Sweet Dreams...

Sleds + Snow = FUN!!

2008-12-30T20:44:00.000-08:00

Even though Garet spent most of his time crashing and burning he was still a happy camper!

The human train

Jeff, Easton, Kaleb, Jace and Uncle Bryan

Kaleb with Easton....these two were so brave! Poor Kaleb got the wind knocked out of him, it scared him a little but he was right back up to the top of the hill to try again!

Luckily we didn't have to take Jeff to the ER! :)
We missed you Mommy and Maddie!!

TWILIGHT!!!

2008-12-06T04:19:00.001-08:00

Okay, I know I am a little lame and behind.... BUT, I vow to start catching up this second (Saturday 5:28am)...

YES, I am one on those moms that was enthralled, engrossed... okay, maybe even consumed with the torrid (is that even a word?? K, maybe not exactly what I mean, but it sounded good...) love affair between vampire Edward and normal gal Bella... aka: Twilight. My awesome, also "consumed" friend Candis counted down the days till the movie came out and threw an awesome bash for us:

Our lovely dinner: notice the platter of apples in the middle(my favorite touch!!) Our course consisted of ravioli and Coke.... a must have "first dinner" for any Twilight fan!

Hanging out playing Twilight trivia games before heading to the theater.

At the theater...eagerly awaiting 12:01 am!! (Look at end seat, and count up 4...there I am sitting by my friend Bobby)

Still waiting...

Okay, I LOVED the movie....maybe some of you that re-read the book right before weren't as impressed,; but, I've only read all four books once and I loved it!! Some of the cheesy parts were a little over the top, but, for the most part, I would give it a thumbs up....maybe it's because I love teenager movies?? Anyway, I am hoping to go see it again next Friday. YAY Christina!! I'm glad you want to go see it!!

Don't you hate it when....

2008-11-15T00:41:00.000-08:00

...you call the gas company and vacate your house for Family Home Evening because of a "bad odor"...and then, the gas technician comes out to check for leaks to find only a very minor one ...and then, after he leaves you get ambitious and decide to unload your dishwasher to find this melted in the bottom:

Well, this is kind of the predecessor for my crazy first 6 weeks of working. We are well, and I am loving my job...I really don't know if I'd like it as much if I wasn't in management; but, I am very grateful!! Hopefully, things will start turning around for Jeff's business soon, too, and all will be well. I feel like I am finally "adjusting" to working at night. This week my house is actually clean and laundry done before the weekend.... a BIG THANKS to my dear husband who has been stepping up and helping out more! I really couldn't do this without him!! We have had a fun October with family parties and all and I am hoping to start catching up on posting soon. Sorry to all that I have been MIA lately, but I hope to remedy this soon. I look forward to catching up on all of your blogs!! 8)

"You're Hired!!"

2008-10-13T15:23:00.000-07:00

After a LONG two-week 5 interview process, I got the job at Target!! I start tomorrow! I will be a "Team Lead" (aka: Assistant Manager) for the night crew. The next two and a half months are going to be kind of crazy with the holidays and getting adjusted to my new schedule, but I look forward to this opportunity to work for a great company with great benefits and a promising future! (Don't I sound like a model employee already??)

Just a little pat on my back...

2008-10-12T16:29:00.000-07:00

Don't you love how our kids get to be spotlighted and what-not in their classes?? What it should really be called is: "Mommy Homework." I think I did okay, how about you??

OOPS!!

2008-10-10T15:40:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I'm not THIS crazy:

I like to think of it more as INDEPENDENT.... Today I decided to "finish" cleaning our outside windows. Equipment required: ladder, glass cleaner, and lots of paper towels...another person(optional?). Well, to make a long story short: I fell off of the ladder, heard a "popping" noise and hurt my knee. I did not break anything; but, I need to go in Monday morning for an MRI. The doctor is almost certain I tore my ACL..."OUCH!!"

Next time:
Heels, sleek pants and all!!

Kaleb ROCKS at TaeKwonDo!!

2008-10-08T11:40:00.000-07:00

I don't know if I've mentioned enough how proud I am of Kaleb and his accomplishments and dedication to TaeKwonDo. A couple of weeks ago, he tested again and has earned his red belt. He is now one belt ranking below a black belt!! He has worked so hard on his focusing skills and has really learned to pay attention so much better than I could ever teach him. I am so grateful that he is able to do this and loves it!

Kaleb doing his form.

Kaleb performing "Attack and Defense" moves on a much bigger kid. Way to go, Kaleb!!

The "I" Tag

2008-10-06T11:20:00.000-07:00

I know I have lots to catch up on.... So, here's one of the tags. My friend Susie tagged me on this.

If you've been tagged, copy this and erase my answers, then post it on your own blog.

I: Bonnie Heather Francis Halliday
I am: a mom, a wife, a homemaker, a daughter of God, a (hopefully, soon-to-be) an assistant manager at Target...
I think: too much and get overwhelmed...
I know: a lot more than I used to, and I know that I don't know much.
I want: to feel financially secure.
I wish: a lot of things that were out of my control could have gone differently in my life.
I hate: feeling like a victim.
I miss: my sisters and hanging out with friends more.
I fear: for my children.
I feel: tired all the time.
I hear: Gizmo cleaning himself...everyone else is with Jeff at the church setting up chairs in their jammies....
I smell: Jeff's omelet from breakfast...ick!
I crave: a treat.
I search: for good books to read and enough time and energy to accomplish everything.
I wonder: what I'll be when I grow up.
I regret: not being a better wife and mother sometimes.
I love: my family!
I care about: how my children develop and learn...
I always: have more to do.
I am not: perfect.
I believe: that I have much to offer others.
I dance: in my car running errands or while cleaning.
I sing: in my car very loudly and when I get tired...watch out Target!
I don't always: get ready for the day.
I write: a lot of blog posts.
I win: ??
I lose: many games to my children...
I never: stay quiet when I feel something is wrong.
I listen: to everyone...
I can usually be found: in bed with a book, in the kitchen, in the car....
I am scared of: someone hurting my children.
I need: help more often than I ask for it.
I am happy about: how settled I feel now and my new calling in the Young Women's.
I tag: Everyone!!

MILLIONS of.....

2008-10-04T09:20:00.000-07:00

Peaches, Pears, Plums and Apples!!!

Sorry to all that I have been a little slacking on my blogging.....I've been a little busy. When we planned our landscaping, we decided to do an orchard. We planted: a cherry tree, a pear tree, a plum tree, a peach tree, and not one but TWO apple trees. Last year they started producing. I was not inspired to learn how to bottle yet, so we fed most of it to the pigs. This year my goal was to bottle everything and not let anything go to waste... So, this is what my life was like for a LONG two weeks:

It's impressive to me that the pictures made it look all clean and organized. In reality it felt like a giant sticky mess!

Maddie was a really good sport about mommy being so busy...she found good use for all of the extra bottle rings... I could never get her to be still long enough to get a picture of her when both arms were full up to her elbows where she couldn't even bend them.

The end results: 48 pints of pears, 21 quarts of apples, 35 pints of apples,

21 quarts of applesauce, 63 pints of pureed plums for juice, 49 pints of peaches,

and a fourth of my deep freeze full of bags of sliced peaches.

All in all a HUGE success! I learned many things to help it all go smoother for next year....not that I'm looking forward to it, yet!!

"The Office"

2008-10-01T08:55:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday night was "The Office" season 5 premiere. Some of my friends and I had a dinner party to celebrate the occasion:

We dressed up for the occasion. Here are our renditions of the characters:

Pam Beasley by Ella:

Michael Scott by Matt:

Angela Martin by Christina:

Meredith Kapoor by Candis:

Jan Levinson by yours truly:

The definite winner:

Dwight Schrute by Jake!!

Jake graced us with "Schrute-isms" throughout the evening!

We had a great time and enjoyed the premiere!! We ran out of time to do "Office Olympics." Can we plan on next week??

In case you've ever wondered...

2008-09-18T22:51:00.000-07:00

...what would happen if your six-year-old forgot that he started running a bath for himself...for at least 45 minutes...the water spouting from your light fixtures is your first clue that it's NOT good!

Kaleb's room:

Garet's room:
Another view on that:
Yep, that's the carpet pulled up from the padding...

(Breathe in, Breathe out...)

Jeff told me that while he was sucking up water with the vacuum, Garet leaned over to Kaleb and asked: "Have you ever flooded the house?" Kaleb's reply: "No. But we all make mistakes." Kaleb is such a great older brother! Garet and Maddie are so lucky to have him! Hopefully we are doing some things right!?! Now, back to damage control...

"Cured!"

2008-09-11T12:45:00.001-07:00

...a word we don't hear often enough...

As many of you may know, Jeff and I have had our share of medical problems with our children. Kaleb had numerous ear infections between the ages of 2 and 3. When they finally cleared up, after having tubes put in, his ear drums were bulging. This condition caused him to hear everything like he was underwater. After steroids and many trips and tests to the audiologist and ENT doctor, he was eventually better. Maddie should have had surgery on her feet at 6 months of age to correct her ankles and hips. We didn't catch it fast enough, so now she wears orthopedic inserts and does physical therapy to help "open" her hips until she gets bigger. Garet was born with a urological birth defect. He had surgery at 6 months of age to correct this. After many complications following the surgery: blocked urethra, pneumonia, whole body infection, bladder overtaking entire body cavity; he was sent home with a tube coming out of his stomach to aid in emptying his bladder. After 2 more surgeries, we thought we had put these "problems" behind us....until last summer. Garet started peeing blood. We went back to his specialist at Primary Children's and took tests. The findings: Garet had Level I Vesicoureteral Reflux on the right side and Level II on the left. This meant that the urine was refluxing from his bladder back into his kidneys; worse on the left side than the right. He was also not emptying his bladder completely, thus irritating his condition. The doctor's recommendation: antibiotics for a year and retest to see if it has gotten any better or worse. Had he been a Level II on both sides, they would have gone ahead and done the surgery last year.

Today we went up to Primary Children's to repeat the tests. First, they did an ultrasound to check to see what his kidneys and bladder looked like:

Garet was sooo good! He kept perfectly still the whole time!
Next, we had to go into the scary room with the gigantic X-ray machine to do the VCUG. For this test, they place a catheter in him, empty the contents, and "re-fill" his bladder with a solution that they can watch with the x-rays. It was a little scary, and Garet got a little nervous before the test. But, he was a CHAMP!! He was sooo brave! He didn't cry at all while they were inserting the catheter. When they made him "hold it" for a little bit to check to see where "it" would go before he released "it," he had a little bit of a hard time (think drinking an entire Route 44 and holding it for an hour).

I couldn't resist capturing Jeff in this get-up!! :-)

Afterwards, we went up to see his Pediatric Urologist Dr. Snow. The prognosis: "Garet is cured!!" There is no sign of reflux in either side any longer! And, he is now completely emptying his bladder effectively! We are sooooo relieved! He has less that a 2% chance of it re-occurring.

As we left, Dr. Snow told us to keep in mind that any other children we have will have a 33.33% chance of having reflux also. Let's hope our days with Pediatric Urology are over!!

"Non-Essentials"

2008-09-08T15:55:00.000-07:00

Jax tagged me on this a while ago...sorry :( it took me so long! Here are 3 Non-Essentials I would love to have if I had a little extra dough. The rule is to keep them under $100.

A great massage...not just a "Massage Envy" one...

Yummy, healthy, fresh dinners for the family that only need to be "popped in the oven."

A romantic weekend getaway with my hubby!

I'm tagging Susie, Ella, Laura, Candis, and Tanya!!

I "HEART" Yard Sales!!

2008-09-02T09:10:00.000-07:00

This summer, I have been converted to shopping yard sales. My friend Candis invited me to go one Saturday. I, like many of you, was somewhat wary and mostly went to hang out with my friends. But, little did I know, how fast I would be converted! I have really found some "great buys" and have saved lots of moo-lah.

Here is my new bike. It is a $200 bike that I found for $10. We bought new tubes and "vwallah!" good as new!
I went to a clearance yard sale for Claire's and found this costume for a dollar.
Gizmo hates the hat, but it "fits" him perfectly!!
Brand new shoes for the boys!! Two for $15!
A child seat to hook onto my bike for Maddie to join in the fun: $5!!

Thanks Candis for converting me!! Can't wait to find more great buys!!

Kaleb Gets His Braces Off!

2008-09-01T16:11:00.001-07:00

Last week Kaleb got his braces off.

