Fashion Friday Foto

Got Prunes?

Twins 101

Warning the following blog may not be suitable for adults who have 0-2 children. Viewer discretion is advised....

1. Question: What do you do if you have one twin who doesn't sleep as much as her sister? Who has started crawling and eats everything off the floor? Who needs a little more attention than her parents can give her?




Answer: Trap her in a bunch of water bottles.

2. Question: What do you do if you are trying to make dinner, need to change a poopie diaper, and the other twin is crying?




Answer: Give her some chocolate.

Fashion Friday Foto

Miss Maggie Jane with piggy-tails. She wore them right before her haircut. She kept them in for about an hour. Here's a couple of self-esteem moments Maggie had this week...

Me: Maggie, you need to stay in the car with your sisters while I go get Max in the school. You're such a good babysitter. I know you'll do a great job.

Maggie: I'm not a good babysitter Mom. I'm a jerk.

Second moment...

Maggie: Max, you're a loser!

Max: No Maggie, you're a loser!

Love grows in abundance in this house.

My Conversation with Mr. Einfeldt

Short and condensed version.....

Mr E: Hello this is Steven Einfeldt Vice Principal of the elementary school.

Me: Hello....

Mr. E: I'm calling because your kids have had many tardies this school year.

Me: LOL! Yes, I am aware of this issue. I talked to the principal about it the other day. I told her that Michael's teacher is marking him absent RIGHT when the bell rings. blah blah blah

Mr. E: Ah, yes, I see that Max has 4 tardies and Michael has 10 and they are marked on different days. Well, is there anything we can do to help get your kids to school on time?

Me: Laughing very loudly... Yes, you can take them to school every day.

Mr. E: Laughing and blah blah blah

Me: Look, it's been an adjustment for me to deal with the twins and get the boys out the door. Just so you understand what my days are like, I'll tell you what happened today. I had run errands all morning. I had to pick Max up from school because he was sick. I was leaving the school and noticed my shorts were on inside-out. I walked around all morning wearing my shorts inside-out. Now do you understand where I am coming from?

I think he got the picture.

Vegas Baby!

Andy and I went to Vegas last week. Andy had a business trip, I invited myself to go along.

We stayed at Bally's. Here's a view from our room. The hotel we stayed at was okay. It was free, what can I complain about?

I didn't like that Bally's served Pepsi products. I did like the Coca Cola store I visited twice.

We saw a great show, The Blue Man Group. I totally recommend it. We sat in the front row. The reason why the front row was the least expensive was the flying paint that was a part of the show. Here's a pic of us with the ponchos they provided.

We didn't get sprayed with paint but we ended up with a bunch of paper all over us. We hung out with two of Andy's co-workers. They were so much fun, we laughed the whole time.

What do you think of my new movie star glasses? I felt like the paparazzi was following me everywhere.
Vegas isn't Vegas without seeing Elvis
If you happen to see this cab driver, RUN! He had us laughing so hard we were crying. He was also completely INSANE!!

The conservative side of me was in SHOCK with the "sin" aspect of Sin City. Let's just say I won't be taking my kids there... EVER! Overall, it was a fantastic trip. Thanks Becky for watching all five of my kids so I could go!

See Ya!

Dear Facebook Friend,
Look, I really like Facebook. It's been a great tool for me to get in touch with old friends, new friends, and great friends. I consider you a fun friend from the past. Unfortunately, I do not like swearing. Sure, a few words come out of my mouth sometimes, that's beside the point. What you said was a wee bit too harsh for me. So...........I deleted you. And about the Prop 8 deal, sorry it didn't turn out the way you wanted it to. Do you have to be so mean about it though? I'm staying neutral on the issue so don't start leaving negative comments. But, yes, I was a little offended at your comment. Let's make Facebook a positive place for all of us. I'm trying very hard to get Katy on there and if I have to express negative things about Facebook she's not going to join. Enough said. By the way Brian, check on your Facebook, this time it may have been you.

Gobble Gobble

It's that time of year when we all think about the things we are thankful for. Though I am not committing myself to blogging something I'm thankful for every day this month, I'm starting this month by expressing something I am thankful for. I'm thankful that Max's football season is over. Don't get me wrong, it was an exciting season. Lots of parental politics. Lots of coaching politics. It was fun watching Max make a couple of touchdowns. I learned that he is a pretty good player.

