ZING ZANG ZOOM!

We went to the circus last night because I won tickets from here! My kids were MORE than thrilled to be going and Peter and I tried our best to keep our eyes open after an exhausting move and for me, two days of cleaning at the old house. Our "new" house is in complete shambles, but I wanted some "family" time before we go in search of cooler weather.

A few years back, we attended a "home town circus" in Spokane, and I thought it was so well done and well thought out. It wasn't as "big" as the regular circus, but I thought it was amazing. Last night seemed like a scaled down version as well. Although they didn't market it as a "home town circus" because they were in the GIGANTIC city of Phoenix, I think they probably have made it smaller than in years past. The economy has trickled down to even the circus folks.

To be honest, there were a lot of great parts to the show. Tight rope, flying circles, tight rope, trapeze artists, rope artists (think cirque), as well as horses, dogs, elephants and tigers. However, I have to admit I like the "home town circus" a whole lot better! There was a weird feel to this show. Their theme was "Don't try this at home" and since I have younger children, it may have been a little much for me. Along with that, there was a nemesis named "gravity" and it wasn't very well planned out in my opinion and as the night went on, I got tired of seeing "gravity" running around.

The kids thought it was amazing and I love sharing a part of my childhood that I loved with them. The tricks and animals were always so incredible. Now, as an adult, the circus hasn't changed much. But I still love to see it when it comes to town. . just so I can see the smile on their faces!

Life as it is.

Most of you know, we just went through a move. . . (no links to past stories today, your just gonna have to believe me) It was chaotic. I think anything is chaotic when you are trying to take care of 4 kids. One being a 4 month old, and one being 2. Oh, and one being Autistic and well, Abby is perfect.

It went pretty well. Except that I wasn't fully packed . . eventhough I thought I did really well. Which resulted in at least 8 car loads being brought over one by one. It is only a few blocks away. .. but that was a major pain. I highly don't recommend doing that. Pack every last little trinket. Just do it. You will be happy you did. I had to do that on the way here, because movers were moving us here. But when you do a close move, it is too tempting.

I am getting ready to start an extended vacay on Friday. Driving myself (and 4 kids) to Utah. I KNOW you are all sitting on the edge of your seats waiting for my trip stories. The last ones were so amazing. I am hoping for no stories. I had enough last time to last me a LIFETIME. So, hope that for me, okay?

All in all, I think I am doing pretty well, and well, after the last year (it being a year since we have moved here) I have decided that I can pretty much deal with ANYTHING. Yes, I said ANYTHING. Bring it on. I can totally hack it. Seriously.

That being said, when so called "law suit settlement" stopped coming our way (again, do your own homework people, I don't have times for links today) we started down the path of trying to rectify that. . . How you might ask? Well, the only way that we can. Yup, by getting the stores back.

You might say, "Wait! Didn't your husband get a new job?" and I would say, "Why yes, he did!" and then you would say, "But isn't he getting a masters?" And I would say, "Um, yeah, he is" and THEN you would say, "Well, then how are you going to take the stores back?" And then I would say. . Your lookin' at her. Yup. Me. Me and my 4 month old baby. . . runnin' a couple of pizza joints. Wanna pizza?

I will tell you all about the CIRCUS TOMORROW (picture that was a link).

CIRCUS WINNER!

MICHELLE!

You won the tickets to the circus! I went to Random.org this morning and plugged in our numbers and VOILA!!! #1 came up! WOW! I would have never thought it would be #1 CONGRATULATIONS! I will probably see you there!

Thanks to everyone for playing!

I WON and YOU CAN WIN TOO!

You know I am right in the middle of a move. . . and probably shouldn't be doing this, but I was so excited that I won some TICKETS TO THE CIRCUS that I asked if I could do a giveaway too!!! I love the circus and jumped at the chance to win free tickets! The circus is next week here in PHX! AND I CAN'T WAIT!

Guess what? I finally won a GIVEAWAY and YOU CAN TOO!

RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW!

Leave me a comment and on SUNDAY I will randomly pick a WINNER! And it could be you!

If you have friends or family that live in the area, please send them a link to the blog and have them leave a comment! GOOD LUCK! If you link me to your blog to let your friends and family know, you can add another comment telling me you did so! Want another option? Send a link to your friends via Facebook!

GOOD LUCK!

IF YOU DON'T WIN THE GIVEAWAY, YOU CAN STILL GET TICKETS THROUGH TICKETMASTER.COM. IF YOU ENTER THIS SPECIAL CODE, YOU CAN GET 4 TICKETS FOR $44! ENTER THE CODE "MOM" IN THE MC PROMOTION CODE BOX. CODE NOT GOOD FOR RING SIDE OR VIP SEATING.

We have some great cirucs memories! Check out Abby's Circus Dream Video on my sidebar, and you will see why we can't WAIT to go back!!!

Peek A BOO! I see you!

So I have left blog land. Kind of. Actually, I am still keeping a close eye on all of you. After all, when you are packing your life away, you still need to take a break now and again. . . and my FAVORITE nursing past time is reading blogs. Sorry if I am a little shy on the comments these days. I am visiting your blog and having fun too!

I am also keeping busy with all of the screamin' deals out there! Kmart is doubling coupons this week, and I have already done my diaper run. They had an AWESOME diaper deal scenario, and if you haven't added THIS BLOG to your reader yet, you are MISSING OUT!

I also hit CVS this week for a few of their deals. Although their diaper deal didn't work for me, it might work for you! I DID take advantage of the Candy deal though. There were some M&M coupons in the mail lately, and I got 6 packages of candy for $1.66 each. (not that I need any more candy-- HEY! BTW! I have lost a few pregnancy lbs. . .FINALLY! But still have a long way to go)

The other thing I have been doing is getting back to my passion for cooking. I LOVE cooking. Have I told you that? Oh, and one other thing. . . I have found a site that fuels my LOVE FOR COOKING like no other. . . I had visited a few times before, but now SHE is on my reader baby! I was looking at the site the other day and ooooooohing and aaaaaaaahhhing over all of the stuff on there... Peter decidedly declared the website "foodie p@rn" . . and rightfully so. So far, I have made THIS and I am GONNA make THIS, THIS and THIS! If I could have Pastor Ryan over for just a short minute . . . OH BABY!!! Moving on. . . . (Just read the blog, ok?--- Consider it my foodie gift to you)

I have another cutie pie friend who just started a blog! HI CASSI! I love love love it when people from one of the MILLION places I have lived start blogging. I love it as a way to peek into their lives and see how they are doing. I just STINKIN' LOVE IT! Anyway, she put a great recipe for bagels on there. I know, BAGELS? Yes, and they are fast and easy and fun! Open up a bagel shop with your kids. . .just for today. They are gonna love it and so are you.

