Happy, Happy Birthday!

I just wanted to wish a Happy Birthday to two of my favorite people- my old roommates, Amie and Kassie, have birthdays today and tomorrow. They are two of the sweetest, best people I know. Some of my happiest, funnest memories are of hanging out with them at BYU in our apartments at the Villa and Liberty Square. (Yes, we lived the high life back in those days.) They are both the type of friend that would do anything for you. I have always appreciated their listening ears and kind words. Now, why do you guys have to live so darn far away from me?!
Anyway, I love you both. Happy Birthday. Live it up this year... next year we'll all be old. :)

...FINALLY!!

Yay!!!!!! Can you tell I'm excited?! As many of you may remember, last year before Leah was born we needed to buy a new car with more room. I wanted a minivan and Andrew wanted an SUV. Andrew and I fought for days about what it was going to be. I'm not kidding- we really fought hard. Even Andrew's parents were witnesses to our arguing and told one of his other siblings later that they had never seen us fight before. :) I guess we both felt pretty strongly about it. Anyway, after a few days, I gave in with the final words, "I think this is the biggest mistake we have ever made and I want to have nothing to do with it." And, ever since that awful day I have driven a car that I despised... and I have taken quite a few opportunities to let Andrew know that I hate it. I'll admit, I haven't been very nice. Don't get me wrong- it was a really nice car. I would have loved it if it hadn't been so hard to get three kids in and out of it. So, I may have lost the battle on that fateful day last April, but this week I won the war. We are now the proud owners (well, I'm proud... Andrew is being a good sport about it) of a minivan! We got a great deal (thanks to Andrew's Dad who really should have been a car salesman in this life) and the girls absolutely love it. The day was fairly eventful- Andrew and his Dad also got new cars too. I hope you smile at the pictures below. My new minivan. Isn't it pretty? The color wouldn't have been my first choice, but every time I look at it, I love it more and more. I even woke up the next morning and checked in the garage just to make sure it was really there. Yep, I'm lame.
Andrew's new truck- another killer deal.
Andrew's Dad's new (well, to him) 1981 Corvette... in perfect condition... isn't it beautiful? OK, so maybe he came out better than Andrew and I, but I really couldn't be happier.

Alexa's Post

Alexa informed me this morning that we hadn't posted anything on our blog for a long time. She's right, of course, but her idea of a fun post and my idea of one are totally different. However, I'm feeling nice this morning, so we are posting Alexa's blog. Yesterday the girls and I had an unfun errand to run for Andrew (taking pictures for an appraisal). We hardly ever do it and the girls hate it. I told them if they were good and didn't complain that we could go to the store and pick out new lip gloss (they LIVE for new lip gloss... they are such girls). So, Alexa decided we needed a picture . You can hardly see them in the picture, but Alexa is happy.

First Day of School

Yes, it is that time of year around St. George where school is now in session, even though the rest of the world still has weeks left till school starts. I suppose I will be glad when we are done in May next year and you are all still going strong till June. Can you believe I have a child in Kindergarten?! It is exciting and fun. Alexa loved her first week of school . I think she wishes it wasn't so short of a day. I am praying that all day Kindergarten hits our school before Callie goes. We walked her to school everyday this week. A few reasons for that: first, the school is only four blocks from our house; second, it's actually not that hot at 9 in the morning and the other girls like getting out; and third, Callie spent the majority of her week puking her little guts out and the thought of having her in the car was scary. I was lucky she did OK on the pick-up side. The one day we walked to pick her up was way too hot- we won't do that again till October or so. ANYWAY... so begins the life of schedules and time frames for us. No more escaping to my Mom's for weeks on end just because I feel like it, no more storytime at the library in the mornings (for Alexa anyway), and no more staying in our PJ's just because we feel like it. We've entered a new phase of life... and we LOVE it!! Alexa wouldn't smile because she said the sun was too bright... silly girl.
Her backpack that she is so proud of- it's almost as big as her, huh?
Alexa with our neighbors, Parker and Jordan. Jordan is also in Kindergarten. Parker is in 3rd grade. Alexa will be walking to school with them everyday. Isn't she lucky to have two cute bodyguards to care for her on the way to school? Actually, there are probably 20 kids in our neighborhood who walk to school. They should all pretty much be sticking together.

