the reaction from the older children! :)

While out for our beach cruisin', we stopped off at a mini-Christmas tree in the sand for a family photo! Great times!

Point Loma Tide Pools

2012-01-05T12:47:00.000-08:00

A tide pool is the best place to find creepy sea life to poke at . . . therefore, it is my boys' favorite place in the world to visit at the beach. Luckily for them, San Diego has the coolest tide pools around. The Point Loma Tide Pools. They were filled with icky, squishy sea anemones that squirt water at you when you stick your finger inside.

We took lots of pictures with Nyah and Cali's new bangs!

The boys wanted to stay for hours exploring the rocks and sea life.

Tide pools are a free way to spend an entire afternoon . . . at least until the tide comes in!

Christmas Night

2012-01-03T11:29:00.000-08:00

Next stop . . . La Jolla. The beaches there are beautiful. La Jolla also just happens to have some great trees to climb. Unfortunately . . . after our tree climb, we also found a sign that some nice people pointed out to us.

We finished off Christmas Day with Aaron's birthday dinner: spaghetti, garlic bread, and Martinelli's! It was a perfect day!

Christmas Afternoon

2012-01-03T11:11:00.001-08:00

I never realized what a long day Christmas is! The next thing on our list was a walk to explore the neighborhood. Here are some photo opportunities we had along the way . . .

This picture of Ian ended up looking very risque. Still worthy of being remembered.

Hanging out with the family on Christmas Day. Best present ever!

Christmas Morning

2012-01-03T09:49:00.000-08:00

I woke up early Christmas morning and went for a quick run with Caleb to check out the beach.

When I got home the kids and I headed off to the beach.

We found an unexpected adventure. A man from "The Islands" was on the boardwalk teaching people how to make flowers out of palm fronds. We stuck around for about an hour to learn a new talent.

The trip to San Diego WAS the kids' Christmas present. But . . . we still had stocking stuffers from Santa and presents from Grandma Sue and Grandpa David to open Christmas morning.

The wooden floors in the rental home were slippery. Caleb fell down the stairs on Christmas Eve. He was lucky not to hurt himself seriously! Here is a picture of him reenacting the fall on Christmas Day!

We all got ready for the day, took a picture in front of the house we stayed in, and headed out!

We stopped off for Aaron's b-day brunch at a nice restaurant on the boardwalk.

Our next stop was a pier that had a Christmas tree at the end of it.

December 24th

2012-01-03T09:34:00.000-08:00

Last day of the advent . . . whew! I'm exhausted.
Pack your suitcases back up! We are headed for our 2nd SECRET DESTINATION! (SAN DIEGO!!)

It WAS Saturday, so I went on my long run with my Taft running buddies, Sterling and John. After reaching the top of the hill that overlooks the city, we found lots of empty beer bottles, an empty box of Coors, and a beautiful sunrise. Here are some photo-ops at 6:30 a.m. on Christmas Eve.

When I got back, we loaded up the car and headed off to San Diego. It would've taken 5 hours to get there, but I once again INSISTED on something that may not have been such a smart idea. I thought that stores would probably close early on Christmas Eve, so we stopped in Los Angeles at a WalMart to stock up on groceries for our vacation rental house. I didn't want to be "foodless" on Christmas! It took Aaron and I an hour and a half to make our purchases, and when we got out to the car with them, we realized we had no room for the groceries! We piled the food on top of the children and the children on top of each other and continued the road trip. We got to San Diego about 5 p.m. The sun was already setting. We ran inside to tour the house, gave my brother, Caleb hugs, and headed out to a Christmas tree on the beach for a photo of Christmas Eve! Christmas in San Diego . . . you are FINALLY here!

December 23rd

2012-01-03T08:07:00.000-08:00

The advent for the day was . . . Celebrate Aaron's Birthday and . . .take family pictures! Doesn't that sound like a great way to celebrate a birthday??!!

What an adventure December 23rd was! Aaron's 41st birthday was celebrated a couple of days early (his b-day is actually on Christmas) with the whole family! 28 people to feed for dinner. This meant cooking 2 large pans of lasagne the night before, and not 1, but 2 Chocolate Mousse Crunch Cakes the day of. Not only did we spend time in the kitchen, but there was also an early morning weight lifting session with Cali and Ian, bowling with Grandma Sue mid-morning, family pictures with 24 people in the mid-afternoon, and then party central mid-evening. (Notice I used the prefix "mid" a lot because I was so confused all day, I never really knew what time it was!

At 2 . . . or 2:15, okay, maybe it was 2:19, we got everyone loaded into 5 vehicles and headed out to The Reserve to take family pictures. Everyone was picture perfect. Hair done. Makeup applied. Smiles pasted on. We turned right to head in to find the waterfall, beautiful trees, gorgeous backdrops . . . Unfortunately, the reserve was closed. Plans spoiled? Turn around and head home? Not a chance. Got out of the cars with 14 children and 10 adults and took those pictures anyways. Right in the mid-day sun, shadows and all. Emmy Lou's amazing sister, Dallas, took the pictures and did a fantastic job! Did we get a picture? Yes! Was everyone smiling? Can you ever get children, let alone 14 children to smile on command? Check out this family!

After we finished the family photos, I decided and INSISTED on some more family photos of our individual family in some of the orange groves that I had seen on the way to the reserve. Aaron was thrilled as you can imagine! Grandpa David said he knew a place that had a perfect orange grove! We passed grove after grove of oranges on our way to the photo spot. When we pulled up, what do you know . . . they were lemon trees! It was getting dark at this point, so we took some pictures . . . You can't even tell what fruit is on them! Lemon . . . orange . . . no worries! Still citrus!

Under one of the lemon trees, Aunt Kaylyn and the kids found a special surprise. A Christmas puppy! Someone had abandoned it! All of the children BEGGED to take it home. So we did. (Aunt Kaylyn took it to Albertson's the next day where a vet kindly took it to his home for shots and to find a nice family to give it to! The kids had a great time "puppy-sitting" for a day/night!)

When we got home from pictures, it was time to eat! Tables lined the dining area/family room. Everyone loved the lasagna! Everyone loved the cake. Aaron loved being done with pictures! Happy birthday!!

December 22nd

2012-01-03T07:59:00.000-08:00

Play with cousins!
Our 1st Secret destination was Taft, California. We got together with the entire Heber clan! The kids got to play with cousins all day. So much fun!
Made homemade pizzas for lunch!

Some kids have lots of cousins their age!

Some kids are a little bit lonely!

December 21st

2012-01-03T07:55:00.000-08:00

Leave for vacation! After school, we loaded up the car and headed off for a SECRET destination. The kids HATE secrets!

December 20th

2012-01-03T07:48:00.000-08:00

Pack a suitcase!

I gave each of the kids a list of items to pack and a SMALL piece of luggage. Excitement was in the air!

December 19th

2011-12-20T10:53:00.000-08:00

Go see Spanish Fork Festival of Lights . . .

*this didn't end up happening. Instead, I went to urgent care for my "laryngitis", the boys went to a soccer party, Nyah went to dance, and Cali was our chauffeur!

When I told the doctor about my symptoms (no voice, coughing up yuckies, etc . . .) he asked, "Do you like Lortab?"

"Not really. It makes me super loopy!" I responded.

"That's what it's supposed to do!" he said.

So, Merry Christmas to me! I'm going to wrap up some Lortab and stick it under the tree! It will be the happiest Christmas ever!

December 18th

2011-12-20T10:48:00.000-08:00

Celebrate Grandpa Markie's Birthday!
First of all, check out my dad! He looks AMAZING! He's been watching his diet and is dropping weight left and right . . . so . . . for his b-day we decided to celebrate with his favorite -- HOMEMADE MAC & CHEESE, HARVARD BEETS, CORN, GREEN BEANS, ROLLS and . . .

COSTCO CHEESECAKE!!

We love you Grandpa Markie!!

December 17th

2011-12-18T08:27:00.000-08:00

Today's Advent Activity: "Go to Utah Jazz Game!"

The Utah Jazz had a scrimmage that was open to the public (for free)! The team was divided into the blue team vs. the white team. It was fun watching the team members get introduced. Ian and Carson did their best to get on the video cam by dancing WILDLY! We shared a huge bucket of popcorn, a large Sprite, and an order of nachos during the 1st quarter. Then Carson leaned over and said, "I want to leave!" so we did!

On our way out of the arena, Carson started taking off his coat and complaining that his stomach hurt. The next thing I knew, he was throwing up all of the popcorn and nachos into the trashcan. That took great skill. His head was bigger than the hole in the trashcan. My mom and I tried to get the lid off, to get easier access, but no matter what we did, I couldn't get the lid off! Carson just stood there, with perfect aim, puking into the hole. I was laughing so hard from embarrassment that tears were streaming down my face!

We had dropped Cali and her friend off at the Gateway for a date. They had planned on a movie and then a walk to temple square. I called her to tell her plans had changed. We drove to the Gateway to pick them up. As we sat in the car, waiting for them to join us. Carson leaned out the car window and threw up everywhere!

