Happy Holidays!

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and that you will enjoy your New Year!

Here's the story of how our holidays went down...

Eric's dad got tickets to a BYU Bowl game that was to take place in Las Vegas. They had a place to stay in St. George, so they didn't have to drive too terribly far. Friday, the 21st, noon time finds me dropping Eric off at a gas station around our home for his dad to pick him up. We actually all arrived at the same time, so there wasn't any waiting. We sent Eric off with goodbyes and a hug and a very hopeful heart that Sunday would come quickly.

Eric's dad was very generous and gave the kids and I some money to do what ever we felt like doing with it. I had to head to Wal-Mart to pick up a couple last minute gifts that Eric just got too busy to think about. I really hate going anywhere with all the kids because they get rowdy fast! However, I was able to get them lunch at the McDonald's inside the store with some of the money and that seemed to stem the tide from the older two at least.

We then headed home so that I could finish up the calendars for my grandparents (by the way the finished layouts are now posted on the website) and wait around for most of the night to meet up with my parents who would be dropping off my little brother to stay with me for the weekend.

Around 8 at night, I decided I was hungry and my parents would probably be about an hour from finishing up what they were doing. So the kids and I headed to Subway. We had been sitting for probably 5 minutes when they called and said they were done and said they were probably about 20 minutes away from meeting up with me. So once again I headed to the same gas station I had been at earlier to wait from my family. It wasn't too long of a wait and we came back home for the night.

Sunday morning did come fairly quickly and Eric arrived home around 11. He was so tired, but had gotten little gifts for all of us. They were all from M&M World as I really highly doubt there was anything "taste worthy" anywhere else he may have visited. He brought Tanis some dominoes, Shaylyn a pair of earring with the green M&M on it AND butterflies. Lex received a couple of balls. As for me, I got a nightshirt that says "I Don't Do Mornings" with the green M&M on it. Eric knows me all so well. ;)

I had to sub a Sunbeam class and give the Christmas lesson. I am so glad there were only 4 kids. I forget how wild 4 year olds can be...AHHHHH!!!!!! But it is always nice to hear the Christmas Story "dumbed" down for kids. I also had the opportunity to hear a great story about the candy cane in Sharing Time. I forget the name of the book, but I will track it down. It literally brought tears to my eyes. I don't even know if it was a "church" book, but it meant that much to me.

Christmas Eve came and I was a little depressed about it. Ever since I can remember we have spent Christmas Eve at my Mother's Mother's home. There has never been a year that we haven't done this - except for this year. My grandma had gotten sick and still wasn't feeling real well. I think it was a difficult choice for her to make and for some of us to handle, but she didn't want to make anyone else sick.

My mom decided that she would do the same thing at her house for her family that we would have done at my grandma's - this meant soup and rolls for dinner AND a program. Bless my mom's heart, she did a great job. My older sister also did fantastic as she had to figure out how to get my kids involved in telling the Christmas Story. Pictures are the kids telling the story.

Some positive did come out of my Grandma being sick though. I took the opportunity to go visit my dad's parents - Eric & I don't usually get to their house around Christmas - and tell them Merry Christmas. It felt good to be able to do so.

Before we ever left for Christmas Eve things, I carried on a tradition my parents (or more so my mom) carried on. The kids got 1 gift and it was pajamas. Now, my mom always made the pajamas so the girls matched and the boys matched, but I never took up sewing, so my kids had to have store bought.

I also got a gift on Christmas Eve. Eric really put thought into it. He got me a locket with an image of a mother & child on the front. He even went as far as getting his mom to email him the pictures she took of us and the kids during our "photo shoot" and he printed them off and put them in it. Talk about tears falling everywhere!

Christmas Morning we took our time opening gifts and prepared to head to Eric's parents at 2. We had a good time at his parents house, but it is so different than my parents house. Eric only has two brothers and one is in Washington and doesn't really come down for Christmas often. So that left his one single brother, his parents and his "adoptive" mother. Very quiet, but so much fun. Eric's parents totally spoiled the kids and they had lots of fun!

Later that night we headed back to my parents for gifts and games. The kids got spoiled AGAIN by all their aunts & uncles and by Grandma & Grandpa. I really love being part of a large family, though it can get a bit wild & crazy. It was also so much fun to see my little brother who lives in Wyoming.

This past Friday my Dad decided to have a "Sleep-Over" party. Talk about fun! Especially since it was my Dad's idea. Eric wasn't feeling very well, so he came back home after dinner, but the kids and I stayed and had lots of fun. We played 80's Trivial Pursuit and then some of us played Rock Band - we got my Mom to play the drums. So much fun!

By about 1:00 in the morning we decided to play another game (can't think of it at the moment) and about 15 minutes into it, Sleeping Alexander starts throwing up! This stresses me out tons. I give him a bath while my mom and sister clean up everything else. This effectively ended the game. We all decided to head to bed and I don't sleep well. (#1 - I am worried my kid will puke again, #2 - my brothers decided to play Rock Band and didn't keep it very quiet)

Lex is awake again around 7:30 and wants a drink. (He made it all night without throwing up again, so I give in) I give him some 7-Up and we lay back down for a bit. Around 8 he wants a little bit more, so I give him more...Within minutes he is puking again...

This does nothing for my stress, so we eat breakfast and I decide to get ready and head back home. We get home around 1 in the afternoon and just take it easy. This little stinker never throws up again...I am thankful for that, but wow...What a night.

As for tonight, we are headed to see National Treasure! Yeah...Nicolas Cage is another one of those old men that I still think is good looking!

Sorry for the novel. Hope your weekends were fun like ours!

What Happens Next...

Another Busy Weekend...

So, last weekend started off with the kids having rehearsals on Friday. Tanis was scheduled at 4:00 and Shaylyn at 5:30. I knew we would be cutting it close with Tanis as he gets out of school at 3:30 and it takes at least 15 minutes to get where they were rehearsing. Luckily for us that day things were working in our favor and we were able to get him there on time.

I didn't really want to turn around and go home after Tanis' just to head back to the other school where the rehearsals were for Shaylyn, so I asked Eric to come get the boys while Shaylyn and I waited.

Saturday morning was the recital. Tanis had to be there at 10:00 ready to perform as he was the preshow and then Shaylyn was in the actual show. We actually made it on time! And because of that we got 3rd row seats, which was nice.

Tanis' singing group did their preshow - which was a medley of 5 or 6 sings that they had rehearsed and rehearsed. I think his favorite song was "Feliz Navidad" even though he still doesn't quite say the words right, but then again, I don't think I do either. ;)

Shaylyn was #4 in the performance. They did a shortened version of "The Nutcracker" and I was glad that Shaylyn was in a part I was familiar with. She played a Soldier in the Battle of the Mouse King and the Prince. She looked so cute with her hat and sword on. Sadly though, these were props we didn't have when I took the snapshots of the kids before the performance. Today, though I am taking them to the studio where we can get "professional pictures" done and she will be able to have the hat and sword again.

After the recital we headed home for some lunch and to check show times for "Alvin & The Chipmunks". I really enjoyed the cartoon growing up and was anxious to see the live version. The kids LOVED this movie. It turned out better than I thought it would, but I still don't think it's a blockbuster or anything.

Sunday after church we headed to Eric's parents house. His mom loves to get family pictures and pictures of the kids every Christmas season. His parents buy the kids matching outfits every year. (Okay, so the boys match and we try to find a dress for Shaylyn that is similar) Eric was thrilled, as always, to have pictures taken. I think we had a couple that turned out cute enough, though all I have at the moment is this one of the family.

Monday night found us at Temple Square with some of my family to see the lights. It was FREEZING and very crowded. But it was still nice. We hadn't been to see the lights for at least 2 years and Tanis is the only one we've ever taken and he was really little when we did. I wanted to get more pictures than I did, but Tanis & Shaylyn were with my speed walker mother most of the time, so all I really had chances to take were of Lex. The picture posted below is of Lex with my little brother. These two share a birthday and Lex just loves his uncle Logan.
Hope everyone else had a nice weekend. As for this week I have GOT to FINISH the calendars. Only 12 pages to go - 4 different layouts. It should go pretty fast. And I will post finished pages when they are all complete. I leave you now with the picture of our upside down snowman. We just love him!