Waiting in the chair at the orthodontist.
Getting the mold made for the retainer....he gagged many times...kind of made me gag a little to hear it...
No braces and pretty, straight, gap-free teeth!
Here is his cool retainer: it glows in the dark with a spider in the middle.
Here is his look for the next two years and then he will start phase two of his braces.

My Quirks Tag

2008-08-28T12:41:00.000-07:00

My friend Susie tagged me on this. I don't know what she was thinking?!? Me, have quirks?? K, I'll try....

These are the instructions that I am supposed to follow:
*Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks that you have.
* Tag 6 fellow bloggers by linking them.
* Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger's blogs letting them know that they've been tagged.

K, let me put my thinking cap on....

1. I have an "all-or-nothing" attitude about things. I hate finishing a job halfway through. I will stay up all night to finish a project. I got a new car in January. A week later, I put a scratch and a dent in the passenger rear door....I want a new car...or, I really want to get in a minor accident with someone else at fault, so my door can get fixed...most people do not even notice the damage... RRRR, OCD!

2. I am always hot, BUT I can't go to sleep without wearing socks.

3. I will not take my kids out in public if they are not decent: clothes coordinated and hair fixed. BUT, I will go out wearing yoga's, a t-shirt, no bra, no make-up, and hair in an unbrushed pony. I guess subconsciously I don't think I'm white trash if my kids look decent??

4. I am a clean freak/perfectionist, BUT I will put off showering and getting ready for the day.

5. I hate touching feet! Even my own! I really hate it that I can't afford to get pedicures right now!!

6. I always notice people's teeth first. I probably can recognize who someone is talking about if they described their teeth...

WOW, that wasn't as hard as I thought it might be....maybe I do have more....

So, now I'll tag: Autumn, Candis, Ella, Christina, Jacci and Laura!

Good luck, Gals!!

Trivia Question:

2008-08-27T22:41:00.000-07:00

What could this word be?

giagh

Kaleb has this written down as one of his spelling words. Obviously, it is incorrect. I don't have a clue to what it really could be. Please leave your best educated guess and I will let you know tomorrow when he gets home from school (that is, if he remembers to look and correct it:)

Garet's First Day of Kindergarten!!

2008-08-27T10:39:00.000-07:00

Monday was Garet's first day of kindergarten at Lakeview Academy. He was very nervous about forgetting his green homework folder at home, so it was hard to convince him to put it down for a minute to get a picture. (YES, that is a nice injury on his forehead...he had to start the year off right!!)
Handsome Garet in his school uniform!! Doesn't he look like such a suave young man?? As I drove him to school for his first day, I explained to him about carpool. I asked him: "Do you want Mommy to just come pick you up today, so you' re not nervous?" His answer: "Mom, what's it called when you ride home with the other kids? That's what I want to do today." So sad for me!!
Garet and his best bud and cousin Jace!! They are in the same class! Mrs. Wyatt is so lucky!!
(Please note: Green homework folder still in his hand:)

AHHHH! I Got A Job!

2008-08-25T15:16:00.000-07:00

Okay, you know when you are in the middle of a "million" things and you think you get a bright idea?? I had one of those today. Today was Garet's first day of kindergarten, so I took him to school. Then, Kaleb got his braces taken off at 9:00am. I took him to that, took him to the dollar store to get a prize and drove him to school. After I checked him in, I pulled my car around to drive out of the school and got the bright idea to sign up to be a substitute teacher. I went in, filled out the paper work and got asked: "Would you like to start today?" I was so grateful that I was actually showered and presentable for the occasion! So, lucky little me got to substitute a class of fifth graders. The class consisted of 13 rambunctious boys and 2 girls. WOW!

I got to teach a Social Studies lesson on the first 8 presidents of America. Did you know that George Washington wasn't the actual first??? Yep, that's right...there were 8 before him. John Hanson was actually the first president of America under the Articles of the Confederation.

John Hanson did some pretty great things as our first president. Here are the five we talked about: 1. He made up the presidential seal that is still used today. 2. He started the Treasury Department. 3. He appointed the first Secretary of Defence. 4. He started the department of Foreign Affairs. 5. He started the official celebration of Thanksgiving as the fourth Thursday in November. Pretty Cool, huh??

I guess maybe now's the time that I go back to school and actually learn some history instead of just memorizing it for tests and forgetting as soon as I've Aced the test... Don't worry, I still have a "million" things left to do in my day: Homework with kids, clean house some, laundry, make dinner, go running, eventually post Kaleb's braces and Garet's first day....just to name a few!

Our Newest "Junior Dragon"

2008-08-20T14:25:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, August 9th, Garet tested to get his yellow belt and become a "Junior Dragon" instead of a "Little Dragon."

I think I prefer him being my "little Dragon;" but, alas, he is getting older:-(. He passed his test and is now the shortest and smallest "Junior Dragon" at Tae Kwon Doe. Way to go, Garet!!

Grandpa Great Comes Up To Visit!

2008-08-14T17:14:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday, Jeff's Grandpa Fred (Mike's Dad), came up to visit and check on Mike and take us out to lunch.

Grandpa Great is amazing!! He drove all of the way up from Blanding that morning. Visited some relatives that live up here. And then, he took us out to lunch and then confirmed: "Well Mike, it looks like they're taking good care of you. I'm gonna head on home because I feel good about how you are doing." And then he turns around to drive the five hour trip back home. Unfortunately, there was a mudslide in Price Canyon that afternoon, so his trip was diverted and he had to go through Manti. He did not make it home until after 9:00pm. We were a little worried about our 85 year-old Grandpa Great without a cell phone....but, we're glad he made it home safe and sound! Thanks for coming up to see us!

Just a little late night outing.....

2008-08-09T14:41:00.000-07:00

....to see the 12:01am showing of "The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants 2!"

Candis texted me around 11:00pm to see if I was up for it. My reply: "Of course! I'll just wash my face and come get you!!" BIG MISTAKE!! Candis should have taken one look and gone by herself.....I think from now on, I am required to look "presentable." NOT in my early morning Wal-mart look and attire.... No seriously, we had a blast minus the "after affects" of the large popcorn!! It is so fun to have friends as crazy as me!! You all rock!! I'm looking forward to our next "outing!!"

Maddie is 25 months...and we are tired.....

2008-08-06T16:52:00.000-07:00

I've always heard of the "terrible two's," but I've never really had to fear them before now. Here are some of the neat-o things Maddie finds to do:

~She likes to change her clothes and wear them how she wants to wear them...not necessarily how they were intended to be worn: ie. shoes on wrong foot, backwards, inside-out, etc.
~She likes to do things by herself....she's a big girl. This morning I had to wait 10 minutes to help her put on her shoes because she HAD to put on her socks.
~If she has a wet or stinky diaper, she takes it upon herself to remedy the situation. Sometimes not a pretty result!! I usually find her morning diaper in her big girl bed and she runs around commando until after breakfast....amazingly she hasn't had an accident yet. (So NOT potty training....that is unless you would like to take care of it for me:)
~ She has discovered Ranch in the last couple of weeks. Tonight I put some on the top of her food and she actually ate what we had for dinner.
~ She is bossy and is not shy about telling you (or yelling) how she feels.
~ Her vocabulary is drastically expanding every day. I am amazed!
~ She still loves "La-La" (Elmo) and "Poo-Poo's" (Blue's Clues).
~ She loves to dance and sing...we are constantly expanding her "happy songs" from just "Girls!"
~ She loves to color....papers, walls, floors, counter tops, hands, legs, and feet....
~ She loves to play outside. This week she has discovered puddles....
~ She is sensitive. I am amazed how easy her feelings are hurt....so different from the boys...
~ She loves to "help" cook. She pushes a stool right up to the stove so she can watch. She also warns you the whole time that it is "so hot."
~ She loves to go get the boys or "tell" them something for me.
~ She loves having "Ooom-pah" (Grandpa) and "Ooom-mah" (Grandma) stay at our house. She always says "hi" and "bye" to them as they come and go.
~ She constantly looks like she has been abused. Just today, she has a road rash and scratches up both legs, a healing burn, and a goose egg and scratch on her left temple.
~ She is still getting her incisors. She is a tough girl! Her pediatrician said that they are the most painful teeth to get in when the teeth on both sides are already in.
~ She loves to copy me. She has to put lotion and deoderant on when I do. She loves my make-up, but it is no longer where she can get to it.
~ She likes to wear my heeled sandals. She has totally mastered walking around in one pair.
~ She LOVES to jump on the bed....
Somedays she can be completely exhausting, but then she'll smile or giggle and I'm ready to go again!

"Twilight Party"

2008-08-06T14:49:00.001-07:00

On Saturday August 2nd, the last book in the Twilight series was released. Autumn dragged me kicking and screaming to a party for this....

She even made me wear a shirt.... And act like a goofball....with some of the funnest people around. I have always been secretly jealous of Autumn and her luck of picking the "perfect" place to live with great neighbors/Ward/etc. I was only lucky enough to be in this Ward for six months....but I'm glad that I got to hang out with these great women! I even met some new fun gals!
Our sister-in-law Jacci joined us up in Sandy. We went to Olive Garden to eat, play, and goof around for a while before the midnight release.
You know how you think that you're REALLY REALLY hungry?? Um, yeah, Jeff enjoyed this for TWO meals... I had a great time, even though I came home early. (I didn't want to stay and buy the book since I borrowed the others.) AND, I am anxiously waiting for Autumn to hurry and finish the book so I can borrow it.... HURRY AUTUMN!! HURRY!

Our Grandpa is FREE!!

2008-08-05T13:42:00.000-07:00

Our Grandpa Mike got out of the hospital on Wednesday. He had to stay at a motel up in Salt Lake City for two nights before he was "released" to come down to Lehi to re-coup at our house. We are soooo happy to have him here! He is looking better every day! We are so grateful for modern medicine and the great doctors that have helped him!

Week #2 of Yard Sale-ing

2008-08-04T13:15:00.000-07:00

Here are my "finds" from the weekend:

Two VHS movies. Cost: $2.00

The boys loved "The Fox and the Hound." But, we had to turn off "Gremlins" when the gremlins came out...Kaleb was a little too scared...screams and all...we had to tell him what happens in the movie so he could go to sleep without having nightmares. Ooops!

A 3-D Cinderella Castle puzzle. Cost: $1.00....

Hours of fun for JEFF = Priceless!!

Completed job...even had all of the pieces!!

"New" table center piece. Cost: $2.50

Budweiser piggy bank bottle. Cost: $0.25....couldn't pass it by...

"New" living room flower arrangement. Cost: $3.00
"New" living room flower arrangement wall hanging. Cost: $5.00
"New" kitchen wall hanging. Cost: $1.00
"New" kitchen arrangement. Cost: $1.00
Lost of "new" reads. Cost: $3.00

Total Spent: $18.75 = "One Happy Shopper!"

"You can take the girl out of the trailer park, but you can't take the trailer park out of the girl."

~Jeff

B'day BBQ Fun!

2008-07-29T15:07:00.000-07:00

Saturday night, we went to a BBQ at Candis's house. The kids had fun playing on a giant blow-up slide. The adults mingled and ate. Afterwards, Candis pulled out her "yard-sale find": a little contraption with four wheels and pedals:

All of the adults had to "try" this out....and then we decided to compete by timing each other. Here is Ella showing us how it is done!
Of course Jeff couldn't pass up the opportunity!
Candis found that she was more efficient with some "arm motion" going on. After the contraption races ( which I sucked at, by the way), Candis decided it was time to try out an obstacle course. Bags on her feet on the slip-n-slide:
We were all scared of breaking bones:)!!
Kaleb showed us all how it's really done!

Then, it was decided that the girls needed to go down the mostly dry slide....Candis did a front dive down drenching her front....Christina did a fabulous "inch worm" impression completely soaking her bum....Dumb little me did this number:

Thankfully, I stuck my hand out just in time to catch myself from falling into a BIG mud puddle.

The slide was mostly dry for me! Thanks, Gals!!

Here is Candis's beautiful yummy cake! It was seriously one of the yummiest chocolate cakes I've ever had!!

Candis blowing out the candles!!

Happy "official" Birthday tomorrow, Candis!! I hope you have the perfect end to your "Birthday Week!"