But no. It didn't end there. As we waited in a long line of cars to get onto I-15 South, Carson leaned out the window and threw up 3 more times. Imagine what the cars behind us were thinking! I bet he'll be on YouTube!

On the way home, everyone tried to lean as far away from Carson as possible. Grandma Joannie had an extra red purse that Carson threw into 3 more times. Total throw ups so far: 8 times!

When we got home, Aaron was there. He had just arrived back from a weeklong trip to Hong Kong. Carson promptly ran inside and threw up in the toilet. Welcome home, Sweetie!

December 16th

2011-12-18T08:24:00.000-08:00

Go to Ward Christmas Party!

*I feel bad that I didn't get more pictures! Mary and Joseph, Two Wisemen, and a Shepherd and Angel spoke to us about the night Christ was born. It was a very special evening.

December 15

2011-12-16T13:50:00.001-08:00

Go to Ian's choir concert!

December 14th

2011-12-14T17:28:00.000-08:00

Deliver neighbor gifts, go to Cali's choir performance, deliver Ian's Eagle Project. Whew! Did I already say, "Aaron went out of town at the perfect time?!"

The table is bare! All the gifts have been delivered!

Ian delivered 17 Christmas buckets filled with "reading phones" for the kids at Sierra Bonita Elementary School.

Cali sang her heart out. It was beautiful!

December 13th

2011-12-14T17:26:00.000-08:00

Put together neighbor gifts, teacher gifts, and gifts for co-workers. Aaron went out of town at the perfect time!

December 12th

2011-12-13T06:58:00.000-08:00

Go to Nyah's choir concert!

December 11th

2011-12-11T20:00:00.000-08:00

Watch the movie "A Christmas Carol" and compare to last night's play.

Guess which one they liked better?!

December 10th

2011-12-11T19:56:00.000-08:00

Go to see "A Christmas Carol" at SFHS. It was an awesome production! I only heard, "I'm bored" about twenty times from Carson at the very end. Other than that, the kids all enjoyed themselves! No pictures were taken!

Backtrack to the earlier part of the day . . .

We worked at R.C. Willey's hotdog stand again, this time to make money for Cali's choir trip. One man asked for 9 hotdogs without buns wrapped up in paper. I later saw him eating them on a bed of lettuce. No pictures were taken!

Aaron left for Hong Kong earlier that morning. My dad was left to man the grilling of the hotdogs. He needed supervision! The first batch looked like black charcoal sticks. No pictures were taken!

December 9th

2011-12-11T19:51:00.000-08:00

Mom and Dad go to work Christmas Party! Kids stay home and watch a movie!
Everyone was happy!
We look a little bit punch drunk in this photo, but all we had was lemonade!

December 8th

2011-12-09T09:39:00.001-08:00

First of all . . . I am tired. The advent calendar is making me tired! Let me give you an example of just how tired I feel. This morning for breakfast, Nyah asked me to toast her a bagel. I responded, "Do you want me to put cream cheese or water on that for you?" Nyah just stared at me. Butter . . . water, same thing, right?!

Last night we all went to the District Office for the PTA Reflection Awards Ceremony. Carson won his age division for Film. The theme for Reflections this year was . . . What Diversity Means to Me. Carson made a cute movie with erasers and blocks called "Diver-city". It is about 3 different groups living very different lives. I tried to film it during the awards ceremony, but I'm not sure how great the sound will be. Perhaps too annoying to watch. Give it a try if you are interested.

Carson got a little certificate and a bag of chocolates as his award. He LOVED the chocolates! Totally worth the effort of entering!

December 7th

2011-12-07T16:33:00.000-08:00

Ian decided to make reading phonics phones for his Eagle Project. He worked really hard at R.C. Willey's hotdog stand to make the money to buy the materials. His next task was to organize "Pack Night" and teach the Cub Scouts how to make reading phones as a service for the children at Sierra Bonita Elementary School. Teachers use the phones so that kids can do independent reading, whisper the words into their phone, and hear their pronunciation to see if it is correct.
Ian got to plan some fun Christmas skits for the packs to present to their parents.
He got to teach the boys to make the phones.

Supervise the phone making.

Feed them treats afterwards.
Go visit Santa Claus!

Ian's last steps are writing up his project and delivering the phones to Sierra Bonita Elementary.
Thanks so much to Brother and Sister Anderson for the Eagle Project idea and for helping Ian every step of the way! Thank you!!

December 6th

2011-12-07T05:56:00.000-08:00

Go to Ian's Christmas Band Concert!

I have no idea how any junior high band teacher can possibly stay sane! The amount of noise at the pre-band show almost drove me to the loony bin! To my surprise, this HUGE group of 1st year band students sounded terrific once they started playing.

Ian came home from school today with a great surprise: he is the Student of the Month! I am so proud of him! He's been working so hard this year. His response to the award: "I know. It's pretty cool, cuz I'm not popular at all." Junior High is tough!

December 5th

2011-12-05T19:59:00.000-08:00

"Gracious George the Gingerbread Man" Family Night! (The boys ARE wearing their p.j. bottoms! Just in case you were wondering!)

For the advent + Family Home Evening, I read the kids a story about Gracious George the Gingerbread Man. Gracious George goes around secretly serving others all day long. I brought out our own "Gracious George Gingerbread Man" to serve at our house. Every time Gracious George shows up having served someone, that person passes another service and "George" along. I'm hoping it will get the kids thinking about serving each other during this Holiday season.

We also had some Snappy George cookies as a treat. Everyone (even Ian) loved them! Here's the recipe in case you are interested:

Snappy George's

3/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ginger
1-1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 egg
2 c. flour
1 tsp. cloves

Cream shortening with 1 cup of sugar. Add egg and molasses. Beat well. Mix in all the remaining ingredients except for the 1/3 cup of sugar. Shape dough in small balls or cut out as gingerbread men. Roll the balls in the sugar and put on cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes in a 375 degree oven. Makes 24-36 cookies.

December 4th

2011-12-05T04:50:00.000-08:00

Advent Day #4
Deliver Sub 4 Santa gifts and watch Christmas Devotional.
(Grandma Joannie stayed and watched the Christmas Devotional with us. Take a guess at who she was excited to see give a talk?! The music was beautiful!)

December 3rd

2011-12-03T18:46:00.000-08:00

Advent Day #3
Boys go on a Boys' Day Out with Grandpa Markie!
(they went to Trafalga and The Golden Corral!)

Girls go on a Girls' Day Out with Grandma Joannie!
(they saw "The Help", went out to dinner, and went shopping!)

I sooo wish I was a kid! Grandparents are the best!!

December 2nd

2011-12-02T20:00:00.000-08:00

Advent #2: Go see Salem Pond Christmas Lights!
We popped popcorn, made hot chocolate, got lots of blankets, opened the window in the back of the car, and drove around Salem Pond listening to Christmas music. Some snowflakes even started to fall. Fun times were had by all.

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-12-02T17:20:00.000-08:00

I did not get a single picture of the family around the dinner table at Thanksgiving this year. So sad! I did get a picture of the food though!

We skipped the traditional ham and turkey this year. Aaron smoked tri tip and chicken instead. It was FABULOUS!! We also had homemade mashed potatoes (secret ingredient: buttermilk), asparagus, homemade rolls, Ruth's Chris Sweet Potatoes, stuffed mushrooms (This recipe will not be kept! They were terrible!), and pumpkin pie and apple harvest bars for dessert! Mom also made me gluten-free homemade puddings (vanilla and chocolate) topped with pomegranate seeds, roasted almonds, and homemade whipping cream. Yummy!
We snapped this picture of our little family before the Thanksgiving meal so we could remember what we looked like before eating 10,000+ calories!

We played Catch Phrase with the family later that evening. Sooo many laughs! I love it that Aaron is so competitive, even when he is playing with a 2nd grader.

R.C. Willey

2011-12-02T17:14:00.000-08:00

Our family worked at the R.C. Willey hotdog stand over Thanksgiving Break to make money for Ian's Eagle Project.
The ALWAYS-FABULOUS HIRST FAMILY donated 4 hours of their day to cooking and serving HUNDREDS of hotdogs with us.
THANK YOU, HIRSTS!! THANK YOU, R.C. WILLEY!! P.S. None of us will ever eat a hotdog again! At least, not for a couple of weeks.

Festival of Trees

2011-12-02T17:11:00.001-08:00

Nyah danced at Festival of Trees with Steps Dance Studio. She has the best smile on stage. I love watching her dance!

Sadie's 2011

2011-12-02T16:56:00.000-08:00

Sadie's Dance: Girls' Choice! Girls Pay! Girls buy shirts for selves and dates. Girls pay for dinner. Girls pay for pre-dance activity. Girls better have jobs!

Cali decided to ask Sam to Sadie's. She got candles to stick all over his yard and made a cute sign: "You'd make my wish come true if you went to Sadie's with me!"