For Jodie

Here are the pictures you wanted. Hope they work for you. Let me know if you need anything else. The piece of plastic at the top has a name... I couldn't tell you what it is, though.
*For anyone else reading this- Erica's sister-in-law made this for me when I had Leah. Makes nursing so much easier. Check with Erica to see if Susan is still making them.

Just one more...

How many posts can you make in one day before people are finally sick of you?? I must have a lot to say today...

Leah had her tubes put in this morning. It went really well. She didn't cry when the nurse took her away and she didn't cry when she came out of the anesthetic and she didn't cry the rest of the day. We were so happy! And, we were in and out in exactly one hour, which made it even better. I think Leah must have a high pain tolerance. Seven ear infections in a matter of ten months can do that to a kid, I guess. Anyway, hopefully it will make this winter a little more pleasant than last winter.

My little brother, David, got engaged on Saturday. Thanks a whole heck of a lot for waiting till Monday to tell me the news. No, no- thanks for letting me find out from our sister on Monday that you had good news to share. You know I'm just kidding... kind of. Anyway, we LOVE Angie and are so grateful she will be a part of our family. My girls adore her. Hey- didn't you guys promise to come visit sometime?


I have to give a talk on Sunday... again. That brings the total up to 5 in three years, folks. Do I need to learn something that I'm not aware of?? Luckily, I have the help of a couple of sisters and a mom who agreed to be "guinea pigs" this week for me. We'll see how it goes. It's a good thing I don't have an aversion to speaking or I totally would have gone inactive ages ago.

School starts for Alexa on Tuesday. One week!! We are getting really excited around here. We found out yesterday who her teacher is and what class she will be in. There are seven other kids from our ward in her class. OK, you family from Washington will laugh at this: 8 kids from our ward in her class and that is one of six kindergarten classes. The REST of the kids in our ward who will be in Kindergarten are dispersed in the other 5 classes. Funny, huh? Anyway, she is thrilled and we are thrilled for her. We are now in the process of convincing Callie that it will be fun to be the "big" sister at home while Alexa is gone everyday. That will be the hard part.

I started and finished Breaking Dawn on Saturday... thank goodness. I needed to read it and move on with my life. It is now out of my house and probably won't be back for awhile- there is already a waiting list of friends who want it. It was really good! Nothing like what I expected, but the perfect close to the series.

OK, I think that is all the news I have to share.

This is For Tracey

OK, I know you will all read this post, but it really is just for Tracey.

Hey, is there a reason I can't comment on your blog?! I've been trying for ages and still can't leave a message for you. Glad to see everything is going well- love the pictures. I tried calling- I'll try again once I get the whole time thing figured out... How many hours is it? By the way- are you missing a Cars Leapster cartridge? I think I may have found it. Let me know and I'll send it.

I am horrified that this link even exists (found it on someone else's blog) and even more horrified that I was curious enough to take the quiz and TRULY horrified that it tells me I could fight off 15 five year olds if I had to. Good thing I'm no longer in Primary.... OK, I know you're all dying to take this quiz too, so go to it.
15

"Funktown"

So, one day last week my friend Stacy and I swapped kids. She took Alexa to play with Joslyn and I took her daughter, Jaide. Callie and Jaide are so cute together. They danced to Camp Rock music, carried purses around, played in the sprinklers outside for awhile, rode bikes and acted "cool". Callie got her sunglasses out for them to wear and kept saying, "Let's go to Funktown". I have no idea where she heard it or where she thinks Funktown is, but it took all I had to not laugh at them. I had to get a pictures of them in all their glory. They were so funny! I love three-year olds.