Here is me. . .checking back out. LOVE YA!

Where in the world is Lindsey Long Legs?

I know. . . I thought I would be back by now too. But to be honest, it is gonna be a while. Because:

A. We have to move. Shocker. I know. But since this guy stopped paying us, we need to "downsize" or more like "lose the expensive yard". We're outta here, in 2 1/2 weeks.

B. Have I found a place to go? Yes, thankfully. It is hard to do that around here. The rental market is H.O.T. and there wasn't much to choose from in our kids school boundary. (Try two houses) Luckily, we got the bigger one. . It truly was a blessing.

C. Have I packed a box yet? No.

D. Kaylin is still waking up in the night, and is THE ONLY BABY KNOWN TO MAN THAT HATES SLEEPING IN HER CAR SEAT! Which means running children around to various activities is a very noisy and sometimes unpleasant experience.

E. Wade has determined that 5:30 a.m. is an awesome time to wake up. Today, 5:00 a.m. was even AWESOMER! The sad part is, I had just fed K at 4:30. So, basically, I was up at 4:30 a.m. This makes for a very long day and a very grouchy mommy. Can blog-land please unite in fervent prayer that Wade will sleep until 6? Thank you.

F. I haven't filed my taxes yet. I don't think I did last year either. They were done, I just didn't mail them in. I had just moved about the time they were done. Woops.

G. Of the TWO rental houses that we have back in WA. . . BOTH gave 30 days notice at the beginning of this month. . You know. . . because I wasn't busy enough. . . . I needed to field tons of phone calls from people interested in renting and making and sending contracts and BLAH BLAH BLAH.

H. 7 days after moving. . I am going on ANOTHER road trip. By myself. I bet you CAN'T WAIT to hear the stories. . . . Don't worry. I will be sure to fill up with GAS. Hopefully, there will be a mexican fiesta somewhere along the way home.

See ya in a few. . . .MONTHS!

FOODIE ALERT!

Hey, my blogging break has been nice. Did you miss me? I can't say that I am ready to come back quite yet, but, to keep you busy maybe you can help my sister out!

For those of you who don't know, we have a food blog. You can check it out at

http://favoritefamilyfood.blogspot.com/

Me and my sisters post our favorite recipes from time to time and you can be rest assured that if it is here. . . It is awesome! We are a family full of foodies. . . My sis posted a question for you all on the food blog, so, give her a shout and let her know your favorite Costco secrets!

Let us know what your favorite Costco find is!

Sleep when your baby sleeps. . .

The age old advice that no one ever follows. . .

However, I have tried to over the last few days because K has decided that sleeping through the night is not all that it was cracked up to be. She enjoys our little night time visits a little too much I guess.

She has been a little unpredictable as of late, and actually spent 7 hours awake yesterday. Oh yes she did. You better believe I was ready to put her down for the night last night. . . Oh yes I was.

The problem was, the husband and I had lots of issues to discuss. Just when I thought we were out of the woods, we have had them "re-surface". It is making me feel a little like this. Not to mention I heard more of "this" just after I had drifted off to sleep last night, making my night a little longer, or would that be making my morning a little longer. I am not sure.

And today when I laid down on my bed. . . covered myself up with my soft sheets, placed my head on my fluffy pillow and curled up with Harold (my body pillow), I heard this. . .

I feel a little like I have been walking up a hill with boulders rolling down it. For the past two months, I have managed to jump over or stay clear of most of the boulders. . . Except, I got a little lazy and just got plowed over by one. Or a couple. . . meaning, 5 or 6.

Thanks for the comments last post. You all are nice to respond to my complaining. I guess blogging to me without comments is like talking to a brick wall, or telling jokes without a laugh. Sometimes, you just want to know that someone is listening.

Since I am still lying on the ground from boulders rolling down the hill, I think I am going to have to take a little break. Somethings just need more attention than others. . . like this. .

And the bags under my eyes. TTFN.

PS- This photo shoot with K was tons of fun. It involved me saying things like, "WORK iT! WORK IT!!" And "Give me more!" "A little more on the pouty side, GOOD!" "That's iT!!"

Alright Already!

Well, to the 6 of you who wanted to hear the rest of the story. . . hear it goes. (If you think I am obsessed about comments lately, I am. Because I still have not gotten over this. . Sorry, I am feeling jaded)

After our 2 hours and 10 minutes on the beach (I know, because that is what my meter said after I plugged all of the change I had into it), we started to head home. The big part of my master plan for traveling home worked. . . kids worn out after ocean time. . . take a nice nap. Ahhhhhhhh quiet. They ALL slept, being warn out after D-land and the beach. It was the nicest 2 hours in traffic I have ever spent.



I have NO idea where all of the people in Southern California were going. . . Indio? I don't know, but they were all going there and they were all going there with ME! I was just grateful to have some peace and quiet. However, we didn't reach Indio until about 4:00 p.m. The good news is, there is a McDonalds in Indio with a pretty great playland. (Wait, was I even IN Indio?I can't remember) We stopped and went inside. I was hoping to find the playland empty, but no. .

There was a FULL BLOWN MEXICAN FIESTA PARTY! With Tias, Tios and Abuelos included! (Thanks for the terminology Jessica!)





We had only been in the playland for a few minutes noticing the birthday party going on when all my kids got plates of cake and were heading to tables to devour it. (They can all thank Jaxon for asking) The nice gentlemen (we will call him Tio- Uncle in Spanish) dished them all up a 4x4 piece of cake. WONDERFUL! Sugared up kids for the car! YAY ME!





They continued to play with the kids in the party and a few minutes before we were about leave Tia (the Aunt, in Spanish) started handing my kids gift bags. . . as party favors!! I protested saying, "No! That is ok!!!" But, they got them anyway. I shoulda looked in those gift bags before we hit the road. They were loaded with MORE candy! All of it was candy from Mexico and my kids had tons of fun trying new kinds of candy that they had never seen before and couldn't pronounce the names of! They kept quiet about it until I looked in my rear view mirror and saw this.

See the guilty character with candy in her hand? And barrettes from her gift bag in her hair? (One was a Big Bird clip-- It was an Elmo themed party) Yeah, she was already all the way through her candy. :)

We hit the road again and I was doing my best to make up some time. Unfortunately, we had to make a pit stop when Abby's tummy was doing flip flops from eating all that candy! We pulled into a truck stop and an Elderly trucker was standing in front of the parking space we pulled into. . he was just havin' a smoke. Abby shot out of the car and into the gas station to find the bathroom.