A couple of hours later, some KoolAid Jammers showed up on our doorstep. It was the response. "I think it'd be 'Kool' to go to Sadie's with you!"

Utah is a very "special" place. Utah has very "special" traditions! I don't think there is another place on earth where girls/guys don't just call each other on the phone (or text) to say, "Hey, do you want to go to the dance with me?!" Why does everything have to be soooo CREATIVE here?!

Since we DO live in Utah, and must fit in with the CREATIVITY, so as not to be shunned by others . . . Cali asked creatively, got answered creatively, bought sweatshirts, spray painted them creatively, paid for Pre-Dance Bowling, paid for dinner at Wingers (not so creative), and paid for the dance. I heard something about the couples getting "married" at the dance. That's creative too. I have nooo idea what that whole marriage thing was about. I didn't ask.

Homecoming Dance 2011

2011-12-02T16:42:00.000-08:00

One night in October there was a knock at the door. Aaron answered it, but there was no one there. However, there WAS a can of Planter's Peanuts on the ground with a note that said, "I'd go NUTS if you went to Homecoming with me!" Cali had just gotten asked to her first dance!

Cali doesn't like "normal" dresses. She likes "vintage" looking things, so we searched and searched until she found a dress that fit her fancy. She bought the dress. I bought the shoes. Love them!

Cali's date, Cody, got her a beautiful corsage and wore a great red vest to match her dress. They went to dinner at the new Magleby's in Springville, then headed to the dance. After the dance they went to a friend's house to watch a movie. I was tired just watching her get ready for the dance! Oh, to be young . . .

December 1st

2011-12-02T16:28:00.000-08:00

1st day of December! Advent calendar begins. A little bit stressful coming up with an activity for the family to do everyday, but oh, so worth it!

Carson picked out the paper in the pocket with the #1 on it. "Bake and decorate sugar cookies and take them to the ladies at the Beehive Home." The cookies were a lot of work. The kids put the first batch on the pan too close together so we had a cookie pancake. The next batch was undercooked. The batch after that was dark brown on the bottom.

In the end, I frosted the cookies alone. The kids retired to bed before the project was finished! Being dedicated to this December advent calendar may be tougher than I thought!

I Am Thankful . . .

2011-11-23T15:22:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for . . .

one nerdy husband,

4 nerdy children,

and boneless, skinless chicken breast!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Our Last Trick-or-Treaters

2011-11-21T16:26:00.000-08:00

When the kids asked about costumes this year for Halloween, they got the grinch face. "Go dig in the Halloween Tupperware Bin and find something to wear!" was the response they heard from their loving mother. The result was less than spectacular for Carson. He found a black leather jacket to wear and "said" he wanted me to paint his face like a skeleton. He found a picture on the Internet and I reproduced it perfectly! When he got home from school, he was in tears. "No one knew what I was! Everyone kept saying, "Who are you supposed to be?!" Nyah had a little bit better luck with her outfit. She said she was an "Egyptian" and people believed her!

It was the first year we didn't have to go trick-or-treating with the kids. Nyah went with the girls and Carson went with the boys. I stayed home and supervised my Dad! (See previous post).

Trick-or-Treaters Beware

2011-11-21T16:08:00.000-08:00

"Strange" doesn't even begin to explain our Halloween this year.

Dad dressed up as a "witch". His body was covered by a sheet. His face was painted, he wore a 100 year old wig, his hands were stuck in boots and set on a table so he looked like a scary hobgoblin. Children walked up to the table, knowing he was going to scare them, and were terrified when he yelled things like, "Come up here you little Rats. I'm going to put you in my stew!" One child fell off our porch, knocking a pumpkin off the steps as he toppled down. Luckily, he wasn't from our neighborhood and his parents weren't with him! Parents and children alike, were both alarmed and terrified by my father. Many trick-or-treaters thought it was my husband dressed up as the scary witch. My dear husband was actually inside, hiding, as not to be embarrassed by my dad's antics.

New Baby in the Family

2011-11-21T16:00:00.000-08:00

We had a new baby join our family over the weekend. Her name was Adri. We think it was misspelled.

Cali brought her home to stay with us for her Child Development class. Adri cried alot until Cali figured out that taping her neck in a permanent hold position with masking tape calmed her immensely. Cali got much practice taking care of a newborn and was woken up multiple times during the night. She will not be having children anytime in the near future.

The Shewee

2011-11-12T13:20:00.000-08:00

After a fellow blogger alerted me of the existence of the Shewee, a portable urinating device for women, I immediately went to www.shewee.com and discovered that I have been peeing my pants during races for absolutely no reason. I am now going to carry a shewee with me at all times -- just in case. For only $12.25, you too can own a portable urinating device. It comes in 5 snazzy colors. I'm still trying to decide between hot pink and forest green. Read the following instructions to see if a Shewee may be right for you!
**The instructions below are copied directly from www.shewee.com

"We are confident that you’ll find it easy to Shewee, even liberating, but here are some instructions for you in case you aren’t sure....

1. Undo trousers
2. Push underwear to one side
3. Place Shewee gently against the body with the outlet pipe directed away from you
4. Aim urine to a suitable place – away from feet, into a toilet or a container
5. When finished, pull Shewee forwards to wipe and catch any drips (liquid repellent surface ensures no drips)
6. Place your reusable Shewee back into a bag or resealable container

Tip! Practice with Shewee in the shower to find the best position for you.

Shewee is washable by hand or machine and can withstand temperatures up to 120˚C"

After seeing pictures of the Shewee, I decided to run to the Dollar Tree and pick up a funnel to try instead! I'll make sure to let you all know how it goes!

Snow Canyon 1/2 Marathon

2011-11-09T17:43:00.000-08:00

Jill, Marisa, Donna, Jeff, Clark and Vanessa . . . What a troop! We went down to St. George for a "Runner's Retreat"! We drove 4 hours, slept 3 hours, and ran a 1/2 marathon. What a vacation! :)

A few details about the race:
1) Got to starting line 20 minutes before start. No time for porta potty. Had to "go" outside. While squatting down, saw a man walking towards me. Looked up sheepishly and said, "I'm sorry." Awkward!
2) LOTS of downhill. Killer on the quads. My legs were sore before race ended.
3) Ran a race without headphones for first time. Got to listen to all the panting coming from my mouth. Very unattractive!
4) A miracle happened! 1st time I haven't had to stop for a "poo" during the race!
5) Saw 2 men on bus ride up with foil wrapped baked potatoes in their hands. Told me it was "pre-race" food. They didn't eat it on the bus. What was really inside that foil?
6) Finished the race in 1 hour 33 minutes and lots of seconds. I'm going to round down! :)
7) Peed on my sweatpants before the race. I am gross! I have terrible aim!
8) Found my red blanket after the race. I am a lucky girl!

Buckin' Bronco

2011-11-02T20:30:00.000-07:00

Ian had his first ride on a bull! Ride 'em, Cowboy!

2011-11-01T07:10:00.001-07:00

Seven Wonders of the World

2011-10-06T20:07:00.000-07:00

If someone asked me to list the Seven Wonders of the World, I don't think I could do it. I know The Great Pyramid is one . . . but after that . . .?

Well, the other day, I was in the middle of my Thursday Taxi Service. On Tuesdays, I start driving the kids to their various activities at 3:15 p.m. and don't get done until 8:30 p.m. Just when I was starting to feel a bit frazzled, Ian, who was sitting beside me in the front passenger seat asked, "Mom, do you know what one of the Seven Wonders of the World should be?"

I think I probably responded, "What, Ian?!" through gritted teeth.

He answered very sweetly, "Moms."

OK. Being a mom. Totally worth it!

October 6, 2011

2011-10-06T10:23:00.000-07:00

This picture is for all of my family members in California, Arizona, Texas, Indiana, Oklahoma and Ohio. We love you! Don't you want to come visit?!

Food News

2011-10-06T07:09:00.000-07:00

I had a thorough food allergy blood test done a couple of weeks ago to see why my body is such a wreck. My results are back. I am now not only a "Silly Yak", but am allergic to the following foods as well:

Oranges, white rice, corn sugar, corn syrup, turkey, alfalfa, and cayenne pepper!

Let me tell you what this means for me:

1) For breakfast everyday I eat Cinnamon Chex. It is made with white rice. I can no longer eat breakfast!
2) For lunch everyday I eat a turkey sandwich on gluten free bread. I am allergic to both the turkey and the bread which is made with white rice. I can no longer eat lunch.
3) For a snack, I love to have Cool Ranch Doritos. They have corn syrup solids in them. I can no longer have a snack.
4) For dinner most days, I have chicken over white rice. I can no longer eat the rice.
5) For dessert, I love to have a Snickers bar. Gluten free. I looked at the package yesterday. Snickers contain corn syrup. I can no longer have dessert.
6) The worst news of all, I can no longer sprinkle cayenne pepper over my food. (that was a joke!)