Bugged

OK, irritated is a little better description of what I am feeling. So, last Thursday I went to Costco and bought a pair of jeans. My friend, Kami, had told me they were a great deal (which they were) and were really cute (which they are). I bought a pair and LOVED them, so I thought I would go back and buy another pair. Then, as I was going over the receipt, I realized they charged me too much. So, the next day I went back and told them and they looked it up and told me the price they rang up as was what they were. I went back and looked at the sign and they had changed the price. OK, I'm not crazy- I know how much the sign said they were when I bought them. I know how much Kami paid for hers. You mean to tell me that in a matter of less than 24 hours they can change the price and I get screwed?! I called my mom and raged over the phone. She, of course, told me to just go buy another pair even though I was totally ripped off because they are so great. You know how hard it is to find jeans that you think are cute... So, is it the principle of the matter that I not buy another pair or do I just suck it up and forgive Costco for being stupid?

Hooray For Short Hair In The HOT, HOT Summer!

So, I got my hair cut this week. I LOVE it! I should have cut it short ages ago. DeAnna did a great job and it's way easier to do than I thought it would be- I think that is why I was so terrified of short hair. The pictures below really don't do it justice- it's an A-line, stacked in the back. I haven't had hair this short since that fateful day in the spring of '96 when a beloved sister kept saying, "let me just even it out a bit more". (Does anyone remember that?) Anyway, I'll try to take better pictures some other time- it really does look great and I love it.

Tagged... Thanks, Mom!

Wasn't it thoughtful of my Mom to tag all her daughters with a new one? Yeah... we all think so. :)

I am - - - tired.
I want to be - - - a Corporate Lawyer (that isn't to say that I don't love being a mom- it would just be nice to know that I accomplished the feat of Law School)
I need - - - a big chunk of chocolate to munch on.
I wish - - - my kids would sleep past 7am on any given day.
I'm scared - - - of deep, dark water.
I will never forget - - - the fun teenage years I had growing up with my brothers and sisters... we were so blessed to have each other and had such a good time together! In case anyone is wondering, I have the BEST family ever... seriously- you should all be jealous.
What the world could do without - - - cockroaches- really, what IS their purpose?

OK- I tag all past roommates who read this- you know who you are.

Fourth of July Celebrations

So, I'm a little late in posting pictures for the 4th... It seems so long ago I can hardly remember what we did! Believe it or not, swimming lessons weren't canceled for us, so we spent the majority of the afternoon at the pool. It suited us all fine, because it was so stinkin' hot outside. We came home, had our own BBQ, then went to our friends, the West's, for some fireworks. Just as we were finishing up, it was time for the big fireworks downtown, so we drove over to watch. I think the girls had a great time. They were absolutely exhausted when we got home. Both Alexa and Callie said they needed to be carried to their room because they were too tired to walk. This is the kids throwing Pop-its. Gotta love those things.
Leah wasn't a fan of fireworks. I think they may have been too loud for her liking. Andrew and I had a fun time talking about the first 4th of Julys for all the girls. Alexa was a few months old, we were living in Provo. We watched the Stadium of Fire fireworks from our neighbors, the Butterworth's, yard. She laid on a blanket and slept through all the noise. Our friends, the Brinkerhoff's, kept commenting on how good she was and were amazed by her. She was, of course one of the only babies around at the time in our circle of friends... none of us knew any different. :) Callie was only a couple weeks old on her first 4th. We watched fireworks from Aunt Carrie's Dad's house. Callie slept through the whole thing in her car seat. I remember being so relieved because I hadn't wanted to go anywhere that night. She was great. Last year Leah also slept in her car seat during the fireworks show, but from the car. We drove to the field by Summit and watched from there. It has become our new place to watch the fireworks from. Such a good view and so easy to get home!

I hate lighting off fireworks... it makes me nervous. Thanks to the West's for taking on the responsibility and letting us partake in the fun!