What Happens Next...

Because I Wanted to Share....

I ran across this on another blog as well and WANTED to repost it. It is originally a "tagged" thing, but I don't care...It is a tagged thing about the husband, so I wanted to let you all know more.

1. What is his name?
Eric Duane Hardy
2. How long have you been married?
9 Years as of a few weeks ago
3. How long did you date?
We dated for about 2 years through High School before we got married.
4. Who eats more?
It really just depends on the day and what is being served.
5. Who said 'I love you' first?
He did, I wasn't about to say it first!
6. Who sings better?
I dunno, someone else would have to be the judge of that one.
7. Who is taller?
Uh, Eric no contest!
8. Whose temper is worse?
Eh, we both have a temper, but I think Eric's gets worse than mine.
9. Who does the laundry?
Me, I don't think Eric has any idea HOW to do laundry. His expertise is limited to pulling stuff out of the dryer and that's about it.
10. Who does the dishes?
Me
11. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed?
Me, yet again.
12. Who does the cooking?
I win again! And once again, Eric has limited expertise. He has made Mac & Cheese a couple times...
13. Who is more stubborn?
Eric
14. Who proposed?
Eric
15. Who is more likely to admit when they are wrong?
Me
16. Whose parents do you see the most?
Probably his, but that's just cause we usually have Sunday dinner with them weekly.
17. Who pays the bills?
I pay some and Eric pays some
18. Who wears the pants in the family?
Neither one of us really. We are fairly laid back and both have a say in most things.
19. Why do you love your husband?
For so many reasons. He is very patient with me as I am so very emotional. He knows what I need most of the time even if I don't say anything. He will call me just to see what's going on. He is very considerate of my feelings and always makes sure I am okay with him doing stuff. He will let me sleep in on the weekends and tries to keep the kids away so I can do so. If I am sick, he will stay home and take care of the kids and a sick wife. He works hard so that I am able to stay home with our kids. He is just amazing. "You know exactly what I'm going to say before my mouth even makes a sound and that's why we make a good you & me.....We both laugh at the most random situations, that's the key. Baby, don't you agree?"

What Happens Next...

Wowza!

Weird, I know. I haven't posted in quite a few weeks, but that's cause nothing major of note has really been happening. It's just been the same old thing for awhile.

This weekend we had a fun weekend though. Friday night Tanis had to perform with his singing group for a Ward Christmas Party. I made Eric drive as the weather on Friday was getting scary. We took Tanis to the party he needed to perform at and waited about a half hour in the foyer because we didn't want to "invade" on a Christmas Party that wasn't our ward. When we heard them announce that his group would be singing, we snuck into the back of the party to watch.


He looked like he was having lots of fun up there. He looked a little odd because he was the only boy around a ton of girls. This won't be how it will be for the real performance this Saturday, however. There is another boy in his class and Tanis told me there is a boy in the older class as well. So that is good news.


Saturday I spent the most part of the day working on scrapbook calendars for my grandparents. It is their Christmas gift. It is a major project and has kept me busy. This follows my project that I did for my family, which I won't mention as they read the blog. :)


Saturday afternoon we headed to my parents house for a yearly party thing that we do. We each draw a part of a meal and then draw groups. Each group has the job of finding that part of the meal even if it doesn't go together.


This year however, it ended up well. All the "men" in the family ended up in the same group - Main Meal. So we knew what we would be having - Little Ceasar's Pizza. So the rest of the groups arranged accordingly. The group with the Appetizer got Mozzarella Sticks, Jalapeno Poppers and Mushroom something or other that is similar. The group with salad got some pasta salad. The group I ended up in was drinks/desserts - Tanis and Lex were with me and we got four 2-liters of soda and ice-cream. We were celebrating a few birthdays as well so my mom had already made Cinnamon Rolls for the birthday people.


After dinner, some people played games, while my mom had a couple crafts planned for the kids. The first was little snowman bags that were filled with candy - the next was little penguin bell decorations - all so cute. Shaylyn did hers without any help and it turned out almost better than any of the rest of ours. Of course, I didn't take my camera to get any pictures - so I have nothing to share.


All in all it was a great weekend and we all had fun. Because I hate not having a picture posted in my blogs, I will leave you with a picture I ran across doing yet another project for my little sister. It is a picture of Eric & I at her wedding in 2006. I had never seen the picture before, so I was excited to see it.

What Happens Next...

It's Beginning to Look Like Christmas!

First of all, I hope everyone had an enjoyable Thanksgiving. We were lucky enough to celebrate on Wednesday AND Thursday! Yummy, yummy.


After Thanksgiving is over I always decorate for Christmas. I guess it is just something that my mom started when I was young and I've just kept doing it. This year, Eric even had the day after Thanksgiving off. Of course he had to use a "floater" holiday, but he did it anyway.

So, around noon, the kids brought all of the Christmas boxes upstairs to get ready to decorate and Eric headed outside and up to the roof to do the Christmas lights. I had a couple of things to put up outside as well and so we spent most of the day getting that all done.

By about 3, Eric had finished putting up the lights and had figured out how many more strands we would need to finish up. We decided we would head to Costco and get our Memberships activated (his work has been paying for it for a few months and we just have never got there).

We found a box that had lights enough that Eric thought he would be done. We looked around for extension cords and couldn't find ANY! In our search for the extension cords we ran across a Gingerbread House kit that Tanis insisted we get for a Family Home Evening. So we did.

After we purchased the lights and kit we decided to just have a Costco pizza for dinner. It's yummy and fairly inexpensive. We paid like $12 total for 5 drinks, pizza AND 2 churros.

Anyway after we were done at Costco, Eric ran into a Lowe's to find his extension cords. By the time we got home around 6:30, all of us were too tired to even think about doing any indoor decorating.

Saturday morning Eric got an early start and I figured I might as well too. He headed out to the roof and I started straightening the house. After an hour or two he came back in telling me that he needed to head back to the store as we didn't have enough lights. (Because we moved in in Early December last year, he didn't do lights) Eric took Tanis with him and the rest of us stayed home to straighten up the basement that the kids just can't keep clean!

Eric was home in time that it was light enough he could finish up what he started outside, but he ran across a HUGE problem. Another thing the builders totally messed up on! I will post the picture and see if you can spot it...

If you can't quite spot the problem, this is it - On the right side of the roof 3/4ths of the overhang or whatever is missing! If you look on the left you can see a thin, darker shade of brown above the string of lights, on the right side it is missing until you get to about 1/4th of the way to the end. So he couldn't finish stringing the lights above the garage! Needless to say on Monday he faxed in a warranty complaint and hopefully it'll get fixed before Christmas.

Since he was done with the lights, we did the inside decorating. Eric had to put the tree up and I did all the other cutesy stuff. We had lots of fun!

Monday night we did do the Gingerbread House for Family Home Evening and the kids all had a blast. They each took turns placing a candy (whichever they wanted) on the part of the house we were working on. It turned out quite nicely.

Tuesday, Eric I and headed to the Anniversary Inn in Logan for our Anniversary. It was 9 years! My little sister watched our kids for almost 24 hours. Thanks again! We had lots of fun and as always it is nice to have time alone!
Hope everyone else has had a nice couple of weeks.

What Happens Next...

Twenty Christmas Questions

I got this "survey" off another friend's blog and thought it would be a good one to pass on. Enjoy! And feel free to answer them for yourself and repost.