Basically, my life, as I know it, is over. For six months I have to rid my diet of all of the "allergy" foods. Hopefully, my face will clear up, my immune system will get stronger, and my potty problems will be a thing of the past. Only problem . . . I have NO IDEA what I am going to eat. Here's what my eating plan is for today:

This morning I had cheesy eggs for breakfast. I was gagging. I hate eggs.
I have an exciting lunch planned. Apples dipped in peanut butter and a protein shake.
I have an even more exciting dinner planned. Ham and cheese wrapped in lettuce.
This is going to be fun!!

St. George Marathon 2011

2011-10-05T14:46:00.001-07:00

Rode up on the bus at 4:45 a.m. We were all wide awake anticipating the wonderful 26.2 miles which lay ahead of us.

Jill and I each set a world record for stop, drop, and wipe at Mile #17. We were lucky and didn't get kicked off the course for indecent exposure. I think I yelled, "Go, go, go!" while my pants were down. Not sure who I was talking to! Is there a closer way to bond as friends?! You are awesome, Jill!

It was so fun running with Christina! She had the best GU for the race: peanut M&Ms. I'm totally copying her next time!

2 of the original "Angels"! I am so lucky to have Marisa as a friend!

Me and my #1 Fan: My Dad! He drove me all the way home after the race. It was so fun spending the weekend with him in St. George!

I decided to try something new after the race: eat a bag of Kettle Cooked Potato Chips. Totally calmed my stomach. Delivered to me by my dad!

When I saw my dad at the finish line he said, "Vanessa, you just got your PR!" This is me saying, "Who me?!" I was shocked! 3:25:10.

THE REAL, LIVE ACTUAL 16TH BIRTHDAY DAY

2011-09-27T10:20:00.001-07:00

By the time September 20th rolled around, we'd already celebrated "Sweet 16" twice. Third times a charm! On the morning of the actual day, Cali woke up to 16 candles (fire hazard) on a muffin!

All the kids were excited! After all, who doesn't love a good cinnamon crunch muffin?!

Calz opened her presents: shirt, sandals, a bag of miniature Snickers (I didn't even sneak one), shoes for Homecoming, and a new palette of makeup.

I'm not sure how it happened: I am only 25 years old and have a 16 year old. Life is crazy. Thanks for being such a terrific daughter, Cali. You are such a blessing in our lives!

Vintage Photo Shoot

2011-09-27T09:55:00.001-07:00

Cali wants to be a photographer. She pours over photos daily, getting ideas for her future career. She also loves vintage clothes. So, for her B-DAY, Aaron took her for a photo shoot with Nyah and Cali's friend, Brooklyn. They dug through Grandma Joannie's boxes of old clothes, donned their purchases from DI, and of course, drug along the horse from DI that they spray painted blue the night before. Here are the results:
WAITING FOR THE BUS

LIVING ON THE EDGE

WHAT'S ON MY HEAD?!

CALI WITH A SUITCASE AND GRANDPA'S CANE (to smack the boys with!)

CALI WITH THE $5 HORSE FROM DI

CALI'S 1ST KISS (I CRACK MYSELF UP!)

NYAH PUCKERS UP

IAN'S UNDERWEAR COMMERCIAL (I was not there, but I hear that Ian thinks he is going to join the CHIPPENDALES!

FAVORITE SHOT OF NYAH (well, one of them)

CHECKING OUT RECORD ALBUMS

HAPPY 16TH BIRTHDAY, CALI!!

Sweet "16"

2011-09-27T09:28:00.000-07:00

For Cali's "Sweet 16" I decided to do a "Girls' Day Out"!!
The day started with lunch at Cali's restaurant choice, "Zupas".

Next, we headed to a salon for a surprise makeover: hair, eyebrows, and toes!

"The Chocolate," a yummy dessert cafe was next on the list: a chocolate chip cookie for Cali and a cream cheese brownie for Nyah. They had a sweet potato as their gluten-free option, but I decided to pass. Didn't sound like a real dessert to me!

After stuffing our faces, we headed to DI to look for some vintage clothes for a photo shoot. Here we have some "vintage" booty pants:

Here they are "rockin' out"!

This is a "sassy" shot:

And last, but not least, Nyah's finest moment of the day:

The girls bought a few clothing items for their "vintage photo shoot" they planned to do the following day. They decided to look for a couple of props. And what do you know? This is what they found!

No. Your eyes are not tricking you. We found a messed up carousel horse for the bargain price of $5. The cashier looked at me very strangely as he rang up my order. "I bet you are wondering what we are going to do with this horse, aren't you?!" I laughed. He just stared at me as I lugged it out of the store.

Little did I know that I would win the "Mother of the Year Award" because of a $5 horse purchased at DI. Best Day Ever!!

The 187 Mile/2 Day Running Adventure

2011-09-27T02:55:00.000-07:00

The race begins at 11,000 feet at Brian Head Ski resort then travels Dixie Nat’l Forest, Cedar Breaks, Snow Canyon, St. George, and ends at the entrance to Zion National Park.
Red Rock. I Thought You Said "Woodstock"! 12 Girls. Lots of Food. Lots of Running. Lots of Laughs! Lots of Weed. (that one was a joke).

Back to School . . . Again!

2011-09-22T07:12:00.000-07:00

Every year we go through the same routine sometime in August. First, we visit an insane asylum called the mall. Spend most of our money on school clothes. Register our kids for school. Spend the rest of our money. Then we wake up one day sometime in August or September to shove lunch into a paper bag and put on our newest outfits. Smile for a picture. Head out the door. Do homework. Race around to music lessons and sports games.
Wouldn't it be funny to shake things up a bit this school year? Put on your oldest, most unflattering outfit for the first day of school. Refuse to smile for the 1st day of school picture. Don't send the registration money into school, just to see what happens. Take a frozen, uncooked chicken breast to the lunchroom and ask the lunch lady to cook it for you because "that is the only thing we have at home left to eat", go to your piano lesson and lay your head down on the keys and start to cry, stand on the soccer field and watch every ball fly past you refusing to move even when the coach screams your name 100 times. What would people do?
Maybe we'll try that next year . . .

Hobble Creek 1/2 Marathon

2011-09-22T07:05:00.000-07:00

It was 13.1 miles. Enough said.
Wait a second! There WAS some excitement I almost forgot about. I had to poo behind a bush during the race. It took me under 10 seconds. I should win some sort of a medal for that one!! You can thank me later for sharing!

Don't Let This Happen to You!!

2011-09-21T06:58:00.001-07:00

What can you do to avoid looking like this unfortunate group of people?
1. Don't get a biopsy of your thyroid without pain medication.
Yes, it's true. I, the lady on the left, in the blue sweater was tortured before this picture was taken by a thyroid doctor wearing cowboy boots.
Doctor: So, you were referred here because of thyroid problems?
Me: Yes. (in a scared voice)
Doctor: Well, let me feel your neck. Wow. Oh, boy. You have a VERY nodular thyroid. Haven't you ever felt all these bumps when you feel your neck?
Me: I don't really "feel" my neck.
Doctor: Oh. Well, let's do an ultrasound to check those nodules out closer. (pushes ultrasound device into my neck)
Me: (Cough. Cough.) So, what do you see?
Doctor: You definitely have a goitre. Oh, yes. I see LOTS of nodules. We'll have to measure all of these. Oh, boy. Nurse, write this one down. Left side. This clump of nodules measures 2 cm.
Me: (OK. Could this guy make me feel any more disgusting about myself? A goiter. Isn't that like a turkey gobbler? Clumps of nodules. Yuck!)
Doctor: Well, we definitely need to biopsy these. I will use 4 needles and jab them each into your neck 3 successive times.
Me: Aren't you going to give me a topical anesthetic?
Doctor: Oh, no. You don't need anything. You're tough, right? You'll just feel some pressure.
Me: (Very uncertainly). Well, will you warn me before you jab them in?!
Doctor: Sure. (Quickly jabs needle in without warning me.) Ok. Here's the first jab. And again. And again. Ooh. This one is a bit hard to get to.
Me: (gasping for air. breathing like in labor) Sorry . . . I'm . . . breathing . . . funny. This is quite painful.
Doctor: Only 3 more needles. . .
10 minutes later . . .
Doctor: Well, as it turns out you have a very skinny neck and I had to go in quite deep to get to those nodules. You will probably end up having bruising and swelling but you should feel fine by tomorrow or the next day. We'll let you know in the next couple of days if they are cancerous.
Me: (Thinking to myself: If I had your cowboy boots on, I'd kick you where it counts, stab you with a couple of your precious needles and tell YOU IT'S NOT GOING TO HURT! Thanks for nothing!)
2. Don't plan to attend a Birthday Luncheon for your 13-year-old son at Tucanos 10 minutes after your thyroid gets attacked.