A Total Bust

So, I tried to take the girls to see a Kung Fu Panda last night. Tried is the key word. The air conditioning happened to be broken in the one theatre room where the movie was being shown. It had to have been at least 95 degrees in there. We had to leave early... Callie was sweating like a pig (or perhaps a large overweight panda). Anyway, she wanted to sit on my lap and have me blow on her neck and feet (I know- gross) so she could cool down. So, I was roasting from the body heat factor. I went to complain twice to the manager. The first time he played dumb and said, "Oh, is the air not on in there?" DUH!!! The second time I wasn't as nice and he gave us free passes to come back another time. Smart guy. Alexa didn't want to leave, but I insisted. If I had to listen to Callie any longer I would have gone crazy. One of the girls' friends who went with us was even complaining of a headache it was so hot in there. You just can't live without air conditioning in a place like this. How did they do it in Brigham Young's time?!
*Like my little picture below? From what we did see of the movie, it looked good... I would possibly recommend it if I had been able to concentrate on any of it. I'll give a full review once we see it again.

My Battle Wound

This is the nasty bruise I received while running through the forest at Girls Camp last week. It looks way worse in person, I assure you. Long story short: I was trying to get to one of the girls quickly, jumped over a log that was partially covered in tall grass, hit my leg on two knots that were sticking out but were hidden by the tall grass. I have no idea how it didn't bleed. I kept pushing on my jeans waiting for the blood to seep through. Instead I got a disgusting bruise that looks like someone took a swing at me with a baseball bat. Gross, huh? I figure it will be lingering on my leg for another three weeks....

I'm Ba-ack!

I spent last week at Girls Camp with my ward. It was a great week and now I am exhausted. We had 35 Young Women, 7 Young Women Leaders, 6 tents, 4 fun-filled days, 1 not-so-fun evening of torrential rain, and a massive clean-up of mud when we got home. We were one of only six wards in our Stake to stick it out through the downpour- five wards went home Friday night. I am very lucky to work with AMAZING women in Young Women's. They made the week more than enjoyable, despite all the hard work to pull it off. We also have some pretty amazing Young Women. They make it easy to work hard because they are worth it! Despite the one evening of rain, the weather was fantastic. It was cooler than St. George, but was hot enough to burn nearly everyone's noses and necks on the first day. We were grateful the camp added flushing toilets this year- a major upgrade from last time. Now, if we can convince them that hot showers are a must...
Andrew had the three girls while I was away. He was a trooper to stay with them so I could be gone. I am thankful he makes it possible for me to fulfill my calling and doesn't complain about it. He suffered through swimming lessons in 110 degree heat, fevers in the middle of the night, and potty-training. And despite it all, was in a good mood when I got home and told me it really wasn't that bad! He even had dinner planned for Saturday night, had the house clean, and let me take a nap in the afternoon. What a great Dad he is!
So, there will be more posts to come- I'm far, far behind (I haven't even posted our 4th of July pictures yet!). I'm just too tired to do it now.... Just wanted to let everyone know that I am alive.

Isn't she cute?

Here are some of the most recent pictures of Leah... just because she's so cute. She is endearing in every way except one: for some odd reason she has the highest pitched scream I have ever heard and she likes to use it frequently. My ears are going CRAZY. I can hardly stand the sound of it. I have come to the conclusion that we must just live in a loud house and she wants to be heard as well. I hope it will go away very soon before she starts breaking mirrors and china with her noises. You know she's tired if she is willing to lay down next to you and fall asleep. It doesn't happen very often, but I love it when it does.
Alexa left her half eaten apple on her stool one day last week. Leah went over and shook the stool till the apple fell down.
And then she feasted. She was fairly proud of herself. I was impressed with her ingenious plan.
Leah usually plays in my room while I shower and get ready in the morning. Well, either my shower was WAY too long or she was still tired a couple hours after getting up. She emptied the contents of the basket she always plays with and then fell asleep in it. So sweet.
This is her new favorite place: Callie's chair. Uh-oh.... not good. We have had several fights already; the chair had to be taken away today because Callie completely pushed Leah out of it. What will I do with those two? If I had known that Target was never going to make another chair EXACTLY like this one, I'd have bought five. I'm not kidding. Everyone wants to sit in this chair. It's not like the normal moon chairs that fall over and kids can't get in and out of. This one is perfect. Even Leah can crawl in and out of it without hurting herself. If only I had known how great it was three years ago...