20 questions....
what is your...
1.Favorite winter beverage?
It's gotta be eggnog. As soon as it hits the stores, it hits my fridge. And I've heard you aren't supposed to drink it when you are pregnant because of the eggs or something, but I've been drinking it in very much moderation, so things should be fine. :D
2.Fave Christmas candy?
Candy Canes for sure!
3.Favorite Candy cane flavor? Color?
I am all for original peppermint flavor
4.Favorite Christmas cookie?
My Great Aunt made a recipe for cookies that you shape as Candy Canes. They are too good. I get addicted and eat a TON every year. I know it is the almond extract that makes it addictive, but oh well.
5.Favorite Christmas song? to sing? to listen to?
My top 3 faves are:
Do You Hear What I Hear?
The Little Drummer Boy
Mary, Did You Know

But all Christmas music I love. I like original songs as well as the classic ones and even the classics redone.
6.Fave Christmas movie?
I honestly don't have one
7.Fave Christmas story?
I don't know, I've heard lots...Perhaps, the Forgotten Carols
8.Fave Christmas colors?
All of them
9.actual color scheme for your decor?
Honestly, it's whatever I have...Don't really have a "theme" set
10.Fave Christmas tradition? as a kid? with your own family?
I have two fave traditons growing up. Every Christmas Eve we would go to my mom's mother's house for dinner and some sort of program. Before we would leave we would open one present and it was ALWAYS a pair of pj's that my mom made for each of us. The girls would have matching pj's and the boys would all match as well.
Eric and his family have been so good to me as we still attend my Grandma's Christmas Eve dinner and program. Eric's family used to do their thing on Christmas Eve, but since I became a member of the family and they knew how important it was for me to be at my grandma's on Christmas Eve, they've changed things for me. :D
I've tried to do the pajama thing as well (although I don't make them), though it doesn't always happen.
11.Tree topper? star? Angel? other?
Oh, bother. We had a topper for a couple years that was a blue star - somehow it got destroyed a couple years ago and we just haven't gotten around to replacing it with anything yet.
12.Christmas lights display?your house? to drive by? small bulbs? large bulbs? white? multi colored? simple? Griswald? again pictures are a bonus here too.
We like to keep it simple, but lit up as well. We have a blow up snowman I bought last year that has an upside down face...we didn't take it back because it was so original. (I really need to take a picture) We also have some red candy cane stakes in the yard. Then on the house we have some icecicle lights as well as some big multi-colored bulbs...We haven't quite finished the house because as Eric was finishing up above the garage, he noticed something the builders screwed up on. (See above post)
13.fave holiday icon collection?? Santa? nativity? snowmen?
The Nativity is my favorite by far. It IS what the season IS all about!
14.Christmas card? picture? letter?
I've never really done anything...Kinda thinking about doing the little postcard things, but don't know if I will.
15.what is more fun for you White Elephant? or Draw secret Santa names?
Secret Santa, I hate not knowing what kind of "crap" you may be getting as some people have a rude sense of humor and some have none at all.
16.Holiday budget? extravagant or low budget? what do you wish it was?
It's whatever we can afford at the time. We've had very small Christmases some years and other years larger ones, it really just depends. My ideal would be to take about $50 a month and start getting stuff in January...I've yet to actually start that yet.
17.Tree? real or fake? prelit ? Green or flocked?
Well growing up we ALWAYS had a real tree, but since we've been married, we've always had a fake tree. I do miss real trees, but not the mess! We've also always had smaller fake trees that were very simple. But last year we bought a new tree. It is a 7 foot tree that is flocked on the ends AND pre-lit. No real hard work putting our tree up. :D
18.best gifts are? homemade? or store bought?
Honestly, I just like gifts that have thought put with them - either way. Some people just aren't very crafty or anything, so it is hard to make things, but if they put a bunch of thought into what they bought, that is just the same.
19.which is better in your opinion? surprises galore? or being sneaky and peeking?
Surprises. I think things get ruined when you know what you are getting. Where's the fun in that?
20.do you do thank you cards for Christmas gifts?
Not really because we are with the people who give us things, so we can give them a heartfelt thank-you in person.

What Happens Next...

Happy Karate-Chop Zooey

This weekend was another fun, but full one.

Friday was my birthday and what a day it was! During the day I did the big house cleaning, as it was a Friday and that is what I spend Friday's doing. Eric didn't say anything to me during the course of the day, which I thought was odd. But then I figured maybe he was just really busy.

I kept cleaning and answered a call from my dad. He actually sang to me over the phone! :D

I ended up missing calls from my grandparents, my mom, and two of my brothers - all because Shaylyn turned down the ring on my cell phone so I didn't hear it. Thanks for the birthday wishes everyone whose call I missed.

Eric got home from work and still didn't say a word about my birthday. We watched an episode of Smallville recorded the previous night and afterwards he finally asked me what was wrong. I asked him if he even knew what day it was and right away he was like - "Crap, it must be the 16th." He felt so bad.

In his defense, he didn't actually "forget" though. He had had a very rough week and wasn't feeling very well for most of it and it was one of those weeks where you just don't put a number with the day. I for one do that A LOT! He has also NEVER forgotten my birthday in the 9 years we've been married.

Anyway, he asked me what I wanted to do and was willing to do anything because he felt so bad. We didn't have many options though as we had a neighbor who had a small crisis.

The neighbor has a small baby - 2 or 3 months old - and the baby wasn't breathing right. This lady's husband works 2 jobs and isn't home a lot, so she had to call her sister to take her to the hospital. The problem was that her sisters car couldn't fit her, the baby and her two boys in it. So she asked if we would be willing to watch the boys for her. I told her that was fine. (I wouldn't want to be in her situation ever without having someone to watch my kids)

Eric asked if he should go get some pizza for dinner so I didn't have to cook and asked if I wanted anything else. I told him that I wasn't really in the mood for pizza and I'd rather have a burger, but to maybe still get a pizza for the kids. I said he could also stop by to get some sort of cake and we'd be good. (Money has been tight and with our anniversary next week, we agreed on no presents for our birthdays)

He left and when he returned home, he brought Little Cesars for the kids, and Arby's for us. Yummy! He knows me really well. But, there wasn't any cake....Then he said to me, "I didn't get a cake, but I want you to know that I really do care and that I listen to you." He then ran back into the garage and came back with a gift wrapped from Bed, Bath & Beyond! He sure got points for going to that store alone.

Anyway, I pretty much knew what the gift was, but was excited anyway. He got me a Deep Fryer. I've wanted one for soooooo long! He even spent the rest of the night doing what I wanted to do.

So all in all, it was a good birthday.

Saturday was a bit crazy for us. Eric had his test for his yellow belt with his Kenpo Karate and he passed with flying colors. He had to do the trick where you break a board in half with your hand and he said he did it his first try. (I wasn't there to watch him do his test, but someone did get a picture of him breaking the board, and when I get it, I will post it) When he got home with his yellow belt, I made him pose for me. He got a blue gii (not sure how to spell that) when he was a white belt so that his colors would be blue & white for the Cougars. Now that's he's a yellow belt, I really hate the combination of colors. It makes me think of my Jr. High days and the ugly combination of colors the school colors were.

After Eric got to rest for awhile and I straightened the house, we decided to take the kids to the zoo. We have a membership, so it's not a bad thing to just go on a whim. When we first got our memberships they included tickets to ride the train for free.

The few times we had gone before we didn't get around to doing the train because we had people with us and we didn't want them to feel awkward. Anyway, the kids LOVED the train ride. Eric and I were just glad it was free. There wasn't a lot to see, except for some buffalo that you normally wouldn't see just walking through.

The picture of Eric, Lex & I was taken by Tanis...What do you expect with an unsteady 7 year old taking a picture? I just love the way Lex is looking.

After we were done at the zoo, we headed home. Eric went to play one game of Magic with his friends and the kids and I spent the night playing Music Scene It. We had a fun night and weekend.

Yesterday we headed to Eric's parents to celebrate my birthday. We had Roast, Potatoes & Carrots, followed by an ice-cream cake for dessert. We had lots of fun and enjoyed it all! Hope everyone else had a good weekend.

What Happens Next...

Interesting...

So apparently I got "tagged" and I have no idea what that really even means...So I am just going to follow Marisa's example as she is the one that tagged me. :P
The following are 6 interesting things about little ol' me...(This is gonna be difficult)
Hmmm.