Eating lunch at Tucanos is never my favorite event. Never-ending supplies of meat is not my idea of fun. Unfortunately, it is Ian's favorite place on earth. I'll give him credit. He was a planner. He got on-line and signed up to get a free b-day meal for himself, and then somehow talked Aaron into taking the entire family there for lunch. After the cowboy doctor attacked my neck, I drove to Tucanos with the kids to meet up with Aaron, Dad, Kristin, and Nora for a "stuff-your-face-till-you-feel-like-you-are-going-to-puke event"! I had an icepack on my neck when I arrived at the restaurant. I did not feel like swallowing ANYTHING, let alone swallowing CHICKEN HEARTS, SWEET COD, RAW SIRLOIN, AND VARIOUS OTHER NAUSEATING MEATS. It seemed like hours before Ian turned the wooden stick from GREEN (which means "keep the meat coming") to RED (which means "we've each gained 20 lbs. and still want to keep eating more meat but have decided to stop"). Even Ian admitted that his stomach felt a little bit "strange" after the meal was over.

3. Don't plan to make a Birthday Dinner 2 hours after eating at Tucanos.

Not only did Ian want lunch at Tucanos, he also planned AN EXTENSIVE B-DAY DINNER menu: fried rice, shrimp, miso soup, homemade rolls, and peanut butter cookies. Seriously. Who can think about food after the MEAL OF MEAT?! I forged ahead though, swollen goitre nodular neck and all. Cooked for hours. Ian loved it.
4. Don't even try to think about going to bed early when there is a FAMILY PARTY to celebrate 13 years of GREATNESS!
After eating, yet again, it was present opening time. Grandma Sue and Grandpa David came into town to help celebrate. Ian basked in b-day glory:
Oreos and an Airsoft Target from his good friend, Charles:

Money from Grandma Sue and Grandpa David:

More money from Grandpa Markie:

Even more money from Goiter Mom and Normal Neck Dad. The other kids were jealous:

Golf Certificate from Dad (Idea from Me):

5. Don't even TRY to get sympathy from anyone for a pain in your neck:
Me: My neck is so sore.
Aaron: It looks great. I can't see any bruising or swelling. In fact, I can't even see the needle marks.
Me: Aaaaaaah!!!!!
So, the moral of this story is . . . Do NOT EVER schedule a thyroid appointment on the same day as a B-DAY! You never know what might happen to your neck!!

Moonlight 1/2 Marathon

2011-08-13T08:39:00.000-07:00

Picture this: a full moon, lots of glow in the dark gadgets, singing camp songs down the canyon, and laughing and chatting for 13.1 miles with your daughter, sister, and friends. Who wouldn't want to do that?!
Cali, Kristin and I donned our glow-in-the-dark vests and got ready for the race.

We met up with our amazing friends, Liz and Haley to start the run. Our goal: be the first to finish after midnight and be crowned the winners of the event!

We left around 9:15 p.m., hoping to give ourselves enough time for porta-potties and relaxing drink stops at the aid stations. We all finished more than 15 minutes before midnight. We should've slowed down more on those last few miles! It was the first time I've done a run and felt that we should've gone SLOWER!!

As we rounded the final corner of the race, we heard, "Go Girls!" It was our DAD!! Yes. He came out at midnight to support his girls. What a guy!

There was a pumpkin head scary dude walking around near the finish line. He was nice enough to pose for a picture with us. During the photo op, we had a "Vanessa Moment". The pumpkin headed dude was standing behind me shuffling around while my dad was trying to take the picture. I said, "Will you please stand still!"
His response, "Well, I am on these stilts so it's kind of hard to stop moving. Can I put me hand on your shoulder?!" Thus the creepy hand on my shoulder in the picture!

I was so impressed with this race. Great volunteers, pizza, Magleby's chocolate cake and chocolate milk at the finish line. It was AWESOME!! (OK. SO I COULDN'T EAT ANY OF THE TREATS THEY PROVIDED DUE TO MY "SILLY YAK" DISEASE. AT LEAST I WAS HAPPY FOR THE REST OF THE RUNNERS!!) Can't wait to do this run next year!

Mom Turns "61" in Spanish Fork

2011-08-10T11:57:00.000-07:00

Mom turned 60 while on vacation in Hawaii last year, so we knew we had to step up our game to make her b-day in beautiful Spanish Fork, Utah, extra special this year.

It started out with delicious quiche (made by Krissy) and fabulous Rhodes orange rolls (made by Rhodes).

The excitement continued with a family picnic at an undisclosed location in Springville. (I can't remember the name of the park we were at).

The birthday girl bonded with Nora!

She then blew out the candle on her gluten-free chocolate cake. Requested by mom; eaten by no one but mom and ME of course! I think everyone else thought it was a doughy brownie!

Laughed at her gifts. Krissy, Caleb, and I got her sexy tights, a fancy pink bracelet, a brown skirt and a pink and brown sweater. It has all been returned except the sweater!

She also got a gift card for a pedicure from Josh and Tiff and a gift card to get her hair done from Dad. Those have not been returned!

Last, but not least, we all attended the Folkfest. Dancers come from all around the world to dance in Springville, Utah. I took a picture of mom with some male dancers in diapers from Australia. If I can remember whose phone I took the picture with, I will post it here!

Happy 61st, Mom. We tried our best to make it spectacular!!

Speedy Spaniard 10k

2011-08-10T11:33:00.000-07:00

I ran my first race with Cali! She rocked it! Her first 10K=52 minutes. She crossed the finish line in front of me. I've never been happier to have my booty kicked!

Dad showed up to cheer us on at the finish line! He brought Emmy Lou, Dallas, Cali, Jeff and I each a rose. Jeff refused to hold it in the picture.

Stuart Falls Hike

2011-08-10T11:20:00.000-07:00

Stuart Falls summary: Carson fell 2 times. A few tears. Grandma Joannie was a trooper. Never complained once. Boys took 3 potty stops. My bladder did not fail me. Nora only cried once during the 3 hours she spent in the backpack. Sang lots of crazy camp songs on the trail. Never been happier to see our car at the end of a hike. Dirtiest my feet have ever been. I didn't know dirt could seep through socks and shoes!

My Dad

2011-08-10T11:15:00.000-07:00

My dad. He's the best. What can I say? Fabulous sense of humor, good lookin', great listener, loves his children. Plus, he took Krissy and I to Jaxies for dinner!! That deserves a blog entry!

Carson's 8th B-Day and Baptism

2011-08-10T06:16:00.000-07:00

August 6, 2011.
Big day for Carson.
His birthday AND his baptism.
Aaron baptized him. Carson was very excited about wearing the white jumpsuit. Aaron was just a teensy bit less excited about his outfit! :)

Carson's buddy got baptized with him.

Carson asked me to be the chorister at his baptism. During the closing song, "I'm Trying to be Like Jesus" I looked at Carson and he had tears in his eyes. I think he really felt the Spirit. Wonderful thing for me to be able to see.

Cali played the piano during the baptism so she couldn't be in this photo, but here are Carson's other proud siblings.

Parents and boys after the baptism.

The whole family!

On to the birthday celebration!

Carson with some of his friends.

Nyah dishing up some bbq pork sandwiches and salad for lunch!

The kids ate in the playhouse!

Water balloon fight: boys vs. girls. There were a few tragedies.

Grandma Sue and Grandpa David arrived in town with some B-Day Beyblades. They were a hit!

Happy 8th Birthday, Carson. We love you!!

St. George Relaxa Shalaxa

2011-07-17T06:08:00.000-07:00

Okay. I don't know what I just wrote in the title, but basically, the boys and I got invited to THE MOST relaxing getaway ever!! It included: eating, laying out by the pool, and sleeping . . . my 3 favorite things! It was awesome!! Thanks, Marisa, for the vacation!!

Kids chillin' in the hot tub!

Marisa and I went to see "Grease" at the Tuacahn. So fun!!

Ian never took his goggles off!

Boys snorkeling in the hot tub!

They even had a value menu at Denny's! The kids thought they were in HEAVEN!!

Eating Denny's all-you-can-eat pancakes with a knife is Ian's new favorite activity.

Watch out for Lightning!

2011-07-08T15:57:00.000-07:00

An afternoon at the reservoir. Wind. Rain. Lightning. Thunder. Moms huddled under blankets. Happy kids.

My kids found the scuba gear from the almost forgotten cruise Aaron and I took a few years back. They put it on. These are the results.

Happy 4th of July

2011-07-08T15:49:00.000-07:00

Flags. Face Painting. Funnel Cakes. Sparklers. Freaking out on new thyroid medication. Which one doesn't belong?!

Feathers

2011-07-08T15:42:00.000-07:00

Since when do people wear feathers in their hair?! I guess since 2011!

The girls have been begging for feathers, so . . . here they are. My two bird girls.

I opted out of a feather and got my nose hairs waxed instead. I know. Aren't you glad I'm sharing?!

Hot Pots Adventure

2011-07-08T15:31:00.000-07:00

Up, up, up Diamond Fork Canyon, there is a little place called the "Hot Pots" that nudists like to frequent. Natural hot springs are perfect for getting naked. At least that's what I've heard.