I got out, and walked to the back to let Jaxon out to stretch his legs. . . Then, I walked around to the other side, and let Wade out. This encouraged the man to scoff, "YOU GOT MORE IN THERE??????" Yessir! Just me and my clown car! They just keep hoppin' out! I pulled K out to change her diaper. . .yep, right there on the pavement. I threw down a towel and did the dirty work as quick as I could. Flies a swarmin' and everything! I am sure it is quite a site to see a 3 month old baby spralled out on a towel in the middle of nowhere behind a parked car 1/2 naked in 98 degree weather. . . You can picture it, No?

After that, I walked into the truck stop (with all the kids) to find Abby, who was STILL IN THE BATHROOM! We walked in to the bathroom and she said she was going to be done in a minute. We waited and as she came out, she noticed a dispenser on the wall... (this may NOT be "G" rated- Warning Noted) She exclaimed, "LOOK MOM! THEY GLOW IN THE DARK!. . . IT SAYS WATCH IT GROW! CAN WE GET ONE?" Me: "Um, no Abby, we can't. Those are NOT TOYS! " Crickets chirping, Abby: "Then what are they?" Ugggggggggggghhhhh.. Do we have to have this talk right now?????

9 hours later we got home. Yes, I said 9 hours and YES, it is only supposed to take 6.

END OF STORY.

Just the facts

I can sense some of you doubting the hilarious and incredibly absurd trip that I took to California with my kids.... but, it was all REAL.... 100% of it. Just ask the guy from Parker Towing.

We DID have SOME fun! Here are a few more cell phone pix for you to enjoy.

Wade LOVED KC Jr. One of the great rides that we don't have to wait in long lines for because of the "Jaxon Pass". Hmmmm. . now that I look back upon the FIRST experience with the Jaxon Pass, I am starting to wonder if trips to D-land are just doomed for us. Abby insisted being in the "Monkey Cage" on KC Jr. I wonder why. I would have some more great pictures to post here because I WAS with people who DID get out THEIR cameras, but they haven't sent me any pictuers, or posted any on their blog yet.

HINT HINT HINT! HOOK ME UP PEOPLE!Right before we left CA, I took my kids to the beach for a couple of hours. It was overcast, and windy and I would say, kinda cold. . . but you would have never guessed it by my kids who were having the time of their lives playing at the beach.

I asked them on our way home if they would rather hit D-land, or the beach, and they said in unison, THE BEACH! There is just something about the sand and the surf that makes for a great time!

We had a few more "experiences" on the way home. . . Anyone care to hear the rest of the story?? Please post in the comment section if you want to hear about the trip home which includes a Mexican Fiesta Party with Elmo, and a VERY interesting trip to the bathroom at a truck stop!

Lemme know!!!

As if that wasn't enough. .

If you are just joining us, I am re-counting a VERY memorable trip to Disneyland. You can see Part I and Part II here.

We finally arrived at D-land just about 30 minutes later that I thought we would. Not bad with the aforementioned pit stops. We met up with my parents and wondered around the park for the rest of the evening. D-land closes at 8:00 p.m. on a week night when school is not out. I thought my kids would be fine staying until the park was closing. They usually go to bed at 8:00 p.m. but we were vacationing and had a long day in the car, so, I thought they could make it.

We headed out to our car which was parked in the D-land garage. Those of you who have been there know that place can be a zoo. Everyone is getting off the tram and making their way to their cars in mass droves. I, of course, have a stroller and have to wait at the set of Elevators to get to our level. After a nice wait, I push the mickey button and proceed to our floor. . . except, as I stroll out on to the level, I start to walk down the corridor with my parade until I realize. . . we were in 3D. . . but I don't really know WHAT level that was! WAS it Mickey? I have no idea. I start to think this is going to be a very long night of trying to find my car with 4 tired kids.

We head back to the elevator and I am mentioning that I am not sure where are car is to Abby and she pipes up. . . WE ARE ON DONALD! I looked at her in amazement and said, "How do YOU know?" And she said, because I LOOKED! And because I remember walking on BLUE TILES! Wow. I couldn't believe my luck. Thanks to my little braniac, we were not going to have to spend any additional time in the parking garage.

We loaded up and went through a drive through (don't you LOVE being on the road?) and headed for our hotel, which was not to far from the park. Nevertheless, Jaxon had fallen asleep before we even got there. In my mind I was wondering how I was going to get me and ALL THE KIDS up to the room without multiple trips, or without leaving the kids in the room while I get the stuff (HELLO!! Madeline!) Abby says she will get the dolly, we will load it up and get all of us up to the room at one time.

As I was checking in, K picked that moment to throw a COMPLETE hissy fit. Screaming uncontrollably and all. The lady was kind, and understanding and tried to check me in (while fielding a phone call) as soon as she could. Although it wasn't seamless, we were getting through the check in process ok. We got up to our room with the dolly loaded up and wheeled it in with our food (just purchased) and the kids immediately started unloading their stuff, taking off shoes, and eating their food. I requested that we have a hand washing before eating and went to turn on the sink. . . .

NO RUNNING WATER.

NONE.

NOT A DRIP.

NUTS.

So, I call the front desk, and she says she will send her maintenance guy. It is just after 9:00 by this point, and as we wait for the maintenance guy more things start to get unpacked. He comes to our room and says he thinks the water tanks have been turned off. Ummm... not a good sign. I call the front desk and she says she will assign me another room, but I have to come down and get a key.

Load up all the kids. (Now TOTALLY TIRED, and TOTALLY UNRAVELING) Take them to the lobby, get a new key, go BACK up to the room, load up our stuff on the dolly. Now DRAG ALL THE SCREAMING CHILDREN to room #2 and start to unpack. . . AGAIN. By this time, Jaxon was BEGGING to go to sleep (nearing 10:30) and I granted his wish. Wade (just recently learning to sleep in a bed) chose this point to get out of bed several times until I was at the end of my rope. . . (REALLY? DO YOU THINK I WAS AT THE END OF MY ROPE??? NO??)

Finally. . . Quite. . . Dark. . . Kids asleep at 11:00 p.m.




Wake up call by Wade?





6:00 a.m.

Not much further down the road . . .

Believe me, if you have EVER been on a road trip with your kids, your gonna want to read this:

We passed Blythe. I am not too familiar with these stretches of land in between here and Disneyland. I guess I should have made myself a little more "familiar" because after we passed through Blythe, I started to wonder when my next gas stop is going to be. Trying to time it to be a good leg stretch for the kids.

