Just for you

Annemarie, I just want you to know that you are and your family are in my thoughts and prayers. I know that things are busy for you right now, so I don't call, but I am thinking about you all the time. I love you dear friend!!!

I Didn't Forget

My friend, on the left, had a birthday on December 16th. How could I forget his birthday when he mentions it all year long? I just didn't ACKNOWLEDGE it.

I can't reveal his name. Since he is a famous rock star, I don't want the paparazzi hunting me down. His popularity would get me sucked into the tabloids, and I just can't handle that pressure. Since I am expecting twins, I'd be in the same category as Jennifer Lopez, Halle Berry, and now Jamie Lynn Spears. That's just a little too much fame for me at this time.

Well friend, Happy Birthday! May your fame and fortune never get to your head!!!

Highlights of My Sunday

Andy and I just chuckled after we watched 3 hours of this series and basically laid in bed all day. This show is amazing. Being the indoor type, I am not much to be one with nature. This show sucks me in. I highly recommend it. It's on Discovery Channel. It was on all day yesterday (Sunday) and I recorded every episode.

Other highlights of the day:

Maggie: Mom, I want to wear my pretty blue dress to church today.
Me: Maggie, that's a summer dress. You'll be too cold. Why don't you wear your dress with the snow flakes on them.
Maggie: Those snowflakes are FAKE!

Second interesting comment:

Max: Mom, you're starting to look fat.

One more laughing moment:

Maggie lets quite loud sound out of her body.
Andy: Maggie, what was that?
Maggie: I fard.

Chicken Nugget Casserole

Here's a recipe I made up.

Ground beef, browned
Cream of Mushroom Soup
Sour Cream
Package of Chicken Nuggets
Grated Cheddar Cheese

Mix first three ingredients together. Place on top of chicken nuggets. Sprinkle cheese on top. Bake at 35o until bubbles.

Okay, I really didn't make this. I never will. I was thinking what I could make for dinner tonight, the ingredients I had, and the recipe popped in my head. If you ever try it, let me know.

Can I Borrow $1500??

Here's a discussion I've been having with Michael the past month or so...

Mom: Michael, what could I buy for you so you will quit sucking your thumb?

Michael: Ummm..., a cell phone.

Mom: A real cell phone?

Michael: Yes.

3 weeks later....

Mom: Isn't there anything else you want so you will quit sucking your thumb?

Michael: Yea, instead of a cell phone, I want a lap top!!

It's My Vacation and I Can Do What I Want To!!

Massachusets State House.

This is where the constitution was first read.

Andy and I at the train station

December 4th to 8th, Andy and I went to Rhode Island. Two days were spent in RI, one full day was spent in Boston. The best vacation I've been on. Here's a recap of the adventures...

Tuesday: We barely make it on the plane. I start panicking because I didn't bring any food with me. "What if my blood sugar drops? What if I get so hungry I start heaving? Wait!!! What is this? A screen right in front of me? Oh my gosh, where have I been? I can watch a movie or watch satellite TV on this flight!!! Oh blessed everything good that comes from above, it's my lucky day!" What a great flight. I survived just fine with my little snack on the plane.

Wednesday: Andy has a meeting all day. This is my chance to go see Rhode Island. Instead, I decide to sleep in a little. 8 am, I wake up, go back to sleep. 10 am, wake up, just can't get out of bed. 12:30 pm, wake up, decide that I probably should eat so I get started for the day. I get bundled up to walk to the mall. HOLY COW, it's FREEZING outside!!! The day consisted of eating and shopping. What more does a girl need?

Thursday: Andy has a half day of meetings. I sleep and wait for him to get back. The rest of the day is spent eating, shopping, and going to the movies. We saw Dan in Real Life. We were the only ones in the theatre. Andy saw three movies that day, I saw the one, and shopped til I dropped.

