Livin' the Dream

Quinn-tastic Quinn!

2012-01-15T15:17:00.000-08:00

Well, my little Quinn has hit his quint year (doesn't that mean 5?). I love my little guy. He's such a funny boy. When we found out he was a boy, I had no idea how "boy" he would be. I really have loved watching his little "boy-ness" because we didn't necessarily get that the first go around with Parker. Here is what I love (and don't love) about Quinn right now:

1- The boy hates to wash his hands. He inevitably asks me every time he uses the restroom if he has to wash his hands. He seems surprised when I say yes....like this is new to him. You'd think I had asked him to slice off his hands. He even sneaks into the bathroom and doesn't flush so I won't hear him.

2- He's a great friend to his buddies, but also a devoted friend to Li-Li, Spotty, Hoppy, Lucky, and Black Lucky. Oh yes....Bullet the fish is mesmerizing to him. I'm glad he hasn't caught on to the fact the Bullet is actually Bullet the Second. You do what you have to do sometimes.

3- He's big into Super Mario anything right now. It's funny, because you catch him reliving scenes from the game throughout the day. He just sits there with a goofy smile on his face. He relives it in his mind, and then stops to tell me all about it. I, of course, don't understand it.

4- The boy has no sense of time. During dinner, he will sometime ask me if this is lunch. I told him his birthday was after Christmas, and he woke up on the 26th in tears because it wasn't his day yet. This has happened 2 years in a row. We had even shown him on several calendars.

5- Quinn's eyes. Anyone who has spent significant time with him knows how funny they can be. He rolls them in such a way that is pure comedy.

6- The primary secretary called me to see if I could tell them a story of when Quinn choose the right for his birthday spotlight. As much as I love him, it was really hard to think of a time when given the choice, he chose the right. I had to really stretch a story to make it work, and even then I had to ask Monika to help me think of it. I guess we will be working on that this year. He's the king of looking to see if I'm watching before he pelts Macy for no reason at all.

7- He prides himself on being the fastest runner in the world....or at least on his soccer team.

8-We've got three separate race tracks going on in our house right now. If I'd let him, there would be 3 train tracks always up as well.

9- You can see through his opaque skin.

10- He's all about cool socks right now....Lightning McQueen, Dump Truck, Mater, Santa, Spiderman....he loves them all.

11- He is, BY FAR, my most emotional child to date. I hope he can toughen up soon.

12- He lives for Thursday afternoons when he gets alone time with Grandma and Grandpa without Macy bugging him.

13- I've learned to start Quinn on dinner about a 1/2 an hour early so that he can finish around the same time as the rest of us. Speaking of dinner....he doesn't like most foods, though I make him eat it. I've become meaner than I used to be.

14- He is always singing something. Usually, it's Christmas songs.

15- He will be the kid who faints at the sight of blood.

16- He's a pretty good swimmer and a surprisingly good diver for his young age.

17-He's a wonderful, snuggly, silly, adorable 5 year old. I love him to pieces.

2012...the year of Liz

2012-01-08T21:32:00.000-08:00

Yea right, but it's a nice thought.

Before I dive into how this is my year, we've been busy the last few days. We celebrated my dad's 75th birthday by taking him to our favorite Japanese restaurant. Macy didn't make the trip. I had fears of her crawling out onto the hot grill. I was amazed at how well the other kids did with their chopsticks. Grandpa had a great time and we enjoyed being out with him. He told me the other day that he probably can't have a mid-life crisis anymore.

This is what we gave him.

My grandpa Newman was a geologist for the state and created these signs up Big Cottonwood Canyon, and my dad helped get these signs up. Last summer, me and my sis-in-law grabbed a bunch of our grumpy kids and snapped some shots. Glad we finally did it.

Bill's work party was last night. He works with people all over the country, so he gets to meet a lot of people face to face at these parties. All in all, nice people, nice food, and some funny drunk people.

.....and, Bill found my old Little Orphan Annie Halloween costume and made Macy wear it.....

and then Quinn. Wedding video material.

2012. The possible last year of existence, right? So might as well make it mine. 2011 was great for some in my family. And I liked it. I'm generally a happy gal. Bill set a goal in 2011 to do LoToJa, which I fully supported. I'm so happy he did so great, but he would be the first to say that it didn't leave ANY time for Liz goals. Behind every successful man is a woman not accomplishing her goals. I guess that is marriage....just as long as it isn't always one-sided. Bill keeps asking me what my "LoToJa" is. Don't know yet. Biking 206 miles isn't what I want to do. I'm not pregnant, nursing, or ever will be again. I do feel a freedom with this, but I'm just not used to it after 10 years of that.

Basically, my biggest resolution is to put myself first. That sounds SO selfish, but most mothers don't need practice being selfless. I've got that down. But it has left me haggard and tired...and goal-less. So here are a couple:

1-Exercise is top priority. The other stuff will get done somehow.

2-Finally figure out my bad back. I went into another specialist this week and will soon be getting an MRI to find underlying issues. It literally runs my life. I can't take anymore. Whatever it takes!

The rest would bore you, but I will make no apologies for doing stuff for myself this year. When I buy clothes or whatever, I find myself justifying it to Bill. Bill basically says, "Why do you need to validate this?" He's a good husband. Plus he loves to drop money on himself as well.

So....what is my "Everest" this year. I need suggestions!

and P.S....Yeah! It snowed!

The Rest of the December Fun! (now let me sleep!)

2011-12-26T20:41:00.000-08:00

Christmas is a marathon. It's getting more so with every passing year. I spent today focused on my studio and it was really quite nice to not do something "Christmasy"

We made reindeer root beers for the kid's friends.

Macy has discovered dress ups.

We went to our white elephant party with our friends. I won't put the pics on the blog. Wouldn't want to incriminate anyone....

But during the party, we fell victim to the Santa Head. This Santa head has been swapped mysteriously from our house and our neighbors. Well, somehow they got inside and left this in my bedroom. Scared me to DEATH.

We did something new! My mom and I took the kids downtown to the Grand America to a penguin treasure hunt. Really, really cute and they loved it. It ends is "Joux Joux", an adorable new toy shop.

Bill and I took the kids to the Temple Square...aka Sardine Square. I hate crowds, and it seems to be getting worse. It's almost not worth it anymore. The gingerbread maker in Deseret Book was fun, though.

Bill's sister's family came to Christmas Eve dinner. Really nice. Macy hops into her seat for dinner 20 minutes before it's ever ready.

Our neighbor gave us luminaire materials. It kept Emi busy, which is always nice. Growing up, we did this and I really liked it. Too bad there was no snow. I can almost guarantee we'll have snow for Easter!

I'm so in love with my new stockings. I've been searching for good ones for years now. I love the classiness of these. Simple. I should have been smart and named my kids Noah, Olivia, Edward, and Lori so that it would have spelled NOEL. Too bad. Bill and I have the stockings too, but when I bought my holders, I never dreamed I'd have 4 kids.

Quinn was very determined that we got just the right cookies for Santa. Yes, that is a Diet Coke for Santa. My kids don't even question it anymore.

Once again, no snow. New sled. Lame!

Macy would not take off the Elmo backpack from her cousin. She even took a nap with it.

Emi made Quinn a really big scarf.

Santa gave Quinn a REALLY big race track. I think Santa really wanted it for himself when he saw it at Toys R Us, but decided to "give" it to Quinn. What do you think?

The Hustle and Bustle of December

2011-12-18T21:26:00.000-08:00

I have to admit that I have been a bit "Scroogey" this year. I really was not excited for Christmas this year, mostly because it is such a HUGE amount of work. And it is, but I'm finally feeling a bit better about it. I'm more focused on the meaning after a great lesson today in Young Women's. Even though I've been a Grinch, this didn't stop us from the crazy, busy-ness of Christmas events. And I didn't even take my camera to many of the things. I'm tired just reading this.

Gingerbread boys with Grandma. Big Newman tradition, and my kids are great at it.

We were so lucky to tag along with my dear cousins on the trolley around Thanksgiving Point. Thanks Brooke for arranging it. We loved it.

(the wind was blowing...hence my hair)

Pics with Santa...YEAH! No one cried!

Christmas jammies and tree decorating. Here is where my cold Grinch heart got a bit colder this year. The very well strung lights on the top of my tree completely shorted out last week. It took me 1 1/2 hours to undo the top and restring. Lame. (Somewhere out there, my mom is having a heart attack that Macy is that high up on a ladder. Sorry mom)

Emi's Pajama Party. It involved oodles of snack food, 13 girls, Phineas and Ferb, Twister, and decorated pillow cases. And a LOT of estrogen.

Parker and Quinn were in the cutest nativity ever done at our church. Parker is the wise man and Quinn is the shepherd holding the crook. I should also mention that Bill was roped into the being the star at the last minute. You can sort of see his hand at the top of the pic.

17 mini dance recitals....done!

Duso the Dolphin, the pre-school class pet, came to live with us for a week. Let's just say that Duso is GREAT at hide and seek.

Emi was a mouse in the Nutcracker this year. This part was made for her. Her last scene was her crying because the Mouse King had died. Academy Award worthy performance.

Quinn loves to sing. He shined in his pre-school program.

Gingerbread house

And, I'm basically caught up now. Except for the fact that dinosaurs have taken over one of my nativity sets. Maybe there were dinosaurs abiding in the fields.

May I just please explain this picture?

2011-12-18T20:48:00.000-08:00

The fall is a busy time in my life. I never think to get a decent family pic for my Christmas card, and I end up screaming at my kids to sit still in front of our tree. I thought I was so awesome for actually scheduling an appointment the Monday after Thanksgiving. It was a nice thought. Except Quinn had the bug of all bugs and he was coughing up a lung. I refused to re-schedule. He was trying so hard to be happy between coughs, but it was kind of miserable on all involved. We were lucky to get any somewhat decent shots. But darn it....I paid for them, I'm using them.

That, and I just noticed on my last 10 Christmas cards that Macy had erased a whole line on my Christmas newsletter. So now there is a crappy pic AND I sound stupid. I'm batting 1000 these days.

Emi.....9 years old

2011-12-05T20:33:00.001-08:00

Emi turns 9 tomorrow... this is totally beyond comprehension to me. 9 years ago I became a mom to a daughter which is one of the coolest things to be in my opinion. This is a picture of the PJ party last Friday. Wow. Funnest (and loudest) group of girls on the planet.

A few things I love about Emi right now:

1- She is crazy responsible. I've been busy with mini-dance recitals this week, and she just gets going on homework and her other projects without any assistance. She also babysat Macy while I was downstairs. She probably could have whipped up dinner given the chance.

2-She loves soft, fuzzy stuff. Pillows, blankets, fur vests, sleeping bags, bathrobes, new towels, etc. Emi is all over it.

(age 2 1/2)

3. Emi is a crack up. She's kind of quiet in a crowd (except with girlfriends), but does pull a zinger or two when it really counts. She's so funny, and in a smart way.

4. Emi is all girl. I love this. She is great to shop with, decorate with, and her new thing is that she loves to help me get ready for parties.

5. She is a good and loyal friend (most of the time). She loves her friends dearly....no matter what.

6. Emi is super sister. I cheer when Emi is done with homework because I have someone to occupy my babies. Which she mostly loves. Everyone has their breaking point.

7. The poor girl throws up on every trip in the car, but she is such a good patient. You don't hear a word of complaint. Love her.