My Big "Yard-Sale-ing" Adventure:

2008-07-28T17:32:00.000-07:00

This Saturday, I got up at 7:00am and went "yard-sale-ing" with my running buddies and "peeps": Candis, Ella, Christina and Bobby. First, we went up to Draper and checked out some of the "mother-load of yard sales" listed on KSL. At the very first stop, I scored BIG (in my opinion)!! I found brand new Cookie Lee jewelry with price tags on them on sale for a dollar a piece. I pushed my way up...there were two women hogging the finds...and managed to find myself three pieces.We had a great time and are planning on going again every Saturday!! The back of our car was packed with all of the "finds" ranging from children's books and toys to lawn chairs to a wooden bench. I think overall we were all happy with our morning.
Till next Saturday, Gals!! I will still be searching for a rocking chair for Maddie's room!!

"Seven Peaks"

2008-07-27T17:19:00.001-07:00

Last Saturday, we were lucky enough to get "taken" to Seven Peaks by Jeff's parents. We had a blast!!

Maddie and I waiting in a line with a tube....it was a little tricky sometimes to keep her entertained while we waited in lines.
Miss Maddie under the umbrella.
Garet riding the waves!
Kaleb and I coming down from the "Toilet Bowl" slide....we turned sideways and got stuck when we were getting flushed...it happens:)!
Garet and Kaleb at the end of a slide...check out Garet's position in the tube...he kept them going slow the WHOLE way!

This is one of my favorites!! Kaleb was so brave to do it with me!! Thanks for taking us Grandpa and Grandma!!

So, Yesterday I Turned 31....

2008-07-24T12:37:00.000-07:00

I decided it was a good time to re-evaluate my life and decide on some new goals for my "new year":

1. Be on time for Church from now on.... I really don't understand what my problem is. I can usually be on time for most things but I slack when it comes to Church. I expect everyone to harass me and make me accountable for this....

2. Go to bed early...rise early...do NOT return to bed.

3. Drink more water, less soda. I think I am averaging a 2 liter of Diet Caffeine-free Coke a day...need to do better. Water is a lot cheaper!

4. Have Family Home Evening every week. I have been pretty good about doing "something" every Monday night with the kids, but we don't start formally: song, prayer, lesson, etc.

5. Start organizing mountains of old pictures and stuff for scrap booking. I want to catch up on scrap booking to where I started blogging. I figure the blog is a good family record for us...but, I know my kids are missing out because they only have Kaleb's baby books finished to look at...not to mention that I have forgotten a lot of the cute, funny things that they did at different ages.

6. Continue to practice healthy behaviors: exercising, cooking balanced meals, shopping with "health" in mind...

7. Now that a new school year is right around the corner and I have two children going this year, I want to be able to focus an hour with my children after school to talk about school, upcoming school activities, problems at school, homework, etc. I usually do good for the first couple of weeks and then I slack off. I am going to start planning on preparing dinner during this hour, so we will all be in the kitchen at the same time....

8. Be positive and supportive. Negativity never helps a situation....

9. Run a marathon....okay, so maybe it will only be a 5K with my great friends. But, maybe we will all get ambitious....or not.

10. Continue going to the temple often. Okay, confession time: I have gone to the temple more this calendar year than I have probably gone in the last 3 years combined. I am learning more and I feel a special connection to "those that have gone before." Besides, I know that I need all of the help that I can get sometimes!!

Wish me luck! Thanks for all of you great friends and family out there that help me achieve these and other goals!! I couldn't do it without you!

Garet Does T-Ball

2008-07-23T09:24:00.000-07:00

This year, Garet played T-ball with Lehi City.

He always sported his hat HIGH on his head....I think he was hoping it would make him look as tall as the other kids a year younger than him. Poor guy!! It's tough being a shorty!!
Waiting in line to bat.
Hitting the ball on the tee.
Coming in to home plate.
At the last game, they practiced hitting "coach-pitch" style to get ready for next year. Jeff is always happy to help the boys hit "correctly."

Garet and Jace with their medals. Garet has been sporting this thing around every day since!!

Memories...

2008-07-18T23:31:00.000-07:00

Here's a little game! I like games....who doesn't? Leave a comment on my blog of a memory that you and I have had together. It doesn't matter if you've known me for a short time, or a long time, anything you remember! Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.
Ready, Set, GO!

Every Girl Loves Her Shoes....

2008-07-17T21:34:00.000-07:00

But now, little Miss Maddie is limited to only one pair.
I took her to the podiatrist on Tuesday morning. She walks a bit funny: her right foot is almost at a right angle in and her left one is about 45 degrees in. So, "pigeon-toed" to the extreme. She walks on her toes and trips a lot. When she was born, we noticed that she looked extremely bow-legged with her feet meeting. We thought it a little odd and joked about her "being from Lehi." Apparently, we should have been extremely concerned. The podiatrist said that she should have been in casts at 6 months old to help correct the foot bones. Now, her foot bones have developed incorrectly, and it affects her knees and hips. Her hips are not "open" and her knees point in. So, now we have to try to "correct" all of this with therapy. She has to wear tennis shoes all of the time with orthopedic inserts and we have to do stretches on her legs and hips to try to re-open them. The podiatrist will see her again in a year (or sooner if her feet start growing rapidly) to re-evaluate her and tell us what to do next. My advice to everyone is that if you notice something about your child, don't assume that your pediatrician will catch it in the ten minutes that he is seeing them for their Well Checks. I really wish I had addressed this a lot sooner

"Mom. I only bought things that I would use." ~Kaleb

2008-07-13T18:29:00.000-07:00

Items purchased at Cub Scout Day Camp:
1. Atomic Hand Blaster
2. Finger Cuffs
3. Goop
4. Hand Buzzer
5. Magnets

My Trip to Girl's Camp

2008-07-12T16:38:00.000-07:00

This week I had the opportunity to go to Girl's Camp with the Young Women in our Ward. For the most part, there were ten Young Women and three leaders(me, Melinda, and Tara) there. We had some memorable times. Here are ten of them:

1. The first day, the Stake leaders gave us a bag of props you would find in your average grandma's attic: wigs, drapes, old snorkeling gear, big funky hats, etc. We had to come up with a five minute skit using all of our props. The girls decided to do a skit based on the movie "Hairspray" with dancing, singing, "the works." I just had to pretend to turn on a TV and start dancing because my favorite show was on. The girls had me laughing so hard I almost peed my pants.

2. The first night as we are sitting around the campfire, I started getting the "ants in my pants" feeling. By the time we went to our tent, I was dying. So, I had to tell all of the other leaders in our tent that I had some kind of itchy rash on my bum and that I was about to go scoot on the gravel. They promptly went and found me some hydra cortisone after laughing hysterically. The next morning, I felt better. But, as soon as I put on my lone pair of blue jeans the horrible sensation started again. I changed into my yoga pants, put more cream on, and hoped that would be the end of it. Later that day, I sat down on the propane tank by the bathrooms and immediately the sensation began again. We eventually figured out that there was something in the sap on everything that did not agree with my tush. So, I resorted to wearing Jeff's pajama bottoms-that I just happened to throw into my bag at the last minute-and had to sit on at least 3 layers every time I sat down.

3. We had little critters all around our campsite. The girls called them "pot-guts," so I don't know what they are officially called. They look like a mix between a chipmunk and a prairie dog. They were really cute and liked to come visit us when food was present. We named a few of them: Chubbies, Jeffrey(I did not name it), and Chompers. The girls rigged a box and tried to catch them. Once they caught one, it scared them by digging out under the box.

4. This is a picture of most of us on the two-year hike. The hike was supposed to be 4 miles, but the Stake leader that was in charge of it thought she could "clock" the distance by time on her watch. We wound up hiking 5.6 miles up and down a rocky mountainous road. It seriously felt like 10!
5. After our hike, we had Ward time. So, we decided to pamper the girls with oatmeal facials and a cold water foot soaking. We painted our nails after. Here are my beautiful very blue toes:
6. After the "catching the pot-gut" incident. One of our girls Morgan was covered head to toe in dirt. We all made fun of her, so she kept getting dirtier. I wish I had a picture...she seriously looked like a little black girl with bright blue eyes. We dared her to go to another campsite and ask for a bar of soap. She went down and came back about a half hour later with a bar of soap. Then, the girls dared her to run through all of the other Ward campsites and act like a monster. She did!! Later that night, we did a cheer when the Stake did the roll call and had her run through the stadium. Morgan was a hoot!
7. When our Bishopric came up for dinner Thursday night, we had them paint their pinkie nails with our beautiful blue nail polish. Then we had them do a "Wiggle Dance" as part of our cheer. They were hilarious!

8. During our testimony meeting the last night, we heard a large animal up on the gravel by our cars. It started snorting, so we paused our meeting for a little while to make sure that we were safe. We had some Stake Priesthood leaders come up and scope out the area and they only found a couple of badgers. We later concluded it was more than likely the mother moose of the baby that had been spotted earlier that day. Later that night, the leaders slept in the tents with the girls to help calm them. We heard purring and had an animal pace between our tents and rub up against them for a good hour that night. When we checked out the tracks in the morning, it was a large mountain lion that visited us that night. We were so grateful that we were heading home that morning!!

9. One of the mornings, while the girls were down at the stadium for the flag ceremony, Melinda and I stayed at camp and cleaned up after breakfast. She came up to me when we were almost through and whispered: "Don't freak out but I think there is a bear by our cars." She wanted to take off hysterically and as we were halfway down the mountain, I turned and said: "Let me go make sure before we upset everyone." I went back up and cautiously looked by our cars. It was a deer with two babies. We started laughing...she had only seen furry ears and had freaked out. The fawns were really cute!!

10. I am so glad that I had the opportunity to go. There is something about being out in the wilderness and teaching the Young Women that is humbling and faith provoking. I feel like I got that spiritual boost that I have been needing for a long time. The Young Women in our Ward are amazing girls and I learned from them!

I would do it again tomorrow....well, maybe in a month or two...the rash is still clearing up...and I missed my family!

"A Miracle"

2008-07-11T21:24:00.001-07:00

I just checked my e-mail today and got this from Michele. I learned a lot about the bone marrow transplant process, so I wanted to share it and post it for posterity.

"Hi,

As you all know, Mike (Melvin McKay Halliday) was diagnosed just over a year ago with leukemia. Right from the beginning, the doctors started talking about a bone marrow transplant. So Candice and my mom were tested to see if they matched Mike. There are 10 antigens in the white blood cells that could match in the donor and recipient. A good match is 7 or 8. My mom and Mike matched all 10. An interesting fact is that they have different blood types - Mike is O+ and my mom is A+. After the testing, they decided not to do the transplant last year. Mike received lots of chemotherapy and eventually the leukemia was gone. On May 14 (his 59th birthday) of this year, Mike received the phone call that the leukemia was back. He was back in the hospital 4 days later having a chemo treatment and he called to ask my mom how her bone marrow was. They needed to do the transplant. So, this week we watched this miracle happen. Each morning for 4 days (starting July 3), my mom went in for a shot (in her stomache) that increased the stem cell production in her bone marrow. Her bones were achy and she got headaches. On the 5th day, she received another shot and got a catheter put into her jugular vein. Then that morning, over a 4-hour period, 14 liters of blood were taken out, run through a machine that removed the calcium first, then the stem cells, and then put back into her body. 14 liters of blood is approximately 2-2 1/2 times her body's full blood supply. The next morning, the 6th day, she received another shot and then they removed 14 liters of blood again. The first day's collection was one cup. 1% of that cup of liquid was stem cells. It looked like watered down blood. There were 2.7 billion stem cells collected the first day. That's a lot but Shawn could probably count them. There were 3.6 million stem cells per some unit of measurement (I can't remember what). They said that was a great number. We don't know the number of stem cells collected the second day but they figured it would be about 2 million per unit. My dad and I went to the hospital on the second day. We watched my mom's blood run through a machine and then back into her. The second day they warmed the blood before it went back because the first day she got really cold (which never happens) from the cold blood. They also put calcium back into the blood before it went back because she felt very tingly due to a loss of calcium. We saw the little bag of stem cells hanging there and the plasma that was also collected. We watched the tech pack it in a cooler that is kept at room temp. A technician stayed with my mom and the machine the whole time both days. The tech personally delivered the stem cells to the lab. When my mom was done, all 3 of us went to Mike's room. He had received his last chemo treatment 2 days before (July 6). The infusion of stem cells from the first day had just started. They are run into him like an IV. He has a line into his jugular vein. It took just over an hour or so. I sat and held the little tube and watched the cells run through it. The nurse kept checking his vital signs to make sure he wasn't having a reaction to receiving foreign cells into his body. While we were there, the nurse and other staff members came in with a birthday balloon. They sang Happy Birthday to him because it was the first day of his new life and being a new person. The stem cells will take 2-3 weeks to ingraft (I think that's the word they used) in his bones. Then they'll start producing A+ blood. So, Mike's blood type will be changed. Over the next few weeks, he'll need blood transfusions since he has no bone marrow to produce blood. They'll give him O+ red blood cells but A+ plasma and platelets. If there are any remaining leukemia cells, my mom's cells will kill them off. As soon as his white blood count is 500 then he can leave the hospital but has to stay somewhere close. I don't know how long he has to be here in SLC. It is an amazing miracle and so neat to watch. I'll try to attach some pictures. You can send this on to anyone that you think might be interested. I will send the pictures we took also. But I will need help so it might be a few days until I get that done.