Friday: Our big day in Boston. We ride the commuter rail into the city. Amazing city! So much history. It's snowing and we are taking this city on by foot. Let's also remember that I am dragging two others inside of me as we walk around. I would say the 9 hours we spent in Boston, 6 of them consisted of walking. We visited two cemeteries and two historic buildings. We found our way over to an aquarium. By this time I was shot. Andy was fascinated with the marine life as I tried to find the nearest seat in the aquarium. We finished off the aquarium by watching an IMAX about whales. Needless to say, we both fell asleep watching the movie. After the movie we got something to eat and made our way back to the train station. Did I mention is was COLD there? The train ride was interesting, Andy listened to his iPod, I listened to a conversation between two business men. I wanted to give one of the guys a knuckle sandwich as he mentioned how hot some girl was on the train but then mentioned his devotion to his wife.

Saturday: Prepared our luggage and headed back home. Unfortunately, I didn't have my own personal TV screen but did watch a movie on the way home.

One of my favorite things about taking a vacation in the winter was that I was bundled up most of the time. I had to wear a hat and coat wherever I went. This meant that I didn't have to worry about fashion or hair. Plus, if I took off my hat, most women had hat-head as well.

One of my least favorite things about this vacation was that it was SO COLD!!! Site seeing wasn't that enjoyable. Although, it gave me a great excuse to sleep!

When we got home, I looked in the sink and saw a pile of dishes that needed to be done. My glorious vacation was over but the time away was worth every dish in the sink!!!!

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things...

NOT! The other day I was thinking about the day-to-day activities I do. If someone I didn't know were to follow me around for the day, they would think that these are my favorite things...

1. Dishes, laundry, house cleaning. Okay, that's a given.
2. Little Einsteins, Mickey Mouse Club House, Dora, etc.
3. Radio Disney, it's on ALL the time in the car. When a HS Musical 2 comes on, I am Troy, Maggie is Gabriella.
4. Looking down and watching the varicose and spider veins grow on my legs.
5. Telling Max 100 times to get into the car for school or reminding him 100 times to do his homework.
6. Playing the "what" game. My kids will say "Mom?" I'll say "what?" Then they say "you're it!" I am at the point where I tell them I'll be "it" for the rest of the day so I won't have to play anymore.

In reality, I do have a few favorite things. I have permanent favorite things that I enjoy all the time. I also have little things I enjoy in my state of pregnancy....

1. Sleeping and going back to bed when the boys go to school.
2. Laying on my bed and watching TV. I am into those Hallmark Christmas movies. I only watch those when the kids go to bed. Otherwise, it's Little Einsteins, Hannah Montana, etc.
3. Salads. Nothing to exotic, just lots of vegetables.
4. My Prenatal Cradle Plus. Seriously, this attractive gadget has saved my back.
5. Chicken Soft Tacos from Taco Time.

It's those little favorite things in life that makes the day-to-day routine a little more exciting.

I Did It!!!

Yes, after two years, I finally finished this quilt I made for my niece. My emergency helicopter, my mom, helped me a ton with this. It's one of the cutest I've done thus far. If I ever motivate myself to get my sewing machine out, I've got about 15 more projects to complete!

Thanksgiving Day

Here's a sample of our Thanksgiving Day. Not too hectic, no dishes, and good food! I am glad I had these pictures taken with my mom because we don't take a lot of pictures of my cute mom. Happy Holidays!!!

Let's Laugh A Little

So this is the latest gadget I have to wear to ease my aches and pains and "hold everything in." I've thought about purchasing a leotard to go with it but it's just too cold to wear the outfit as is. I know, as you read this, you are envious that you can't wear such a fine piece of fashion. Rest assured, when this pregnancy is over, I'll sell you mine!

It's a Girl and a .....

Annemarie, I tried calling you on your cell and you didn't pick up and it wouldn't allow me to leave a message. You said you didn't want to find out on my blog so if you want to wait, don't read anymore of this.