Camp Rock

Callie's birthday was a success last week. She has been waiting for so long to have it be her day. It's hard being so young and seeing everyone else in the family have a birthday before you. On each of our birthdays she has asked how long it is till hers. We tried to make the day extra special for her because she waited patiently through Andrew, Alexa, Leah and my birthdays without much complaint. We decorated the house, had pink donuts for breakfast, and a new outfit for her to wear. She was a happy little three year old. Opening her new clothes. A Dora skirt, of course. I've really gotten soft in recent months to actually be the one to buy clothes with cartoon characters on them!
Her other presents had to wait till Dad came home from work. Actually, Andrew came home and Callie was gone with Grandma at the Bear Mill making a cute pink birthday poodle.
Jordan and Parker came over in the morning and played for awhile.


We had Callie's birthday party on Friday night. I think she had a great time. She was really looking forward to having friends come over to be with her. I let her choose the menu for dinner: pizza, soda, cupcakes, popsicles, strawberries, grapes, and Hershey kisses (which I forgot to put out; luckily, she didn't notice). We watched the premiere of Camp Rock on the Disney Channel. These girls were hilarious. As soon as the movie started they were dancing and screaming and yelling. It was really loud in our house. They eventually lost interest in the movie, which we knew they would, and mostly just played together. However, since Friday, my girls have watched Camp Rock once a day. So, it was no great loss on Friday- we've made up for it. More Dora stuff... do you see a trend? Her favorite present was a Camp Rock pillow.... the picture of it wasn't great, so I didn't put it up.
A Dora purse from Aunt Andrea. And, Dora underwear. Now, if she would just USE the underwear. Ahhh.... what am I going to do with her?
We looked everywhere for Camp Rock plates, napkins and stuff but couldn't find any. We settled for Dora. Have you had enough Dora yet?
Callie and her cousin Amber waiting for pizza.
The movie started and they were crazy! And, when the Jonas Brothers actually came on screen they were even more crazy. How did I, of all people, get girls who are such girlie girls? I'm surprised no one got hurt with all the jumping around they did.
This was in the beginning of the movie when we had high hopes they would actually watch it. We knew better, of course.
Pink cupcakes with pink frosting with pink candles. Another request from Callie.
Callie's new nightgown after the guests have all departed and she wound down from her eventful day. Happy Birthday, Callie! We love you so much!

Three Years Ago...

I can hardly believe it has been three years since Callie's birth. She came a week and a half early, much to my distress. Yes, I was willing her to be right on time. We were living with Andrew's parents waiting for our house to be done. It was, of course, behind schedule. I knew if she came right on time we would be in the house; any sooner and we would not. So, of course, all my baby stuff was packed in the back of our storage unit when she decided to come. It was around 2 AM when I woke Andrew up and we left for the hospital. She was born at 6AM. We had to borrow a car seat to get her home and clothes to get us through the first week. The house was finished on her due date and we moved when she was just a week old. Through all the craziness of her birth, you'd think it would have been a hard time. But, I remember it was easier than I had expected. I felt great and she was such a good baby; I never had any trouble with her. We were so blessed. Callie is so special. There always has been something about her that is endearing. You can't stay mad at her no matter what she has done. Her smile is contagious and she can melt almost anyone's heart. I love her so much and am grateful to be her mother. Happy Birthday, sweetie!
She weighed in at 6 lbs. 7 oz. We thought she was small... until Leah came along. Yeah, crummy picture of me. Remember, I was in labor in the middle of the night. :)
Living with Andrew's parents had its perks that first week. I never had to worry about cooking meals and there was always someone to take care of Alexa when I needed it. My sister and her girls came to stay that first week, too. (Remember, we were supposed to be in the house by then...) I still remember one of the first nights that my sister stayed up with Callie for hours so I could sleep. I will always be thankful for her. I have such a great family.
Callie was always the best sleeper. She is the one child I could lay in her crib awake and she would just lay there till she fell asleep. She is still a great sleeper.

Happy Birthday Callie, Brielle and Benjamin!

It's always so fun sharing a birthday with others. Happy Birthday to Callie's cousin Brielle, who turns 8 today and will be baptized tomorrow. We wish we could be there. And to Benjamin, our favorite 6 year-old! We have been playing with Benjamin since before Alexa was born. We love you and miss you still. Hope your day was wonderful!