#1. MY ELBOWS SEEM TO BE DOUBLE JOINTED
Not much to expand on with this one, except for the fact that I love to put pressure on my arms for the sole purpose of making my elbows do their thing, especially around Eric. He really hates when I do it in front of him.

#2. I AM CONSTANTLY WORRIED ABOUT MY TOES
That probably sounds very odd, but here is the reason why. I have a couple toes that are growing underneath the toe next to it. My grandma has had similar issues and has had to have numerous surgeries on her feet. I am scared that my toes will get as bad and I will have to endure a similar fate.

#3. MY LITTLE SIS AND I ARE ALMOST ALIKE IN EVERY WAY
Of course we have our differences which make us our individual selfs, but we still do many things alike. If we are out eating at an Italian restaurant we always end up ordering the same meal, this does happen occasionally at other restaurants as well. Even if we don't order the same meal, we will more than likely order the same drink. This has happened tons AND it happens when we aren't even sitting near each other. Our husbands have very similar food aversions and similar food likes. On top of all this we also have similar birthmarks in very similar spots on our individual bodies.

#4. I AM A CLOSET NERD
I guess this was bound to happen being married to a nerd. Eric has introduced me to a few "nerdy" things that I have grown to enjoy. Of course, there are still a lot of things that Eric does that I just wouldn't want to do. He introduced me to a card game called "Munchkin" that is so much fun, but it is based on Dungeons & Dragons. He also got me playing the Massive Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game of World of Warcraft. I am not quite as gung-ho as he is, but I do enjoy playing on occasion.

#5. I NEED CHANGE
I get bored seeing the same thing day after day after day. This is why I change the look on the website monthly and I change this blog look every so often. I think this desire is also partly why we've moved as much as we have. (even though I HATE moving) It wasn't rare for me to change furniture around just to get a new look for different rooms in the home. There's been times in this house I've wanted to change things, but in this house, there isn't a lot that can be rearranged.

#6. I AM A WORRIER
I worry about so many things even if they aren't that important. I worry about things that will happen months from now or even what may happen if I do or don't do something. Many times after I've had a conversation with someone I worry that I've said or done the wrong thing. Why all this worry? I really don't know.

And there you have it...A few confessions from me...
Now I am tagging....Cristeen, BreeAnn & Kaeloni...Go For It!

What Happens Next...

Seeing in Shades of...

Last Wednesday, November 7, found as at the dr's office for my monthly visit. He had told us that on this visit we would be doing an ultrasound for the anatomy. I wasn't sure that we would be able to tell what sex the baby was as I was only 15 weeks along. I have always thought that the best time for telling the sex was between 16 and 20 weeks.

Anyway, we were originally scheduled for 5:30, but I had to reschedule for 3:00 as Eric had some plans he couldn't get out of. This meant the kids got a free day out of school (I had to leave the house around 1:30, which means Shaylyn would've been in school for all of 30 minutes, then we decided it wasn't fair that Shaylyn got to stay home and Tanis didn't.) and the first part of the day I was able to relax a bit more.

We dropped the kids off at my little sister's around 2:30 (thanks again, by the way) and headed to the dr. Remember my appt was set for 3. We didn't even get into the back of the office until about 3:30 or so. I've never had to wait this long for my dr, but maybe that's cause we always go later at night.

Anyway we got in and didn't have to wait that long before the doctor actually came into the exam room. Then we went straight to the ultrasound and we were able to tell what sex this baby is. The picture is posted below (hope you can all tell as ultrasound pics are really hard to see sometimes)

That's right, we are having another boy! Shaylyn wasn't very happy at this news and even started to cry and she was really hoping for a sister. Truth be told, I thought another girl would be fun, but I wasn't holding my breath. As it is a boy will make life much easier. If it would've been a girl we would've had to switch Shaylyn into the boys' current room - so that there would be room for a bed and a crib. As it is though, we are just going to make the bunk beds up for Lex & Tanis and the crib will go across the room, in the room the boys are currently in.

We did have a name all ready for a girl, but not for a boy, so we are kinda struggling there. There is one name that is looking more like it will be his name, but I won't tell you that today. ;)

We got rid of a lot of things for a baby when we moved, so we've got to get some things all ready that way. We need to get a carseat and a stroller and need to find a bed for Shaylyn as she is currently in one of the bunk bed parts and Lex is in the crib (we bought the crib that converts to a bed).

I'll leave you will two more pics of boy #3 - they are both supposed to be profile views. The whole point of the ultrasound wasn't to find the sex anyway, it was to make sure things looked like they were forming correctly and that things were going right. In one picture you can see the spine pretty clearly.

What Happens Next...

Halloween!!!

I know I am almost a week late posting about Halloween, but life got kinda crazy after Halloween and I was trying to get the website updated. Now that I got the website updated, I figured I could post a bit about Halloween.
Last Monday for FHE, we decided to carve the pumpkins. Eric had the "brilliant" idea to do more in depth carvings, instead of just the regular faces. He thought it would be fun to let the kids choose a character that they wanted to carve.
I searched the internet to find some free patterns for the characters the kids wanted. Tanis chose Spongebob Squarepants, Shaylyn chose Danny the Phantom and Lex chose Thomas the Train.
We had no idea what kind of "fun" we were in for. While I made dinner the kids cleaned all the guts out of their individual pumpkins. After we ate dinner it was time for the carving.
Eric had the job of cutting out the patterns so that I could trace it onto the pumpkin. Then I had not only the job of tracing the pattern on the pumpkins, but carving it out as well. I did the Spongebob one first and I really didn't do a very good job of it. Eric had to try and rescue what he could. Then I attempted Danny the Phantom, but towards the end he was proving difficult as well, so Eric finished him up. Thomas the Train was the easiest for me as he was mostly just a bunch of straight lines.
We got all the pumpkins carved out and ready for display. I lit them each up and took the pictures. They didn't turn out very well as I still don't know how to adjust the camera to get the kind of picture I want at night...

Spongebob lasted most of that night, but by the next day he was pretty much "dead." We asked Tanis if there was another character he would like that we could carve into the back that might be easier. He chose Jack Skellington from The Nightmare Before Christmas.
I freehanded the outline from a picture I found online and then carved Jack's face into the pumpkin. He worked out pretty well and was pretty easy to do, compared to what we had done the night before.

Halloween was kinda crazy, but we had lots of fun. We got Tanis off to school in his costume and then came home to straighten the house before getting Shaylyn ready and off. The parade for Tanis was to start at 12:30 and Shaylyn starts school at 12:45. Her parade would be at 1:00.
I knew we would be cutting it close, but didn't know how it would work. The school our kids attend have quite a few little open areas throughout the school where they do music class and stuff. So parents were all sitting around in these areas. After just a few minutes we saw Tanis' class rush by. They weren't really starting the parade, they were just heading somewhere.
Before I knew it, it was 12:45 and I hadn't seen Tanis' class come through the "parade." But, not wanting Shaylyn to be late, we took her to her classroom. Luckily, Tanis' class was sitting in one of the open areas right across from Shaylyn's school class waiting to have their turn in the parade.
So, I was able to see Tanis in his "parade" and even got some pictures. Then we waited for a few minutes for the Kindergarten to do their parade. It all worked out really nicely.
After school the kids played with friends for awhile while we waited for Eric to come home from work so we could have dinner. I made canned Beef Stew for dinner with hard rolls and then we headed out for Trick-or-Treating around 6:30.
The kids lasted for about an hour or so and we were able to hit 2 1/2 streets in our neighborhood. Eric stayed home to pass out the candy (I HATE that job) and I took the kids. It was so much fun to see all the kids dressed up going around the neighborhood. I really missed this the past couple years as where we were at before always did the Trunk or Treat thing.