Love, Michele"

Our Fourth of July in Blanding

2008-07-06T21:04:00.000-07:00

This year we went down to Jeff's hometown Blanding to celebrate the Fourth. We had a great time!! That morning, we went to the town's parade. The kids had lots of fun running for candy and getting sprayed by the fire trucks and the road construction trucks (that spray the road to control the dust). It was very HOT, so the boys didn't mind getting drenched. Later, we went to the park to play some games and check out the booths that were set up. We played a game where you throw rings on liter bottles of soda and win a soda. Jeff and the guy that ran the game kept trying to show Maddie how to ring a bottle, but she kept putting the rings in between the bottles...guess she thought since that was where there were all going, that must be where they go. Needless to say, we did not win a soda even with Maddie "throwing rings" right beside the bottles. Then, we went to the pool for "Diving for Dollars" or coins as the boys later clarified. Garet and Jace were pretty excited to begin with, but when it came time to dive, Garet wouldn't stick his head in the water and Jace needed little pushes down so he wouldn't "float." It was kind of funny...especially their picture after. Someone felt bad for them and shared some of their coins...the boys were not too thrilled with themselves. We will be practicing diving before we attempt this again next year. The older boys did a little better. Next year we will remember to bring goggles. For dinner, we went to Autumn's Aunt Karen's house for a BBQ. The kids played with water guns and jumped on the trampoline while we chatted while dinner was cooking. Jeff joined in with the kids, of course:-). He didn't attempt any cartwheels or flips for us this time since there was no net on the trampoline. Later, we went to the ballpark to listen to a band play and wait for fireworks. Maddie was done with the day when the fireworks began. She wouldn't even look at them. I held her (with her face pressing into my chest) until she fell asleep. It was a great fireworks show!! We were impressed with how nice it was for a little town. We had a great time with the family in great little Blanding!!

Fourth of July

2008-07-06T21:03:00.001-07:00

"Lot's of 3's Tag"

2008-07-03T20:37:00.000-07:00

3 Joys: My family; "Girl's night out; " feeling the Spirit

3 Fears: Dying before my children grow up; Financial problems; Having "too much to deal with"

3 Goals: To budget my time better; Be a better mother; Be more grateful and less negative

3 Obsessions: My house and yard; My body; Reading

3 Random: I like to make people laugh even if it is at my own embarrassment; I will try anything as long as it is safe (bungee jumping, roller coasters, etc.); When I was young I wanted to be a school bus driver.

3 Tags: Jacci, Laura and Heather

The Lehi Round-up Parade

2008-07-02T19:36:00.000-07:00

On Friday and Saturday, the boys got to be in Lehi's Round-up Days celebration parades. They rode on our Ward float. We went to watch the parade Saturday morning.

Camry and Maddie waiting for the parade to begin.
Here comes our Ward!!
Kaleb waving...Garet is right beside him but you can't see him in this picture.
Cuties!!
Here's our Cowboys!!...and of course our little Cowgirl!!

An Update on our Grandpa:

2008-07-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

Our Grandpa Mike is starting the process for the Bone Marrow transplant this Tuesday. It is said to be a 100 day process. The doctors are really optimistic that his body will accept the new bone marrow and he will be "cured." We are really hoping these 100 days will go by fast so our Grandpa can go back to a normal life free from the worries of doctor appointments, cancer, and hospitals. We love him so much and can't wait to play with him again!!

"Follow-up Facial"

2008-06-30T19:10:00.000-07:00

I am a sucker for anyone trying to give me pointers on how to apply my make-up, what colors to wear, etc. So, when my friend Shan who does Mary Kay approached me about doing a "Follow-up Facial" at my house, I took her up on it. The day before the facial, she called me to see if I could round up some friends to "share the experience with." Awesome Cami and Autumn agreed to come over. (We had 11 kids in my backyard playing with the hose during our "Mommy Time.")

Autumn showing us how it is done...I love that Maddie is checking everything out. She copies putting on makeup all of the time!
Cami was concerned putting on eyeliner and eyeshadow...Don't know why....she looked like a hot babe after!!! Here is our after picture...we kept joking the whole time about looking like hookers because we were trying colors we wouldn't normally try (don't think Shan appreciated our comments!)...I think we look fabulous! Thanks gals!!

A couple of requirements when one goes to the doctor:

2008-06-29T19:04:00.000-07:00

1. Blue shades-not to be removed

2. Pink crocks-on the wrong feet of course

3. Elmo stickers in abundance for afterwards

4. Favorite cousin getting picked on more than me

5. A nice red sticky sucker

Maddison Turns TWO!!

2008-06-29T18:32:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, the 25th, Maddie turned two. Where has all of that time gone?? I can still remember heading to the Provo Hospital to have her and Jeff making me cry by saying: "It's okay, if you don't have her tonight, you'll probably have her in a couple of days." I was at a 5 when we got there....

This is the first present she opened a couple of days early. She did a "YAY!" cheer for it!!
On Wednesday, we went to Target to pick out her big girl bike. When we got home, I thought I'd put it together so she could try it out. It took me a FULL HOUR and then when we showed it to Maddie, she tried to take one of the boys' helmets to wear...then threw a tantrum since she did not have a helmet to ride her bike with. So much for that delightful hour....
We went to Los Hermanos for her family birthday dinner. YUM!! Maddie discovered the yummy salsa and kept dipping the same chip in a bowl and licking off all of the salsa.
Here is her pretty cake!
Opening presents. She got a helmet! We had a great time!!

Happy Birthday, Sweetheart!!

I Met A Celebrity!!

2008-06-26T20:59:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, Christina and I went and visited some of the elderly sisters in our Ward. We had a good time reminiscing about the "old days" and seeing their treasures. One sister has a pretty decent sized house that is wall-to-wall with "treasures." After she gave us a grand tour, she told us that she owned the house beside hers and just used it for storage. WOW! Another sister that we met was Beulah Lewis. She told us quite a few stories one of which was about a girl that couldn't get into her prom date's car because her dress was too big...they had to "haul her in the back of the truck." This sister is sharp as can be and has been known to hang her own Christmas lights and climb her peach tree to pick it. Christina got brave enough to ask her how old she is now. She is 98!! I know from then on, I just sat there with a dumb-struck "look of awe" face staring at this sister. When we got home from our presidency meeting Tuesday night, Christina called me and told me that Beulah was on the news. "WHAT?" This sweet, dear old sister went skydiving!!

Here is a clip from the news: http://www.myfoxutah.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail;jsessionid=54E0F2558E59C7A2B485B0565D0FA896?contentId=6842192&version=2&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1.1&sflg=1

AMAZING!! I hope that I not only am still here at 98 and as with it as she is, but that I am also as brave she still is!! I can't wait to see her again and ask her about her skydiving adventure!!

Garet's Friend Party!!

2008-06-26T20:13:00.000-07:00

This year for Garet's "Friend Party," we went to the Lehi Legacy Center pool...a definite favorite for our family. We are so happy that are city has such great facilities!!

Garet's "Pirates of the Caribbean" cake.
Mckade, Everette, Garet, Hayzen, and Jace.
Picking out what part of the cake they want.
I think Maddie enjoyed the blue frosting the most....I was just happy we were right beside a large body of water to wash her off.
Opening presents...again older brother checking out the new lute to share.
We all had a great time!! Glad all could come join us!!

Does this make me a bad Mom??

2008-06-25T17:00:00.000-07:00

(Please pause the music before you start this clip.)

Does it get any cuter than this?? She loves this song!! We crank it up in the car whenever she gets grouchy and it works like a charm!!

Here's the end of the song...bare with her...she gets sidetracked by a boogy.

YES that is Kaleb and Garet in the background singing ALL of the words! We love the Beastie Boys at our house....

Maddie's "Big Girl" Room

2008-06-24T15:50:00.000-07:00

The boys were out of the crib by the time they were 18 months...so, we finally moved our little girl out of the crib at 23 1/2 months. She has been shaking the crib so much that the front "gate" was always down when we went to get her. We were a bit concerned for her safety.
Here are the before pictures of her room:

Okay, her "baby" room didn't always look this. I don't have any digital pictures of it before we started taking things out: the bumper because she pulled the strings off of it....the mobile because she hung on it and broke it...etc.

I am really proud of the before and after pictures of her dresser. I was told by several "experts" in the painting department that there was "no way" that I could paint over the veneer. Well, two big bottles of toll paint and new knobs and "Voila'!" a dresser that matches her new room for under $10.

Here is her new bed:

We stayed with the "Butterfly and Pink Gingham" theme.

Overall, this project was a great success! Maddie loves her new room and goes to bed easy in her new "Big Girl Pretty Bed." She has been really good about staying in it.

F.Y.I.: When I took her crib apart, I did not have to use a screw driver to loosen any of the screws...her shaking did the trick!! We are so lucky it never collapsed on her!!

Yesterday...Today...and Tomorrow Tag

2008-06-23T14:24:00.000-07:00

20 Years Ago....

I was almost 11 years old. It was '88. This was not a happy time in my childhood. My mom was cheating on my dad while he was in the military in Japan. With some of her "winners," we had gun violence in our home. My little sister Margaret was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. We lived in our car a lot. My sisters and I were taken away from my mom and put into foster care. I went to 6 different schools that year. My dad committed suicide that year. Thank goodness it got better!!

10 Years Ago....

I had been married for a little over a year. I lived in our 4-plex, where Autumn was my neighbor. She was also my Visiting Teaching partner. I am so grateful she made me go, I now have a testimony of it that she started!! I worked as an Assistant Manager at Modus Media for the Netscape Team. I loved my job and I loved being in charge. Jeff joined his brother Bryan in partnership of their construction company. Life was good and we started "trying" to have a baby.

5 Years Ago....

We moved back to the 4-plex after selling our house in Payson. Our second little boy Garet was having medical problems, so it no longer made sense to live so far away from Primary Children's. We had also missed Bryan and Autumn and their family....we realized that we really wanted our children to grow up with their cousins as more than mere acquaintances. Autumn and I became better friends this year....I am sooooo grateful for her. I remember we did water aerobics that summer. We would go to aerobics and afterwards drive to Orem to get a doughnut at Krispy Kremes:)!!

3 Years Ago....

Kaleb went to first grade. Garet and I hung out all day. I learned what an awesome little boy he turned into. ( He had been a REALLY hard baby) I could drag him to the hair and nail salon any time I needed to and he would entertain himself...he is still like that. I worked on my yard a lot with Garet just hanging out watching me. Jeff's business was doing really well...the house market was on fire!! I got called to serve as the first counsellor in the Primary in our Ward. I thought the Bishopric was joking...I was never a "kid" person...especially other people's kids. It turned into a great experience. I learned so much serving with Michelle and she remains a dear friend. Later this year, the Stake changed our Ward boundaries and put us into an "older" Ward. I was devastated to begin with. We started to get little promptings that our family was not complete. We went to the OB/GYN to start the process of "trying." That same night, we were called into the Bishop's office. I was getting called as the Primary President and Jeff was getting called as the second counsellor in the Young Men's. So much for taking it easy and focusing on our family for a while....Of course we got pregnant that first month(it had NEVER happened before!!).

1 Year Ago....

Life was just happening to us...nothing exciting. Jeff's business was doing well. We were enjoying being "established" and not putting in a yard. Kaleb got baptized. Jeff went to the feed store with the boys and brought home "Chick" and "Duck" who had only hatched that day. He started watching "Dirty Jobs" faithfully and got the crazy idea to raise a pig for meat. Needless to say, the one pig that was supposed to live on a vacant lot in Pleasant Grove turned into four pigs living in my back yard. AAAHHHH! Right after this, Jeff's dad got really sick and was later diagnosed with leukemia. We became regulars at the Huntsman Cancer Institute.