The road signs said there were a few stops in between Blythe and Indio . . . I kind of consider Indio as the "your gonna make it!" city. Too far to turn back, and not much further to go. It was a good thing too because I was under a 1/2 a tank and due to my calculations, I was just BARELY going to make it to a city called DESERT CENTER. Pretty creative name for a place that is . . . you guessed it. . . in the middle of the desert. I started to get anxious when my fuel light went on (who wouldn't with 4 small kids in the car) but instantly felt relief when I saw the exit for Desert Center. . . .until I saw the little signs below the name of the town. There was this sign . . .

THIS SIGN

BUT NOT THIS SIGN

I broke into a sweat instantly. I blinked my eyes several times. Trying to make sure I saw the right thing. . . maybe trying to blink back some tears, I am not sure. But I thought, if there is someplace to eat and someplace to camp, SURELY there has to be someplace to get gas!

We pulled off the ramp and saw the gas station, with dust covered windows and tumbleweed blowing through the gas pumps. I swallowed hard, determined to not let me kids know that I was in a panic. We pulled into the "place to eat" called Desert Center Cafe.

Does it look like it is from out of a movie? Because I felt like I was IN a HORROR FLICK! I didn't have the where-withall to take pictures with my regular camera, so, my cell phone would have to do. We hopped out of the car with the kids yelling. . "Where are we going? What are we doing? I thought we were gonna get gas?" and my response was, "WE ARE". Even though I didn't exactly know how that was going to go down.

There was a older woman mopping the dirty and cracked floor and a kind grandmotherly lady behind the counter. I am sure she was wondering what on earth I was doing traveling by myself with 4 small kids, and at this point, I was too. There was one couple sitting in the cafe, eating, I think, over in the corner booth.

Jaxon instantly asked me why the place was so dirty and old (autism is great) and I immediately shushed him as I didn't want to make enemies with the people who were going to SAVE MY BACON. . . (I am sure they have some BACON!) I asked the lady behind the counter how far the nearest gas station was. She said it was 19 miles down the road. Since my gas light had been on for at least 10 miles, I didn't want to risk actually running out on the SIDE OF THE ROAD. I figured, for now, I was in a better spot than having to walk, or be on the side of the road. She said, "You outta gas?" I am sure a sheepish grin crossed my face and I said, "Yes, it should have said on those road signs that you don't have a station here!!!!" She said, "Oh, they just shut that station down about a year ago, sorry."

She then hollered over her shoulder to Jed, "Hey Jed! Do you have any gas you could sell this poor lady?" His reply, " I just sold it to the last guy!" [Insert multimillion dollar scheme of selling gas for $10 a gallon in Desert Center out of gas cans for poor suckers who think there is going to be a gas station there] Anyway, "Jed" (I am pretty sure that was his name. It at least fits his description) asked me if I wanted to step outside to talk about "it". His woman friend instantly protested noting that I had a 3 month old in my arms and it was hot out. We stepped out and he said he would get me gas, but it would take him an hour. AN HOUR??????? Good gracious, my kids had already started to dismantle this eating establishment and it was only gonna get worse! I asked if there was anyone who did AAA and he said maybe Parker Towing.

[Insert Angels Singing] I asked the ladies inside for the number to Parker Towing and had Abby take my cell phone over and enter it in. Meanwhile, I was changing an "explosion" (you all know what that means) of my 3 month old (NICE TIMING!) in a vacant booth.

Parker towing said he was just down the road, had gas, and he would be there in about 10 minutes. He said it would be $85 for the service call and $5 a gallon for the gas. I asked if he took AAA and he said he did. (AAA paid for itself on this instance alone) He arrived in just a few moments and walked into the Desert Cafe. He snorted to himself when he saw me standing there with my 4 kids. Two of which were running in circles and one of which was keeping herself busy with a scale that took pennies.

Wade running in circles. . .

The kids entertaining themselves with the penny scale.

After our 25 minute "rest stop" we were on our way with two gallons of gas to get us to Chiriaco Summit (19 miles away) to get ourselves some gas. . . All the kids had time to stretch their legs, use the bathroom and have a fun little run around the Desert Cafe. . . . Yeah, I planned it that way.

Is that all? Oh no, that is not all, that is not all AT ALL!

Here is where it all began . . .

We hopped in the car around 7:15 a.m. I knew that I was tempting fate, taking 4 kids to California by myself, but I couldn't help it. My parents and my sister were going to be there, and I needed a family fix. Not to mention, our Disneyland Passes were running out. In like, three days. It was my VERY last chance to get my dollars out of those passes, see my family, and hopefully have some fun. I was optimistic.



The morning went by without too much incident. Abby played video DJ/ and Binky finder in the back seat. I had made muffins the night before (they were SOOOOOOOOOO good! Thanks m. I will be re-posting them on the food blog soon!) The muffins had a delish coconut topping that was deliciously crumbly. Something that I did NOT consider before making them our morning commute food. Never mind. It was worth giving the kids something quick and easy they could munch on in the car on the way. I had to make things speedy you know. . . Two year old and 3 month old in tow.



It wasn't long before Wade started to grab at his car seat buckle and whine. I mean, not too long AT ALL. We had only been in the car for about an hour! There was no way I wanted to stop quite yet. K was asleep and I knew stopping would probably disrupt her slumber and our schedule. The whining got louder and more frantic and I started to wonder what the problem REALLY was? Poopy diaper? He knows how to say that! He would have told me. Is the car seat pinching his leg? I can't tell. I undid the buckle for a moment to see if that alleviated his pain, but soon enough, the whining commenced.



Pretty soon he was writhing in convulsions (the two year old kind) and I couldn't take another minute, or risk his convulsions waking up K. I pulled over ran over to his car door and whipped him out of his seat. I threw open the hatch and threw a towel on to the ground for a quickie diaper change at a truck stop. Only a few semi's went by as my son was naked from the waste down. When I threw that diaper open I fully expected to see a very bad situation, but I will tell you what I saw. .









Two crumbs of a muffin that fell to the ground. . . .



Convulsions . . . stopped.





Is that all?? No no. . . that is not all . . that is not all at ALL!

PS- You can VOTE! -------->

You won't believe it. . .

I am sitting here in my bed. . . it is 7:41 a.m. and I am ALONE.

In my room.

With no-one bothering . . Um, I mean, paying attention to me.

THAT NEVER HAPPENS. . . .

I LOVE MOTHER'S DAY!

I am catching up on blog posts. Right now, around 168 of them (don't worry, most of them are from couponing sites that I will "mark as read").

I am RELISHING the reality that I don't have to teach my Sunday School class (which has been a challenge for me lately) because Peter said he is giving me that as my gift for Mother's Day! YAAaaaaaaaaHOOOOOOO!