So we are having a girl and a girl! Yes, two girls. I am in shock. We had convinced ourselves that there was at least one boy in there. When the Dr. confirmed two girls, I was in disbelief. I always thought we were an all boy family but that's not the case. Now we will have two boys and THREE girls. Blows my mind!!!

Thankfully, both babies are looking great. All fingers, toes, spine and brain were in check! Whew!

Random Thoughts

I thought I'd use Mel's idea (http://mels-thoughts.blogspot.com/) and write some random thoughts about what's going on with me these days.

1. A few weeks ago I was in a drive-thru at a sandwich shop. I looked through my rear view mirror and noticed a woman getting of her car (she was right behind me). She picked up something on my bumper and walked towards my car. I rolled down my window and she said "I thought you might need this". Sure enough, I did need it, it was my phone!!! I had left it on my bumper and it stayed with me. Oh, where is my head?

2. Many of you know, I am pregnant with twins. This has been a sore spot in my life. People tell me "how wonderful!" it will be to have twins. I just smile and try to change the subject. I usually can brush off any pessimism but I am really in a bad funk. I am very realistic of what I am in for and, now that I think about it, I am really scared. I am scared of being out of control: no sleep, crying babies, three other kids, and functioning on a daily basis. As I have these thoughts, daily, I have come to the conclusion that it's really getting to me. I am not sure how to put a positive twist into this but my negative thoughts are of no benefit. I keep thinking once that "motherly instinct" kicks in, it will all work out. I am hoping my honesty will bring some sort of breakthrough.

3. A couple of days ago, Michael asked me, "Mom, why do you like watching football?" Why do I LIKE watching football? Well, I don't really LIKE watching it. We just have one TV in our house, in our bedroom, so when I am laying down on my bed, it's the only thing on. I don't think my husband likes me to watch it because I am always asking "well, why did he call that?" Or "look at that dudes arms!" He likes to watch it in silence. I do have to say that I got a huge laugh at the Wyoming coach when he gave the Utah coach the bird. That was pretty exciting for me.

4. Finally, our Beta fish, Pengwee. My friend would tell me, quite often, that the water was too high in our fish bowl and that Beta's jump out of the bowls. I would constantly tell my husband that the water was too high but he said that Pengwee liked our family too much and would never jump out of our tank. Sure enough, I found Pengwee at the side of his bowl, dried up. Our kids didn't notice he was gone for almost two months! Yesterday, Maggie said, "Since Pengwee is gone, I want a new pet. I want a Macaw." After I laughed, I told her that wasn't going to happen.

A Welcomed Visit

Last week my dear friend, Celeste, came to town for a short visit. Her flight to Chicago had a 4 hour layover here. It was so nice to go to lunch with her. With this pregnancy, I use any excuse to stay inside so I can wear my pajamas all day. When Celeste called I was excited to get ready and go do something. We had a great visit and I look forward to the time she returns to help with the new babies.

Humorous Conversations With a 3 Year Old

Maggie: Mom, can I have my Polly Pockets?

Me: When you go poop in the potty you can have them.

Maggie: I can't go poop. I'm too busy.

Later on that evening.....

Me: Maggie, don't throw cereal all over the floor. I am going to have clean it all up!

Maggie: Start cleanin' Mom!

Help! My House Stinks!

In the past two days, this little gremlin has gotten into more trouble than her brothers have their whole lives. Yesterday, she wore her dogie costume. Somehow she managed to pull off her diaper inside her costume. (Don't start the potty training lecture with me, I got it from her Dr. yesterday) While she was laying on my bed she told me she peed in her costume. Sure enough, she peed in her costume and on my duvet cover. How does one get pee out of a duvet cover?????