So Far This Year....

Jeff's company has been struggling with the housing market collapse. We went to Disneyland for Thanksgiving. Jeff's parents took all of their six boys and spouses to Hawaii. Garet graduated from pre-school. Jeff's dad's leukemia came back. I got called to be the secretary in Relief Society.

Yesterday I....

Got up late. Put our dinner (Broccoli cheese soup with chicken--YUM!) together in the crock pot. Took a shower to get ready for Church and broke out in hives. I had to take my prescription medicine since they came on so fast, so I stayed home from Church and slept once it kicked in. (It has a severe side effect of knocking me out.) Later, Jeff took the kids up to the Huntsman to visit his dad and Maddie threw-up in the car. He got home at 7, so I finally got out of bed and cleaned up throw-up out of her car seat and gave her a bath. Cleaned up the house some since I was finally out of bed and then watched the new "Hairspray" before going back to bed.

Today I....

Went on a four mile run pushing Maddie in the stroller and the boys riding their bikes. I always dread going, but we have fun. (Or it seems like it was fun afterwards?) Got ready for the day. Fed the kids lunch. Put Maddie down for a nap while I ran to get gas (spent $100 and did not even fill my tank all the way up. RRRRRR!) and to the library (yay! more books to read!!). Will make something?? for dinner and then we will go up to the Huntsman for FHE and root beer floats. Maybe go to yoga if we get back in time. Hopefully not go to bed too late so that I am a "nice mommy" tomorrow.

Tomorrow I will....

Get up early and do yoga (I hope!!). Mow my front yard. Get ready for the day. Take the boys to Tae Kwon Do. Go shopping with Maddie for her birthday present (Hey, the boys are the only ones that will remember it, right??). Pick up the boys and eat lunch. Put Maddie down for her nap and take a resty myself while starting a new book (IF all of the above items are done). Clean house some. Make dinner that hopefully all will like and not complain about. Put kids to bed. Go to Relief Society presidency meeting. Update blog some more ( I have two posts that I still need to do). Hopefully not go to bed too late so that I am a "nice mommy" the next day.

In The Next Year I....

Will send two of my three children off to school. Go to the temple more often. Try to start going on dates again with my hubby. Start working on my unfinished scrapbooks to hopefully one day catch up to when I started blogging. Order my 2007 Blog Book. Hopefully lose last ten pounds of Maddie weight if possible. Complain less and enjoy my life and family more!

I'm tagging Cami, Susie, Jacci, Heather and Christina. Good luck gals!!

Happy Birthday Garet!!

2008-06-19T21:30:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, Garet turned 6. Where has the time gone?? We celebrated his big day with the Halliday Family. We had dinner at IHOP...a definite Garet fave.

Mr. Cutie getting his birthday ice cream.

"I'm SIX!!"

Opening presents. (Take note of older brother anxiously watching:)

YAY, more Lego's!! Garet loves to build things with Lego's!

Then, we went to Boondocks (or "Boon-dogs" if you ask the boys) to have some fun. We played lots of games, played a game of laser tag, and then rode the all-time favorite: bumper boats.

Waiting in line.
Unfortunately for Uncle Bryan and Jace, Bryan was just tall enough in the boats that he was a hard target to miss....
So, Kaleb chased him down over and over again to "get" him.
Little wet Garet!
DRENCHED Uncle Bryan and Jace!

My boys are still telling stories about how funny it was to "get" Bryan.

(Poor Bry!! Thanks for entertaining our boys for the evening!!)

Garet had a great time!

Happy Birthday, Buddy. We love you sooooo much!!

Just to make you smile....

2008-06-17T18:36:00.000-07:00

A new pastor was visiting in the homes of his parishioners. At one house it seemed obvious that someone was at home, but no answer came to his repeated knocks at the door. Therefore, he took out a business card and wrote 'Revelation 3:20' on the back of it and stuck it in the door. When the offering was processed the following Sunday, he found that his card had been returned. Added to it was this cryptic message, 'Genesis3:10.' Reaching for his Bible to check out the citation, he broke up in gales of laughter. Revelation 3:20 begins 'Behold, I stand at the door and knock.' Genesis 3:10 reads, 'I heard your voice in the garden and I was afraid for I was naked.'

Happy Father's Day!!

2008-06-14T19:14:00.000-07:00

Here's the handsome Dad that we have:

We love him dearly and are very grateful for him!! He tries his best to love and support us in the best ways that he knows and we wouldn't want it any other way!!

Happy Father's Day!!

Kaleb Tests for Blue-Black Stripe Belt!!

2008-06-11T22:21:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, June 7th, Kaleb tested for his Blue-Black stripe belt in Tae Kwon Do. Here is a clip of the "attack and defense" moves that they learned for the blue belt:

(The first little boy messes up a couple of times because he is so nervous. Kaleb got to do the moves on both of the other boys that were testing.)

He passed!! We are so proud of him!!

Utah State Tae Kwon Do Championships

2008-06-04T21:59:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, May 31st, we went to the Tae Kwon Do State Championship competition in Grantsville. Kaleb has been taking Tae Kwon Do for the past 13 months and has been doing great. He amazes me with how fast he learns the different forms for each belt...I still barely know the first belt's form and he is on his eighth. He competed in the Blue belt form:

And he rocked!! He won first place!!!

I love this picture!! The kid that won second is awesome!! He is always nice and positive in competitions, while the sulky boy who placed third, likes to intimidate his opponents and talk trash to them.

Kaleb sparred next. Unfortunately, the officials had the boys who were competing sit on the sidelines together for a while before they competed....Kaleb had to spar "Mr. Sulky Pants" first after hearing him trash talk him for half an hour. We were really hoping Kaleb would put him in his place....but, it was not to be. Kaleb wound up placing third in sparring. He was ecstatic that he placed in both competitions!! (Later, he actually decided that his third place medallion was cooler than his trophy. How I love this kid!!) He has qualified for the Regional Tournament, but I don't think we'll be making it. We'll wait and see once we get more info. Way to go, Kaleb!! We are so proud of you!!

"Keepin' It Real" Tag

2008-06-04T18:48:00.000-07:00

I was double tagged by my little sister Jax and my cute friend Cami. Thanks guys!! Actually, my house is okay right now, so I have to hurry and do it!!

This tag is all about keepin' it real! The rules are to take pictures of the things listed below, but no straightening, primping or prepping. Leave everything just as they look and take the picture. Then tag five victims...um, I mean people.

1. Fridge: Amazingly, no Kool-Aid puddles in the bottom today. Does everyone else's Fridge look like this on the outside?? My kids have to add everything that has a magnet to our "collection."

2. Closet: I love to have order in my house....but, this is where all of my "projects" rest until I can get to them. It looks like I better get cracking, I am running out of shelf space to stick them!
3. Kitchen Sink: Just cleaned up from dinner. I am pretty neurotic about it, though.

4. Laundry room: I love having a laundry divider that I use faithfully, so when one is full, that is when I wash that load....a little neurotic about laundry getting done....I hate to iron, notice my hanging "pile" of things to be ironed....it usually gets done when I don't have enough room to hang things up to dry.

5. Toilet: had to wait for it to be vacated....Glad he put the lid down. Yes, our magazine rack is home to our Reader's Digest subscription....
6. Favorite Room: My bedroom. It is just so warm and cozy and hard to leave some days!!

7. Favorite pair of shoes: I love these....they make me feel young and sexy whenever I do wear them...unfortunately, they also make me taller than Jeff...

So these are my "old faithfuls" that I wear almost daily.

8. What are the kids doing right now?: They are rough-housing with Grandma. What a great grandma they have!! :)

9. Self Portrait: SERIOUSLY?

Okay, so today has been one of those lounging days: finishing my book, doing laundry, recouping from doing our huge yard yesterday AND cleaning my whole main floor.....my excuses can go on. Actually, been putting off getting ready all day because I kept thinking I would go run first, but here it is almost 9:00 pm and I haven't left the house. Tomorrow I am back on the work-out bandwagon! (Hopefully...)

10. Where You Want To Go: On a LONG Mediteranean Cruise with my Hubby. I love to hike and see ruins and castles and history, etc. It would also be great to be able to be on the beach, too. I just think it would be great to get to see so many cool places, but not have to feel like I am living out of a suitcase the whole time. (I am one of those that unpack my entire suitcase when I check in to a motel for more than a couple of nights.)

I am tagging: Heather, Tanya, Laura-u can do this:), and Susie!

Counting My Many Blessings...

2008-05-31T19:32:00.000-07:00

As many of you may know, this has been a very trying week for our family. To point out the highlights: Sunday-stitches and Tuesday-Grandpa going into septic shock and being critical for most of the week. I am grateful that I can look back at the end of this busy and emotional week, and remember some blessings:

1. Today Grandpa told me about what he remembers Tuesday morning. He woke up, walked around for a bit, and then decided he'd go get himself a treat: a Fresca and a candy bar. He got back to his room, enjoyed his treat and was checked on by his nurse. He had to excuse himself to go potty while she was in the room. Miraculously, she stayed in the room and waited for him to get done. The septic shock hit while he was in the bathroom....he had to call for the nurse to help him move. If she had not been right there when she was, who knows if the outcome would have been as favorable as it has been for us. I am so grateful for the blessing and miracle of having people who are where they need to be when needed!

2. Today we got to go to the State Tae Kwon Do Championship Tournament with Kaleb. Yesterday after school, he told me that he didn't want to go and wouldn't elaborate. After his class, he was a little more excited to go. This morning, as we were waiting for him to compete, he practiced his form for us.....apparently, he has been stressing because Jeff has been a little bit too "fault finding" with him to try to help him to do better (just trying to coach him in the best way he can think of). I am grateful that I have been blessed to be a mother and to be sensitive to my children's feelings. After some tears and a little "mommy talk booster" he was ready to try his best even if he didn't win first place. All of his practice and coaching DID pay off, he won first place in his age group for the blue belt form. YAY KALEB!! (I will post pictures later) I'm grateful for the blessing of having a husband that takes an active role in my children's lives, and even though our opinions and parenting styles differ, together we make a good team and try our hardest to raise well-rounded children.

3. Tonight, Maddie kept taking her pj's and diaper off. She finally went upstairs for some privacy. She came back down naked. Kaleb went to go find her diaper for me and found the lovely used toilet paper trail and the poop and pee by the toilet. She cleaned herself well enough that we didn't see anything until we found the "prizes." RRRRR, this little girl!!! As we constantly battle her curiosity and tantrums, I just have to remember that Heavenly Father sent her at this time because she does have such a strong spirit. She has been sent because she has the best potential to be able to withstand the evils of our time and return to her Father in heaven. I don't always remember this as I am fighting her and cleaning up after her...but I know He is very aware of this precious little girl.

4. After the poop incident, I finished cleaning up our kitchen from dinner. Garet came in and asked me if I would play "Sorry!" with him. I bit my tongue and told him I would in a minute. I actually forgot for a bit and folded some laundry. When I went back by the kitchen, I saw that he had set the board up for us to play and was sitting patiently waiting for me. I humbly sat down and played the game with him as he told me about his day at Jace's house and t-ball practice. I am so grateful for the little things our children do to teach us to be better parents!!

I am truly blessed!!

All in a Sunday afternoon...

2008-05-25T19:46:00.000-07:00

Today, within ten minutes from actually being inside the door from Church, Maddie either tripped on her dress or slipped because of her hose....

All I heard was the "CRACK!" of her head hitting something solid. I went running to find her. I think she hit the corner post to our stairs...they have been the culprit of many injuries unfortunately. She had blood streaming down her face. I knew we needed stitches right away, but had a slight problem....Jeff is the assistant clerk in our Ward, so he was back at the church with our car and the keys to his truck. So, I had to call a friend in the Ward and ask for the Bishop's office number. She heard Maddie screaming and told me that she was getting back in her car right then to go back and get Jeff. (Thanks Christina!!)
Jeff, as is custom for him, made a comment to the Bishopric saying that I was probably over-reacting....When he saw Maddie, he still thought we might be able to get away with just putting some butterfly bandages on it. YEAH, RIGHT!! Has he not met his daughter?? We hopped in the car and headed to the emergency room.
They put a sponge on her head with some numbing medicine so the numbing shots would not hurt as much, which she promptly ripped right off. (They wound up taping it on.) After two hours at the ER, some serious screaming being tied to the "papoose board":And eight stitches, with a layer of dissolving stitches underneath because it was so deep.....we are back home.
As long as the Motrin is in her system, she's as happy as can be. She probably has a killer headache!!
Oh, and as we are walking out of the hospital, Jeff says: "Okay, so maybe she really needed stitches."