A couple of weeks ago, Aaron was at work, the girls were away on trips, so the boys and I decided to take a little adventure: hike up to the hot pots to see "who" or "what" we'd find there.

It was actually quite a bit of a hike. The boys drank out of their Camelbacks constantly and made about 10 "pee" stops.

After an hour and a half of hiking, we finally spotted the "hot pots." One problem. There was a VERY LARGE SNAKE on the path leading to the hot pot!

Because I didn't want to freak out in front of the boys, I calmly said, "Oh, let's just wait a minute. I bet it will slither into the grass and let us by." Eventually it did. We literally SPRINTED past the brush it disappeared into and SCURRIED onto the rocks surrounding the hot pot. Luckily we were the only people there so Ian ditched all of his clothes, including his underwear, stood in the hot pot with his hands in a victory sign, ready for a picture to pass onto his posterity. I lifted up the camera to catch this special moment, and . . . what do you know? Out of batteries. LUCKY YOU!!

Two more snakes were spotted by the boys soon after Ian redressed so the boys and I hurried back down the path towards the car. We will not return any time soon. Our curiosity about the "HOT POTS" has been satisfied!

I Have a New Condition

2011-06-21T11:29:00.000-07:00

(Charles' shoe was not injured in anyway during the filming of this project!)

Recently (by recently I mean the past 6 months) I have thoroughly enjoyed chewing on pieces of crushed ice. I especially enjoy it after the ice has been sitting in a glass of water for about 10 minutes. It has a perfect chewing texture at this point . . . not tough ice that may break a tooth, not almost-melted ice that instantly melts on your tongue . . . but . . . basically, a perfectly cold, but chewable piece of ice. Make sense?!

My family has questioned my ice chewing recently.

"Why are you always chewing on ice, Mom?"

"That's going to break your teeth, Mom!"

"Is there a reason you are crunching ice cubes again, Mom?!"

I tried to explain to my children that I'm sure the ice chewing ties into the iron deficiency that I was diagnosed with. I was anemic for a total of 2 days before the doctor decided I was no longer anemic. Confusing, huh?! Well the kids know that I was only diagnosed as being anemic for 2 days, so they thought that explanation for my ice chewing was just plain silly. I thought about calling the doctor about my ice-chewing problem so that I could have a more educated explanation for my kidlets, but decided my doctor may think I'm already wackier than he already does. Instead I put on my sleuthing hat and decided to Google "ice chewing" instead. This is what I found out.

The practice of chewing on ice is known as PAGOPHAGIA and is considered to be a form of pica, a term used to describe the practice of munching on non-food items. People affected by pica not only chew on ice, but may also chew on clay, rocks, and other items not meant for the digestive tract.

(THE NEXT TIME YOU SEE ME CHEWING ON CLUMPS OF DIRT FROM MY BACKYARD YOU'LL KNOW WHY!)

The practice of pagophagia has been associated with nutritional deficiencies, most notably iron deficiency anemia.

(SEE KIDS! I KNEW I WAS RIGHT!)

In some cases pagophagia and the desire to chew on ice can be associated with stress and underlying emotional problems. Chewing on ice becomes a way to deal with issues that can't be dealt with in a healthy and more productive manner.

(UH! OH! I DON'T THINK I'D BETTER TELL THE CHILDREN THIS PART! IT LOOKS LIKE I BETTER CALL MY THERAPIST FRIEND FOR ANOTHER APPOINTMENT . . . I WONDER IF SHE'S EVER DEALT WITH AN "ICE CHEWER" BEFORE?!)

If any of you have a more effective way (than ice chewing) to deal with stress and underlying emotional problems, please let me know ASAP. You never know what this PAGOPHAGIA may have me chewing on next!

Multi-Tasking During a Marathon

2011-06-11T15:36:00.000-07:00

I am a great multitasker during everyday life: I do the dishes and watch a television show on the computer simultaneously, I vacuum and listen to music, I mop the floors and talk on the phone.

During a marathon, I am usually only good at doing one thing at a time: running, or talking, or drinking, or pooing . . . Keep it simple, right?! One thing at a time.

Well, today I switched things up a bit. I multi-tasked during the entire marathon:

1) I felt sick to my stomach and ran at the same time.
2) I ate GU chomps while running, gagged profusely, and spit them out onto a fellow runner -- all at the same time.
3) I stopped at a Porta potty at Mile #13 to get rid of some Runner's Runs. While sitting on the dirty potty, I opened a buzz bite, chewed it, swallowed it with some water, and violently threw up everything into the urinal and onto my lap. It was my finest moment.
4) Made 5 new friends WHILE running. By friends I mean, I talked to people I didn't know before the marathon. Most of the conversations were instigated by the lettering I had applied to my legs earlier that day. My left leg read: The Runner's Runs Suck. My right leg read: I Am A Silly Yak.
5) I danced while running and listening to a rap song at Mile 23.
6) I laid down on a cot at the "Sick Tent" after the marathon, listened to music, talked to a nurse, and drank a chocolate milk . . . all at the same time.
7) Took a shower when I got home, collapsed in the shower from stomach ailments, sat on the pot, threw up in a nearby trashcan, and texted my mother-in-law . . . all at the same time.

As you can see . . . I'm pretty much an AMAZING Marathon MULTI-TASKER!! Currently, I am typing this blog entry, eating chips and salsa, drinking Diet Pepsi with lime, and thinking about puking in a bucket again. I'm telling you, the multi-tasking never ends!

Creative Chore Completion

2011-06-09T10:48:00.000-07:00

Today was "Chore Day": the kids' favorite day of the week. At the top of Carson's list was "put away laundry." He came out of his room looking a little puffy around the middle. It turns out he didn't want to put his shorts away so HE PUT THEM ALL ON!

Good Cop/Bad Cop

2011-06-05T08:56:00.001-07:00

"Modern Family" is one of the funniest shows on television right now. The show depicts our own family to perfection . . . teenage moments, sibling rivalry, marriage relationships . . . It helps me to laugh about our own struggles.

There is one episode called "Good Cop, Bad Dog" that is especially telling. The main theme running throughout this 25 minutes of hysterical laughter is about the different roles Claire and Phil have in leading their family. Claire, the mom, is always the disciplinarian or the "Bad Cop" while Phil, the dad, is always jumping in to save the kids from their tyrant mother.

After watching the show myself and deciding the episode was "kid friendly" I watched it again with Aaron and our 4 children, hoping Aaron would realize maybe he needs to be the "Bad Cop" more often! Everyone loved the show. After it was over, Ian looked at me and said, "Mom, you are the "Bad Cop" in our family and Dad is the "Good Cop". Just like the show!" Ding, ding, ding, ding!! All the kids and Aaron had a good laugh. Then, much to the children's chagrin, I said it was time for bed.

"Can't we watch another episode?" they asked.

"No!" I (the Bad Cop) replied.

Aaron looked hesitant. "Listen to your mother, Kids. Time for bed."

A couple of days after watching this show together, the kids got done with school for the year, and Aaron took off on a work trip to California. Grandma Joannie gave the kids summer passes to Seven Peaks, Trafalga in Orem, and Trafalga in Lehi for their b-days. Free fun everyday!

So, the Good Cop left town leaving the Bad Cop alone with the children. Hmmmm . . . Could the roles be reversed? Could this Bad Cop become a Good Cop? I think she can!!

Friday was our first full day of fun. Off to lunch and Trafalga in Orem:
Free coupons got us lunch at Jason's Deli.
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Here's the Good Cop with a 1/2 of a giant Baked Potato!

Next came the Go Karts! Everyone earned a nickname according to their driving skills:
Idiotic Ian (he tried to run everyone over!)

Nice Nyah (she went about 2 MPH)

Cool Cali (just kickin' back, taking the curves, no probem . . .)

CarSick Mom and Carson (we both felt like we were going to throw up. The GoKart worker got preoccupied and left us on the track for 10 minutes. Much too long!)

Next up . . . Glow in the Dark Mini Golf! I fell off a bench on the course and the kids got quite a chuckle!

Last event of the day . . . shopping at WalMart where Ian lost the smallest tooth in the history of mankind. When I told Ian the Tooth Fairy would only be bringing a nickel for a tooth that size, he promptly threw it in the trash!
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2nd Full Day of Fun
Off to Trafalga in Lehi for more excitement!
Rock Climbing (I took pictures of them with my cell phone and texted them to Aaron with this message: "Who's the Good Cop now?!"

Aaron promptly texted back: "I'm just going to let the kids play computer games and watch movies for 24 hours when I get home, and the Good Cop title will be mine again!"
It's just not right.

Refried Bean Saga

2011-06-05T08:45:00.000-07:00

We had a DELICIOUS meal at a friend's home a couple Sunday afternoons back: chicken enchiladas, refried beans, Mexican rice, chips and salsa, and gluten free peanut butter cookies . . . Yummy! They sent us home with baggies of leftovers. I was so excited to have an extra meal for the next week that I didn't need to cook.