And I am grateful that I made it home in one piece. Because I took FOUR kids (one 3 month old, a two year old, and Autistic child and my 7 year old) to Disneyland and the beach over the last 3 days and I drove myself both ways ALL BY MYSELF. Oh, yes I did.

And, it was NOT without incident. Oh no, it wasn't.

I have sooooooooooo many stories to tell, it isn't even funny. I will probably begin to post them one by one tonight. After I don't have to make dinner, or put the kids to bed.

Enjoy your special day!

MONEY SAVING MADNESS

Thanks for your tips yesterday ladies! I am still looking for more, so, if you still want to post your ideas, I would love 'em because for me, every Monday is the same. For the record, Tuesday is the same too (late night) and we will be heading to Costco for dinner.

You wanna know what we ended up having last night? French Bread Pizza that had been ordered through Abby's last school fundraiser. Thanks for dinner Grandpa! (Sucker- He lives in Washington! How is he supposed to EAT food he orders in AZ? Um, we'll eat it, never fear!)

I must have major issues with cooking dinner, but, if you have been around me at all, you probably know that. I go WAY over board in efforts to cook something FAB. I don't know why. Maybe it is because I like to cook (for the most part), or because I remember my mom always putting a great, healthy, well-balanced meal on the table. Sure she did breakfast for dinner every now and again, but COLD CEREAL? NEVER! (Hence my reservation to do so)

Ok, but now to the post I wanted to do. . . been bitten by the MONEY SAVING BUG yet? Well, as you know, I have and surprisingly, it is getting easier and easier to score a deal! I know some of you have caught on to this blog because she has GREAT deals, but, if you look a little further into this one, you will find EVEN MORE blogs that find you great deals! [Enter Brad's Deals] I have a sneaking suspicion that this is where our Hip to Save Genius is getting most of her deals from, INCLUDING her Amazon deals, because the Coupon Mom has a link to those too. In my opinion, it is TOTALLY worth logging on and signing up for this website. If you are worried about Spam, just open a new e-mail account specifically for couponing, and you are good to go! I now have an account with Gmail that is my same address and I use it for signing up for deals.

Now for a NEW secret weapon. . . . THE GROCERY GAME! This little website will list all of your grocery deals WITH Coupons and you just print your list and GO! WOW. Ok, they charge a fee. . . and I just started, but I will let you know if I think it is worth it.

To be honest, I am getting so good at remembering what coupons I have, I can spot the deal before the websites show it to me. EXCEPT for the Sunday paper inserts. I could never remember all those! Just a little FYI, where I live (if you live here too) you get a paper every day, (that you don't even pay or ask for) and it has all of the SUNDAY COUPON INSERTS! FOR FREE! Now, I have noticed, that if I don't pick up my paper Sunday morning right away, someone comes along and takes it. . . I am guessing they are trying to build up their coupon stash. But the good news is, it is delivered to all of the EMPTY houses in my hood too! I don't feel so bad taking a free paper from a vacant house . . . eventhough I have yet to do it, I just might start! These website are INVALUABLE in keeping track of all of those coupons. But, I am making VERY good on those printable coupons and got two bags of Fresh Select Salad today for FREE. Come on FREE!!!!! Plus a $1.50 off of Kashi that was on sale that my hubby loves and is normally $$.

Give it a try, JUST ONCE! It is so easy, and you will LOVE IT!

What would YOU do?

It is 4:11 p.m.

I am on the computer, delaying the motherly duty of . . .

Dinner.

I don't want to cook.

I don't want to do ANYTHING.

My kids kept me up 1/2 the night,

and I think that gives me an excuse to be lazy.

Eventhough I was productive at some point today,

I am not now.

Nor, do I want to be.

But it is almost dinner time.

But my husband works late on Mondays . . . so,

I just have to feed my kids.

But, remember? I have that be lazy for free card.

(Cuz I was up 1/2 the night)

So, what would you do?

Give me your quick and dirty but YUMMY favorite dinners.

Would you?

Please?

And help me with my quest to be lazy?

Thank you.

Proudest Mothering Moment

Has it really been Monday since my last post? Geesh. I guess something had to give. Suddenly life seems so busy, but really, I am just trying to work out and it is chewing up all of my blogging time!



I mentioned that Jaxon has really been hilarious lately, but more importantly, he has been so much better with RECALL. Some children with Autism don't have the ability to tell you WHAT they did. As a matter of fact, they struggle with most W questions, like, Where, When, Why and What.




We have been astonished that Jaxon has been able to relate what he has been doing at school and at church lately. Usually when you ask him what he learned at church (Church being his least favorite place) he mutters something about Jesus and Joseph Smith and that usually sums it up. . . which wouldn't be so bad, but he says the same thing every week just to get us off his back.





This last Sunday he told us all about how eating good food will make your body healthy! It was amazing! Maybe it was just because his teacher gave him grapes. . . yeah, that was probably it.





It is now flowing over into school this week where he told me all about a game they played with trying to guess what was in eggs (I am assuming plastic eggs). He told me that his friends kept guessing the same thing as him, and it was, in his words, "Totally BUGGING ME OUT!" I have no idea where THAT phrase came from, but, work with it Jaxon, work with it.





Normally when you ask him what he did at school he says, work and play games. . . another standard "get off my back" response. However, yesterday was a different story. We sat down to dinner and asked the kids how their day was. Jaxon was excited about his favorite "burgers" that I had made for dinner. Apparently the word "burger" triggered a memory from school that day and Jaxon IMMEDIATELY piped up and said, "My teacher gave me a treat!!! She gave me a treat because I promised NEVER to pick my nose and eat my boogers EVER AGAIN! Isn't that great???? She gave me candy and I won't eat my boogers!"





Great Jaxon. . . . that's great. I hope that bribery takes you a LONG way. Hey, at least he remembered!

Like a piece of meat

I am having issues.

I want to clean my house

But laundry and dishes seem to keep me PLENTY busy.

I want to work out

But I am always teetering on the verge of being exhausted.

Just when I think K is going to sleep through the night

She doesn't.

I need a place for everything

But everything is NOT in it's place.

I am enjoying my kids so much these days

But they are SO MUCH WORK!

I have funny Jaxon stories to tell

But no time to blog!

I didn't nurse Abby or Jaxon and I only nursed Wade part time

But now I know what it feels like to have your baby look at you like a piece of MEAT! (And for the record, it cracks me up. Her little tongue darting in and out and her lips smacking. It is hilarious)

The Day After

I am sure if you were to see me today, you might say, "How was your Birthday????" And I would say, "Is it OVER?"