8. Oh yeah....she's gorgeous!

9. She is the sweetest girl ever. She leaves me notes on my computer or pillow that say "I love you, mom". Nothing beats that. Love my sweet, gentle, mousy, intelligent, beautiful, and righteous daughter. Happy birthday, baby girl.

No post for you!

2011-12-04T22:42:00.000-08:00

I've had all sorts of parties and Christmas fun to throw on the blog, but my pics won't load. A sure sign that I should go to bed!

Merry Christmas to all....and to all a goodnight.

Happy Thanksgiving...here are my Halloween pics.

2011-11-22T08:23:00.000-08:00

Yeah...November hit and every type of sickness came with it. Stomach flu like you can't believe! So I'm a bit behind. Here is Halloween, as if any of you possibly care since Christmas decorations are on everyone's brains. Parker was Dr. Doofenshmirz, Emi was a BYU cheerleader (so, so proud), Quinn was Mike Wazowski, and Macy a bunny.

The bishopric went full make-up this year. 2 years ago, they were KISS. Last year, the 3 Amigos. This year.....Blue Man, complete with tubes that played music and launched candy.

Can you say blue make-up all over a white bunny? She finally warmed up to him.

Gardner's Village.

Anyway....now that's done. Onto Thanksgiving.

My "Grateful" list"

4 healthy kids

1 super husband

An amazing job I love

A week off of the amazing job I love

My home

Great parents and parent-in-laws

Super friends who will do anything I need

Slippers

Costco

A new Crate &Barrel and H&M in my midst. Utah is becoming awesome!

My heating pad that I sleep with every night

No homework for 6 days

A healing toe after a trip to the podiatrist

Drive-thru anything

And because every Ying has it's Yang.......

Things I'm NOT GRATEFUL for:

Coughing children who cough for days

Those stupid State Farm jingles that get stuck in my head

Leafs to rake

Certain parents of certain students

People that are rude about doing a favor

My back....OOHHHHHH my stupid back

A mile long to-do list

Poopy diapers

Poopy children

Thanks for indulging me. It's been a rough week. Happy Thanksgiving to all you wonderful people.

Yet another Park City weekend

2011-11-08T13:20:00.000-08:00

Well, I had so much fun the first weekend in Park City, why not take family and grandparents there the very next week? I actually had planned this awhile ago for UEA, and had a wonderful "fall-a-licious" 3 days with my family.

1st stop...the Olympic museum. It's weird to think that I only had one kid when we had the Olympics. It really seems like yesterday. We met up with our dear friends, the Hoppers (minus David) and toured around. Quinn like the old luge.

I really want to ride in one. It was hard to jump into this. I have new respect for the bobsled team. I also seriously want to try the ariel ski track into the pool. They have camps. It's on my bucket list.

I love the condo we stayed at. Right on a golf course and access to grass. We stayed in these a lot as a kid and I always loved it.

I could have put tons of the leaf pics. So fallish. I love it.

Monika invited us up to the perfect pool for my kids. A gigantic hot tub. Perfect.

Bringing grandparents is always a smart idea. They do projects!

Macy has such a special place in her heart for Grandpa. He nearly passed away when I was pregnant with her, and I'm convinced that he decided to stick around for his last granddaughter.

Emi took this pic at the Glenwood Cemetery. She submitted it for a school contest...what do you think? All by herself.

How cute are they? My mom is almost mended from her knee surgery/femur break. What a year she has had.

I hadn't pulled the plastic off my new iPhone for this pic. We biked along the scarecrow path, which was great. Emi biked 4 miles! Go girl.

We also hit Main Street, restaurants, and watched many movies. Park City is so beautiful in the fall. Spending time together was super. We are so crazy busy that it is nice to get away from our house, even if it is just for 3 days.

Girls trip....the sequel!

2011-10-23T22:31:00.000-07:00

I am lucky enough to have an amazing group of college buddies. There's just something about living together that bonds you all for life. 6 of us hung in Monterey last year and had an amazing time. A few weeks ago, 5 of the 8 were able to come this year (darned life....get's in the way) and came to the mountains above Park City in a fun cabin with a STUNNING view.

Don't I deserve this? I have been on major mom duty this year and finally get a break, but of course, it couldn't be easy. Bill gets jury duty on the day I'm supposed to leave....and he gets called in......and gets selected.......and is in court all day.......and deliberates into the night when I am supposed to be up in the mountains with his car (and without his kids). They took his cell phone, so I had no idea of when he would get home. It's frustrating, but even MORE frustrating when you can't blame him. It's like a law or something.

Long story short.....he does get home, I nearly kill 3 deer looking for the cabin in the dark, get a little lost, and the guy was guilty.

But I made it! With girlfriends ready to talk, artichoke pizza waiting, and 7 kinds of fudge for dessert. So wonderful to talk with my darling friends and catch up on every detail. They are so fun, wise, and real. We talked all night, shopped Main Street, toured the Olympic museum, did some serious damage at the outlets, ate great mexican, and again talked all night. The next day, I got to be a tourist in my own town. I take a lot of the sites for granted, so it was fun to have a refresher on some of the downtown fun. Again (I'm losing steam...post is getting shorter), super conversation, great food/gelato, and no kids.

So there you go....brief post about a fabulous weekend. These ladies are the models of motherhood, wifehood, and friendhood. Thanks Stacey, Becky, Kelly, and Kari for everything. You gave me a great break. Amy, Kjirsten, and Lindsey.....see you all next time!

Parker...11 years of fun!

2011-10-17T21:33:00.000-07:00

2010

Parker turned 11 on Friday. Blowing my mind a little bit. I really stop and look at him sometimes and freak out with how old he looks. 5 days before his birthday, he reminded me that it is 5 years and 5 days until he can drive. Truly, my biggest fear as a mom. That is painfully close.

2003

What I'm loving about Parker right now:

1- The strangeness: I walked into his room a few weeks ago, and he had duct taped himself to a chair. We just kind of stared at each other, and I walked right back out of the room. His antics are somewhat tiring to me, yet always unique. I have to give him that. He escaped, which is what he was trying to prove to himself.

2- His artistic ability: The boy can play a piano. It's beautiful. Most of the credit goes to his amazing teacher, Monika, but he really has a gift. He is loving art class as well right now and always comes home with something that blows my mind. And ACTING (must be said in Jon Lovitz voice). He takes his memorized poems for school to a new level.

2006

3- The honesty: His original idea for a Halloween costume was to be a Wii remote. I actually said that I could make him one. His response? "Seriously, Mom....you couldn't even cut out a moon for your recital". True. I had to call for help on that. He puts me in my place. There is a famous story in our ward from a year ago. They had a primary activity where they were learning first aid. I guess it went a little long and he let out a huge "boring". I have very understanding neighbors.

4- Quest for knowledge: One of his favorite things to do is look up famous (and not-so-famous) places on the map quest on his iTouch. He then explores the neighborhoods and how to get there. He remembers everything he reads. Parker is a factoid king. It's all very interesting.

5- Sweet: If I'm upset, crying, or sad, he is the first to come say it will be alright. This is a VERY learned thing for Parker. It's not a natural response for one with asperger's. So #1-I feel better that he has learned to do it and #2- I feel confident that I may have been the one to teach him this.

6- And cute as can be. Seriously. He's a good looking kid. Feel free to agree with me.

2008

Bill took Parker and 2 friends to Lagoon Frightmares on his birthday to celebrate. May I just say easiest party ever? And actually quite cost effective. They had a ball. So 4 birthdays down, 2 to go. Yes, I had a birthday in there. Not a big fan of Steve Jobs dying on my day, but I'm sure he wasn't thrilled with it either. It's a good thing my new iPhone 4S will come soon and then I'll forgive him.

Love you Parker!

What's my motivation?

2011-10-09T19:49:00.000-07:00

This might be short and not very sweet. I've reached a new level of busy in my life. A complete frantic run from one thing to the next. The thought of another week is making me short of breath. The worst part is....no motivation. Which is so not the case this week. I have a wonderful motivation to make it to Thursday this week (details later), but getting to that point might kill me off. 2011 has been a new level of hard for me. I have a very loving, yet absent a lot, husband. When I look back to this year, it will truly be a "wow...I got through it" type of memory. It's part of life. It's my season of life. Every dog will have her day.

I really need to know....how do you all get motivated to get through homework, housework, diapers, laundry, and all the other things we women have in our lives? I really need your comments on this.

Thanks and I will be brighter and happier tomorrow. I promise.

Macy Jane at 2

2011-09-26T21:35:00.000-07:00

My baby is 2, my baby is 2. How is this even possible? I love this baby girl more than anything, and make no mistake....she will always be my baby. I've said this plenty of times before: Macy is not the easy girl baby that I was expecting. Emi was the easiest baby on the planet, or maybe she just seemed that way after Parker, but seriously. Macy is the complete opposite, and I have really grown to love the differences in the two. They do happen to have the same smile right now....teeth going in and teeth going out.

This flower appeared a couple days before Macy was born. Being crazy emotional and pregnant, I was in tears everytime I saw this rose because I knew my little pink flower was coming soon. It popped up again on Macy's 1st birthday, and here again for her 2nd. Awwww....

We had a little party for her on Sunday. It was ALL Elmo because "Melmo" is her favorite creature on the planet. She was perfect! She has been a "terrible two" for awhile now (such an overachiever), so I'm glad she was happy, sweet, and wonderful at her party. I cannot get this to not underline...don't know why.

(Don't you love the chip on the side of her mouth?)

Best Elmo cake ever.....however, I've had "Elmo's Revenge"in her diapers all day today. I know, TMI.

She's athletic. Macy loves sports.

And sweeping. She knocks over everything with my broom, so I'm hoping this helps.

What I love about my Macy right now:

She attaches herself to tons of stuff. This is her going to naps: 3 binkies (1 for the mouth, 2 for hands), 2 pigs, and Thomas the Tank Engine.

She loves to take her purple Kindermusik bag everywhere because she wants a "bacbac" like her siblings.

When she gets mad, she sticks the top of her head on the ground and lifts her bum in the air.

She calls horses (her new favorite animal) "Neighs"

Macy will not sit in a grocery cart right now....sigh.

When asked what Mommy says, she says"La, La, La" with a little head bop.

Loves to cuddle before bed. She hasn't always wanted to, so I'm eating it up.

Most used word lately..."Mine".

She can run a dump truck in the dance studio faster than anyone.

Every seat in the house is Macy's. Dinner is kind of a musical chair situation.

She is perfect and horribly hard all wrapped up in the world's cutest toddler.

I love you, Macy!

Before and After...LAUNDRY ROOM EDITION

2011-09-21T19:47:00.000-07:00

I truly have painted or redone most of my house in the 12 years I have lived in it. However, my laundry/stair area has been so very neglected. My cousin Brooke has been wondering when I would post these, but I've been hesitant because I still don't have my laundry countertop. Who cares? I'll post a pic later.

May I say.......I'm so, so much happier!

This paint was an experiment. Nice for awhile, but I'm over it. The linoleum was a nice touch, don't you think?

My coat and shoe situation was a joke. 4 kids x 3-4 coats each=chaos.

The whole world ended up on my dryer (ha,ha....I didn't even put the globe there for the joke. It was already there). The biggest part was knocking the closet out, but Parker thoroughly enjoyed being the demolition crew.

And now.....here is the final product. Without the countertop.

I cannot tell you how much these lockers have changed my life. It's really sad how much I love them. I can store ski helmets, bike crap...EVERYTHING!

I wanted my laundry area to be beachy so that I could be happy when I did laundry.