One night, Aaron came home from work after the rest of the family had already eaten and cleaned up. He got all the ingredients for the leftover Mexican meal back out of the fridge to warm up for himself. I noticed that he had forgotten the refried beans, so I got the baggy out of the fridge. He plopped big spoonfuls of beans on top of his rice and warmed it all up in the microwave. He sat down to eat, took a big bite, swallowed and said . . .

"Vanessa, these are not refried beans. This is peanut butter cookie dough!" He scraped the offensive dough off of his Mexican rice and continued to eat without saying a word. After all . . . after 16 years of marriage, he's pretty much used to "Vanessa Moments"!

Ian's a 6th Grade Graduate!

2011-06-05T08:29:00.000-07:00

My little boy got all spiffied up for 6th grade graduation!

Even during the serious moments, he can't help being a bit of a clown for the camera.

Mrs. Waite is the BEST 6th grade teacher in the universe! We are so thankful for all she taught Ian this year. Here he is with his Honor Roll certificate. Some of the things Ian did to earn it: service hours, cooked dinner, read 20 books, earned great grades, served on the Student Council, practiced instrument everyday. Great work, Ian!

Grandma Joannie came to help celebrate!

Ian's self-portrait mask was a little disturbing. Should I be worried?

I love you more than anything buddy . . . oddities and all! You are going to ROCK Jr. High!

The Laughing Cow

2011-05-26T06:22:00.000-07:00

While I was running today AGAINST the wind, barely shuffling out 14 minute/miles, I saw a cow staring at me. I swear he was laughing and thinking, "What does that imbecile think she's doing trying to run out here in the wind on only 2 legs? Smarten up girl and put those other 2 feet on the ground. You'd go a lot faster that way! Better yet . . . why don't you just stand still, chew some grass, and enjoy the breeze blowing by. Seriously . . .!"

As it turns out, I think this cow's thinking was correct. My kids have decided to retire me to pasture after this weekend's unfortunate events in Ogden. I tried to use the Ogden Marathon as a training run for Utah Valley next month, and ended up walking the 2nd half of the course due to body aches and bowel problems. I was so ill that I gave in and asked a volunteer for a ride down the mountain to the finish line. Unfortunately, the volunteer I asked didn't speak English and I was too tired to ask someone else, so I just kept on walking.

Jill and Jeff were so thoughtful and tried to pull me through the first 1/2 of the marathon with them, but after multiple potty stops and some tears on my part, they finally agreed to leave me to my hobbling.

This morning when Nyah saw these sad pictures from the marathon she said, "Mom, you'd better not do another one. I think you'll die next time." I think she and the laughing cow are right. It's time to hang up my shoes and be put out to pasture.

Josh's Unique B-Day

2011-05-22T09:06:00.000-07:00

Little Bro. turned 26 this year. He and Tiffany drove down for Easter dinner, which was also his b-day dinner! He got the most unique gifts. I'm pretty sure Mom was cleaning out her closets, and decided to wrap her findings up for Josh to open. Here are some examples:

1. His old Driver's License!

2. A Sign for the Newlywed's Wall. (Pretty sure this was a regift!)

3. Josh's poem from dad that he was given once before at the ripe old age of 10!

4. Some chocolate gold coins (I have no idea what the meaning was for this gift. Hopefully these were freshly purchased and not found in the closet!)

5. An old shell casing from one of our relatives that fought in WWII. Josh was the most excited about this gift, not because of the historical significance, but because there was money wrapped around it! :)

As you can see, Josh's b-day was very unique this year. And to shake things up a bit more, DAD provided the cake for the B-Day boy! It was marble, Josh's favorite?!

Happy B-Day, Buddy!!

Saturday=Dance Competitions

2011-05-22T09:01:00.000-07:00

We have thoroughly loved Saturdays during the month of May (note sarcasm). Instead of Saturdays being relaxing family fun days, they have been days filled with driving, sitting through hours of dance performances, and more driving. We have been to Provo High School, Lagoon, and Taylorsville. We love watching the kids dance, but WOW! Welcome to the world of dance!

Boys Can Be Creative Too!

2011-05-22T08:57:00.000-07:00

Whenever I tell the kids to turn off the TV, computer, video games and do something creative, I get lots of moans and groans. Well, due to all the spring Utah rainstorms, the kids have been cooped up a lot and were sick of reading, coloring, playdough, etc . . . Thus, the boys decided to don homemade rain parkas (garbage bags) and go out back for a friendly game of soccer. So cute!

Easter Recap

2011-05-22T08:46:00.000-07:00

Easter was late this year: April 24th. Somehow, after the Spring Break trip to California and then rushing off to Boston, the Easter Bunny was so tuckered out that he barely got the baskets delivered. In fact, there was no candy this year. Instead, the Easter Bunny went to the bank and put money in eggs and hid them around the yard. The kids were not disappointed!

Grandma Sue sent a sugar cookie decorating kit to the kids for Easter. Even the adults had a blast decorating cookies!

We also did the required coloring of the hardboiled eggs. Not picture worthy. For some reason, my least favorite Easter tradition. Probably because the eggs just get thrown away. No one will eat them after they are colored since they look moldy when peeled. Seriously, who thought of that idea!

Nyah's 5th Grade Graduation

2011-05-22T08:36:00.000-07:00

The night before Nyah's 5th grade presentation, we rolled up her hair so it would be curly the next morning.

I'm not allowed to show a picture of what her hair looked like the next morning. Suffice it to say, it was the biggest Afro I've ever seen. Thus, another shower, and she went to school with straight hair!

Here's Nyah with her teacher, Mr. Teuscher. He is an AMAZING TEACHER!!

Nyah with good school buddies!

Happy Mother's Day 2011

2011-05-22T08:33:00.000-07:00

Omelets. Mother's Day cards. A new car stereo. I love being a mom!

Before Church Entertainment

2011-05-15T08:25:00.000-07:00

We got to rock out with Elton John this morning before church. You never know what you are going to get at the Heber House!

My 12 Boston Titles

2011-05-09T19:06:00.000-07:00

Geoffrey Mutai from KENYA earned himself the title of "Fastest Marathon Ever Run" in 2:03:02 in this year's Boston Marathon.

I did not earn this title, but there were some other choice words used to describe me:

1. Amazing Subway Rider - I was really good at getting on and off, and at making uncomfortable comments to those beside me.

2. Starbuck's Best Hot Chocolate Customer - I don't think anyone else orders hot chocolate from Starbucks! P.S. I was sad because Aaron stayed in bed and I had to travel around Boston with only my hot cocoa to keep me company!

3. 5 Hour Energy's Biggest Fan - I tried to chase down the 5 HR. Energy car for a free sample, but he wouldn't stop! I have no idea why!

4. Only Silly Yak to Sign the Boston White Board!

5. First and Only Adult to Ever Beg Balloon Girl for a Free Balloon. (She had to cut one off with her teeth!)

6. Only Person to Ever Get Excited about Fenway Park Serving Gluten-Free Snacks!

7. First Person to Leave Red Sox Game Because of the Cold!

8. First Person to Eat at Legal Seafood 2 Nights in a row because of their AWESOME Gluten-free Menu!

9. 1st Idiot to Order a Surprise B-Day Dessert for a Friend and then have the Dessert Put on the B-Day Boy's Tab! (how embarrassing was that! He had to pay for his own b-day cake. And it wasn't a cheap slice of cake either. I wanted to strangle the WAITER for that mistake!)

10. Formerly Known as one of Charlie's Angels, I was Redubbed "Charlie's Angel with Messed Up Bowels and Bum Legs."

11. First Marathon Runner to give Photographer a "Thumbs Up" for a Photo at Mile 22 and then Cry for the Last 4.2 Miles of the Race.

12. Earned my PS during the 2011 Boston Marathon. "Personal Slowest." Though my time didn't show it, it took a lot of strength for me to stand in line at 3 porta potties and to hold myself back from laying down in the medical tents to receive an IV. But most of all, I am proud of the fact that I didn't give anyone the middle finger for yelling out, "Oh, look. There's another angel. That poor thing lost Charlie and her other angels."

Summary:
The bad news: This Angel didn't fly through the Boston Marathon.
The good news: This Angel was not arrested for Public Pooing during the Boston Marathon.
The bad news: This Angel finished the Boston Marathon after all of the other people from Utah County, including the 92 year-old man from Springville.
The good news: This angel did not finish the Boston Marathon dead last. Just almost.
The bad news: This marathon was not good for my self-esteem.
The good news: This marathon was good for everyone else's self-esteem.
The bad news: I am never going back to Boston to run in the marathon.
The good news: I am never going back to Boston to run in the marathon!!

Happy Running, Everyone!

Car Insurance, Here We Come!

2011-04-06T19:56:00.000-07:00

Watch Out Spanish Fork! There's a new driver on the road!!