Nope, it isn't.

I am still celebrating.

But I WILL tell you what I did yesterday, because I had fun. ALL. DAY. LONG.

First, I sat on the computer and watched all of The FB wishes come in. Yet another reason to love the FB, they notify you of upcoming birthdays! YAY!

Then I watched the page hits on Statcounter load up, and once again, I had LOTS OF CHEATERS. Geesh people. All I ask for is a simple "heya" for my birthday. . you read my post and you can't even give me my ONE BIRTHDAY WISH??? Ouch. I will spend the next year trying to get over it. 73 Visitors, and only 15 comments. WAAAAAAAwaaaaaaaaaaa.

Then I got ready to Coupon! I decided to take advantage of Walgreen's 15% off and free Earth Day Bags. I recycle my plastic bags from the grocery store, but, I am ready to go green. Might as well get a few bags for free!

If you have not added this Coupon-er Blog to your blog reader, you just HAVE TO, because she gets the most insane deals. Seriously. Because of her I got this and a few deals from this post too! Like the Physicians Formula (Just a few bucks after the rebate) and FREE Chapstick and Pledge Mulit-surface cleaner for $1 each! It was awesome to walk out of there with so much FREE Stuff! But I was almost late to my LUNCH DATE!

I met up with some girls for lunch at Paradise Bakery! Yum-o. It was delish. I was loving it. I don't think she reads my blog, but THANKS SO MUCH FOR MY LUNCH SHANNON! I had a great time girls!

After that, I came home and surfed another site which told me how to get FREE FLIP FLOPS from Simple Shoes! YEAH! I had to order one pair (for 14.90 + free shipping-- I got 7% cashback from Cashbaq --tell them I sent you Lindzstewathotmaildotcom) and with as much as I wear flip flops around here it was like. . . HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME! 2 Pairs of Flip Flops for 15 bucks! (nice ones too!)

I had to take Abby to her dance class, but met Peter at Cafe Rio for dinner, cuz, NO ONE should have to cook dinner on their birthday. He took the boys home and I did . . . . MORE COUPONING! (I know, I went crazy . . really. . ) I took my Huggies Coupons from Coupons.com and went to Kmart where they were DOUBLING COUPONS! I got 2 packages of pull ups for 5.99 Each, (regularly 10.99) and two packages of Huggies Natural Care Diapers for $5.50 off each! They weren't on sale, but, I will take $5.50 off a box of diapers ANYDAY!

I think all together I saved about $76.00 today! (Doesn't that mean I can go spend THE MONEY SAVED on myself?-- Don't answer that honey, it was rhetorical)

Whoosh, you tired yet? Because I was! Abby and I arrived home to a birthday party for mommy put on by the boys. Peter took the boys to Target and let them get me presents. . . whatever they wanted. . . Jaxon got me this . . .

because he wanted to get me something "pretty" and "shiny" and "sparkly" Close Jaxon... VERY close to what EVERY woman wants. He had the right idea. . . just needs to go a little smaller and circular. I love that boy.

In all, it was a pretty great day!

Thanks to everyone for making it special.

Let the party continue!

30 Something-Birthday Edition

Someone asked me how old I was the other day (or how old I was turning) and I seriously couldn't remember. I couldn't remember if I had turned 35 last year? Or this year? I know. Sad.

I never thought it would happen really. Where I didn't care how old I was, or how old I was getting? I seriously don't care. I mean, I just look at my birthday as an opportunity to party and buy things for myself .. and to get out of doing things, like making dinner. Apparently, when you become a mom, you NEED an excuse to get out of these kinds of things.

I also use it as an excuse to celebrate ALL WEEK. Why should a birthday be just one day? I think a week is more appropriate. I am dangerously close to making it an entire month, but, I don't want to wear people out.

I think once you get to a certain point, it just doesn't matter how old you are turning until you pass another decade... Like, 30 was a big deal, because you aren't in your 20's anymore, and you might suddenly be considered O.L.D. You celebrate 40 because you are now OVER THE HILL. I seriously cannot believe that. I REMEMBER my dad's 40th birthday party and of course, we all thought he was dreadfully old. Weird. I am pushin' it, BIG TIME. I seriously can't believe that I am at an age that I can remember my parents and what they were doing at my same age! I don't feel like I am as old, or as wise as they were back then, but maybe that is because I have only been married for 9 years instead of 19 years. Yeah, that probably has something to do it.

I was going to list 36 things about me. . . but you already know them. Let's face it, I am an open book.

I have one wish for me birthday. . . leave me a comment would ya? Bust out of your shell and show me the love.

postaldeliveriaphobia

I tweeted yesterday that I am afraid of the mail. It is true. For some reason, I have developed a healthy fear of the mail. I think it started a couple of years ago when we went out of town for a week or so. We stopped the mail from being delivered and when I went to the post office to pick it up, they gave me one of those jumbo sized buckets with all my mail in it. It took me WEEKS to go through all the mail.

Now, I guess the real problem here is, WHY WOULD IT TAKE ANYONE WEEKS TO GO THROUGH THE MAIL? I ask myself that REPEATEDLY. Honestly, I think it is because of my OCD tendencies. Does anyone else feel the need to look through every magazine? Just in case there is something you need/want/didn't think of?

I have to admit, I am getting better at this. I threw away the Smith and Noble and Land's End Men's Catalog without a second glance. However, I had to keep the Pottery Barn, Lands End Swim, Home Decorators Collection, BYU magazine, Sports Illustrated (for the Hubby) and People Magazine (I got a new subscription for my birthday, YAY!) just in case there was some fabulous idea in there that I needed to copy for my own home. (I admit, I am a decorating copier, I use there great ideas- but get something cheaper) And Lands End Swim? I am probably going to live in a swim suit (it was 98 degrees yesterday) from now until October 1st. . . So, it is a wise investment. However, the problem now is WHEN DO I READ THOSE MAGS? They will sit on my counter for a few more weeks, maybe make it into the bathroom and when I figure I have never looked at them in a 4 week period (1 week mail box, 2 weeks counter, 1 week bathroom) I will finally throw them in the recycle bin. [Don't worry, the People mag gets read]

Then there are the coupons. GEESH I hate those coupon mailers! Here in AZ the coupon adds flood your mail box like reproducing bunnies! Just when you think you have "separated" them, another litter comes along. Why do I feel the need to look through all of those adds! I meticulously peruse them for special deals. I take out the coupons for the Zoo, Animal Park, Hair Cuts, Oil Changes and eating establishments that we go to. . . and then we don't go. Actually, the truth of the matter is, I put them in a basket (my coupon and whatever else junk basket) and they expire. Or I throw them out because I get ANOTHER coupon (the same one) that expires at a later date. I swear I am going to use them SOMETIME! (Am I crazy? I am starting to feel that way)

Then of course there are the bills. . . bills . . . bills. I know they are coming. I know when they are due. Can't I just leave 'em in the box until I need to pay them? Ugh. I hate the bills. I do all of my bill paying on my computer these days (no stamps necessary!) But since my computer is in my bedroom it always take a concerted effort to get the bills to my bedroom and make sure they are paid. ON TIME.