So...there you go. I'm happy.....however, now I'm on to a bathroom and a kitchen next summer. Watch out.

Excuses

2011-09-09T08:13:00.001-07:00

(that WAS me back in the day...cheering at the BYU/Notre Dame game in 1994. I'm really showing my age by the old Cosmo costume and the Smurf, blueberry uniforms. This was also the last year that we had to have those awful alien cap sleeves on our uniforms. You can thank Elder Bruce Hafen for letting us remove them, but that is a post for another day)

Back in the day....I was in shape. Very in shape. It was the nature of my life. I danced, cheered, rehearsed, and taught aerobics upwards of 12 hours a day. I ate as I pleased and was burning it off quickly. I didn't appreciate it then....I was so sure that I was overweight and sloshy. Spending your days with dancers and cheerleaders, my version of a healthy body image was a bit skewed.

But, since Macy's arrival almost 2 years ago, I've been soft. I work out, but not consistently enough for good results. It's been a great source of annoyance and frustration to me.

I feel like I have a lot of barriers to total fitness. I know. I usually hate excuses. So I'm going to throw them out there and find ways to get around them. Not a pity party, just the reality of why I can't get it together at this season of life.

My excuses:

1- Pain. I have crazy bad back pain ever since college. It's in my center back and it's because I have two muscles that are "dying". It stops me from doing a lot. Have done acupuncture, chiropractors, massage, PT, you name it. It doesn't help.

2- Time. I have 4 young kids (1 with time-consuming special needs like homework), run a business by myself, house maintenance, and a husband. Bill has been training for LoToJa and I'm so proud of him. It's taking an immense amount of time to train and with him also gone so much for bishopric things, there is nothing left for me. He is also aware of this and promises to help me get back on track when it's over. I used to have a gym membership with daycare, which I put on hold because I literally cannot get there with my kids crazy schedule.

3-Guilt. The daycare thing is also hard because I already have sitters during the week while I work. Makes me feel like a bad mommy.

4-Motivation. I do get in really good workout habits. I will get in patterns where I run a lot, or do p90x at home, but I haven't seen results. This makes me throw in the towel because my time is so short as it is that I feel like I'm wasting it.

5-I dance....a lot. Exercise, yes. But not a ton of cardio involved when I start and stop so much while teaching. Plus, it leaves me tired and I'm so not in the mood to workout at night after teaching 4 classes.

6- Four pregnancies has changed my body. I will never be skinny again. Things just expand, like my ribcage (?!) and hips. You are never the same. Good thing I love my kids.

7- Kid food. My kids are pretty darn healthy, but there are still cookies and such lying around. And I'm the first to admit that I have NO will power. I have to eat better than I do. This also goes back to the lack of time issue. I grab quick, often-unhealthy things.

There they are....my excuses for not being perfectly in-shape right now. I had to get them out there. Maybe seeing them in print will help me find a way around these barriers so that I can reactivate the "old Liz". Wish me luck and PLEASE tell me what you all do to find time to fit it all in. I'm desperate!

Look who's 40!

2011-09-04T21:35:00.000-07:00

Bill is! As I mentioned before, we decided to throw a little bash for Bill. He didn't want the classic "over the hill" black balloon type of party, but rather a "Halfway to the 80's Prom". I wish I could credit myself for the idea, but my brother did the same thing a year earlier.

There is no bigger fan of the 80's than Bill. A few months into our marriage, there was a show on VH1 called "Musical Jeopardy". I truly could not believe how much knowledge Bill had on every aspect of 80's music. He knew obscure band members, names, years music came out, all from the 80's. I'm not actually making fun of him right now.....I was truly impressed.

So...back to the party. We rented out an old church rec hall in Sandy. It's not a typical church rec hall, and it really looked like an old high school gym. However, we were under the impression that it had air conditioning. Yeah...it didn't. And we were in a heat wave last week. Luckily, we have a lot of friends willing to bring their fans. So it was hot, but oh so fun. I won't even mention the new coat of varnish they stuck on the floor earlier in the week which made it hot AND smelly, but whatever.

Bill had so much fun coming up with a playlist for the night. I love that he was more of a new wave/slightly punk type of 80's guy and not a hair band guy. We danced, people displayed old prom pics, 80's trivia (which I will post later), atari games, prom pics, Ferris Bueller running non-stop and good Costco cake.

I think the best was the outfits. Our hairdresser friend ratted Bill's hair and used a curling iron to really create the desired look. Most of our dear friends dressed for it, of which I'm so glad! Sadly, many of our closet friends were off to the Bear Lake triathalon and other trips, so we really missed them. I wish I could post everyone's pictures, but I'm losing my steam tonight. All I can say is we had a blast and a we LOVE all of you great friends that could come!

Sean and Ashley

Lisa and Jim

Angela and Josh

Yea...that's my bishop and sister bishop =-)

Mitch and Mary

Natalie, the hairdresser

Monika and Chip...Chip has mad dance skills that he shares freely. Probably from all his years as the Brighton High Bengal.

Cutest cousins ever, Ashley and Brooke.

Bodacious, Awesome, Gag me with a Spoon, and Gnarly!

The rest of the August Redux...........

2011-08-28T22:30:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure whoever coined the term the "the lazy days of summer", but they were dead wrong.

I have not been lazy. In ANY way. Nor has Bill. He is training for LoToJa (or Logan to Jackson) and I really can't wait to have a husband back in my life. Anyway....here is a little of the recent fun:

Monika and I hosted the final "Bookworms' Bookclub" for the summer. They've met every 2 weeks with a new book and an activity to go along with what they've read. The last was a sleepover book, so "late over" party it was. They decorated cupcakes and had to eat them with hands behind their back. We had several games and ended with nail-painting and "Just Dance". I took a little pleasure in beating the girls at it. I tripled the girl's score. I have one talent in life and I like to use it to make little girls cry.

I started teaching this week. Really love my classes and am seeing improvement in all my girls. Emi hopped back into dance class without missing a beat. Can you believe Macy starts in a year?

We shared coats. Parker and Quinn fought most the summer and I've been excited to get them apart from each other during the school year. The day before school started, they played and laughed together all day. Why couldn't have this happened a month or two earlier?

First day-o-school. Love their teachers. Happy to be with friends. La,la, la........

Macy tried new ways to keep herself busy without her siblings to entertain her. I hope she survives without them. And what is with her....she cannot keep her eyes open in a picture!

Emi's fish died last Friday. Really....it was about all I needed. Of course, she noticed right before school started and went into the school in tears. We had a little fish funeral (yes, I bury fish).

But, most importantly....BILL TURNED 40 ON SATURDAY!!!!! What an old man. I threw him a "Halfway to the 80's Prom". This will be it's own separate post once I get all the pics back, but it was super fun. We danced, laughed, hung with old and new friends. Even though we got home quite late, we hung out in the backyard and watched the crazy, crazy lightning storm. Bill LOVES August storms, so it was a perfect end to his great B-day.

Squeezing every little bit out of summer......

2011-08-15T21:06:00.000-07:00

(Really...does it get any cuter than this?)

It's been nuts around here. I feel such a pressure in the summer to pack everything in before school and work starts up again. I'm proud to say that I feel like I've given my kids a good summer...and vice versa. I'll do a complete rundown later, but here are a couple of recent highlights:

Say what you will about Lagoon, I really do like it. It's no Disneyland, but for a local fun spot, I'm happy with it. Trashy people...yes. Part of the experience. It's nothing compared to Magic Mountain. Sorry. I'll stop the "judginess". I have great memories as a kid, and I hope to pass it on to mine.

I do get sick on some of the rides. Never did before, but my age is getting to me. As my cousin says, she gets the "Lagoon headache" because Lagoon has all sorts of different ways to spin you around. And, we went on a humid day which I didn't think existed in Utah. But still fun. My dear sister came to help me out so I wouldn't have to go on a crowded Saturday with Bill. My kids were so happy and Macy fell in love with rides. Just a few short months ago, she screamed through the zoo train and merry-go-round. Because of that, she lost out on a trip to Disneyland because I made her stay with Grandma S. I'm so mean. But whatever...she loves it now. What a couple of months will do. Jumping Dragon was her favorite, which I couldn't even believe they let her on. She loved Puff as well. Macy giggles and keeps her hands up the whole time. So funny. Quinn fell in love with Bombora, the new surf roller coaster. It plays beachy tunes, which he plays drum and guitar the whole time while the ride is in motion.

(this one is for you, Uncle Mark.....hee, hee, hee)

(I'm sure I will NEVER get Parker on a little kid ride again, so I had to savor this brief moment in time when all 4 kids fit in a little spaceship)

Macy loving the Jumping Dragon. I'm about to lose my dinner.

We loved it so much, I did the "bounce back" offer and made Bill go with us last Friday night. We always did Lagoon at night growing up, and I forgot how fun it was when you aren't sweating up a storm. Bill and I took turns running (yes, running) to big coasters with Parker and Emi, and it was super. Glad I sucked it up and did it.

Also last week, I was lucky enough to travel to St. George and see "The Little Mermaid" at Tuacahn. A bunch of my friends and their daughters were happily available to go with us, and it was so, so great. We stayed at my friend Erin's fabulous house and swam, ate, gossiped and relaxed.

Please don't look at the pictures and think I had anything to do with these cute costumes. We have "Super Amazing Mom/Camp Director/Party Planner/Costume Designer" mom in our neighborhood, and we are just her minions. Seriously. We just show up at her house, and the magic happens. It exhausts me thinking about how much she does, but so glad she exists to make our daughter's life exciting and memorable. Also very glad that Macy is just a few months younger than her other daughter =-).

Ariel and Eric made a big fuss over the girls.

(tired girls....it was 11:45 p.m.)

It's honestly been a super summer and I'm already mourning the end of it.

Strong

2011-08-01T22:58:00.000-07:00

The past few weeks have thrown me for a loop. No details....just proud.

Proud of the strong women I know.

Proud of women who raise kids in a world full of evil influences at every door. Proud of women whose greatest desires is to bring children into loving homes. Proud of women who take care of their loved ones with very little help. Proud of women who devote their time and energy to bringing others to Christ. Proud of women who take adversity, stare it in the face, and tackle it. Proud of women who believe in themselves. Proud of women who don't shrink to the levels of others. Proud of women who smile through impossible situations. Proud of women who know what they're worth. Proud of women who take the challenges they are given and become stronger. Proud of the line of strong-willed women I come from. Proud of the huge pool of women that I call friends and role models.

That's it.

Seriously?

2011-07-23T22:27:00.000-07:00

Well...it's been a week. One to remember.

Sunday---My computer basically crashes

Monday---My mother basically crashes. After rehabbing from her knee surgery for 3 months, my mom slipped on a box and broke her femur. Ouch. Can you say "immobilization for months". Poor women. She was more ticked than anything. Surgery and has moved to rehab.

Tuesday---Hosted an activity group for my daughter. Line dances, bedazzled water bottles, silly snake hot dogs, and princess parfaits. Visited my mom in hospital. She had been cleaning out closets and drawers when she fell, so guess how her usually perfectly clean house looked like? Yeah. I got to box that all up. She would do the same for me!

Wednesday---Cowabunga Bay, baby! Took along my awesome babysitter for help. Super day, but I was TIRED and barely stayed awake for Young Womens.

Thursday---Swim lessons and hung with my mom in her new rehab facility. At 72, she is the spring chicken in there. I hope she survives. They wanted to wheel her down to the lounge to hear the "Fraid-Knot String Band". Not her cup of tea. Then had a super night at a much needed girl's night.