This morning, she smashed cereal all over my bed, leaving crumbs everywhere. That is nothing compared to what she did tonight. While I was cleaning the kitchen she managed to grab the shampoo and conditioner bottles. She took them behind a chair in my bedroom (gosh, I wonder why she took them BEHIND the chair!?), and poured them all over the wall, the chair and the carpet. This isn't normal hair product, this is kids Suave that smell like fruit. Some of us have issues with smells when we are pregnant and one of the worst smells for me is fruity smells. Currently, my room smells like grape conditioner. I have no idea how to get this smell out of my room. I have two windows open and a this air purifier running. I think I'll put a clothes pin on my nose to sleep through this nauseating smell. I can't sleep downstairs because someone put this ultra powerful air freshener down there that makes me gag when I go downstairs. This sums up the title of my blog, MY HOUSE STINKS!

The End of October

Maggie has been talking about Halloween for two months. She assigned costumes to everyone in the family. Dad was going to be a "Star Wars Guy". We thought we better not disappoint her and Dad dressed appropriately. Unfortunately, Maggie was not happy with the costume and cried every time she saw her daddy. These are some of the things she said: "take it off Daddy!" and "Daddy, I don't like you!" It spiced up our Halloween quite a bit.

Football season is finally over, at least Max's season is. Having Dad as the coach made the season very busy. Max is a great little player and had fun playing this season. I think the team won one game. Well, they are only 8 years old! It is a relief to have one football event over with. Before the season ended this was our schedule... practice on Tuesday and Thursday. Game on Saturday morning. A side note, our "home" field was in Riverton!! Utah football on Saturday afternoon as well as any other college football game. Sunday, any football game that has an old Utah player on the pro team. Football, football, football. I am drowning in football.

I was a little shocked to walk into the local market to see that Christmas candy is here. I mean, we have a month before the season even starts and it's all over the shelves. No one has an excuse for saying they didn't have a chance to get their candy in time!!!

UEA Weekend

We went to Grandma's for UEA weekend. This is EVERY ONE'S favorite place to go for breakfast. It's in Salina, UT. It's one of those restaurants that cook all the deep fried stuff that our hearts don't appreciate but our taste buds do. My breakfast wasn't even that great but I'd still call it one of my favorite places to eat. My favorite waitress is Sharon. I wish I would have taken a picture of her when I was there so I could post it. She is so nice and gives us whatever we want. She knows us so well, she gives Maggie 6 or 7 little half-n-half samples that go into coffee. My mom, tried to give it back to her (I think she was a little embarrassed that Maggie drinks them) but Sharon insisted they were for Maggie. Maggie drank them all. Sharon decided to give my kids ice-cream cones before breakfast. The other waitress was shocked that Sharon would do such thing, I could care less. Anything to keep the kids happy before the food comes! Seriously, this is what Max eats when he's there: two scones, one huge pancake, two pieces of bacon, and an order of scrambled eggs. Then he eats anyone's scrambled eggs that aren't eaten. I haven't seen him happier. Well, I highly recommend stopping by the restaurant if you are ever going to one of the canyons. If not for the food, for the atmosphere. There aren't too many places like that around. By the way, I didn't take this picture. My friend Katy took it. I've raved about it so much she stopped there on her way to Richfield. She loved it.

Pumpkin Patch!!

We headed over to the pumpkin patch on Friday and had a great time. They had lots of fun things for the kids to do and it didn't cost us a thing. Maggie liked playing dress up. Max liked pulling the kids around.

Happy Birthday!

Three years old! Seems like yesterday I was riding to the hospital to have her. I still remember the contractions as we drove. I was hoping that I wouldn't be sent home because I was afraid I wasn't dilated enough. Nope, I was an 8+, I wasn't going home. Even though I was almost ready to have her, I still took the epidural.
Another memory was when we about to take her home. She was so fussy at the hospital. I looked at the nurse and asked her "what's wrong with her?" She gave me a look I would only understand days after she was home. The look said "good luck". We had our rough start but she's been such a gem. She always has us laughing. When we aren't laughing, our eyebrows are lifted because she's said something astonishing. Happy Birthday cutie!!