Brielle showing a recently lost tooth.


Benjamin, Alexa, Christian and Callie on their last visit to St George.

OK, I know this is a small picture... those of you who know the Disney Channel will recognize these three boys. My girls are in love with the Jonas Brothers. I'm not kidding. I've got Callie telling me that she wants to marry them and kissing the TV when they come on, Alexa telling me that she loves Nick's curly hair (funny story- we saw him on TV not too long ago and he had gotten his hair cut so some of the curl was gone. Alexa looked at me and said, "What happened to his hair?! Oh, I can hardly look at him." Yes, I am totally serious.) And the real kicker is the new Disney movie that premieres tomorrow- Camp Rock- featuring those crazy boys. Tomorrow is Callie's birthday. She wants a Camp Rock party. So, we are indulging her three year old request and having friends over to catch the new movie. She has been talking about it for weeks... literally. And, whenever we hear one of their songs on the radio (which they know all of them), she asks me to turn it up and she "rocks out". That is what she calls it, not me. WHAT HAVE WE GOTTEN OURSELVES INTO WITH THREE GIRLS?!?!
We'll take pictures of the madness going on at our house tomorrow night. Don't you wish you could be here?

Amber is 8!

For the last eight years, I have had the great opportunity to share my birthday week with my niece, Amber. Her birthday is the day after mine, so we frequently have family gatherings to celebrate our birthdays. Today was one of those great occasions. Amber is amazing- she has lived through more in her little lifetime than most people ever do. Amber was born with Down Syndrome, she is in remission after a long fight with Leukemia, and has had heart surgery to repair holes in her heart. Amber is sweet and loving and concerned for the welfare of everyone else. We are lucky to have her as a part of our family. Today, she was in all her glory. It was so fun to see her so excited about a day devoted to her. Michelle told us that today in church she went around and greeted everyone before Sacrament Meeting and informed them it was her birthday. She was genuinely thrilled at every birthday present she opened and her whole face was glowing. Happy Birthday, Amber! We love you so much! (By the way- the last three pictures here are specifically for Aunt Andrea who couldn't be here today. They are of Amber opening Andrea's gift. We missed you, Andrea!) Amber and the crew of kids... actually I don't think this is even half of them. Well, maybe half.
The two birthday girls... and a bunch of other people who couldn't be nearly as important as Amber and I. OK, that's a little harsh considering two of the other people are my own kids. The girl holding Callie is actually Michelle and Steve's neighbor, Andi. She is everyone's swim instructor and we LOVE her. Callie especially has taken to her. We wish she lived on our side of town so she could babysit for us.
It wouldn't be a birthday if Alexa wasn't helping someone open their present.
Littlest Pet Shop Go Fish. They tried playing before we left... it was a valiant attempt.
Workbooks to do over the summer for letters and numbers. Amber informed her mom that they HAD to do them. And, Michelle said they would because Andrea said so. It was funny.

Happy Birthday to Me...

Yesterday marked the 29th anniversary of my birth... I suppose we can call it a birthday. It was a good day. I went to library where I spent as much time looking through books as I wanted (no, it's not odd- I go to the library with the girls all the time and never get to leave the children's section- I hate that. I really wanted to go and look at a book that was more than 50 pages long), I went shopping and spent as much time as I wanted doing it, Andrew and I went to a movie (Indiana Jones... what did you all think of it? Was the alien thing a little weird?), and then we celebrated with the girls. One of my better birthdays, I think. I spent most of the day wishing that it was my 30th birthday. I know most people have an aversion to getting older- I really don't. With three kids, I think it's time for me to be older. I certainly can't be 23 anymore. So, even if I don't feel older (or even look older for that matter), I am glad to be aging and for life to be moving on- as it should. The girls are all in their Pajamas with wet, out of control hair- maybe we should have planned the eating of the cake for a better time....


Leah can't quite figure out candles yet. She had a hard time with hers on her birthday too. And, in typical Callie fashion, the flame was out before I really got the breath out of my mouth to do it myself.