In case you can't tell for sure, Tanis was Harry Potter, Shaylyn was a PINK Wonder Woman and Lex was Buzz Lightyear.
With all the fun that we had, I do have to say I did kind of miss our "traditional" Halloweens that we've done since we had kids. Growing up we ALWAYS had Chili for dinner that my mom made and that has continued. Plus, my mom and sisters would come with me as I took the kids trick-or-treating. So I did miss that we weren't able to meet up with family for our "traditional" Halloween Chili and the group trick-or-treating, especially since it was my nephews first time trick-or-treating. (Truth be told though, I didn't really care that I missed the chili) If Halloween had been on a day where the kids didn't have school the next day, I would've got to my mom's. But since they had school, it just wouldn't have worked. Maybe one of these years...

What Happens Next...

Just for Kicks...

I ran across this thing on another blog I happened upon today. I thought it was kinda fun. Who knows how "correct" it is though...

What Happens Next...

Wild World!

So, Saturday morning just as I was waking up Eric asked if I would feel up to going to the zoo. I was kinda hurting and cramping that morning, so he was just trying to be polite. I told him that should be fine. And by the time we left I felt much better.

As we were getting the kids breakfast and asking them if they wanted to go to the zoo, Alex said that he wanted to see Dinosaurs. I have no idea where he got that idea from. Anyway, we decided we would try out the Dinosaur Park that is in Ogden instead of going to the zoo.

So we headed out around 12:30 and got to the park around 2. Honestly, there wasn't even much there. We were kind of frustrated by the whole thing. The kids had fun, so that made it even slightly worth it, but other than that it was a waste.

The park is just filled with plaster dinosaurs...They aren't even like animatronic or anything. We figured if we lived closer to Ogden, it wouldn't have been such a big deal. But seeing as how it took about a half a tank of gas to get there, it really wasn't worth it.

However, it was a nice day together and we did enjoy just being together. Plus, there was tons of things for photo ops. That made it nice for me. I even got Eric to cooperate and get a couple pics. All of the pics will be posted on the website with the November update. The weather was also very nice. Perfect jacket weather, but not too cold. That is when I like fall.

Hope everyone else had a good weekend!

What Happens Next...

Getting Caught Up...Sorta...

So I spent most of my afternoon yesterday scrapbooking! It's been a few months since I've actually sat down to do anything in regards to scrapbooking.


The last time I did sit down to do anything, I spent time figuring out the way I wanted the scrapbook pictures of Shaylyn from September of 2003. Yeah, that makes me 4 years behind...(hehehe).


Anyway, so I had all the layouts planned out and even had gone as far as figuring out which papers to use and I had all the journaling strips and everything done. Then it all just sat and sat and sat!


Yesterday I figured it would be a good day to start pulling all this stuff together again and to actually DO something with it. Eric was going to be gone all day and night, as it was his game night. He plays down in the valley, so I don't see him till really late every Thursday night. Tanis and Shaylyn were also in school for a couple more hours and Lex was happy watching a movie.
So, I gathered all the stuff together that I needed and got busy. In total I finished all but 1 of the pages I had all figured out for her. I told myself I needed to stop at 6 to clean everything up and get dinner made. In all I made 6 1/2 pages. I was very happy with myself.
The two layouts I posted in this post were 2 of my favorites. I ALWAYS have a couple that don't turn out quite how I planned, but what can you do? I will be posting all of the layouts I did on the website when I do the update for November.
One quick story to leave you with. Last night I made Waffles, Bacon & Eggs for dinner. Eric doesn't really care for "breakfast" at night, so I've kinda gotten into the habit of having "breakfast" for dinner most Thursday nights when Eric isn't home to complain.
I figured all the kids are usually happy with waffles or pancakes for dinner, so I shouldn't have any problems. WRONG!
Shaylyn started throwing a fit saying she didn't want waffles. I told her I wasn't going to make anything special for her. So she decided that she wanted to have (Hold your stomaches here) Mayonnaise, Pickles and Cheese put on her waffle, then she wanted another waffle on top...A sandwich type thing.
I was SURE she would take one bite and wouldn't finish the thing at all! How very wrong I was. She actually ate the WHOLE thing and even finished the eggs and bacon that I had put to the side.
Where she gets her guts and her tastes, I don't know. But it is something I WILL NEVER try. But if she will eat it, then more power to her.

What Happens Next...

I Love My Family!

My little brother who lives in Wyoming came down this past weekend with his friends to do some things out here.
Whenever he comes to town we always try to go to dinner and hang out a little bit. He came down with 2 of his friends. Dallas, we had met before, but it was our first time meeting Jessi.
My brother has some great friends. They were having lots of fun together and didn't even mind being with our family.
We headed to the Macaroni Grill on Saturday night and enjoyed one another's company. We did miss my older brother & his wife though. They had made plans to have company over.

I ordered Chicken Fettucini Alfredo & Lemonade (this is the same thing my little sister ordered. We tend to order the same things at restaurants A LOT) Eric had Lasagne. Tanis & Shaylyn opted for Spaghetti and we got Mac & Cheese for Lex.
We had never been to this place before, so we weren't sure what to expect. I am not sure what Eric thought of his food, but the Fettucini was the best I've had in awhile. I tend to order Fettucini Alfredo most Italian places we go. It was yummy, yummy. Tanis was in a weird mood all night and didn't eat a whole lot of his spaghetti.

Shaylyn, however, ate all of her food and even tried to finish Lex's. She wasn't quite able to, but kudos to her for trying!
Overall we had a great night with lots of laughs and we all enjoyed each others company! Yes, I am big on doing things with family. I always have tons of fun!
So Donovan, Dallas & Jessi, thanks for spending your night with the crazy family!

I hope everyone else had a good weekend!

What Happens Next...

Pictures from Last Week

Here are the pictures from last Thursday

when my sister and I took the kids to
Gardner Village for the Petting Zoo and Pony Rides.
The kids all had a blast and wanted to go on the ponies again. I explained to them we didn't really have money for them to go on again and they were okay with that.

Then a few days later Shaylyn is telling me that next time we get some money we should go ride the ponies again. HEHEHE.

Sadly though, I think that it won't be around the next time we get the time and money to go back. It was only a thing through the month of October and the kids don't have any more days off of school until November.

I love these pictures and the kids all look so cute. Especially my 1 year old nephew. He was so excited and didn't even cry or whine AT ALL! I am so surprised.

I am upset with myself, however. I had taken close-up pictures of all of the kids and managed to delete all the close-ups, except for Shaylyn's, from the memory card. That's what I get for not paying enough attention to which pictures I was deleting. Mark that one up as a "Shilo Moment."

One last funny thing I want to share with everyone is something Lex told me yesterday. He came into the room that I was in and told me he had a "kangaroo." I couldn't figure out what he meant by a "kangaroo" then saw that he was holding his mouth funny. What he meant to say was "canker sore." Too funny! There's not much else happening right now, so this is the end of this post, but hope everything is going well for everyone!

What Happens Next...

As Promised...

As promised in the previous post, here are the kids' school pictures. I was pretty pleased overall. Six months ago when they all had their pictures taken, I didn't care for Shaylyn's much.

I had made the mistake of pulling her hair back and she had a very goofy grin. This time around though, I like all of them and am very happy that they turned out as well as they did.

I also forgot to post on my "Some New Favorites" post a recipe I found for Play-Doh! The only reason I do remember now is because of a friend of mine posted a recipe on her blog for something else, but that was enough to turn the light on in my brain.

Shaylyn's take home folder had a recipe in it for Play-Doh for her to use in some of the homework that she has. The problem was the folder was always with her at school when I decided to look into making the Play-Doh. So, I got online and found this site...Sensory Processing Disorder.

Anyway here is the recipe.

COOKED PLAY-DOH

1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 cup water with preferred color food coloring
1 tablespoon oil

Mix all ingredients. Cook over medium heat until it forms into a ball and becomes "translucent", not "milky". Knead dough. Store in plastic covered bowl in refrigerator when not using it.

Like I said I LOVE this recipe. This play-doh isn't sticky at all! Even after refrigerating it for a couple days, it still wasn't sticky or even rock hard. It was cold, but totally pliable.