Motha of the Year

Call the Davis County Clipper and nominate me for Mother of the Year!! I give myself all that credit and more because I made chocolate chip cookies for my kids today. Seriously, I did, I stood up for 45 minutes or so and made the cookies. Half the dishes are done too. I was a bit disappointed that my kids didn't scream cheers like "M-O-M! M-O-M!" when they saw the cookies. Although, Michael did tell me that I am the best chef ever. I'll take it. It's just been so long since I thought I could make it through the baking process. What was more incredible was that I didn't eat half the cookie dough before it went in the oven. No, no, I have learned the consequences of doing something as silly as that. The reason why I finally buckled down and made the cookies was that I've been feeling guilty that I am making my kids buy school lunch everyday. I know they won't eat the lunch that's on the menu. I still make them buy because I don't want to make their lunch everyday. Michael will come home and say "I ate carrots for lunch today". That's all he eats from the lunch, the carrots. I am always grateful for pizza Wednesdays because I know they will eat the pizza. Basically, I made cookies to make up for every day the kids are deprived of lunch. I don't think they understand the real meaning behind these cookies. Now that I understand it, I will still make them buy school lunch and I might make cookies next month. Oh wait, Halloween will be over and I can send them with a lunch bag filled with candy. Problem solved. Please, still make that nomination. The contest comes around Mothers Day, and by that time, I'll be really needing those prizes!

I Can't Believe It

If you REALLY know me, you know that this picture pretty much screams my name. This is very hard for me to admit, but this does not look good at all. I am at a point in my pregnancy that I do not like food. Take a few deep breaths, I know this is completely shocking. Last night, I ate Chinese food and when I was done I just thought to myself "I hate food". Nothing tastes good and nothing looks appetizing. I even dread meal time because I know that I HAVE to eat but I am tired of trying to figure out what to eat.

And what's with these "high-end" sandwich shops that don't have pickles with their sandwiches? If they don't put pickles in their sandwiches, what about a wedge on the side? Do you think if I mentioned this to them they would blow me off as a cranky ol' pregnant lady?

Well, now this off my chest I will quit feeling like a victim and head on over to the store....

Chicken Soup For My Soul

Today was such a great day, I can just list all the things I'm grateful for:

1. I am grateful that my Dr. prescribed me 8 mg of Zofran instead of the 4 mg that was given to me in the emergency room.

2. I am thankful for my friend, who after telling her I have gained 10lbs. with the pregnancy, told me she thought I lost 10!!!! What a true friend!

3. I am thankful for Chicken Noodle Soup. For some reason, it's like medication. It's bland, has the protein I need, and just soothes my soul as I eat it.

4. I was able to answer the phone and have a decent conversation with friends. Unlike the day before, where I ditched all phone calls because I didn't want to start crying if I had to talk about myself.

Other little things happened today. I could have kissed the nurse at the Dr. appt. She was very surprised when I told her I was 38. Then she routinely asked if I weighed less than 120 lbs., even after she weighed me. Dr. give this girl a raise!

I am taking all these outstanding moments and running with them!!!

The Secret Password

So, if some internet jacker comes to my site, this in an opportunity to play around with the numbers in my password. Good luck.

When creating my password, I usually put the number of members in my family. That would be 5. A new twist to the number of family members, rather than 5 total, it looks like we'll have 5 kids. Let's figure this out, right now, I have three kids, and somehow my total is to be 5. Yes, I am expecting twins!!!! A bit of a shocker. That means 7 members in my family. Holy cow! I honestly never believed I would have a family so big. I was pushing the 4th, but 5?

Even as I write this, I have a 2 year old girl screaming "POPSICLE". Then there is my 6 year old crying in my bedroom calling his brother a dufuss. It's all about PINK right? Think pink, think pink....

I know that this opportunity wouldn't be given to us if we couldn't do it. So I will continue to think pink and ask that lots of pink prayers are made on our behalf.

By the way, if you find yourself in the diaper area at the store, why don't you pick up a pack of diapers for me!

What a Weekend!