BUT football season isn't over. We still have one more month of Utah football. The big game is this Thursday, Utah vs TCU. (can you believe I even know that?) Anyway, I thought I'd share one of my most favorite blog entries by my friend Misty. Actually her husband, Mike, wrote the entry. LOVED IT!!!! This is dedicated to all those wives and children who have been baptized by the football-addict in their lives....

Having "The Talk" with Haley

By Special Guest-Blogger Mike

Its been one year now since I sat down with my oldest daughter, Haley, for our first official talk about the facts of life…or as we call it at our house…“The Talk.” I remember how awkward I felt in the days leading up to "The Talk." Those were nerve-wracking times.

Would I be able to tell her what she needed to know?

Would she understand the importance of what I had to say?

Would I gross her out?

But despite my feelings of inadequacy, I knew I had to have this conversation with her. Sure, she was only six at the time...but it wouldn’t be long before she would be a young woman. Already she was being exposed to things and ideas at school over which I had no control. She needed to hear straight talk...and as her father, it was my job to do it.

So I pulled her aside one Saturday morning. I chose a quiet place in our home, where we could be alone and where we wouldn't be interrupted. I looked at her gently and told her the truth about life's most important things.

"Sweetheart," I said. "You are a Ute fan."

Haley smiled eagerly and nodded her head with understanding.

"And not just a Ute fan," I continued, emboldened by her response. "Because you are a Mayfield, it means that you are a hard-core Ute fan. And that means two things."

"First, it means that you will be disappointed in life...a lot."

"Second, it means that no matter how bad a game is, no matter who we are playing, no matter what the score is, and no matter how bad the weather...Mayfields never leave a game early. We don’t leave Church before the closing prayer and we don’t leave games before the final gun---got it?"

Haley wrapped her little arms around my neck. "Dad...I already know all of this stuff. I'm ready."

A rush of relief flooded my body. I had done it. I had raised my little girl to be a runnin' Ute fan right smack in the middle of cougar country. I looked proudly at Haley and said, "Then I will take you with me to the football game today."

Haley quickly dressed for the game: Waterproof coat and pants. Boots. Rain poncho. It was a little overkill, but she was a rookie. I didn’t want to curb her enthusiasm.

We went to the game against Utah State University and sat down in the cool September evening. Before long, the air got cooler. I even started to shiver a little bit in my thin jacket and t-shirt. But, I was a veteran. I had sat through much worse.

Then it began to rain and then snow. Haley sat happily in her seat, totally dry, sipping on a jumbo cup of hot chocolate. I, on the other hand, began to shake as the wet snow seeped through my t-shirt and the wind ripped through my ironically named wind-breaker. Quite simply...I was freezing. And yet, I could not leave. Not after the Talk. Not after explaining the facts of life to my little girl.

At half-time, all the players ran off the field and the fans poured out of their seats to get shelter by the concession stands. Haley looked up to me and said "Is the game over, Dad?"

And that is when I saw...an opportunity.

I looked at my lovely, trusting daughter and said, "Haley, I love you. And I could never lie to you.....Yes, the game is over! Let's get the heck out of here!"

Sure I felt like a failure as a father, but the nice thing about life is you often get a chance to repent, to be better, to make amends.

My redemption came last Saturday. I took Haley to the Utah vs. CSU game...the whole game. And my undefeated Utes won 49-16 on a beautiful, fall afternoon.

It was Haley's second full game...as far as she knows.

Life is good.

The Trickster

Did you ever use the word "goober" in high school? My friend Cyndie and I use to use the word goob. I think Andy looks like a goob here. In a goofy way, Andy, don't be offended. None-the-less, he was quite the trickster this Halloween.

Maggie was a robot. I had a few issues with the costume (I wanted her to be a princess) but it all worked out. She's holding an oil can that she used as her candy bucket. When she pressed a button it said "take me to your leader." It was pretty cute.
Max was a knight....
Michael was Obi-Wan Kenobi (it took me way too long to find the correct spelling for Obi's name)...
Kate and Claire were spin-offs from a costume I saw in a catalog. The costumes were home-made. I will never make a costume again. Becky (my friend) helped me with the tu-tu's. The shirts I made BOO! out of felt and stuck it on. The caps I bought for them were supposed to have ghosts on them but they ended up being too small. How could these girls not look cute?
Whew! I'm glad Halloween is over. Now that I have 5 kids to wrestle during this event I'm happy it only comes around once a year!