Good stuff in the mail? Like what? Does ANYONE get good mail? Except for Christmas and Birthdays . . . I think NOT. How about you, do you like the mail?

Love it?

Or

Hate it?

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Most of you figured out that I didn't send out a Christmas Card this year. . . If you were thinking it was just lost in the mail, it wasn't. . . I REALLY appreciated all of the cards that we received though! I decided that in lieu of sending a Christmas Card, I would do a Baby announcement/Christmas card. You know, kill two birds with one stone. However, my Christmas card list was wayyyyyyyyyyyyy too long to send everyone a baby announcement. . . So, I got permission from Sarah to post it here! I know we announced her birth a while ago, but these pictures were just too precious to go un-posted.

Enjoy!

Oh, and Merry Christmas

Here is to a much HAPPIER new year.

What I am doing RIGHT NOW

What I am doing right now is . . .



Eating a cupcake.

Not just any old cupcake.

Or I wouldn't be blogging about it.

Why am I writing about CUPCAKES?

Because I love them.

And because it is cupcake SEASON.

And because it is sooooooooooooooooo good.

And because it was HARD EARNED.

Because you see,

The cupcake CRAZE has not caught on here in Arizona.

At least not to my knowlege.

Because I have only found like, 3 shops when I google "Cupcakes" on Google Maps.

And NONE of them are by my house.

ESPECIALLY not the one worth going to.

But I had to make a special trip.

Because it is CUPCAKE SEASON.

Because they are my favorite thing.

AND IT WAS WORTH IT.

Blogging BRUNCH

There is NOTHING better than eating good food with great ladies... AM I RIGHT? Seriously, I am. I had THE WORST DAY yesterday, and it was all forgotten today when I got to meet with Jessica, Kara, and Adrienne!! I know Jessica from my old hood (actually, we met each other through blogging before ACTUALLY meeting in person--even though we went to the same ward building) but she dropped me a line saying that she was going to be in the land of the sun and wanted to do LUNCH! I would never pass up an opportunity to do lunch, especially when she said she was going to bring Kara and Adrienne.



Kara lives here and I have never met her personally until today and of course our lives twine together in an odd way. I dated guys from her high school, she had cousins that went to mine, we grew up in the same area and weird, I know, now we meet via blog land! I even went to Jerusalem with one of her cousins! This world is getting smaller all the time.



To make the visit a little sweeter, besides great conversation, Kara Jayne brought me a little gift! Wanna see?

I have LONG been coveting Kara's creations from her blog. I have to admit, when I saw what it was I was completely GIDDY! I have been wanting one of her hand made necklaces FOREVER! The shorter one is hand-stamped disks with all of my kids names, and the larger one is an "L" on one side and a picture of a cute bird on the other! Double sided! Kara. . . seriously, you are super talented, and I LOVE IT. I need to add her to the LIST of super talented people who live by me! Oh, and Celia, Yeah, that is your same shirt.. . Jessica informed me that you wore it on her last visit to you! I knew we were connected in more ways that just blogging. . . shopping power, unite.

Thanks Ladies, for bringing even MORE sunshine to my day! Oh, and if I beat you all to the blogging punch, it is because I am doing a WHOLE LOT LESS THAN YOU!

And to finish this post, I need to post a few pix of little K- Just cuz they grow so fast. If you see her with that polka-dot background a lot, that is because it is the sheets on my bed, and that is where we hang out, you know. . . when she is nursing, and I am on the FB.

Mom, those were for you! ENJOY!

Oh wait . . .

I said I didn't get any Easter pictures . . . well, I got ONE for you. Happy Easter!

Thanks Easter Bunny! Bawk Bawk!

Easter: A Bust.

Does this look familiar? Remnants of Easter. . . EVERYWHERE??? I would be lying if I said this particular mess was left by anyone other than. . .ahem. . myself. Actually, you wouldn't have seen a mess like that in MY house last night, because, there wasn't one. Because, our Easter was a BUST! (And because Peter cleaned up Easter while I was at my sister's house with Abby trying to actually CELEBRATE IT!)

Jaxon woke up with 103.8 degree fever. . . I had to teach a lesson in church, so, instead of getting all dressed up in our Easter Garb, and snapping an awesome pic to post here today. . I got nothin' . Cuz Abby and I were the only ones that got dressed and went to church. Didn't take Jaxon (sick) didn't take Wade (too much trouble) didn't take Kaylin (needed to teach a lesson) and didn't take Daddy cuz he took care of the Crazy Bunch at home. (Kinda like the funky bunch, but different) Hmm. . . I hope THIS doesn't happen EVERY year! It seems to be becoming a pattern!

Anyway, that wasn't the ONLY bust. . . We didn't color Easter eggs (because I didn't want to even ATTEMPT that with Wade). We didn't' frost Sugar Cookies. . . (I got the supplies, but ran out of time) And we didn't go to the Easter Egg Hunt, (Because it rained--- I know YOU all went in the rain, but come on. . . I don't even own COATS for my kids anymore! Just sweatshirts!) Not only that, but Kaylin decided that to get in the spirit of things, she was going to keep mom and dad HOPPING all weekend because she cried for most of it. (HOWEVER, she has slept through the night for the last three nights. . and is peacefully sleeping RIGHT NOW :)

But, here are a few of the things I DID do. . . . made Waffles and Strawberries for my kids (who were out of school) on Good Friday. . Whipped Cream and Easter Sprinkles included!

AND. . . Dressed Abby up like this:

To go to THIS!
The Performance at the Temple Easter Pageant was seriously impressive, and left an impression on my daughter that I am hoping will last an entire lifetime. I loved it, and it was TOTALLY worth sitting in the cold (68 degrees feels REALLY cold, OK??) Trust me, we were grateful for all those clothes, blankets and sweatshirts!

Nothing like a little mother/daughter bonding time.

(Ps- if it looks like I did my hair, but did NOT put on make-up, that would be the case, because these days. . . it is either ONE or the OTHER!)

Wow, now that I think about it, Peter spent ALOT of time with the funky bunch this week! Thanks Honey!