My friend, Amy, was a big fan of camping. It seemed like she'd go camping in Logan in the middle of February. I would wave goodbye and wish her well thinking she was CRAZY. Amy was my roommate at USU. She chose not to sleep by the window (if I am wrong about this, we'll hear about it) but always wanted that window open in the middle of winter!! She believes that if you sleep with a winter cap and a pair of socks, that is all you need to keep warm on a cold night. I disagree. What one needs to stay warm on a winter night is a house, a bed, lots of covers, pajamas, and a HEATER!!!

Despite my feelings for camping, we went to our ward camp out on Friday. I was optimistic because we have a big blow-up mattress and a generator to blow it up. The mattress wasn't the problem. The problem was the group of 20 people who were camping next to us. So, when I say c-a-m-p-i-n-g, doesn't that mean sleep sometime in the night? It seemed to me me that particular group didn't understand that. Gosh, 11:30 pm, they were talking yelling, laughing. I think it was 1 am, doing the same. I tried calling the police to have them booted out, they never came. Around 2 am someone decided to take out their guitar. A little after that, two people thought they were coyotes. Finally, someone mentioned they knew where the bathroom was and peed near our tent. During this time it was thundering, lightening, and raining. At least the kids slept through the whole thing. Ah, to be one with nature!!!

Just Say "No" to the Divo!

A whole lot of meaning goes a long way with the title of this blog. First, since females are called Diva's, I am calling this 6 year old critter a Divo. And no, there's no relationship to the group Divo. Last week was his birthday and I don't know if we had everyone in the city bring him a present, he'd be happy. By 12 noon, he mentioned how many people had called him and wished him a happy birthday. He expected everyone to give him a present. Boy, it would be nice if he showed a little gratitude. We all got a kick out him when we heard him singing Happy Birthday to himself as he opened his popsicle. Somehow his birthday ended up lasting the whole week. Next year, I will make it half a day. You better believe that next year he will remember it lasted a week.

Just say no, one of my dear friends will know what this means. I am sure that I helped create this monster because I have the hardest time telling him "no". My recent frustrations with his attitude have caused me to say it to him over and over again. There have been a few times that I have had to pull him out of the store, kicking and screaming, because of the word no. In someway, I feel like a proud parent as everyone is watching me pull him out.

I think the reason I struggle saying no is that there is probably some sort of conflict that is from my past that makes me cringe when I am faced with the turmoil. I just have to deal with it, because my previous methods have not brought "functional" results. Saying no has given me a feeling of control that I have lost since having kids. I have to admit that I will miss my 1st grader when he starts going to all-day school this fall.

Now, my secret confession is a must for my blog. Only three more days until the premiere of High School Musical 2! Wahoo!!

My time is up and next time I will have to write about two days, two boys with the "runs".

Thought for the day....

"Interesting, huh, Alison, how by changing your thoughts you automatically begin seeing changes in the physical world around you in terms of relationships, career, and money, honey, yet by first tweaking the physical elements of your life, so little actually changes.
Yeah... my idea.
The Universe"


I get an email from tut.com everyday. I am working on being a consistant optimist and I believe in the law of attraction. This quote spoke to me. What do you think? I keep thinking if I have more material things, I'll be happier. When I read things like this it's like a pie going in my face, reminding me of what happiness really is.

Storm Warning!

Who would ever believe this sweet innocent face would be the largest tornado to hit our family? I think it all started when she was born. Really, the day she was born was when it all started. To update her life up to this point, I will tell you the events that happened over the weekend. Friday, she decided to pull the iron cord causing the iron to fall on the floor, breaking into pieces. Saturday, as I sat at the computer, she put gum in my hair. I didn't notice this until my hubby said "what is that in your hair? It's a big glob of gum!" I just started crying. Sunday, I sent her into the bathroom to get into the tub, she chose to go out the front door. There I was chasing her in the neighbors yard, as her naked body jiggled and giggled. Non-the-less, we all love her dearly and and appreciate the wonder she brings into our lives.