Friday---Cleaned house, weeded, and had an actual date with Bill (it's been awhile...at least it seems like it). Saw "Super 8". Sooooooo goooooood.

Saturday----had BBQ for a few friends and fam. Always fun, and Bill amazed us all with his fireworks display and tacky yellow "Black Cat" t-shirt.

Exhausted! Best wishes to my wonderful mom as she mends....again!

Coronado....no big "whoop"

2011-07-12T13:52:00.000-07:00

Well, just got back from my happy place, my celestial kingdom, my dream city. The good news is I got a few extra days in Coronado. The bad news is what happened that got me extra days.

We left Wednesday after work to drive to Tehachapi to see Bill's family. I had taken Emi into the doc on Monday for a strange cough that started recently. My doctor decided to test it for the off-chance of Whooping Cough, but was almost certain it wasn't. He even put her on an anti-biotic just because we were headed out of town. Well, off we go! On our way, we receive news that she is POSITIVE for Whooping Cough! Niiiiiicccccee. After a series of tantrums by me, we are told we can't go stay with Bill's parents because of his dad's respiratory issues and his sister's medical condition. Change-o-plans. We were all stuck on a antibiotic and had to wait out our contagious period in a St. George hotel. Bill still had to work one more day (which he was going to do in Cali), so I was locked up with 4 crazy kids. His family still was too nervous to be around us, so my great mom found a hotel just down from our beach resort for 2 extra nights in California.

In all reality, whooping cough isn't too bad if you don't have other issues. She felt great and we are hoping no one starts coughing anytime soon.

So, after that long introduction, here is Coronado by the Numbers!

2-unexpected nights in St. George

(St. George temple...I figured she would not spread germs there because the Lord wouldn't allow it)

6- days on the beach that were gorgeous and sunny. Far cry from the weather last year.

45- minutes that we were stuck in the California Fruit Inspection Station line in Yermo. They didn't even check us after all that!

3- number of polka dot swimsuits. There are just a few girl cousins, so grandma makes sure they are well-equipped.

1/3- the amount of the Coronado 4th of July parade that we stayed for. That equals a little over an hour. It's a WAY long parade and the military stuff is great. The Coronado garden club, not so much.

2- days of crazy waves. They were good the other days, but scary good the last 2 days. I'm pretty daring, but not that daring.

10- the amount of cousins we had with us....par-tay!

(Emi and Caroline as Mount Girlmore)

9- the channel of the news station we love in San Diego. KUSI. Their weather guy is old and nuts. He dances. We love it. In all reality, he started the Weather Channel and is quite successful. They also have an investigative reporter named "Turko" that makes Rod Decker look normal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vX61bRiAqFQ

3- the number of days we ate pizza.

2- the number of kids willing to sleep in a chair in our St. George hotel room. Emi and then Quinn. They asked to do it and slept like logs. So weird, but it made it nice for the rest of us to have beds.

35- the dollar amount Bill dropped at Fuzziweg's candy shop so that he could be the cool dad.

4- the dollar amount we spent on 6 scoops of ice cream at MooTime Creamery. A total bargain that Bill got because they were out of brownies.

5- the amount of days that Emi was contagious.

6- the members of our family on antibiotics.

10 bazillion- the grains of sands we took home with us every day. But it's that wonderful fine soft sand. So hard to scrub off Macy!

0- the amount of milk Macy drank. She swore off milk in bottles, sippy cups, mom's glass. She won't touch it anymore. Strange. I'm not sure what to do about this.

75- the average temperature....perfect!

6- the hours by the pool. They bring us frozen grapes, italian ice, cucumbers for the eyes.....love it. Now if they could supervise my kids while I nap on the lounge chair.....

8- the number of times Quinn went to the bathroom at the pool. At least I know he didn't do it in the pool. Parker, however, did inform me that he is sure that the red-dye-turning-your-pee-red theory is just an old wives tale. Hmmmmmm

64- the miles Bill biked on Saturday. He brought his bike as he is training for LoToJa. He did a lot more than 64 all combined, but I lost track.

10- the number of times our van scraped over speed bumps with our new trailer hitch to hold the bike.

80- the pounds of beach crap I pulled across the sand while Bill was biking. I'm the best wife.

9- the bottles of Gatorade Bill bought because they were only a buck each. He bought a rainbow of colors. He was way too excited about this and loved having an array of colors to pick from in the fridge.

7- number of times Quinn begged me to take his pic in front of this fountain. It was always when I was loaded down with crap.

3- hours Parker, Bill, and Grandpa spent at the USS Midway. I've been on 2 aircraft carriers in my life....never feel the need to do it again.

2-dolphins Bill and I saw while boogie boarding. There was also a sea lion sighting by my niece.

4- number of crabby kids at my clean clothes beach picture photo shoot. Macy covered herself in sand and screamed because we wouldn't let her hold the crab she found on the beach. I will post those pics another day. I'm still upset about them.

2- nights out! Wonderful grandparents!!!!!

1- car packed to the gills!

Hundreds- tears shed by me when we left.

I have such a connection to this place. It's almost enough to make me sell everything I own and buy a hut on the beach (as that would be all I could afford on the island). I've been there most every summer since I was 4. I love the whole California dream. I'm well aware of the nightmare California...traffic, high prices, governors that have love children, but I love the Beach Boys, Gidget, palm tree, Sunkist commercial, laid back California. It truly exists and I love that I spend 7-9 days a year in it. Thanks for reading my long, long travelogue!

A "How To" Guide to Disneyland

2011-06-22T21:58:00.000-07:00

My friend just asked me some Disneyland advice for her first trip there in awhile....I think she hasn't been since we were there in 1989 and Splash Mountain had just opened. It's changed a tad.

Anyway, it got my juices flowing. I can't believe we have been home for a month. Time flies. I feel very knowledgeable about the place, and I don't feel knowledgeable about a lot of things, so it's nice to have something I'm good at. Here's my advice for what it is worth:

1- Disneyland is no place for kids...at least young kids. Kids under 2 struggle and should be left with a relative or have a grandma in the park with you. Quinn once screamed all through Pirates when he was 20 months old. Not too fun.

Grandma & Grandpa Newman with at 20 month old Quinn

2- Pack lunch. There is a little convenience store by our hotel and we do PBJ for one meal. Then you don't stress so bad for paying 6 bucks for a hot dog later in the day. Plus, it takes precious time to stand in the lines for so-so food.

3- Speaking of food, don't freak out on the prices. There are some really yummy (though pricey) food experiences that are part of the fun. Blue Bayou is mine.

Emi 2008

4-Stay as close as possible. We usually stay at the other side of the crosswalk to D-land. I don't believe in hotel shuttles or parking lots. Our hotel is nice....no frills, basic pool, but we are barely in the room. It has a great quick breakfast. There were healthy options, but I let my kids down several donuts each morning. Hardly the breakfast of champions, but it's quick.

The view just steps from our room

5-Recycle your souvenirs. I bring the same ears/hats, t-shirts,etc. Saves a lot of cash.

6- Bill and I created a ridiculous point system for our kids so they could earn a trip gift. We had no real plan with it, but would give and take points willy nilly according to their behavior. It was kind of a "Whose Line is it Anyway" point system. It worked like a charm.

7- We don't spend a lot of time on the characters. There was a 90 minute line for Rapunzel. Ummmm, no. My kids don't know what to say to them, they don't care about autographs, we see the lines for them and just laugh. We will often do a character dinner or breakfast so they have some assured pictures.

(O.K....well sometimes we do characters. I hunted Minnie down like a dog. Emi was 3 and HAD to meet her. 2006 )

8- Stop and watch the magic. I'm a big sap when it comes to Disney. My kids have each had very magic moments in this park. Watch the New Orleans jazz band, or the Dapper Dans, or heck...even the street sweepers! One stopped and with his broom, he drew the greatest pic of Goofy on the sidewalk with water. It was so cool.

9- Make a schedule for your last day. We don't really follow a schedule the first 2 days, but I have each kid tell me what they want to hit again so we leave happy. I map it all out.

10- Google the dates that you want to go before you book. Hint...first weekend in Oct is unofficial California Gay Day (found that one out the hard way) and my cousin Brooke discovered that Mother's Day is Goth Day. Those events will not be listed in the official website.

11- Don't wear flip-flops. Or high heels. I'm always amazed at the footwear people choose to wear while trudging around Disneyland. Comfy, comfy secure shoes are a MUST.

12- Know ahead of time what rides will be closed so you can warn your kids. It saves a few tears. Splash Mountain was closed this last time and my kids really were cool about it because I had warned them for months ahead of the trip.

13- Realize that you will have a major family fight/meltdown at some point. This last one (mostly between Bill and myself) involved cough medicine, a run back to the hotel, construction, and a World of Color fast pass. We got over it, but it was ugly. Pirate Island was the one last time. The time before was somewhere on Main Street when I was prego with Quinn and we couldn't find anywhere to eat on a crowded Friday night. Growing up, my family had a famous one that involved cherry cokes and a hot mid-afternoon parade full of Sorcerer Apprentice brooms.

14-Force your kids to go on certain rides. They sometimes won't want to go because of the fear of the unknown. Drag them on (unless, of course, it is Space Mountain or Tower of Terror). They will usually be happy you did and then they didn't miss out on it.

15-This might be our most important rule, but not one many can use. We have a "Dis-ney-bility". Having Parker on the Autistic Spectrum kind of sucks most times, but it does award us a guest assistance pass. It basically sends us through fast pass or wheelchair lines. I often feel guilty since he is not severely disabled, but if you have stood anywhere with Parker for more than a few minutes, it's not fun. Lots of sensory and other various things are going on for him. It's tricky. It makes the day nice for him and his siblings.

(Parker 2008)

Anyway...that's all I can think of, but we live by these rules as if they were gospel. Sad. But we always have an AMAZING time, so I guess they are worth it.

Dinney-Land (That's not a typo...it's just what we call it)

2011-06-10T14:32:00.000-07:00

Sooooo....the day after my recital, we hopped the Jet Blue to Cali and partook of the Disney experience for a few days. My mother-in-law thought I was half crazy to leave on a trip the day after recital, but she stayed home with Macy, so she can call me anything she wants. It was a tad stressful, but really nice to have oodles of family time after I have had to ignore them for the past few weeks. I think I planned this trip out of mommy guilt, but whatever.

We got down there and strolled around Downtown Disney. Nice weather, fun to shop, and all that good stuff. I'll admit, I was TIRED! I should have taken a sleep day before this trip (yeah right)

We ate at the Rainforest Cafe. Our first time. It was cool, but I'd never worry about doing it again. It was like a really expensive Mayan, but without the pasty white cliff divers.

Day One in the park! Sweatshirt weather in the morning, which was perfect. Crowds were not too bad (as it wasn't Memorial Day weekend), but our regret about coming was that Splash Mountain was still closed for refurbishment, and the official Star Tours opening wasn't until June 3. When I booked flights, it was going to be open. Stay tuned......

Donald greeted us. My kids are not big into the characters, which truly saves us lots of time. They never know how to talk to one of them. I don't either!

The nice sweeper man took our pic.

We always start in Fantasyland. The reason we did this time was to kind of sell Quinn on Disneyland. If we sprung the big stuff too soon, it wouldn't fly for him. He was too young to remember our last trip. The funny thing....I NEVER rode on Dumbo, Tea-cups, etc. until I was much older. I was the youngest and was dragged to the big rides first thing. I guess Macy will experience that one day.