Cali got her permit tonight and went out on her first drive with Dad. They both came back. Smiling.

Eating Frenzy

2011-04-06T07:06:00.001-07:00

Have you ever eaten all day? I mean the entire day. Nonstop. I started cooking some new gluten free recipes yesterday morning so that it would be ready when the kids got home from school. I sampled the soup, had some homemade tortilla strips, more soup - this time with tortilla strips, ate some cookie dough, had a cookie from each batch I cooked, more soup . . . You get the idea!

If you'd like to eat all day long too, try this recipe for Sweet Chili Tortilla Soup and these Gluten Free Chocolate Chip cookies. They won't disappoint!

P.S. I haven't been able to move this morning, except to shuffle to the fridge to warm up another bowl of soup.

P.S.S. The kids did not like the soup nearly as much as Aaron and I did. I think it was the texture. You put it all in a blender except the chicken, so the pureed texture must've been a turnoff. They'll get used to it!

I had a dream . . .

2011-03-30T19:50:00.001-07:00

I had a really exciting dream last night. I was sitting at the kitchen table with a plateful of ham sandwiches. The ham was piled high on top of buns made from good old-fashioned unbleached white flour, full of gluten. In my dream I ate the entire plate, "oohing" and "aahing" the entire time.

Then I woke up.

I walked upstairs.

I put a slice of ham inside a corn tortilla. I closed my eyes and took a bite, trying to pretend I was back in dreamland. It didn't work. The tortilla was dry. The ham made me thirsty. All in all, very unsatisfying.

I went back to bed and hoped for another dream filled with meals made of gluten.

The life of a Silly Yak.

He Likes It?!

2011-03-21T07:03:00.000-07:00

Remember the Life Cereal commercial where the 2 brothers are looking at the "suspicious looking new cereal" and then get their kid brother, Mikey, to try it first? When he eats it, he loves it and the 2 older brothers exclaim, "He likes it!" Well, we had an experience the other day that had about . . . two, one . . . well, basically NO similarities to the Life Cereal experience.

Some background information: my mom loves to save money on food. She will eat ANY leftover, as long as it doesn't have mold growing on it. In the case of split pea soup, it might even go down the hatch WITH mold on it!!

So, when Mom came over to our house with a tub of suspicious looking meat and said, "Will you and Aaron try this and let me know what you think?!" I was slightly concerned. I felt that I needed some information before ingesting the substance so I asked a few questions:

"Where did the meat come from, Mom?"
-a neighbor

"Why didn't you try it?"
-I did. I took a little nibble.

"Why do you want Aaron and I to try it then?"
-I thought it would be great for tacos on Sunday for dinner.

"When was it cooked?"
-I think on Thursday. (It was now Saturday).

"Who is the neighbor that cooked it?" I needed a name.
-Well . . . she didn't cook it. The lunch ladies at school cooked it.

"What?! What school do they work at?"
-(I'm not going to divulge this answer in case of a lawsuit. Suffice it to say, it is not the school my kids attend).

"Why are they getting rid of the meat?"
-They had a lot of leftovers. (It's no wonder!)

"What's in this meat?"
-My best guess is some sort of ground beef mixed with some other ingredients . . .maybe beans.

Well, when I opened the container, I almost passed out from the repellant odor. It was putrid. I decided to play a little game with my family called . . . "What does this look like, what does this smell like?"

I warmed up a small bowl of the "meat" and began the game. Some neighbor kids showed up, so they decided to participate as well.

"Ok, kids. I want you to take a look at what's in the bowl here and then fill in the blanks to these statements:

It looks like _______________ and it smells like ________________. Ready. Set. Go."

Cali: "It looks like poop and playdough mixed together and it smells like a sewer."

Neighbor #1: "It smells like my mom's sloppy joe and it tastes like . . . (before I could stop him he lifted up the spoon and took a bite), it tastes like . . . dog poop!" He had to eat some rice krispy treats and rinse his mouth out with water to get rid of the taste!

Nyah: "It looks like poop and it smells like poop!"

Neighbor #2: "It looks like throw up and smells like tacos."

After all of these positive reviews, Aaron and I both decided NOT TO TRY THE MEAT! We did find someone that enjoyed it though!

HE LIKED IT!!
Needless to say, WE did not have this for Sunday dinner!

Larry Wouldn't Forget!

2011-03-17T05:55:00.000-07:00

Last night while tucking Carson into bed, he looked at me and said, "Mom. Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day! Do you think Larry will remember to come?" Larry is a magical leprechaun that brings the kids treats on St. Paddy's Day morning.

My face must've looked shocked at the reminder of the forgotten holiday, because Nyah tried to save me, looked at Carson and said, "Carson, we are too old for Larry. Larry's not coming!"

Well, thank goodness Carson pays attention to the calendar, or Nyah would've been right and Larry would not have remembered to come. The magic of St. Paddy's day would've been lost forever. If the green dill pickle Pringles, green Sprite, and green candies hadn't arrived, the kids would've lost faith in good ol' Larry.

Next up . . . Eleanor the Evil Easter Bunny (can't wait to see what she brings!)

The Perfect Friend

2011-03-09T06:25:00.000-08:00

The perfect friend would NEVER even THINK about asking for a bite of your Magleby's chocolate cake!

What is your idea of The Perfect Friend?

Well, I think I found her . . . Listen to this --

1. She is a FABULOUS listener.
2. She never tells me I'm wrong -- she lets me figure it out on my own.
3. She gives GREAT advice.
4. She asks me questions about my past and seems to enjoy hearing all the grimy details.
5. She tells me "I'm worth it!"
6. She always wants me to come to her place to hang out, so I never have to worry about cleaning my own house.
7. She keeps everything I share with her confidential. She would never even CONSIDER telling my secrets to someone else.
8. She has very comfortable furniture.
9. She has massage chairs that I get to use for free every time I go for a visit.
10. She thinks it is perfectly normal to look in the mirror and repeat, "I am funny. I am smart. I am thoughtful," 30x/day.

Sound too good to be true?
For only $30/visit, you can have a perfect friend too!
I should've gotten a therapist years ago. I didn't know what I was missing out on!

Great After-School Snack

2011-03-02T13:31:00.001-08:00

If your name is Ian, and you love sausages, here is a great after-school snack idea for you.

Take 5 Banquet Brown and Serve Sausage links. Put them in the microwave for 60 seconds. Then smother them with salsa.

Enjoy! What could be tastier than this? (please note sarcasm.)

Ian's 7th Grade Physical

2011-03-01T18:36:00.000-08:00

We decided to be "on the ball" and get Ian's 7th grade physical nice and early. He got three shots, talked to the doctor about his sore knees and nose, and got a THOROUGH examination.

I was educated today about the "turn your head and cough" exam. Dr. _______ said, "Mom, please close your eyes." I saw him slip on a rubber glove and quickly shut my eyes so as not to witness the much talked about "ball examination". I heard the doctor say, "Turn your head and cough." Ian gave a wimpy cough so he had to cough a 2nd time. Poor guy. Dr._______ then told us the truth about the dreaded exam. "Do you know why doctors really make boys turn their head before they cough?"

"Ummm. No," I replied. I thought it was something about getting the balls to hang to one side or something, but didn't say so.

"It's so the boys/men don't cough on the doctor! There is no other reason!" The doctor got a big chuckle out of his "doctor secret"!

What other secrets are doctors keeping from me? Maybe I really didn't have to push to get the babies out during labor. Perhaps they could've just pulled those 8-9 lb. monsters out.

Maybe doctors only swab my throat for the strep test as a joke to see how much I gag. Who knows what tidbits doctors have been keeping from me all these years!

Needless to say, I was educated today. Ian was a brave boy and said, "Was that all?" after his shots. Hopefully Jr. High will be as easy for Ian as his physical!

My First Day as a Silly Yak

2011-03-01T18:25:00.000-08:00

My first day as a Silly Yak (otherwise known as celiac) went quite well). It was the first time my stomach hasn't hurt for a full 12 hours!

Breakfast: Hash (roast, potatoes, and onions cooked in butter)
Lunch: Los Hermanos (carne asada in corn tortillas, rice, and beans)
Dinner: chicken, potatoes, grapes, onions & mushrooms
Dessert: gluten-free blueberry bar

I must say, I loved my day full of eating gluten-free. I even bought myself a bucket of tortilla chips from Los Hermanos. The kids were super excited about my new-found disease!

**The picture above is of my sisters, Dad, and I on Christmas day after we found out what our Christmas present was from dear ol' Paps. It was a promissory note for a shopping spree for all the girls. We were all laughing hysterically because the boys, Josh and Caleb, had just opened their cards full of cold, hard cash. The girls notes were empty. For some reason, it struck us as hilarious. We couldn't get control of ourselves. Dad laughed the hardest of all! I think he was secretly hoping we wouldn't cash in on the shopping spree day! Unfortunately for him, we cashed in a few days later. Thanks, Dad! We love you!