Happy Easter

17 years ago, I was here on Easter Morning

I didn't have to wonder why this tomb was empty.

I hope you don't either.

To my Hubby

Our anniversary has come and gone (April 8th). . . and there was no blog post!

WHAT?

I am ashamed. Especially after this FABULOUS post last year! It is tough to top. However, we have been through quite a year and to say that I didn't feel different would be a lie. How do you go through the most difficult year of your life and have things be the same? You don't.

To be honest this past year has been a refiners fire. It has done nothing but polish my husband into a more beautiful stone (that is right, baby, I just called you a beautiful stone). But it is true. The things that he had to endure were unimaginable and I doubt there are many people out there who could handle them as well as he did. Instead of questioning why, he came closer to the Lord. Instead of getting angry, he looked at all of the good. Instead of falling apart, he became stronger and more focused, and I love him all the more.

It is difficult to put into words the gratitude that I have for him and the astonishment I have at what he had to endure (and still endure). But, I knew when I married him that above all, he was a good person, who had a tender heart, who would always do his best to choose the right and rise above.

He has done all of that, and more. Much, much more.

I love you, Happy Anniversary.

From OLD to NEW

I have the GREAT fortune of living next to some amazing people in AZ. Actually, I have found since I have moved here that MOST people are amazing and if you aren't . . . you are out numbered-- so you better get used to it. Everyone has a talent. . say for example THIS person who just took fab pictures of my kids (check the FB for a link). She has a great talent!!

Then, just down the street from me there is THIS person, who makes AMAZING hand crafted gifts. And THIS person who makes jewelry . . I used to think that I made cute jewelry. . but these, these are CUTE!

And then there is Wendy, who is an amazing painter. I have done a few paint projects in my time . . my chairs, and my kitchen caddy, but when it came down to re-finishing my kitchen table, I knew exactly who to call. She took my kitchen table from this . .

to THIS!!!!

Isn't it AMAZING! She did an incredible job, and get this! Rather than re-stain the top and sand the heck out of it, she just painted that table top and did some dry brushing to give it some depth! I LOVE the way it turned out. . . and just when I was ready to TOSS THAT TABLE OUT, now, it looks amazing and I couldn't live without it! Thanks Wendy!

Oh, and for those of you who have seen my tables and chairs in person, I painted the white ones cream, because I just was going to miss the miss-matchiness of it all! So, now they coordinate with the whole look! It couldn't be better. Need a new look? Check out Wendy's Blog! Do you love it as much as I do??

Why I love the FB

I think it is quite possible that Facebook is the greatest invention EVER. Or, at least the greatest way to keep in touch with people. Let's face it, we all know lots of people. Some that we would love to keep in touch with more, some that we would like to get to know better and some that we would just rather not keep in touch with. Facebook allows you to do all of that and even better, you know what most of those people have done in the last few hours!

Of course THE FB (which is what I refer to it as) can be a supreme waste of time as well, but hey, when you are nursing and staring at your computer, it makes the time move a little faster. Here are the top 10 reasons I love THE FB.

10. I can catch up with my friends that don't have blogs.
9. I can see pictures of my friends that don't have blogs.
8. I can ask a question like, "Has any one's child had torticollis?" and get some answers, because I am pretty sure Kaylin has it. (Now would be the time to answer that question, thank you.)
7. I can interface my blog and tweets all on facebook, and that is a beautiful thing.
6. I can see what people are up to without them KNOWING that I am seeing what they are up to. . . unlike a blog, where STATCOUNTER can tell you all things.
5. You can be friends with ANYONE, because EVERYONE wants lots of friends.
4. You can look at all those guys that you used to be crazy over in high school and see that they aren't all that anymore. . . and on top of that, they have no hair.
3. They can see that I might not still be all that, but at least I have HAIR.
2. You can "unfriend" someone if they are stalker-ish, or driving you crazy
1. You can find out important things like whether or not Adam Lambert is Gay, and I am here to tell you that I found someone on the FB who knows him and they said, YES, HE IS GAY! (If you couldn't figure that out on your own!)

Oh, and one more thing you can do on the FB is figure out how small the world really is. Or, find out how all of your friends know each other! I had one "blogger" that I have never met in person who was "friends" with one of my neighbors! I asked how they were friends and they grew up together!! WEIRD!

You can also keep in touch with those people who are just horrible about keeping in touch!!

FACEBOOK: DO YOU LOVE IT? or HATE IT?

Wanna be friends? Leave your name and I will friend you!

Uplifting as Always

Of course many of you watched General Conference this weekend. It was uplifting as always. The talks were insightful and inspiring and uplifting. If you didn't watch it, you should! Even if you aren't a member of my church because really, it was for the whole world to watch.

My favorite quote was from President Monson who said,

"Your future is as bright as your faith"

Let's face it, we all need inspiring words during this tumultuous time, and I think those are it! I am ready to get a piece of wood and get some vinyl lettering tomorrow! Heck, I might even just get those vinyl letters and stick them straight on the wall. :)

What I DIDN'T EXPECT, was for my daughter to ask the "age old question" during Elder Oaks talk. . . Who would have thought that an Apostles' talk would inspire the question, "What is s*x?" Great. . . good thing we can pause live TV.

Belated Birthday

I love that you can celebrate a two year old's birthday a few weeks late, and he doesn't even realize it. I need that kind of mercy right now. We waited for some more family to be in town to celebrate and although it wasn't the "real day" he still loved it!

He is obsessed with his brother's Razor Scooter, so, we got him one of his own. This Radio Flyer rocks! He loved it, it was perfect. Unfortunately, he slept through his birthday party. It was in conjunction with K's blessing day. FORTUNATELY, he slept through his birthday party! It was after 12:00 after all, and ALL of us were happier that he was a well rested boy. He got to eat cake after he woke up.

He was a lot more civilized about than last year, and actually, right after this picture, he asked for a fork. I am still enjoying him quite a bit, except, during spring break, he had a rotten cold and was miserable and making ME miserable, so I gave him his binki back.. HUGE MISTAKE. Now I can't seem to take it away again.

We love Wade's personality, and my favorite thing he does right now is when he runs into a room he says, "Hey-ya!" It is so cute. He recognizes all of his letters ( I know!) and is USUALLY so much fun. However, he knows how to throw a serious tantrum . . . but as soon as you can get him to reason, he snaps right out of it. We love him bunches and can't believe that he just turned TWO! Where did the time go? I mean, my BLOG is almost that old!!! If you want to see some great pictures of Wade, click HERE. But, if you want to see the Wades TRUE COLORS, I'll give you this one. Sarah sent me another pic of our photo shoot.

That just about says it all!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WADE!