Quinn was all about having his picture taken EVERYwhere.

We spent the whole day in Disneyland, enjoying almost everything. Super fun. We watched fireworks....with NO Tinkerbell. Last time Tinkerbell had a malfunction as well, so I was a little miffed.

Emi woke up with a nasty cold on the second day. She coughed literally everywhere she went, but would not slow down. She coughed in front of Tink and Tink was not pleased. Bring on the hand sanitizer.

Off to Goofy's Kitchen....Parker and Goofy have a special relationship. I love their food, though my kids hardly eat. My parents treated us to this because of their guilt. They were once coming with us, but had to pull out because of my mom's surgery.

I'd be a littled bugged if I were Jasmine....just saying.

The rest of the day was spent in the construction zone they call California Adventure. I still love that park....they are changing thing up a bit to make it less Californ-y and more classic Mickey. There is some good and bad with this. The huge Cars land opens up next year. From what we could see of it, it will be really cool. Quinn had been soaked from the River Rapids, so he is sporting a big shirt from Parker.

All I can say (other than this pic sucks) is ....World of Color= AWESOME! I was stunned. So fun.

Onto the last day....Bill tried tirelessly to get us into the new Star Tours. They were doing showings for Cast Members and annual passholders who won a lottery. No luck. ON the last day, he finally pled his case to the right guy. The manager. We got in. So, so cool. 54 different combinations. 3D. It almost made me a star wars geek like 1/3 of my family.

Quinn's favorite ride...the Gadget Go-Coaster. However, he always wanted to ride it when we were as far away as possible. Typical.

It was a good day for Star Wars geekidom. I did nothing short of showing some leg to get Parker up there for Jedi training. He was great.

He fought Darth Mall (is that how I spell it? um probably not)

We dined at the Blue Bayou. My favorite, favorite place. Pricey, but worth it. I'm sucking down one of my four Mint Juleps. UMMMMMMM.

Parker and I on Tower of Terror. Love this ride. I love feeling weightless.

We had never tried the fun wilderness area in California Adventure. Way funner than Pirate Island.

The thing I love about Disney is the cute little surprises everywhere. We kept seeing this cute little grandma around the park. Notice her polka dot dress and yellow shoes. She's all Minnie'd out. Bill had to get a pic.

Goodbye Disney! Back to reality.

Oh....P.S. They should never have brought Captain EO back. I'm a huge fan of the MJ, but I had forgot how horribly campy it is. Pretty embarrassing for us kids of the 80's.

What ever happened to Dick and Jane?

2011-06-05T20:07:00.000-07:00

Well... I have made it to the end of another crazy school year. Other than making lunches late at night, I hate doing math homework with Parker the most. He has a hard time focusing on the work and it's like babysitting him to get through it. The one bit of pleasure I took from this experience were the names they used in his story problems. Seriously. I'm not making up one of these:

D'Jon

Kazi

Roho

Kwame

J'Nae

Zahina

Tadeo

Anitra

Sh'Tania

D'Jerah

Mio

Jabari

Lamont

Kim Ree

Paloma

Machiko

Santino

D'Karla

Jafari

Jeong

Jannik

Barke

Rafiki (isn't that the monkey in the Lion King?)

Siew-Ai

D'Wayne

Zuri

L'Rae (enough with the apostrophe!)

Jharma

M'Lisa

Shay Zee

Quinh

Yolando

Cantara

J'Maresh

Haruto

Tarik

Takeshi

Anando

Raziya

Santo

Silviano

Kita

Sh'Vaughn

Zakia

Kaneisha

D'Trina

JaNeeva

Ashanti

J'Meika

MarVel

Hermelinda

Shakir

T'Von

Mjeed

Alegrias

Rodolfo

Jamaael

Calides

Jazzlyn

K'Shella

Yachi

Otieno

Chanisse

Neveah

J'Nana

J'Rae

Jira

Da-Xia

My spell check is going nuts right now. Anyway, it must be boring writing a math book and this is how the people pass the time.

Recital 2011...Dancers On The Move!!!!!

2011-05-29T14:48:00.000-07:00

I've been a horrible blogger....but this is why. Recital has been over for a week and I'm still recovering!

Move It, Move It! (Emi's in front row)

Good Ship Lollipop (the little girl in the second row had thrown up an hour earlier)

Bicycle Built for Two (why I gave umbrellas to a bunch of 3 year olds...chaos!)

Yellow Submarine

Fly Me to the Moon (this moon took serious help. Anne cut it out for me because I'm too stupid to do it, and then some moms rescued the aluminum foil that blew off in the wind)

Surfin' Safari

3-2-1 Blast Off

Sunny Side of the Street

Miss Jenn's daughter in Waterfalls...gorgeous

Let the Good Times Roll (none of the bike pictures worked..they had bikes and scooters. The cute serious girl is my cousin's little girl. I resisted the urge to put the one of her picking her snuggie)

Parachutes and Airplanes (one of my very favorite dance pics of Emi...ever! I think modern is her thing over jazz. She really shines)

Skaters' Waltz

Going the Distance (Never, ever make girls dance in a gunny sack. Just sayin')

Oh yes....Gravity. Teachers' dance. We survived again. I hope it was bearable. We had fun.

Round, Round, Get Around (Beach Boys make me happy)

Route 66

Walking in LA...I'm so putting everyone in striped arm bands next year. It makes their motions look soooo cool!

I Drove All Night (i had a little revolt from my teens when it came to silver pants, but I quite liked it)

Jade and Emi....It's all about getting the flowers!

My wonderful, wonderful teaching staff! They keep me afloat.

A funny note....I went to "The Adjustment Bureau" last night with Bill and ran into Becky and her husband. There is funny line in there basically comparing teaching 6 year olds to dance as a fate worse than death. There are days I would tend to agree, but this makes it all worth it. I have the most wonderful studio and the most wonderful girls. It's almost surreal for me.

Only 355 days until the next one...kill me now!

Recent Happenings for Me and Mine

2011-05-03T21:40:00.001-07:00

So, here is what me and my little monkies have been up to in April....

Grandma and Grandpa moved in for awhile after my mother's knee replacement. It's about time I actually take care of my mom instead of vice-versa. She was a model patient and it takes a lot to keep this women down. She impressed doctors and therapists alike with her exercises. Taking care of 7 people day and night was, well, it was the busiest I've been in, like forever. And I consider myself pretty darn busy most of the time. So happy to help her, though. She was still perfect for snuggling and reading with little kids!

Easter came and went....April is really kind of a blur to me. The kids got these cute pull cases from the Easter bunny, which is good because I don't like paying $25 per suitcase at the airport.

No broken ones...wow.

Easter Sunday....please ignore Macy's binkie. It was truly necessary for this pic.

Notice her purse...this was Emi's dress.

Bill's sister got married! Yeah! We love Jim. It was a cold, windy day at the Timpanogos Temple, but we made it work! The dinner was at my house afterwards. I don't know why I have no pictures of the prettiness of the tables upstairs, but.....

...a little impromptu dance party started in the studio. This is Bill and Lisa with a disco routine (yes, routine...Bill has 3 sisters. Poor dude had no chance). It kind of reminds me of the routine Ross and Monica do on "Friends", minus the robot. I couldn't believe how well they did it after all these years.

The party continued for awhile.....had I known, I would have stuck up crepe paper and a disco ball. Parker is hilarious because he tries to "pop and lock". He has no shame in trying.

(Ian performing "Canned Heat" from "Napolean Dynamite")

Oh yes, it snowed on Saturday, April 30th. Weird weather, even for Utah. This is our snowman at the beach.

Happy May!

Sick of cold

2011-04-19T19:12:00.000-07:00

I'm sick of having a cold......

I'm sick of being cold.......

I'm sick of Macy having the eternal cold....

I'm sick of my kids one by one thinking they have a cold....

I'm sick of it being spring break and having a cold....

I'm sick of it being spring break and it BEING so cold (I know...I chose to live in Utah)

I'm sick.....

After the last few weeks of my life, I can't say I'm surprised that I'm sick. My mom and dad moved in for a stint after her knee replacement surgery. Wow! I always think I'm at the fullest capacity that I can be at, then the Lord finds a way to give me more, probably to humble me. I'm so glad she could recover here, but it was work to maintain 7 people (not counting me...I was not maintained). It had it's advantages, like someone to read stories and play games with kids, but my mom is normally such a busy lady, it was hard to keep her down!

Then Bill announced to me in the same sentence that he was basically gone for 2 weeks AND could we have his sister's wedding gathering (if I call it a reception, I'll freak) at our house?Hmmmmm.

Then he takes Quinn and Parker to Moab....great, yes, except he and the boys narrowly escaped death. Not his fault....dealership forgot to tighten lug nuts on FJ....yes, that is a big deal. Needless to say, I was shaking for a good 12 hours after the event.

Oh yes....I have 150 dance costumes to distribute out to my students and put on production for 1500 people. No pressure there.

It's a good thing I have a good sense of humor, diet coke, and good friends to complain to! And a half-eaten pan of brownies....

March Madness....pics of the fun.

2011-04-03T10:25:00.000-07:00

Sorry...this post is only a little bit about basketball. Mostly it is just showcasing the highlights of a very busy March.

Macy wears everyone hats....she is constantly putting them on and taking them off. She has spent most the day in a race car helmet.

Emi was the only one brave enough to try green scrambled eggs on St. Patty's day. Wimps.

Parker had his "Utah History" school program. So cute....and they really made it interesting. Parker had several speaking parts.

Quinn has a newly found vigor for sports....he mentioned that he likes to shoot hoops at his friends house, and Bill was all over it. He went out and bought the hoop that weekend. Quinn spends so much time shooting hoops. He has obtained the nickname "Quinner Fredette". He loves it.

You can tell Macy is home with Quinn most of the time. The girl loves Rescue Heroes, trucks, basketball, etc.....She just throws her dolls around.

As you can see, her finger is in her mouth a lot. She is a character and quite a dancer. She is standing here right now shirtless, in one snowboot, and carrying a pinwheel.

Emi achieved her gold cup in piano for Federation and got to play in a special recital. She was so crazy nervous, but did wonderful.

Cowboy day at preschool. Quinn told me about it for a week ahead of time.

Yee haw!

Macy isn't much for eating in her high chair, but loves to snitch food from any of our plates. My mom always said that a messy eater meant you would be creative in later life. Macy will be an artistic genius. As will Parker.

Emi had her 2nd grade program...it was about the continents of the world. She danced 3 times in it and ended with a very cute penguin dance to "Boogie Wonderland". Bill is donning her beak.

Quinn and Emi filled up their charts with stars and each earned the right for a Beta fish. This is Quinn with Bullet (I talked him out of the name Blackie). Emi's fish is named Sparkles and is the laziest fish I've ever seen. I thought it was dying until the weird girl at Petco told me some are just lazy.

Macy...18 months of fun and frolic

Oh yes....indoor soccer. Quinn LOVED every moment of it and his team went undefeated. His favorite thing to do is slide on his tummy. Emi's team did not score one goal. But she is scrappy when it comes to soccer. It's fun to watch her.

Anyway...there was March. It is April 3rd today and snowing like crazy. Emi started the weekend in a swimsuit and ended in snowpants. Utah is weird. Conference was really nice and I found myself enjoying Elder Scott's talk, which I never understand why they stick that slow, soothing voice on Sunday afternoon. Of course, I was on a peanut butter M&M high. Thanks, Monika, for scoring me some of those beauties. I needed it!