The kids have totally loved having this. I tried to make one for each of the kids, but ended up running out of ingredients both times...

The first day I made it, I barely had enough salt to make one. The next time I tried to make it, I ran out of the Cream of Tartar...So I suggest you make sure you have plenty of the ingredients to make as many as you want/need.

Yesterday, my little sister and I took the kids to Gardner Village for a tiny petting zoo and for a ride on a pony. I will post those pictures in the next couple of days.

Hope all is well!

What Happens Next...

New Favorites!

I've gotta admit, I love when I get pictures from my Mother-in-Law. She ALWAYS has tons of pictures that I didn't even know she took! Lots of them are very special ones too. Anyway, she thought she had given me the pictures she took at Shaylyn's birthday party in January, but she never had.
So a couple weeks ago, we were trying to figure out which pictures I had and which ones I didn't. There were other pictures taken in January as well and some from April, but my favorite one from all that she just gave me is the one above. It is a picture of my dad and Eric's dad. I think it is just an awesome picture to have! Now, I've gotta get a picture of my mom and Eric's mom together! It is on my to-do list.
For school, Tanis & Shaylyn each have to read or be read to for a certain amount of time each night. For awhile we were reading Harry Potter - and we will go back to it, but Tanis ran across a book of poems by Shel Silverstein called "A Light in the Attic." Tanis wanted me to read this book of poems to him, so for the past few nights we've been reading them.
Two nights ago I ran across 2 poems I just absolutely loved! The first one I thought would be perfect to use on a scrapbook page of a kid just hanging out in the summer sun. The second one just really made me think of how the world treats people. Here you go...

TIRED

I've been working so hard you just wouldn't believe,

And I'm tired!

There's so little time and so much to achieve,

And I'm tired!

I've been lying here holding the gras in its place,

Pressing a leaf with the side of my face,

Tasting the apples to see if they're sweet,

Counting the toes on a centipede's feet.

I've been memorizing the shape of that cloud,

Warning the robins to not chirp so loud,

Shooing the butterflies off the tomatoes,

Keeping an eye out for floods and tornadoes.

I've been supervising the work of the ants

And thinking of pruning the cantaloupe plants,

Timing the sun to see what time it sets,

Callint the fish to swim into my nets,

And I've taken twelve thousand and forty-one breaths,

And I'm TIRED!

- Shel Silverstein

THE LITTLE BOY AND THE OLD MAN

Said the little boy, "Sometimes I drop my spoon."

Said the little old man, "I do that too."

The little boy whispered, "I wet my pants."

"I do that too," laughed the little old man.

Said the little boy, "I often cry."

The old man nodded, "So do I."

"But worst of all," said the boy, "it seems

Grown-ups don't pay attention to me."

And he felt the warmth of a wrinkled old hand.

"I know what you mean," said the little old man.

- Shel Silverstein

I have always loved this book and every couple of years when I read it again, I find new poems that I fall in love with.

We also got the kids' fall pictures back, but I have to wait until tomorrow to post them because our scanner/printer is broken and Eric left our camera at his parents house. So tonight when I head to the doctor, we will stop by and get the camera and I will then take a picture of each of the kids' pictures and post them.

Hope everyone is doing well.

What Happens Next...

More News...

Now that life has settled down from the crazy week we had a couple weeks ago, I feel like I can say some more about what happened in that week.

Luckily, this is good news though and nothing as tragic as everything else that happened during that week.

Ready for the news...Drum roll please...

We are pregnant with #4. The same Wednesday of my cousin's death, was the day that the doctor confirmed the pregnancy. We even got an ultrasound done that day. It is pictured below.

I didn't think that the week we found out was the best time for us to tell anyone because of everything that had happened. But now, I feel more relaxed and at peace about everything and I can't really hide the fact for a lot longer.
We are due on about April 24, which puts me into about my 9th week right now. We are excited and nervous all at the same time. I'm scared of the transition between 3 kids to 4. And the fact that we haven't had a baby for 2 years is pretty scary as well. Overall though, we are all happy and the kids are all excited.
The doctor asked us if we were wanting a girl this time around to make the numbers even. I told him Daddy didn't want another girl, but I don't care either way. So after the ultrasound the doctor said, "It looks like a girl (pause) or a boy." This was said just to tease Eric, but I think the kids thought he was serious. Because we stopped at my parents afterwards and Shaylyn told them it was a girl.
Anyway, Tanis and Shaylyn both think this baby is a girl and Lex wants a brother, so we shall see who ends up right.
The weather has cooled off a bit, enough that for a couple days the kids needed to wear long sleeves and long pants. Eric's parents found the cutest outfit for Shaylyn one day that she hasn't been able to wear. Yesterday she was, so I had to take a picture of it. When my mother-in-law saw this outfit she immediately thought of Shaylyn. The way she put it was that it had Shaylyn written all over it. This is because Shaylyn has a tremendous love of butterflies. Anyway, here is the picture.

Hope everything is well with all of you. :D

What Happens Next...

Greg's Obituary

I am not sure who wrote Greg's obituary, but they got it just so right. Below I share with you his obituary...

Gregory Dale Kehl

Gregory Dale Kehl "The Entertainer" A fantastic father, husband, brother, friend and son has returned home to our Heavenly Father on Sept. 12, 2007, where he can rest in peace.Greg, you are the light of our life. Our room will be empty without you there. You touched all those who knew and treasured you as a friend, brother, father and husband. Greg served in many church callings for the LDS Church. He was a terrific and respected member of the Eagle Mountain community. He sat on the City Council and volunteered his time and money whenever possible. Greg enjoyed the outdoors, all kinds of music and his beautiful yard and home. No one had more pride in his community and family than Greg Kehl. He enjoyed riding his Harley, snowmobiling and spending time with his devoted wife and sons. Greg is greatly loved by his mother, father, sisters and their families. He is a fantastic uncle, brother-in-law and person. Of all of Greg's accomplishments, and there were many, his family, his sons and wife, are what he is most proud of. Greg's family takes comfort in knowing he has returned home to a loving Father in Heaven and grandfather (Alma Kehl) who passed before him. No one's life will ever be the same without Greg's point of view or the special way he brought laughter into any situation. Greg is survived by his loving wife, Becky; sons, Dexter and Dallin; his dog, Moose; parents, Dale and Sharron Kehl of Taylorsville; grandmother, Bernina Kehl of Salt Lake City; sisters, Tammy (Calvin) Carrell of Murray; Tonya (Merlin) Huff of Taylorsville; and Tresa (Shayne) Ahlin of Santaquin. Greg is also survived by his second family who loved and respect him (the dreaded in-laws, he would have said), Shirl R and Shari Black of Taylorsville; brother-in-law, Matthew (Annette) Black of Stansbury; sister-in-law, Jennifer (Terry) Word of Riverton. Greg has many nieces and nephews that love and adored him. You will be missed Unkie Greg. Soar high rocket man! Greg was an entrepreneur at heart, there was no job too challenging for him to accomplish. Funeral services will be Monday, September 17, 2007, 12:00 noon at the Cedar Pass Stake Center, 2977 East Pony Express Parkway. There will be a viewing on Sunday from 6-8 p.m. at McDougal Funeral Home, 4330 S. Redwood Road, Taylorsville and on Monday from 10-11:30 a.m. at the Church prior to services. Interment, Valley View Memorial Park. Published in the Deseret News from 9/15/2007 - 9/16/2007.

What Happens Next...

It Continues...

This is a difficult post for me to make. But I am just hoping that writing about it will make me feel a little bit better.

As most of you in Utah may have heard or read, on Wednesday night an Eagle Mountain Man, named Greg Kehl (pictured above the Christmas of 1994), took off in his paraglider and committed suicide. The news at first got a few things wrong, but I think since then have all gotten their facts mostly correct.

I still don't know everything and I probably never will, but this man was a cousin of mine. He was a guy you wouldn't suspect of having issues and who would even think of killing himself, so it took the family by surprise. His intermediate family is really having a hard time dealing with this, as is the extended family. He leaves behind 2 teenage boys who I am sure are having a very difficult time with their father gone.