"What the Heck??"

2008-05-23T18:43:00.000-07:00

Okay, how often does one usually see a house fire in their life?? Well, we heard sirens and looked out our windows around 9:45 this morning and this is what we saw:

There are some run-down "apartments" kiddie-corner to us and apparently they caught on fire.

We stood and watched for a while, and of course didn't think of taking pictures until there were high flames coming out of the roof....but, of course, by the time we got back to take pictures, the firefighters had gotten the fire more under control. (Dang!!)
We did get a couple of little flames on film...

When the firefighters started to pack up and leave, the building pretty much looked the same from the outside. We were really hoping it would cave in or something.

These things have been an eyesore since we moved here...especially with the type of tenants that rented them. A couple of years ago, we got to see a medical examiner go in to one of the units and later bring out a person in a body bag. The tenant had over-dosed on drugs. Fortunately for us, a developer has bought all of this land and will eventually knock everything down and build ten to fifteen houses here.

Anyway, back to my opening comment... In February, a house less than half a mile down the road from ours caught on fire and was a total loss. Should we start worrying??

The Wooden Cottage Pre-School Graduation

2008-05-23T17:51:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, May 22nd, Garet had his pre-school graduation.

Jace & Garet before the graduation.

"Let's Face It, We're Great" was their graduation theme.

Garet's part in the program: "If you need us, we'll come on the run."

They sang a song about firemen and played the triangles after his part.

They sang a song about zoo animals. Garet was a panda bear.
Jace was a lion.Maddie loved their glasses.
Another song with instruments.
Maddie needed to "clean" Miss Cari's chair during the program.

Our little graduation walk:

The graduating class:

Miss Cari, Garet and Teacher GeAnna.

Miss Cari, Silly Jace and Teacher GeAnna.

The Boys:

YAY!!

Kindergarten here we come!!

Six Little Words No One Ever Wants To Hear

2008-05-20T16:43:00.001-07:00

When Garet and Maddie are out playing in the backyard:

"Mom, Maddie's stuck in the garden!"

She was buried up to her armpits in the garden. Sorry, there was no time for pictures...here is what her clothes looked like:

Her crocks are buried somewhere in there....I am going to have Jeff fish them out since he missed this little adventure. RRRRRRRR!! Garet is still laughing about it...while I am leaving for a church meeting still fuming!!

Bald Is Beautiful!!

2008-05-19T13:19:00.000-07:00

As some of you have already heard, our family got some bad news last Wednesday on Grandpa Mike's 59th birthday, his leukemia is back. He just started another round of chemo yesterday and he will be having a bone marrow transplant more than likely in July. We are really saddened by the news but are very hopeful and feel really blessed that he is starting treatment again before he has gotten really sick and that we are lucky enough to have a bone marrow "donater" already. (Thanks Aunt DeAnn!!) My boys in the spirit of helping Grandpa not to feel so alone in the baldness have already championed the cause:

We are looking forward to a summer full of seeing Grandpa and Grandma, kicking leukemia's butt for good, and enjoying the coolness of being hair-free!!

Phew and P-U!!!

2008-05-17T14:48:00.001-07:00

We finally got our garden in today....It was quite the stinky job!! (I actually gagged a couple of times.) Jeff kept telling me to stop complaining since the fertilizer was free....We better have some award winning veggies with the smell of that stuff!! (Yes, those are "pig rubbings" on the vinyl fence in the back.)

We planted: corn, green beans, peas, cucumbers, tomatoes, pumpkins, cantelopes, squash, zucchini, and watermelons(to be added as soon as I find some).

Happy Late Birthday Mike!!

2008-05-16T23:36:00.001-07:00

I just want to wish Jeff's dad Mike a belated Happy Birthday!! I know this one hasn't turned out to be the greatest, but we'll have better ones to come!! Here are ten things we love about Mike:

1. He is the best Grandpa ever!! My kids adore him!!

2. He is always willing to help!! Last year, he helped Jeff do sprinklers when he wasn't feeling so hot himself.

3. He is the best example of living the Gospel.

4. He is the Patriarch of our family.

5. Whenever anyone needs advice, we all go to him.

6. I have always felt loved and accepted by him!

7. He gives the BEST hugs!!

8. He is a FIGHTER!!

9. He takes pride and honor in his job as a police officer...I know he will miss it greatly when he has to retire.

10. I know you are all jealous....but, he gave me the "Mini-Mike" of the family. It is so funny to watch the goofy things that Jeff does with our kids and then to find out later that he is just copying his dad!!

We love you so much, Mike!! And we are so blessed to be members of your family!!

Let Sleeping GIRLS Lie??

2008-05-16T10:25:00.000-07:00

The Dole Pineapple Plantation

2008-05-11T20:31:00.000-07:00

While in Hawaii, we went to the Dole Pineapple Plantation. I learned a lot from this trip....mainly, I had absolutely no idea how a pineapple grew. If someone had told me that they grew on a tree or in the ground like a potato, I would have totally believed them....but, not now!!

Jeff made a new friend at the plantation.

Tanya and Jacci in front of a pineapple plant.

Yes, they grow like this!! It takes twenty months before the first pineapple is ready for harvest. After that, they get a new pineapple about every nine months. The average pineapple plant only produces three pineapples and then it is replaced with a new plant. The older the pineapple plant, usually the smaller the fruit is that it bears.

We think Grandpa was a little nervous about getting lost...I'm glad he was thinking ahead for the rest of us!!

The girls getting ready to ride the "Pineapple Express." A cute little train that took us through some fields in the plantation showing us the various stages of harvesting pineapples.

The boys....I think they look more excited for this picture than we did...Could it be that they had heard that the train ride included music??
"TOOT-TOOT!!"
A pineapple field.Bryan and Autumn cozying up on the train!! Cuties!!
A new field getting ready to plant.
At first, I was a little disappointed with the plantation...it just didn't seem as big as I thought it would be. Little did I know that we were only shown a minute part of it. When we had our helicopter ride the next day, we were able to see how massive the plantation really is. We enjoyed a great treat of pineapple ice cream there. YUMMY!!! For some reason pineapples right from Hawaii are the bomb!!

Happy Mother's Day!!

2008-05-11T08:05:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day to all!! I am always glad that Mother's day falls during the school year....I always get such cute "treasures" from my children. This year, they have included:

A poster-card and painted flowers on a dowel (to put in my yard) from Kaleb.
And a card and some silk roses (to last forever) from Garet.

Right now, I am supposed to be lying in bed waiting for my breakfast...Jeff is slaving away in the kitchen. I better get in position!! Hope everyone has a great day and that your family makes you feel special like mine does!!

Waikiki

2008-05-09T09:52:00.001-07:00

Our motel was on Waikiki beach, so we spent ample time playing at our beach:

Grandpa and Grandma were always troopers heading straight for the water when we got there.
The boys played frisbee quite a few times.
Grandma heading into the water and the boys heading out to snorkel.
Us girls, chose to remain on the beach to read, sunbathe.....And check out the sites....
The boys decided to try their luck at body boarding one morning: Watching some of them run for the waves and plop down on what they thought was going to be water and hit the ground was pretty entertaining to watch. I think the consensus on body boarding was that it was a lot harder than it looked.

Amazingly, Grandma was able to get me in the water the first day....a feat in and of itself. I don't like going in water that I can't see the bottom and what is around me....so "Hooray!" for Grandma. I definitely had more fun because I overcame one of my fears from the get-go!

Our Trip to Hawaii

2008-05-08T07:42:00.000-07:00

On March 4th, we were lucky enough to leave on our week-long trip to Hawaii. Jeff's awesome parents were nice enough to take us and the rest of the Halliday adults on vacation. To begin our trip, Bryan & Autumn, Ryan & Laura, Corey & Jacci, Greg, and Jeff & I, flew out of Salt Lake City to meet the rest of the group at the Phoenix airport. We started the trip off on the right foot: Girls on one side of the plane.
Boys on the other!

The flights down didn't seem too long until the last one from Vegas to Honolulu. I think we were all really anxious to get there....and pretty tired!! Once we got there, Jeff, Bryan and Mike went to go get our rental vans. The GPS system that we wanted was broken, so we opted not to get one. Because of this, we wound up driving from one end of Honolulu to the other looking for a road that the car rental place told us to find to get to our motel. (We forgot to look for it until after we passed it.) Unfortunately, in Hawaii, the road names are very similar to one another with only one or two letters different. This was only the beginning of our many driving adventures in a new land without a map....

Field Trip to the Farm

2008-05-07T19:57:00.001-07:00

On Thursday, May 1st, Maddie and I were lucky enough to help chaperon Garet's pre-school field trip to the farm at Thanksgiving Point. The Wooden Cottage Pre-school does this field trip every year and it is one of my favorites to go on. Unfortunately, this year the weather did not agree with us. When we got out of the car, the thermometer read 36 degrees. When we went on the tractor ride, the wind started picking up. Here are some of the cool farm animals we saw:Okay, I couldn't resist getting a picture of Maddie in front of the piglets. This is about the size ours were last year when they came to our house. Jace asked me if we were going to buy these ones and take them home. I told him: "NO!! Pigs aren't allowed to live in our yard anymore."The whole class checking out the big Clydesdale's.Checking out the LOUD turkeys.Garet by the stinky billy goat

The class looking at the llamas.

Garet feeding some goats corn.
Jace feeding a goat corn. He really liked this little white one...he always looked for it to feed his corn to.
Check out this cute little baby pygmy goat. It only weighs a pound or two and is about 8 inches tall. (I might be able to handle it running around my back yard...)
My crazy group of kids: Trey, Jace, Maddie, Garet and McKay

By the time we left the farm, there were snow flurries. When we got back into the car, the thermometer read 34 degrees. This is what it looked like on our drive back:
At first the kids complained that they couldn't feel their hands...and then by the end of the trip they complained that their hands hurt. Poor guys!! I think we still had fun regardless of the weather!

Ya Gotta Love Em....

2008-05-07T19:49:00.000-07:00

Sunday morning, as we are waiting for Sacrament to begin, a member of our bishopric (Bro. Tuckett) came to our pew to say "hi" and shake our hands. He shook mine first and then started to go down the line. I looked down at my children.....and of course one of them has their finger in their nose. AHHHHH! Ewwwwwww! I told Bro. Tuckett that I am soooo sorry! To this he replied: "Hey, it's fast Sunday...I take what I can get."

Happy "Cinco de Mayo" to All!

2008-05-04T18:26:00.000-07:00

On Friday, Kaleb's school had a "Cinco de Mayo" presentation. I had forgotten what "Cinco de Mayo" commemorated other than our fellow Mexicans. Lucky for me, the program that the school handed out had this nifty explanation:

What is "Cinco de Mayo?"
The holiday of Cinco de Mayo, the 5th of May, commemorates the victory of the Mexican Militia over the French Army at The Battle of Puebla in 1862. It should not be confused with Mexican Independence Day. This modern holiday began when a group of California State University students decided to hold the first Cinco de Mayo commemoration in the United States. This occurred around 1967. The Mexican-American students felt a need to do something to recapture their history and identity.
Cinco de Mayo is not an American holiday, although it is celebrated on a much larger scale in the U.S. than in Mexico. Why do American people celebrate this day as well? Because 4,500 Mexican soldiers defeated the French Army of 6,500 in Puebla, 100 miles east of Mexico City. This prevented the French from sending support and supplies to the Confederate soldiers during the Civil War. The Union Army was then able to strengthen itself against the Confederate Army. Eventually defeating the Confederates at Gettysburg and ending the United States Civil War.

Here is a video of the third graders' part in the presentation. (Kaleb is in the back dancing with a pipe. Easton is sitting on the right hand side of the stage wearing a bow tie and hat.)
(Blogger is not working since yesterday to add videos, so I will try again tomorrow....K, just kidding. The video is just a little too big so Blogger does not like it:-<)

A Little Peek Into Our Backyard:

2008-05-02T14:40:00.000-07:00

If one were to take a little peek into our backyard Monday night. This is what one would see:

Yes, that IS our daughter out jumping on the trampoline wearing Garet's pull-up and her pink crocks.