Bill's Decorating Genius

2011-03-31T21:44:00.000-07:00

There they are....my new coat hangers. This was all Bill's doing, so I made him be Vanna for you. Fun, huh?

2 posts in one week?!? Wow.

Oh yeah....we went to Arizona

2011-03-28T20:37:00.000-07:00

It's been 2 weeks since Bill and I returned from our Arizona getaway, and it seems more like 2 years. However, the trip was amazing, wonderful, and all too short.

Why Arizona? We had a cheap-y deal with Marriott that we had to use up quick, and Arizona in March sounded splendid. I've done AZ in August. Not too smart. We had 85 degree temps and no kids. What could be better?

(BTW, there will be no pics of me... I can't stand the sight of my braces. I don't want them recorded forever. I also have no self-esteem)

We flew down Thursday morning. Thanks to Hertz screwing up our confirmation, we had to book it to Avis to get whatever they had left. This was it. Fun, yet completely hard to get into the back seat...not that we went into the back seat. The trunk is ridiculous. Fun, but dumb. We hung by the pool and had lovely naps in the sun. Then off to Cheesecake Factory. I could've been happy with just that, but I still had 2 1/2 full days left.

85 degree temps don't feel as good when not by the pool, but still a great day for a spring training game. We saw the Dodgers vs the A's. Dodgers lost horribly, but we got 2 great homeruns out of it. Nice way to spend a weekday afternoon.

Speaking of home runs, on the way home from the game we stopped at "Last Chance". This is not Nordstrom, or even Nordstrom Rack. It's where everything goes after that. I've been there twice and scored great deals everytime, so I had to introduce Bill to the fun. Guess how much we paid for all this loot. I'll tell you in a later post, but just take a guess. 3 dress shirts, tweed skirt, running shoes, matching flats for the girls, a suit for Bill, sunglasses, tights, pantyhose, a few little toys, etc, etc.....

We had a great outdoor mall by our hotel. Friday night was wonderful. We sat outside (not even cold) and ate Rubios on big comfy couches while listening to this local girl sing. Not bad. We kept updating the BYU game score on my phone. Ahhhh, perfect night. We even had time to watch the Netflix DVD thats been collecting dust on my TV for a month.

Saturday, we spent another lazy day by the pool with guacamole and smoothies. I read almost an entire book. Why did I have kids? Seriously?

Oh yeah...this is why. Grandma and Grandpa had a super time with the kiddos and luckily had good weather to spend outside with them. Yeah for them for handling our brood for 3 days. Thanks guys!

Please don't leave me!

2011-03-20T20:56:00.000-07:00

I estimate that there are about 10 of you who read my blog, so I know this won't effect a wide range of people. I really, really want to post stuff, I just don't have the mojo to accomplish it all right now. Please come back to me when I can spare a moment to talk about my trip to AZ with Bill, fish drama, and the oh-so many other things that have happened recently. I will come back. I just need to sleep, focus on family, etc. Thanks!

Girly stuff

2011-02-28T20:05:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture of Emi at the exact same age as Macy is now:

She was my little girl...she stood still for pictures, smiled when I asked her to, made all appropriate doggy/kitty sounds when asked. This was very refreshing after Hurricane Parker hit. I thought this was how all little girls were.

Ummmm, nope.

Can't keep a handle on this one at all. She's everywhere. This is her running circles around my driveway. Macy is curious and crazy. She's up, she's down, she's all around. She's in toilets. She's in garbage cans sucking down leftover drinks. She's trying to grab her poopy diaper before I can get it off her bum. She used to say doggy and kitty sounds, but now does this silly heavy breathing thing whenever asked. Any body part you ask her, she will touch her hair and laugh her head off because she knows she's wrong. Macy giggles in glee if you have to chase her through Blockbuster. She's truly a bubbly little blonde.

I'm not sure I'm ready for this again. I have 3 others to keep up with as well.

She did, however, sit very still for her first haircut with Natalie.

In other girl related news, about 3 weeks ago, I took Emi on a mommy/daughter ski day. The boys had done one the week before with perfect sunny weather. We were not so lucky. It was the coldest day I have ever skied. Winds were crazy and visibility sucked. We ended up going to the bunny hill because it was kind of shielded with trees. Needless to say, she wasn't thrilled about the whole event. She was even less thrilled to find out that her friends had gone to a special "American Girl" Valentine party at the library while we were freezing our tails off at the ski resort. I felt soooo bad that I hadn't had the forsight to make a better choice.

A mother's guilt (when it has to do with her daughter) is a big deal. I searched everywhere to see if this party was being done at any other library. It was, but right during one of the classes I taught. In steps my wonderful mother! She saved the day and took Emi to the other library. ANNNNNNDDDD....Emi got chosen to wear one of the costumes. Wait, it gets better. She was chosen to be Felicity. This was her first AG doll. The guilt gods were smiling upon me that night. She was so happy. There is redemption.

What's new with me

2011-02-20T20:03:00.001-08:00

1. Snow...it was the lovely kind that is fluffy and doesn't stick to your driveway. I didn't have to go anywhere in it. Snow is welcome for about 7 more days, then I will really hate it.

2. Macy has moved to 1 nap. This is her as tired as can be after church. This one nap thing has made her wake up about an hour earlier than normal. I don't understand it. Poor thing is trying so hard to stay awake. In other news, Quinn has moved to no naps, so I'm basically accomplishing nothing!

3. I lost my sanctuary. Bill works from home most days. This is not permanent and I will truly miss the benefits when it's over, but I've lost my master bedroom. My office space (truly, the greatest part of my house) is perfect for me and my studio. Wouldn't be great for him as it doesn't close off. As happy as I was that Macy was a girl, it meant all bedrooms were going to be actual bedrooms. Sorry honey. I used to have this lovely corner in my bedroom....now this is what I see. I listen to these conference calls and have gotten to know people through their accents and voices. It's a strange little world.

4. My new FAVORITE THING! This watercolor. I kept seeing it and really felt it was for me. Sounds corny, but I know I was supposed to have it. This is how I've always pictured babies coming from the pre-existence. I cry when I look at it. Like everytime. I can stare at it forever. It's by Brian Kershisnik and I love it, love it, love it.

5. Recital stuff is in full swing. Costumes are all over my house and my creative juices are a-flowin. It's a big pain but it's MY big pain and I really love it.

6. My new knit cardigan from Down East. No one was home to snap the pic. It goes great with jeans, sweats, and skirts.

7. Emi's long lost slipper...has anyone seen it? I feel like I've searched all weekend for it. She's devastated.

8. Teeth in ........

...and teeth out.

9. A lot of yelling.....my kids have been hard. I will say it's not me always yelling. They are just noisy. Probably cause they are cooped up a lot these days. They yell, I yell, Macy has a piercing scream that leaves my deaf. I'm ready to throw them all into the backyard. Parker has pressed every last button on me and I'm just trying to remain sane. February is always his worst month of the year. We can't explain it, but every year, it hits like a hurricane.

10. A beautiful new necklace from Bill. It's got the SL temple on the front and says "Together Forever" on the back. It was hanging from my rear view mirror yesterday. I really, really needed it. Not to end on a bad note, but it's been a hard few months for me. It's a big mix of being highly overwhelmed, stressed, big-time anxiety, and a bit down. No biggie. Just nice to know I have someone cute in my court. Love you, honey!

What's new with all of you? (Who's really reading this...I want to know!)

Wait for it.....Christmas 2010!

2011-01-30T13:58:00.001-08:00

Oh, can you believe it.....I had to throw on some of the latter part of December. I really had to do this before it was February. I'm sure all 2 of you who read my blog really care, but I do.

cookies at Grandma

Christmas Eve...they loved their new friends

After the other kids went to bed, Macy ate all the cookies to Santa. Luckily, she didn't drink Santa's coke. That would have REALLY ticked off Santa. Santa was up a long time. (See what I mean about Macy and her inability to keep her eyes open for a picture.) Not her best pic, but she does look pretty pleased with herself.

Parker

Emi

Macy

Quinn

Santa doesn't wrap at our house. I realize that is a big debate for some families. I give Santa the green light to do as he sees fit. He's got enough on his plate in December.

Look alike American Girl doll for Emi. She has to get her summer tan to really look like her. That's o.k., Emi is usually tan from March to November.

This scary creature is now part of our lives.....it was left in our milkbox after our Christmas party (people leave their unwanted white elephants at the host's house. I should have been more aware). Scared Parker to death one night. We then stuck it in the offending people's master bath window on Christmas Eve. This is how it was returned. They have 4 boys...this is a battle I don't see us winning.

We got to reunite with old friends. Sean (Parley) has moved into our ward. Jimmy is our long lost bachelor friend from L.A. They were my friends first at BYU, then Bill's, then they made sure we met. AWWWWWWWW. Would someone please marry Jimmy? He's the greatest.

New Year's Eve brought some "Just Dance" fun. Love Bill in this pic. I love a video game that I can actually win. The kids actually stayed up until midnight to see that it wasn't that great.

But they had fun anyway!

Merry Christmas!

Sweet 16 and always kissed

2011-01-28T09:09:00.000-08:00

(She is not, however, the most photogenic child...most pics she is closing her eyes.)

Macy is a sweet sixteen months (yesterday). Can't believe it. She's so full of personality right now.

Here are some of her qualities I want to remember:

1- She loves to get everyone ready for school. She follows Emi around holding her lunchbox every morning. She doesn't want anyone to forget anything. She brings out boots, coats, everything.

2- She pretends like she is cleaning. She gets a napkins and will wipe down her little kitchen. She's pretty thorough....I don't think she learned this from watching me.

3- Macy isn't into rocking her baby dolls. She throws them out of the doll crib and prefers to rock herself crazy! She's a super, duper dancer though. Pom poms and everything.

4- For the life of her, she will not keep on her shoes and socks.

5- She keeps up with the boys.

6- She is happiest when pushing trucks around the dance studio. Seriously.

7- She's got a massive sweet tooth. If you leave the pantry door open, she's all over the oreos.

8- Feeding herself is turning into an issue between us.

9- Macy can dump stuff out of a drawer in a minute flat. She does this CONSTANTLY. It's making me a little crazy.

10- Her blonde hair is so fluffy (when there's not bananas in it) that we like to blow it like a dandelion. I'm seeing a future nickname.

She is a dream baby and we all can't get enough of her. Love you, Macy!

Happy Belated Birthday, Mr. Quinn

2011-01-16T18:29:00.000-08:00

It's so typical. Middle child is getting the shaft. Quinn turned 4 on 1/11/11, and have not given him a birthday tribute as I did the rest of my family. He's the last in our string of b-days, and I have burned out. There will hardly be a picture or an interesting thing to say. I'm BURNED, BURNED, BURNED out on birthdays, birthday parties, cooped up children, taxes, and recital planning.

But he deserves the love:

1. Quinn has a constant soundtrack going on. He's always singing something, being someone, or just chatting to no one in his cute, high-pitched, Mickey Mouse voice.

2. He has watched his 30 min "Mater's Tall Tales" everyday since he got it at Christmas. He still laughs like it's the first time.

3. He is the ultimate little boy. I'm not sure if it's because he's our last little boy, or if it's because our little boy experience was vastly different with Parker and his disability, but Bill and I thoroughly enjoy his little antics and games. However.......