We had another cousin in this same extended family who got married yesterday. I feel so bad. There was this cloud over the whole day that our cousin had killed himself. Luckily though most of us were able to celebrate for the cousin who got married.

My poor grandma was feeling so out of sorts. She was happy for the one cousin, but was having a really hard time dealing with the other cousin. She wanted to make sure people knew that he DID NOT shoot at his wife. My mom is very sad as well. She was only 9 when Greg was born so she had lots of fun watching him grow up and raise his family. It really hurts to see your family suffer so much.

We haven't even seen the immediate family members who are dealing with this on a losing their son, brother, uncle, father and husband aspect. When we do run into them it will be very hard for all.

It's so sad to see someone give up so much hope when life comes crashing down all around them. I feel so bad for his sweet, sweet wife and young boys. I hope they will all be able to come through this as best as they can under the circumstances.

So, let me remind you of the week we have had...Monday night, my brother in law gets into a car accident - comes out pretty much okay. Tuesday, my little sister tells me she just passed my uncle on the road and guess what, my uncle was in a car accident - luckily he too seemed pretty much unscathed. Wednesday night, my cousin kills himself, although I don't find out until Thursday morning. Thursday night, we celebrate the other cousin who got married as best we can and it is a beautiful reception.

This morning, I get an email from my sister in law telling me to open it up today. I read the email to find out that my older brother was in a car accident this morning on his way to work. Some lady apparently did a u-turn on the freeway and crashed into the passenger side of his NEW car. Thankfully, my brother was unharmed and was even heading back into work when he called his wife.

I am sure the Lord is trying to teach this family something, probably about being Thankful for Life. I know it's been an eye opening week for me. And I am so very thankful to still have my family around.

Please keep Greg's little family in your prayers though as they struggle through this most difficult time.

Love you all!

What Happens Next...

It Makes You Grateful...

Friday Night we spent the night with my family at a park. We were celebrating some family birthdays.

We had a nice night of enjoying each other's company and just hanging out. The kids enjoyed playing on the playground and the older boys enjoyed throwing a football around and even ended up playing a game of "Jackpot". We've also found a family sport in playing what we call "Noodle Ball" which is pretty fun as well.

At one point in the night I had to take my 1 year old nephew back to his mom after he was done playing on the playground. I had taken my camera to the playground with me and left it with my older sister and brother while I took my nephew back. I came back to find my sister and brother kind of laughing - so I asked them if they had found any good pictures. They said they just picked up the camera.

So, today as I am adding the pictures from the memory card to my computer, I come across the above picture and one other one. The three of them (L-R) Our "adopted" sister, Heather, My Sister, Kami and Brother, Corby had taken 2 pictures of the three of them. Clever, clever, but who has the last laugh now?

Anyway, after we had dinner and were done with the games we headed to my mom's for an ice cream treat. For some reason, I wasn't that interested in the ice cream. (odd, I know) We hung out some more and gave my little brother (turned 22) his gift.

This brother is difficult to shop for and I never quite know what to get for him. Usually it ends up just being money or a gift card (which he doesn't like getting), this year however, I wanted to get him a real gift.

After looking around at the store for awhile I ran across a game I thought he might enjoying playing with his friends. It is called iList by Hasbro. It is a game played with up to 4 mp3 players. I know that my little brother and his friends all have some sort of iPod so I figured what the heck and bought it. I included a gift receipt if he decided to take it back.

I was a little surprised when he actually kept it AND opened it. So, of course, I had to play with him. I had a lot of fun and it is fun to see what songs people have on their mp3 players. I had so much fun with the game that I actually went to try and find it at a store near us on Saturday. I found one and then made Eric play with me. He was at a bit of a disadvantage as he has the ipod that holds thousands of songs...Too bad for him. ;)

So that was the weekend.

Last night around 8:30 I get a phone call from my mom telling me that my brother-in-law, Cody, was in a car accident on his way home from work. He couldn't remember what happened, but as far as what others could figure was that he had to swerve to miss hitting a car and ended up crashing into a pole. The car was totaled and he seemed to be alright.

He didn't want to go to the ER as he hasn't been at his job quite long enough to get the insurance, however, his Mom took him to the ER just to be safe. He had a catscan just to make sure brain activity was all normal.

He got a clean bill of health and left the hospital. They stayed the night at his parents home and he is recovering well. I called my sister today to ask how he was doing and she said that he is pretty bruised and his eyes are pretty swollen, but for all intents and purposes he is fine. He was even talking about going to school tonight and back into work tomorrow. He is a strong guy!

Anyway, when things like this happen it makes you reflect and think about lots of things. You are thankful that nothing worse happened and that the person is still alive and well. It makes you thankful for all of the people in your life and you want to hold them and keep them that much closer to you. I am thankful for all of you who are in my life.

I will leave this post on a happier note however. Eric has been getting into Tai Kwon Do lately with one of his friends who is a black belt as the "teacher." Eric purchased some protective gear to use in sparring with his other friends. Anyway, it arrived today while Eric was at work. Eric wanted pictures of it, so I had the bright idea to put the stuff on Lex and take pictures of it. I took the pictures, emailed them to Eric, then he wanted to see Lex with all the stuff on at one time. So, Lex (bless his heart) agreed and let me put all of the stuff on at once... I leave you with a picture of our little trooper.

Love you all! BE SAFE!

What Happens Next...

Back in Session...

So, school started for Tanis on Tuesday, August 21 and Shaylyn started on Tuesday, August 28th.

Tanis is in 2nd grade and has a teacher that is new to the school. She seems really nice and almost as nervous as the kids were that first week of school. He is really enjoying his teacher and there are a few kids that were in his class last year that have the same class as him again this year. Sadly though, his "girlfriend" is in a different class. He says that he still sees her at recess though and he seems okay with that.

Shaylyn had an assessment with her teacher on the Friday before she started school. I was filling out paperwork for the teacher while she worked with Shaylyn, so I didn't catch everything that they were going over.

I did catch a few things that made me proud of my daughter, and also a few things that made me not so proud. First of all, Shaylyn had to figure out patterns. The teacher had some teddy bear erasers and made one pattern and then told Shaylyn to make a different pattern, she did so with ease. Then Shaylyn was given some story problems (I personally HATE story problems, they confuse me too easily) however, she had no problems with this. One question was an addition question saying we have x amount of boys in our class and x amount of girls in our class, how many children are in our class? Shaylyn answered correctly. Then she was asked a subtraction question - something to the effect of, if so and so has 6 apples and eats 2 apples, how many apples are left? Shaylyn quickly said 5 and then hurried and said no, 4. The teacher seemed a little surprised at how quickly she answered this question and I was a little surprised too. When the teacher then asked her how she knew that she replied, "If you have 6 and then you take away 5 and 6, you are left with 4." I think she's going to have a brain like her dad and aunt.

What didn't make me so proud of her was that she was constantly chattering to her teacher and asking questions when her teacher was trying to do the assessment. This is a "problem" we know she has and are worried about. I did tell the teacher that her constant talking is one of the things I am worried about with her. Oh well.

Shaylyn is enjoying Kindergarten and she goes from 12:45 - 3:30, which is when Tanis gets out so they walk home together. Shaylyn has made a couple new friends - both boys. (Sounds just like me when I was her age)

Lex and I are enjoying this quiet time together. He usually wants to watch a movie and so we sit on my bed and just hang out. I love having this quiet time and time to just be. It's been so relaxing.

Dance started up for Shaylyn again yesterday. She was more excited and more cooperative than she was for almost the whole of the spring session. I am not complaining though - maybe it's a sign she is growing up. We also have Tanis doing singing with this dance teacher, she does singing groups as well. Though now I am a bit worried. I just watched the DVD from the recital in the Spring and there were NO BOYS in the singing group AND they did a few dance moves. Hopefully though, because she is aware there is a boy in the group this year, she will make the proper adjustments. I am just hoping that if Tanis is the only boy, he will be okay.