She is having a great time!! Is there any BETTER way to jump??

(In case you didn't get the full effect of her "do.")

Garet enjoying the semi-nude jumping...

Kaleb's not so much a fan of the "nude-ness" anymore.

"Wazzzzuupppp?"

Garet's "happy naked dance"!

Could my daughter look any more orphan-ish?? She HAS had a bath today, regardless of appearances.

All I can say: "THANK GOODNESS for six-foot privacy vinyl fences!!"

(If you can find it in you, please refrain from the white trash comments!!)

Meet Gizmo

2008-04-30T17:25:00.001-07:00

Gizmo had an itch.
He tried to scratch.
But he could not reach the itchy patch.
The itch, it tickled.
The itch was ouchy.
It made Gizmo feel very grouchy.
It itched him when he tried to eat.
It itched him when he went to sleep.
It itched him when the snow was snowy.
It itched him when the wind was blowy(like today).
It itched him when the rain was wet.
It itched him when the sun had set.
It made him frown.
It made him roar.
It made him rub his head upon the floor....

Gizmo has an ear infection again. This is what our crazy pooch does to show us he itches!!

2008 Easter

2008-04-30T10:22:00.001-07:00

This year for Easter weekend, we had our traditional trip down to Grandpa and Grandma Hallidays' in Blanding.

Chuck E Cheese's

2008-04-26T08:50:00.000-07:00

At the end of March, we went to Chuck E Cheese's for McKay's 6th birthday. Every kid loves the rides here, right??
WRONG!! Maddie was fine as long as the rides were NOT moving. But, the second you put the coins in and push "Start," she was done!
Even with Camry holding her for "moral support" she still freaked out as soon as the rides started moving.

She did find something that she did like...the "Step on the Spider" game. Camry was more than happy to play this with her. (And don't think that we did not have to physically remove her from the game when another child wanted a turn.)
The Snickers cake was a big hit for all, OF COURSE!! Thanks for inviting us, McKay!!

Maddie's 18 Month Pictures

2008-04-26T08:43:00.001-07:00

I just barely downloaded these, so I thought I would share. She was very stingy with her smiles this day, so the photographer had her work cut out for her!!

"Child of MINE"

2008-04-24T18:00:00.000-07:00

You know how you see some of your least positive traits in your children?? Well, I remember when I was little, my mom punished me by sending me to bed without dinner and a bath. I remember that I carried on for hours (or at least what seemed like it to all involved) because I "couldn't" go to bed dirty. I think my mom finally gave in and let me bathe because she hoped to get some peace for the night.Well, this is Maddie today. I was in a hurry to leave to pick up the boys from pre-school and didn't want to waste the time to find both of her shoes. We only had one pink crock for our trip. What a nightmare!! She cried the whole ten minutes there and back about her "shoe-sies." I even tried giving her my flip-flops to make her happy!! I fear there is worse to come....

Project for the Day:

2008-04-22T14:58:00.001-07:00

Before:After:
Not sure if I love it...which is never a good thing....I have been known to "re-do" a project many, many times until it is perfect. I think it is A LOT better, but pretty RED. What do you think??

Count Your Many Blessings...

2008-04-20T18:08:00.000-07:00

Today at church, we had phenomenal speakers. The first was a young man that we have seen grow up in the past four years. He is going into the MTC to begin his mission. We are SO proud of him! Then, our concluding speaker was a man who has had many trials in his life. He lost a nephew who was two years old to a brain tumor. Later, he lost his nine-year-old daughter to a brain tumor. And even later, as he was preparing to send another daughter out on a mission, she started having bad headaches. The day before she was to report into the MTC, she had an MRI which confirmed a fourth of her brain was invaded by tumors. She has since passed away. This brother went on and on about lessons that he has learned in his life. Then, at the end, as he is bearing his testimony, he tells us that he too has a brain tumor and has been given 6 to 18 months to live. He had just been to a disciplinary council in his stake, and was heartbroken by what he had had to witness. He instructed us to "treasure our spouses" and to "not be consumed by getting things of the world." He said that "...it is amazing, every thing that he had ever worked for in his life, he has given away" because it is not as important as his family and the Gospel.

After being incredibly touched by this, I have been pondering the many blessings in my life. I truly have A LOT to be grateful for!! I have a friend that I am going to see tomorrow morning who's husband is suffering from kidney failure right now. I have another friend who took years to get pregnant, finally got pregnant, gave birth to a completely healthy child, and within two hours of his birth, he started having breathing complications and passed away.... It's not to say that I haven't had trials in my life....but, right now, in this second, I am really grateful that the trials that I have been called to bear seem minimal compared to others'.

Girls' Afternoon Out!!

2008-04-19T19:41:00.001-07:00

Camry is the best baby-sitter ever!! She is always more than happy (and willing) to watch her beast of a cousin Maddie. For payment this time, we went to the movie "Penelope." We loved it!! It is such a cute movie with a great main theme: "You have to love and accept yourself as you are." We had a great time and got good tummy-aches from eating TOO much popcorn!

Happy March 28th!

2008-04-19T07:55:00.000-07:00

For those of you that may not know this: I LOVE THE CHEESECAKE FACTORY!! Jeff had lunch up in Salt Lake City across from it, and decided to bring me home a surprise: The sad thing was, I wasn't expecting anything....he put it in the refrigerator and tried to wait for me to find it. Before he left for the Jazz game that night, he had to ask, "Did you like you're surprise?" Huh? He had to tell me to go look in the fridge.
Well, I LOVED it!! What a Sweetie!!

The Human "Pack Rat"

2008-04-18T09:42:00.000-07:00

This is Kaleb's top drawer in his dresser. I have told him numerable times that it's sole purpose is for clothes....more specifically: socks, underwear, ties, and belts. Can you see any of the above mentioned items in this drawer?? Kaleb likes to keep his "treasures" of the day in here. They have included (but, are not limited to): tags to new clothes, rocks, toy boxes(without the toy inside), junk mail that has been thrown away, etc. I clean out this drawer every other week while he is at school...I usually have a hefty bag of garbage from it. And don't think that I don't provide other areas for him to stash his "treasures." He has three baskets in his closet filled to the rim!

Last month, his Cub Scout troop focused on conservation and recycling, most specifically: "Reduce, Re-Use, and Recycle." For pack meeting, they made "Recycle-bots." Yep, you guessed it!! Robots made out of garbage!! What is Cub Scouts trying to do to me??

Okay, he is really cute....and I'm sure he will reside on the top of Kaleb's dresser for many years to come. But, do you think it has been easy for Kaleb to watch me throw away "perfectly good things" since? Also, his troop made "vases" to hold flowers....I was lucky enough to get two....

If you look close enough, you will notice that these flowers have seen better days....they have been on my counter-top for over a month. Every time I would try to throw them out, I was told that they are still alive because the flowers are still moist. Thankfully, I have moved them to the top of my closet to dry out so that I can "make something with them." I will keep you posted....

Our Little Dragon Tests Again!!

2008-04-17T09:00:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, April 12th, Garet had a belt advancement test in Tae Kwon Do.

In this picture, Garet is at "attention" as he recites Fire Safety rules, Listening Skills, No-choke rules, and Tae Kwon Do creeds. He is also asked various questions like: Mom's name, Dad's name, phone number, address, etc.

This is his "kick" form. I love the rolling of the hips!! At the end, he has to do a Stranger Danger test. We pretended Master Augustine was trying to kidnap Garet (by picking him up). Garet got to poke him in the eyes to protect himself!

When he is all done, he gets to break a board--an indication that he has passed. The Little Dragons had to do a roll and then an axe kick to break their boards....Garet had a little problem with his roll....

I always love how the little kids forget to bow when they are getting their broken boards from Master Augustine...they are anxious to get their prize!! Garet always favors us with a big "cheese" when he is done!! Good job, Bud!!

Kaleb's 9th Birthday!!

2008-04-15T20:56:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, April 12th, Kaleb turned nine. (It's amazing how time flies!!) He had a "Friend Party" at Jump On It on Friday afternoon. Jump On It is an indoor facility that is full of trampolines and blow-up toys...every 9 year-old's fantasy!! He got to bring along four friends and had a "bouncin'" good time:

We got there a little early, so the boys waited impatiently by the door.

Kaleb showing us some air!

Okay, we were NOT impressed with the safety measures taken by the Jump On It facility. There were no Refs, Monitors, or anything of the sort present in any way , shape, or form. Luckily, we had these signs posted on a wall!

Kaleb's Birthday cake. It was a tough decision this year, but as soon as he started thinking that this tank could possibly be a transformer...the decision got easier!!

As soon as we were done singing to him, he pulled the tank off of the cake and took it to the sink to wash it and check it out...It IS a transformer!!

He got a CD alarm clock, a basketball hoop, a basketball, a football, a rocket launcher, some Cd's, the BEE movie, a Bionacle, a Tamagotchi, a jump rope, a Lego guy, a cool guy with lots of pieces that we can't remember the name of him (thanks Cory, Jacci & Sophie:-)), and some money! Notice how we have naked children in the picture...Is any party complete without some shirt-less boys??

Monday night, we went out to dinner at the Mayan to celebrate his birthday with the family.

Garet pointed out all of his odd shaped chips.

Overall, another great birthday!! Happy Birthday, Bud!! We are so LUCKY to have you in our family!!

a warm fuzzy....thought for the day...

2008-04-15T16:23:00.000-07:00

Friends...
Friends are like butt cheeks.
Crap might separate them,
But they always come back together!

(sorry---couldn't resist--was laughing too hard from this one!!)

Inside My Purse:

2008-04-12T22:10:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the tag, Heather! Here goes:

1. Puff's Kleenex
2. Wet Wipes---Life saver with kids!!
3. A day planner that I got from my hair lady....it has only been used once to put my next hair appointment...that was six weeks ago...don't think it has left the purse dungeon since.
4. My wallet, bulging at the seams....
5. A receipt from Maddie's ear doctor appointment two weeks ago....in garbage now.
6. My camera case...always have a camera in the purse....especially with kids!
7. Two checks written from Autumn at least a month ago.
8. Huggies coupons...always forget that I have them...will remain in purse dungeon until at least two months after they expire....
9. Two packs, yes TWO PACKS of gum. Usually it is in my car. I stuck them in my purse so "Not Me" wouldn't eat it all in one day...really surprised that it is still there!
10. Yummy smelling lotion from the hotel in Hawaii. Gonna be sad when it is gone...should have gotten a couple more....
11. Cheapest chap-stick in the world...got it from the dollar store...never again!!
12. Hair tie around said cheap chap-stick.
13. Cover Girl lip gloss.
14. Keys...check out my cute turtle souvenir from Hawaii--LOVE IT!!
15. Pink Razor...can't live without it!!
16. Spider-man lead pencil...Hey, I have boys!!
These are all inside my nifty little bag that came with my purse:
17. Advil case with whatever pain reliever that I have gotten the last time I ran out...I change pain relievers every time I run out...don't want to get too used to something so it doesn't work for me next time....
18. Equate brand contact re-wetting drops.
19. 1 band aid.
20. Cheap Wal-mart brand lotion that I hate and never use.
21. Nail file (board...had to throw away my file at the airport)
22. Nail clippers (guess these aren't considered weapons anymore??)
23. Hand Sanitizer....need to get the spray so I am more consistent with it.
24. Floss...a must have!
25. My inhaler.

Last, but not least, check out my CUTE purse:

I saw it in the airport store when we were waiting for our flight back from Hawaii that was eventually cancelled...Low and behold, there was a LE Sport Sac store at the Hilton the airline sent us to....I think it was fate....Jeff wasn't too happy with my splurge, but he indulged me...as he always does:-)!!

Tag--you're it: Jacci, Rochelle, & Tanya

Compare to....

2008-04-12T21:02:00.000-07:00

Okay, we' ve all seen them....the off-name brand of an item/food/medicine/etc. right beside the name brand item on a shelf for sometimes half the price. Me, I am a constant cheap-skate...I always have to try the off-name brand at least once...okay, maybe many times...until they are proven less than par with the name-brand....Here are a couple of memorable attempts to be cheap:

I thought I was being "oh-so-thrifty," until Autumn was helping me fold laundry one day and asked me why all of my under garments, socks, shirts, etc. were gray instead of white.