4. ....with all the extreme cuteness, he his highly emotional and cries at the drop of a hat. He's a little tender. We've resorted to "toughen up". It's heartless, but we don't want him crying at scout camp one day.

5. Li-Li is a huge part of his life, as he has been for 3 full years now. But he's not weird about it. He doesn't drag it everywhere, but he's just around. Li-Li waits for him to come home from pre-school, eats meals with him, sleeps with him, and watches movies with him. It's rare he takes him anywhere, which is good because the world would end if we lost him. Again, the scout camp thing worries me a little. We might have to have an intervention one day. I can't imagine a day where Li-Li doesn't exist in his world. I will be heartbroken.

(Li-Li)

6. He refers to several things as boring. Not sure why. He always loves them afterwards.

7. You can practically see through his skin. So very albino. I stress our Coronado week every year, though he has yet to totally burn.

8. There are times I think he looks like a Precious Moments kid. I don't even like those, but I still think he's cute like them.

9. He was my fastest potty trainer. Maybe this won't mean anything to him in the future, but I will be eternally grateful to him for this. It's always my worst parenting moment.

10. He is the sweetest little boy. Cute, adorable, loves to be outside, loves to drink chocolate milk, loves snow, loves leaves, loves his cars and trains, loves his Grandparents.....he is sweetness personified and I love him dearly. Happy Birthday, Quinn-quinn-quinners.

P.s. I added a new pic to my header....this is the view from my favorite restaurant in Coronado. I need a little tropical view right about now.

I could not ask for more....yet I always do

2011-01-09T20:22:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was Emi's baptism day....it was wonderful. She looked like an angel and we had a lot of support from family and friends.

(this pic was taken on Christmas Eve....her lips are blue. I've cured her of ever getting married in December like I did)

It was sweet, simple, and spiritual...just as it should be. Her BFF Jade was also baptized yesterday.

So fun. So great to have a husband that can perform these ordinances and sustains his priesthood.

About 5 days ago, I was listening to a song on the radio called "I Could Not Ask for More" or something like that. It truly echoed my feelings. I'm blessed like crazy.

I didn't really do a Thanksgiving post, so this is in place of that:

1- Awesome husband...well...I won't mention his desire to go to the bike shop yesterday while I was trying to get ready for the baptism "after party", but other than that, he's stellar. I often fall into blessings without knowing it. He appeared in my life when I was otherwise engaged. After a series of me not committing to guys and guys not committing to me in various drama-filled episodes, he just appeared. I'm blessed. I wouldn't have said it was easy at the time, but in the eternal scheme of things, it was easy.

2- 4 great kids They got here without major drama that accompanies so many of my friend's lives. Yeah, pregnancy was not easy for me, I miscarried once, but it worked. The older I get, I recognize this blessing. I'm extremely lucky.

3- They are healthy So far (knock on wood). Sure, Asperger's was not my first choice as a mother, but I'll take it. He's pretty great. My kids really love each other.

4- My super house Yet again, another thing I fell into. First house we toured, I knew the owner, it was in my close friend's neighborhood, and oh yeah......IT HAD A DANCE STUDIO BUILT IN! Could I be more watched over? Love my floor plan, love the neighborhood to pieces, and I will love the changes I'm dying to make to my kitchen.

5- My career.....crazy. I own a business?!?!? Never my aspiration really, but so happy about it. My first year of college, I wanted nothing to do with dance. I had burned out from my dedication to it in my younger years. It took that year to realize how much I missed it and that frankly, I was pretty good at it. That's when I tried out for BYU cheer which is one of the greatest experiences of my life. It was a year later that I finally could commit to it as a major (I had a few committal issues I've decided), and never turned back. My job is so good. So, so hard at times while juggling it with my family, but I'm my own boss. I set the terms. I teach how I see fit. What? B-L-E-S-S-E-D!

6-Parents....O.K. , my mom has a reputation in all of my sibling's neighborhoods as being ultra supportive. She's famous. I could on and on about this one (buying my kids awesome clothes, babysitting my kids and loving the job, super meals at the ready, etc, etc, etc), but let's just say she takes care of me. Mommies of young kids need this. Husbands do a pretty good job of it, but moms always know how to do it up right. My dad's super too!

7-Trips to California I get to go a lot. California (Coronado, mainly) feels like a second home to me. I love that I can live near skiing and mountains, but get to be a beach bum on a fairly regular basis. Love that aspect of my life.

8- My membership in the Gospel Born into it, lived in the worldwide headquarters of it, went to the university, get to bask in the knowledge of it's leaders often.....wow.

9- And lastly.....awesome friends. The kind you dream of. The kind you have silly traditions with and can count on for anything. The kind that won't judge you when your crying because your kids have taken you to the edge. Love to you all!

Count your blessings, name them one by one.

I will post about Christmas....probably in July.

2010....check!

2010-12-30T20:56:00.000-08:00

Well, the end of another year. I will post about our wonderfully fun Christmas in a few days, but I must bid a fond farewell to an unforgettable year for us. I always get excited about planning my goals for the future year (full well knowing they will be forgotten in a few weeks), so I decided to list what I DID do in 2010. Forgive me if I'm a little self indulgent and braggy, but I need this.

1. I didn't kill my kids...I'm serious. Each one has pushed me the edge of insanity more than once, but they are still alive. Amazing self control on my part.

2. I taught approx. 300 dance classes and supervised around 250 other ones. No wonder my back hurts all the time. I produced a great recital (I think my best yet) and even performed.

3. We were in 2 earthquakes in California. Always fun.

4. I scrapbooked all of 2009 digitally. It's not great, but it's my family history.

5. I got 2 kids almost fully self-sufficient on skis. 2 down, 2 to go until we can ski as a family (and go bankrupt).

6. My marriage survived. I know this sounds strange, but after a bout of unemployment, this is worth mentioning. I obviously love my hubby and would never trade him for anyone (except maybe Dr. Drew, but that is a post for another day), but unemployment is a strain. It caused us some strife, but we got through and I'd like to think we are closer because of it.

7. I was sugar-mama. I supported my family. I personally think that is cool. We were extremely, EXTREMELY blessed during unemployment with a great severance, good planning, and my studio, but when you don't know how long it will last, you really learn to budget. This was good for me. I've always been blessed money-wise, and it was strangely fun for me to live in a tight budget. But not that fun. I must say, the week Bill got a job, I started tearing up in Wal-Mart knowing I could buy Macy Pampers instead of the cheap stuff. Sad.

8. I did p90X....not faithfully, but I stuck with it fairly well for awhile. I can't stand the tone of Tony Horton's voice anymore, but I did it. Not that you can tell under my holiday layer of fat. I also learned to like running again. That was nice.

9. I got away with my college girls! Finally. We've been threatening to do this for years, but pregnancies and nursing messed it up. It was so very rejuvenating and we are hoping to do it all again this year. I laughed all weekend, except when I got stomach flu for 12 hours.

10. I spoke my mind more. This wasn't always appreciated, but I'm proud of myself.

11. I took care of some things that were wearing me down. For example, my teeth had shifted again thanks to TMJ. I finally took the bull by the horns and got my braces on again, for the third time. Little things like that.

I hope we take a moment to look at what we did. Feel good, be happy and thankful for all that you were able to do.

Happy New Year!

December pics so far......

2010-12-19T21:58:00.001-08:00

Well, it's been a big "Emi" month. Not that my other children haven't done stuff, just not real photo worthy stuff.

Sisters

Eight year old!

They didn't really duet for the piano recital, but cute nonetheless

After the 1st Nutcracker performance

Sugar Plum Pages

page friends....

Quinn's awesome preschool program. The kid sang every word and did every action. I was so proud. He loves to sing. I heard him lying awake in his bed this morning singing a never ending rendition of jingle bells....he doesn't know how to finish it. Too cute.

I hosted the dessert portion of my girl's night party (we let the ball and chains come to this one). It was awesome, but I can't share too many pics of that. Let's just say Fabio made an appearance, as did the dreaded blue poinsettia, Desperate Housewives game, a stellar home-made "stripling warriors" tie, and an old BYU towel dispenser. That one got left at our house and Bill is dying to put it in the garage.

Merry Christmas....there will be more pics. Just had to catch up a bit before the barrage of Christmas morning photos hits me.

Emi, age 8

2010-12-05T20:40:00.000-08:00

Emi is 8 tomorrow. My baby girl is 8. When did that happen?

Here are 8 reasons I love my sweet Emi-Cakes:

1. Emi came at the right time. Heavenly Father knew I needed her and when I needed her. She was my happiest surprise I've ever had and blessed our lives exactly when I needed her. She is a constant support to all around her.

2. Emi is usually happy. She's fierce when she's not, but a joy when she is.

3. She is a great care-taker. She takes care of her room, her siblings, her homework, and her toys. It's sooooo refreshing!

4. She's done it all: skiing, dance, piano, gymnastics, super-reader, smarty-pants girl.

5. Emi is super social and is a wonderful friend to her gaggle of little friends everywhere. She goes to more birthday parties than I have ever seen.

6. We call Emi a monkey. She totally loves it.

7. She is the skinniest creature on the planet, but can eat her weight in pancakes.

8. Bill is really happy that her good looks are being covered up by glasses. He wants to keep her to himself. But she is still gorgeous beyond measure. Stunningly gorgeous, in my opinion.

(at her party this weekend)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, EMI!!!!!

A whole lot of holiday

2010-11-28T22:05:00.001-08:00

There will be no pics....I'll get to that when I can breathe. That point is not now.

Highlights of my recent life:

-Macy is walking. Her hands are outstretched. It's too adorable for words

-Great Thanksgiving at my sister's house in Cache Valley. Super food, plus she is so relaxed as she gets it on the table. A trait that neither me or my mother possess. Parker and Bill enjoyed hot-tubbing in 5 degree weather.

-"Tangled" with the kids. I chased my little blonde princess around the theater, but enjoyed it nonetheless.

- Rockettes Christmas Show. We saw it 3 years ago in NY, but I'm glad my kids could see it again now that they are older. It loses a bit of charm being in the Maverick Center (no 3D beginning and no live animals in Nativity), but fun still the same. I should have been a Rockette. I just need to grow 3 more inches.

- Santa! He always comes to a boutique by my house the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and he is super. Plus there was real snow in the pics. Did you know that he also drives a Chevy van? These are interesting facts you learn when you show up early. Macy cried, but every one of my kids has their year.

- A week off work....enough said!

Low-lights:

-The fizzled "Storm of the Decade". When the weatherman gears you up for a big snow, and then it dies, it's disappointing.

-The cold. Ooooooh, so cold.

-The fact that my husband has passed out upstairs instead of dragging my tree up.

-The looming to-do list at my finger tips

Anyways....my fingers are too cold to type. Goodnight.

Beautiful Trees....and my self-esteem is shot to heck!

2010-11-07T18:32:00.001-08:00

I ran out to take this picture very quickly yesterday. They are my favorite, favorite trees in our back yard. However, the middle one tends to drop its leaves in the space of one day. Yesterday was that day. You can hear them fall. I think I waited one day too long, darn it!

Which lead to this.....which lead to the trail of leaves all over my house.