In other news, I quit my job at Smith's. I just couldn't handle the unpredictability of it all. And with the kids getting homework and with the dance and singing lessons, it was just going to be too hectic. This is putting more stress on Eric, however as he is trying to find a part-time job. I feel bad about this, but he is convinced that if he can get a job at a game store he won't get that stressed. Here's to hoping...

I am also messing around with a new blog site - I am trying to figure out if I can personalize it a little easier than this current one. As of now though, I haven't figured it out so we will see.

Hope all is well with everyone!

What Happens Next...

Donut Break Anyone?

So Sunday night, August 12th, we head to my grandma's house for her 88th birthday party. We enjoy all the visiting with all the family and my little brother who lives in Wyoming even made a surprise appearance. He even took the nice picture of me that is to the left....
Anyhow, because Eric wasn't feeling very well, I drove home. We are 2 minutes away from home and guess what I see...Flashing lights behind me. I start getting really ticked off not thinking that I was speeding and knowing that we couldn't really afford a speeding ticket at this moment in time. Eric keeps telling me to calm down and that I shouldn't get that frustrated and overworked when I get pulled over. Easy for him to say.
So the officer comes to the window and asks for all the stuff...License, Registration, Proof of Insurance and then walks away. He is back in only a matter of minutes and then tells me the reason he pulled me over is because our Registration wasn't up to date...OOPS! So he lets us go telling us that we need to get it taken care of because after 3 months your car can get impounded.
I was so relieved. No ticket and just a "friendly" reminder to get the registration renewed or whatever. So first thing Eric did Monday morning - take care of the registration and also got the brake pads fixed for my car. He only ended up working a total of 4 hours on Monday.
Anyway, so having the Registration complete and everything I had totally forgotten about being pulled over. Until, last night at 12:30. I worked until midnight and when I got off I was talking to one of the baggers for a few minutes.
Driving home on a 65 speed limit road I was doing good to not go above 70. Next thing I know I pass a cop hiding in an area off the road. Once again I check my speed and I am about 67 or so. Then I see the flashing lights AGAIN! At first I wasn't sure if he was coming for me, but he was.
Once again, I was ticked off! This time I knew for certain I wasn't speeding enough to warrant a ticket. But, I pulled over again...Same old routine. License, Registration, Proof of Insurance. The officer goes back to his car and takes longer than officer #1 did, so I was worried about a ticket.
He comes back after like 5 minutes and tells me the reason he pulled me over is because my taillights aren't on! He said when I put my foot on the brake pedal, the lights are on, but just driving they weren't. He asked if the car had been in the shop recently and I told him about the brake pads. I am not sure why that would screw up the taillights or whatever, but oh well.
He sent me on my way and I was really freaked out. Having no taillights driving around at midnight is pretty scary. Especially in one area of where we live where there are no street lights for whatever reason. Thankfully, I got home safely.
Told Eric about the event and so today he is going to have to take me to work and pick me up. Crazy things.
Good thing is - no tickets...Bad thing is now I feel like it's Karma or something...So weird. I'll be happy if I don't get pulled over for a VERY LONG TIME!

Hope everyone is doing well.

What Happens Next...

Beat the Heat!

This summer has been awfully hot. Most of you know that bit of info, but thought I should let

those of you who are out of town know that small factoid.

Anyway, to make matters worse as far as we were concerned this summer, a pipe to one of the water wells in our city broke.The first day it broke we were told that they would be shutting off our water at some point in the night. We hurried and did whatever we to do...When we went to bed at 11 pm, they still hadn't turned it off. When we woke up around 7 the water was back on...So they either never turned it off, or they did it while everyone was sleeping.

For the next month or so they told us to conserve water and even limited watering...For the first little while there was to be no outdoor watering at all. This kinda sucked as its been such a hot summer and our lawn is still new. Needless to say, some of the lawn turned brown.

Within a couple of weeks they had repaired the pipe so that people could water 2 days a week but only during certain time periods. There was still no other use for outdoor water "permitted." They were good to say that people with very new sod could water as they needed to.

Anyway, so we've been dealing with this situation for awhile and it's been difficult all around. I finally heard that they had repaired the well and everything was fine, which also meant that we can water outdoors again and I even took the opportunity to let the kids play in the water.

My brother gave Lex a little water t-ball thing for his birthday that we had only been able to use one time...So yesterday as I was bored and needed to get outdoors, I decided to let the kids play in that again. Tanis & Shaylyn had a great time...Lex, however, wasn't too fond of all the water . Maybe in time...

What Happens Next...

Happy Tuesday

This past Tuesday, August 7, we had quite a busy day.

My older sister was trying to get a video slideshow done from Girls Camp done...She was having difficulties making a disc that would play in a regular DVD player and sadly, I wasn't much help explaining it to her over the phone.

So, I took my actual computer over to her house with a program I use to make the videos I've done. For some reason, however, when I imported the saved Windows Video that she had saved, it wasn't showing the pictures...

I made plans with my younger sister to take the kids swimming and time was running out, so I explained to my sister how to remake the video and how to capture it on disc and went to get my little sister and head to the pool.

We got to the pool and the kids had loads of fun. The place we went actually has a little place where the water isn't deep at all (as you can tell from the picture). My kids had fun jumping into the water - I wasn't worried about drowning as much as I was about broken legs since the drop was nothing...However, no one got injured. Even my little nephew who will be 1 in a couple of weeks had lots of fun splashing in the water - he is one kid who is not afraid of water AT ALL! The pool closed for open plunge at 4, which was good as we had yet more plans...

I dropped my little sister and nephew off and headed over to Eric's parents home. We were all headed to the zoo for a members night. The birthday gifts for all the kids this year was a year membership to the zoo. It was a perfect time of day to go to the zoo. It had cooled off enough that it was nice and there really wasn't that many people at all! I didn't really take any pictures at the zoo because Eric's mom was taking lots and she gives them to me...I just don't have them yet.

We enjoyed the Birds of Flight show which was really cool. There were many birds that flew right over your heads. The kids enjoyed it lots and it was neat to see all the different kind of birds and what they can be trained to do. We also spent some time seeing how the trainers take care of the Elephants. They have trained the Elephants to stick out their feet and ears to get checked for things. They've also trained these elephants to pick up things that may get thrown into their exhibit that don't belong there. One of the elephants could even kick a ball that the trainer would throw in. I think it is interesting how and what you can teach animals with a certain amount of care and patience.

We also saw turtles mating...(Picture is below) This was hilarious to us. The female acted like she didn't even care what was going on as she just kept eating and walking around. This did not deter the male however...He just kept at it no matter how much the female kept walking around. Luckily the turtles were across from the playground and so the kids didn't see the turtles and just wanted to play.

As for what else has been going on - not much!

The IDOLS concert last week was awesome! There is a guy from Seattle, Washington who beatboxes as well. He is such an entertainer and one of my favorites. The show was fun and so enjoyable. I was just mad that I didn't take my camera. I wasn't sure if they would allow it in, but there were lots of people that took theirs...So that upset me. Maybe next year if we have lots of favorites like we did this year we will go to the concert again and I will take my camera.

Monday at work there was an interesting thing that happened. It was about 9:30 and we hear screaming coming from the USCAN area...Monday night was really busy, but everyone in the store turned to hear what was going on. We see two guys yelling at each other and ALMOST getting into a fist fight in the store. One guy and lady had a little baby in their arms as well. It was so scary that my heart was beating fast. They got them out of the store and I guess after they were out of the store they went at it...Someone called the cops though and it was taken care of. My manager came back into the store in the middle of it and didn't know what to do. When I left work that night I asked the manager what had happened and she related the story.

Apparently guy #1 and guy #2 bumped into each other, when guy #2 turned around guy #1 didn't like the way guy #2 looked at guy #1's wife...Is that a crazy thing to get into a fist fight over or what? I guess guy #1 is a little possesive of his wifey? Oh well.

Hope all is well with you all!

What Happens Next...