Again..."oh-so-thrifty" until I finally used a name-brand one and realized what pain I was putting myself through for a mere 23 cents.

Did you know that you can actually damage your hair by over-coloring it with inferior products? I do now!! It dries your hair out every time you use one of these products...and if you don't get the color just right and try it again a couple of weeks later.....really bad!!

I tried the Costco version of these one time and was surprised at how my child always smelled like pee....Unfortunately, back then, I was too shy to return my opened package, so we suffered through the whole, gigantic box.

I used to always trust the off-name brand of these until I had Maddie. Tylenol works better for her than Motrin, so I always have to stock up for when illness strikes. I thought they were the same, but every time I give her an off-name version she throws up gagging to swallow it. And no, this is not a once in a while thing....I have bought way too many bottles of the cheap stuff thinking "this time will be different."

And, finally, what brought me to write this post. I always buy the off-name brand of lasagna. This week, I decided to splurge the 97 cents and buy the Stauffer's brand. Both of my boys wolfed theirs' down had seconds, Maddie cleaned her plate, and Jeff kept asking, "Why is this sooooo much better than usual??"

I would like to say that by now, I've learned my lesson..... But, I know the next time I go to Wal-mart for something new, I'll be trying to save my pennies as usual. (This is not to say that ALL "compare to" items are evil and bad...but, some are just not as great as the real thing.)

From the Mouth of Experts:

2008-04-09T20:18:00.000-07:00

May 2008 Reader's Digest "Ask Laskas" Column:

Q: My husband is a world-class procrastinator. If I ask him to do something around the house, he delays so long, he forgets about it. He doesn't take any responsibility for the bills or the kids; everything is left up to me. If I get upset, he says I'm just overreacting. If I try to explain to him how important it is to me that he complete a certain project, I'm nagging. What can I do to get him to move?
More Than Half My Share

A: Dear More,
So Mr. Lazy has tuned you out. And your nag routine is going nowhere. This problem is much bigger than a division of labor. His passive-aggressive act is a way of saying "I'm sick of you, sweetheart." Any nagging on your part is communicating the same. Having translated, I must now recommend professional intervention. To resuscitate this relationship, get some counselling. You two need to speak the same language.

OH CRAP!!!

Basketball 2008

2008-04-07T17:06:00.001-07:00

In January and February, Kaleb played basketball this year at the Legacy Center (Lehi's athletic center). After his first game he said: "Mom, basketball is a lot harder than it looks, but it is fun!"

(He is black #12 in these pictures)

Even though the games were every Wednesday night from 8 to 9pm, we enjoyed watching him learn how to play. The boys played 'man-on-man' defense, and they knew who their 'man' was on the opposing team because they wore matching colored wrist bands. Kaleb enjoyed making his 'man' run every which way....it was a fun game for him. Another time, someone passed him the ball close to the basket..he was star-struck and held the ball for several moments(literally) before he chose to throw the ball behind him instead of at the hoop. We had a couple of good chuckles each time we watched! We look forward to watching him again next year!!

FYI:

2008-04-07T15:59:00.001-07:00

Regardless of my attempt at bribery, No, my toilets did not miraculously remain pee-free this week!!
I am hoping to update and catch up on all that's been missing on our blog this week...keep checking!!

Boys!......RRRRRR!!

2008-04-01T16:34:00.000-07:00

Okay, today I had the not-so-fun job of cleaning the bathrooms. To put it mildly, I am always amazed at what my boys can do to their toilet when they go potty when half asleep, today was no exception....actually, they really outdid themselves this time. I had to spray Clorox Cleanup under the water tank, in all of the crevices, and all surrounding walls and baseboards...not to mention the floors. After I finished the monumental task of cleaning their toilet, I asked both boys to come up so I could have a little heart-to-heart with them. I have come to the desperate point of offering them money to keep the toilets pee-free this week. At the conclusion of my little shpeell, Kaleb asks, "Mom, is it only this toilet that counts?" RRRRRRRRRRR!!

I loved this e-mail!

2008-03-28T11:49:00.000-07:00

THE SPOILED UNDER-30 CROWD!!!
If you are 30 or older, you will think this is hilarious!!!!

When I was a kid, adults used to bore me to tears with their tedious diatribes about how hard things were when they were growing up; what, with walking twenty-five miles to school every morning... uphill BOTH ways yada, yada, yada!

And I remember promising myself that when I grew up, there was no way that I was going to lay a bunch of dribble like that on kids about how hard I had it and how easy they've got it!

But now that... I'm over the ripe old age of thirty, I can't help but look around and notice the youth of today. You've got it so easy! I mean, compared to my childhood, you live in Utopia!

And I hate to say it but you kids today you don't know how good you've got it!

I mean, when I was a kid we didn't have The Internet. If we wanted to know something, we had to go to the library and look it up ourselves, in the card catalog!!

There was no email! We had to actually write somebody a letter...with a pen! Then you had to walk all the way across the street and put it in the mailbox and it would take like a week to get there!

There were no MP3's or Napsters! You wanted to steal music, you had to hitchhike to the record store and shoplift it yourself! Or you had to wait around all day to tape it off the radio and the DJ would usually talk over the beginning and messed it all up!

We didn't have fancy stuff like Call Waiting! If you were on the phone and somebody else called, they got a busy signal, that's it! And we didn't have fancy Caller ID Boxes either! When the phone rang, you had no idea who it was! It could be your school, your mom, your boss, your bookie, your drug dealer, a collections agent, you just didn't know!!! You had to pick it up and take your chances mister!

We didn't have any fancy Sony Playstation video games with high-resolution 3-D graphics! We had the Atari 2600! With games like 'Space Invaders' and 'asteroids' and the graphics sucked! Your guy was a little square! You actually had to use your imagination! And there were no multiple levels or screens, it was just one screen forever! And you could never win. The game just kept getting harder and harder and faster and faster until you died! Just like LIFE!

When you went to the movie theater there no such thing as stadium seating! All the seats were the same height! If a tall guy or some old broad with a hat sat in front of you and you couldn't see, you either moved or guessed as to what was happening!

Sure, we had cable television, but back then that was only like 15 channels and there was no onscreen menu and no remote control! You had to use a little book called a TV Guide to find out what was on! Channel surfing as you know it today, did not exist! You had to get off your rear and walk over to the TV to change the channel and there was no Cartoon Network, either! You could only get cartoons on Saturday morning. Do you hear what I'm saying!?! We had to wait ALL WEEK for cartoons, you spoiled little brats!

And we didn't have microwaves, if we wanted to heat something up we had to use the stove or go build a fire.... imagine that!

If we wanted popcorn, we had to use that stupid Jiffy Pop thing and shake it over the stove forever like an idiot.

That's exactly what I'm talking about! You kids today have got it too easy. You're spoiled!!!!!!!!!

You guys wouldn't have lasted five minutes back in 1980! Oh yeah, and a seatbelt was Mom throwing her arm across your chest every time she hit the brakes.

Regards, The over 30 Crowd

Puter almost fixed!!!

2008-03-25T22:07:00.001-07:00

We have our computer up and going now...but, we can't figure out how to get our computer to recognize our printer...so we can't print..download pix..you know, the important stuff. I think we are about the most computer illiterate people around!! Is anyone but me amazed that Jeff was majoring in Computer Programming when I met him 12 years ago??

"Medium"

2008-03-17T14:35:00.000-07:00

K, so I got up nice and early today. I decided to climb back onto the "workout wagon" and did the class called "Boot camp." Needless to say, it kicked my butt and picked it back up and kicked it again!! Afterwards, I had lots of errands to do. I got ready and put on my new Shade shirt that I got on sale on Saturday. First, Maddie had a doctor appointment; where we learned that she still has ear infections after her third Rocephin shot. Then, we went to the gas station...I did go in and get a drink and suckers for my kids. Then, I ran into Costco and exchanged some yogas I bought that had a hole in them (when I took them out of the package). Then, I went to Wal-mart to get prescriptions and some groceries. Garet's prescription from his urologist was late getting called in, so I had a half hour wait after I was done. So, I took the kids to Del Taco for some yummy (CHEAP) lunch. Afterwards, I ran back into Wally and got their prescriptions. Now, I am making cookies for Bryan and Ryan's birthdays, so I opted to take off my jeans and sport some yogas. Low and behold, as I am folding up my jeans to wear again, I see a "Medium" sticker smack dab on the butt of my jeans!!! I guess, all I can say is that I am glad it was not an "XLarge"!!

So Sorry....

2008-03-15T21:02:00.000-07:00

Our computer is temporarily out of commission. Greg (Jeff's computer savvy brother) wiped off our computer to solve all of our issues. We are now waiting on a Qwest disk to reload the Internet on it. Unfortunately, all we have is our laptop with Internet access right now...so we can't download our pictures or anything. Hopefully, we will be back up and running soon!!

I want to take a moment and thank Mike and Linda for a great vacation in Hawaii! We had a blast and wish we were back there already!!! 30 degree weather and snow are so hard to get used to again!! I am so grateful that all of the adults in the family could get away and have such a great time together!! A million thank-you's go out to Michele Ivins Hall for watching our beast of a baby with ear infections!! What would we do without such great people in our lives??? Thank-you....thank-you....thank-you....

Personality Test

2008-02-29T21:08:00.000-08:00

This is a unique personality test. There are only 4 questions, but the results are very interesting. I was kind of surprised by what some of my answers meant. Be honest and honor what pops into your mind when the questions present themselves.
http://memoriter.net/flash/test.html

Well, I Never.....

2008-02-29T10:52:00.000-08:00

Have gotten a speeding ticket until this morning on the way home from car pool....within two miles of my home...did I mention that it is the LAST day of carpool, too?? The police officer was really nice, also. He dropped my ticket down to 9 over the speed limit. It is going to cost more to go to driving school than to pay the fine for the ticket. Seriously....

Happy Birthday Linda!!

2008-02-23T21:43:00.000-08:00

I just want to wish Jeff's mom Linda a great birthday! Here are ten things I love about her:

1. She is always willing to help. Jeff abuses this when she comes to visit us!

2. She is always happy to see us, talk to us....she always has time for us!

3. She is a wonderful grandmother to my kids!!

4. She is a great listener. I know she is always there for me when I need her.

5. She is a great example of living the Gospel.

6. She is a giver.... on any occasion that I have admired anything of hers, she tries to give it to me.

7. She is adventurous...there are not too many 50-something-year-old's that are up for roller coasters and bungee jumping.

8. She is supportive.

9. She gave me Jeff....even though I feel like kicking him in the tush often...my life would not be what it is without him!

10. She loves me and I never have to doubt it!!

Sorry this is posted a little late; for some reason I thought the big day was tomorrow! Happy Birthday Linda! We love and miss you!! XOXO's!!

SERIOUSLY.....NO, SERIOUSLY!!

2008-02-23T20:44:00.000-08:00

We are the sickest family we know!! Maddie had the throw-ups last Sunday night. Kaleb and Garet both have the throw-ups today. Want to study a new strain of the flu, come see us!! I think next year we'll try our luck WITHOUT the flu vaccine!! I don't think it could be any worse!! Seriously!

Terrible Two's......MY FOOT!!

2008-02-23T19:08:00.002-08:00

Today, I left my family for a couple of hours and went shopping. As I was waiting in the drive-thru line at Wendy's, I noticed a mom carrying her six-month-old daughter out on her hip. I noticed that the baby was happy and carefree.....quite unlike our dear little 19 month old!! We have been very lucky to have two out of three very happy babies......Unfortunately, something seems to posess them around 18 months. (I read once that it is their inability to communicate at this point.) We have tantrum after tantrum after tantrum..... Maddie gets mad if someone else is eating something that looks different than hers ... she gets mad if I take my make-up away from her ... she gets mad if I try to take her bottle away after she has poked her nipple in not once, but twice in one day and caused floods in her bed ... she gets mad at the dog if he takes something from her that she has been trying to give him ... she gets mad if we take her out of the pantry and shut the door('No one' always leaves it open.....'no one' is a big rant for another day) ... she gets mad when we take her down from her high chair because she is throwing her food on the ground ... and then she gets mad that I won't let her take some of her food down with her to walk around the house with .... etc .... etc. I miss my sweet little baby girl!! She still comes out in little spurts, but we really wish she would stay around more permanently!! My boys were usually better around two years old, so I am really counting down here. Are girls about the same?? If not, I don't think I want the answer.....