I've been having a love affair with the fall trees this year. I love, love, love fall! So, as I was driving into the entrance of our neighborhood looking at the gorgeous trees, I was preaching to the kids about how lucky we are to live in such a stunning neighborhood. They decided it was great because their best friends live in the neighborhood. They also mentioned we have a piano teacher, their hair-cutter, an art teacher, and all the many talented people in our midst. Then Parker pipes up that this neighborhood also has the best mom. As I was tearing up and saying "awwww, your so nice", he continues on to say that the mom he was talking about is the "super mom" down the street who always does wonderful everything. Granted, I agree. She is kind of a legend in our eyes, and so nice to boot, but it did completely put me in my place. Oh well. I guess second place isn't bad.

October Highlights....

2010-10-31T21:05:00.000-07:00

This will mostly be pics....my October iPhoto file has about 300 pics in it thanks to 2 birthdays and Halloween.

We found a great pumpkin patch....millions of pumpkins ( according to Quinn)

and went to Incredible Pizza for Parker's b-day...

Visited Gardner Village with my little witches....

They have a weird thing with hula-hoops...sorry....

Made cookies at Grandma Newman's house...
and oh yeah. Bill and Parker spent 2 hours in this baby yesterday. Freaked me out! I was invited, though I opted to NOT orphan my children. It's a thing with me.

Then off to Trunk-or-Treat. It started pouring just a few minutes after this pic

I love my kitten!

The Three Nephites...I mean Amigos. Not quite as creative as KISS, but it was respectable. A plethora of candy followed.

Every child of mine has done this. She was soooo happy for an hour doing this.

and after a month like this, this is how I feel.

Happy Halloween!

Worn Out Wednesday

2010-10-27T13:43:00.000-07:00

My Wednesdays have become increasingly CRAZY. I thought last week was bad.....

Woke up at 4:00 a.m. with teething baby. Good news is there is finally a little tooth poking through. Peeked outside to major snowstorm.

Re-woke up at 6:30 to get clothes out of dryer, shower, and unload dishwasher. Oh yeah, Macy was up with me again. 7:00, woke kids and started on the mad dash to find snow boots and matching gloves (poor Emi had one black and one purple) while getting breakfast. While the kids where eating, I threw on clothes, begged Bill to get out and shovel our ginormous driveway, and fed Macy. Quinn managed to spill Froot Loops all over himself, which sent him into a screaming fit. While getting dressed, remembered that it was "wear red" day at school, which made me throw clothes out of drawers to locate red shirts (I love uniforms). Took nerf gun away from Parker several times so he could get dressed and dealt with a "personal issue" with Emi. Threw clothes on Quinn and Macy and was ready to get them all in car for carpool when I discovered Parker locked in bathroom with a tummy issue (I'm trying to be delicate). Now running through house in search of TP and fixed clogged toilet.

Pick up carpool kids and blaze through snow and construction to get to school. (There were no workers out on the project today. Are they just going to shut it down for the winter? Wouldn't even surprise me!) I stop for Starbucks hot chocolate, because frankly, I deserve it.

Get home and Quinn decides he must head out into snow right this very minute. Dig out snowpants and too big gloves, but it's really worth it to see how happy he is in the snow. Raced in to do my hair and brush my teeth. Ran Quinn to Monika's for more snow time while I teach.

Teach 2 pre-ballet classes. You add a snowstorm and Halloween costumes to the girls, and they are WILD! Run to get Quinn, throw him in a costume and drop him at Kindermusik. Eat lunch in car since I have only had hot chocolate and a fun size Twix bar for food. Get home, try to take a breath.

(Macy enjoys jamming with the shakers at Kindermusik....more than Quinn does!)

Fed lunch to kids, and could actually chill for awhile to tend to some work. Put kids to nap.

Then the fun starts again! Kids wake and older kids come home. Parker pulls every last bit of Asperger's crap my way, all while I'm trying to get Emi into costume for dance. He then continues to throw more and more of it until I almost snap. Finally get him in for homework, of which I have to sit by him for every darn problem to keep him focused.

Run to Noodles to pick up food because of "Spirit Night" and force food down my kids, then send Emi to Nutcracker practice, eat, and run to Young Women's for the fall festival. It was really cute and Quinn enjoyed it, though it was nuts!

Get home and boss everyone around to get bathed. Didn't realize that Parker never made it to the shower (GRRRRRRRR). Argued with Emi and Quinn that they are not allowed to wear face paint to school when it's not Halloween, and threw them all in their beds. Good-freakin-night.

Really. Did it really have to snow?

A decade of parenting....whoa!

2010-10-14T20:15:00.000-07:00

Yep...as of 4:56 p.m. this afternoon, I have officially been a parent for 10 years. Where did the time (and my sanity) go.....

My sweet Parker turned 10.

Here is some stuff I like about Parker right now:

1. His impressive knowledge of stuff. I say stuff because I can't say that I'm totally thrilled to hear all the in's and out's of every Star Wars vehicle, but I'm impressed with how much information he can store in his brain. His memory in unnatural.

2. His love for Macy. She can do no wrong. I wonder if that is how it is always going to be, but she can mess up anything of his and he doesn't care. Anyone else....and watch out. He kisses her several times a day.

(2 years old)

3. There is rarely a dull moment with him. Notice the one snow boot. This was typical. We once found everything off every shelf, and him lying asleep naked in the middle of it. We never used that sitter again.

4. He's resourceful and cares very little about money. Through Bill's unemployment, he was often found offering up his money to help out. He even made $6.40 on a lemonade/juice stand and gave the money to Bill. We cried. This is a pic of him entertaining my student's parents. He often drags Emi into his endeavors.

5. Parker can build a Lego set in nothing flat!

6. His musical ability still amazes. He'll have his entire week worth of lessons memorized for piano in 2-3 days.

7. He's scrappy, silly, creative, and has a great sense of humor

8. He really could care less about sports, but is still the ultimate Cougar fan.

9. The Spirit is very strong with him. He looks at the world and spirituality in a very unique way. I would love to see the world through his eyes, just even for a day.

(baptism day)

10. He's just so darned handsome. I mean, I know I'm his mom, but he really is good looking.

Raising Parker has never, never been easy but it is so, so worth it. Asperger's kicks my butt on an extremely regular basis, probably more than I ever let on. He truly is special, and he has to be. The obstacles he has to get over on a daily basis....well, it's often painful to watch. I really believe he has come a long way in just 10 years and I know he will be one to watch. He's bound for greatness!

I love you, Parker!

Phew!

2010-10-11T20:57:00.000-07:00

Well...I haven't talked much about it, but Bill has been out of a job for 7 months. Until NOW! Woo hoo! His former employer was dropping people like flies, and luckily, we saw it coming early enough to hold on to savings. Once the other shoe dropped and he was let go, we were lucky enough to receive a wonderful severance that lasted quite awhile. Now that I am on the other end, I'm quite amazed at how well this went.

My work has never gone better. Every class is at perfect capacity. About a week before I started my fall season, I had one class with 6 openings in it. Every other class was full. Everyone who called that week wanted that class. Huge blessing to be "Sugar Mama" for awhile.

I just have to say that we really were blessed. We never wanted for anything. We took it easy, obviously, since we had no idea how long it would last. But had amazing things happen and we will forever be grateful for the lessons we have learned before the unemployment (like provident living and savings) and during (like how this could be a serious problem). I feel blessed to have a business and a college degree to fall back on. I already had a testimony of girls getting an education and skill set, but I will not rest until Macy and Emi have a career they can rely on if necessary. It's power, freedom, and the best insurance I can give them as a mom. I have increased empathy for people who are in this situation long term. I hope that I can serve people who are, because it does really suck. I do believe it is good for the soul to do without once in awhile. It has kind of centered me a bit, which I can see now that I am out of the "constant anxiety" phase.

And our friends/family...WOW! They are amazing (and you know who you are). They were sympathetic, generous, and willing to fast for us frequently. We really felt the love and we love you all right back. My mom and dad especially. My mom is always one to dote on my kids with wonderful, crazy cute clothes, but she knew when we needed a dinner out, free sitter, etc. It was nice and my dad is always happy to help, even when we don't ask for it.

So good luck, Bill! He will be serving at the "pleasure of the President" with his new job, and loving every minute of it. Go and do whatever the heck it is you do!

My Birthday Wishes.....

2010-10-04T21:39:00.000-07:00

Well, it's my birthday. A little boring as it's the most popular day to have a birthday in the U.S. It's 1 day after my sister's birthday, 3 days after my brother's, 8 days after my daughter's, and 9 days before my son's birthday. But, still. It's mine. And I am a believer in celebrating life's little moments. So here are my birthday wishes:

For Parker to walk into his room after school and come out 1/2 an hour later with his homework done.
More twice baked potatoes from my mom....she spoiled me with some on Sunday. I LOVE them.
Shopping....no kids.
While shopping, it would be great to find magic jeans that fit perfect.
Being able to exercise today when I want. Not just when the kids are sleeping.
My own personal hotel room. (and room service)
Sweater weather
A nap
For Quinn to want to play a DIFFERENT video game than MarioKart.
For preschool to go for 8 hours.
To not have to work. I seriously love my job, but no one should work on their b-day.
A call from the VA hospital (I'll explain later)
Wow....for my marriage to survive. Just heard on the radio that my profession has the highest divorce rate (must be all the hot male dancers). Couple that with the "parents of autistic spectrum kids" rate of divorce (80%)....wow. I'm screwed!
For Macy to say Mamamamama all day (oh wait...she already does =-)
Diet Coke...I've tried to cut it out, but I don't do things like that on my b-day.

Well....miracles can happen. If not, just time with my cuties will be sufficient. As long as they act cute.

Can you believe she's 1?

2010-09-28T11:11:00.001-07:00

Well...I can't. She is the sweetest creature on the planet and I can't get enough of her.

10 things I love about Macy right now:

1. She burrows her fuzzy little head into your chest when you hold her....so great.

2. She says "mamama" when she babbles. I'm taking it as her first word.

3. Macy has great rhythm. She totally bounces to the beat with any music. She'll hang with me in the studio while I'm making up dances, and the girl can groove.

4. She loves her pig. She sleeps with it all the time.

5. Best legs ever....I've never really had the chubby baby thing. I squish her legs all day.

6. Super eater...as you can tell from the cake pictures, she is adventurous. My mom says that means she will be creative!

7. The blue eyes.

8. Her ability to destroy a room in 30 seconds flat. She can pull stuff out quicker than you can get it back in. She found the box of 96 crayons yesterday...wow!

9. She tolerates the annoying 3 older siblings that constantly smother her. In all fairness, they tolerate her piano duets she does with them while they are practicing.

10. She love anything that will make her bounce...couches, cars, music.

Ummm...she's the best. I love her dearly. Happy (belated) Birthday, baby girl!

Gripes for a Wednesday

2010-09-15T12:24:00.000-07:00

1. There should be a special class to teach drivers how to go around a round-a-bout. I drive through one several times a day and I get so frustrated with people who can't figure it out.

2. Having to undo the entire car seat if your baby throws up in it. Takes forever!

3. Telemarketers asking for donations

4. All the little aspen trees that pop up everywhere in my flower beds.

5. Macy's runny nose....no teeth yet. I'd love for her to have something to show for all her pain.

6. Babies who used to sleep through the night....that now don't.

7. 3 year old temper tantrums

8. 7 year old temper tantrums

9. Back-handed compliments....("oh Liz, your looking good. Last time I saw you, you still had your baby tummy"....I saw her a month ago)

10. Tomatoes that won't turn red.

11. 4th grade boys who don't write their school assignments down.

12. Tivo on the blitz

13. Arthritic hips

14. The little green "done" light on my dishwasher. It means I have to unload.

15. My washing machine that needs CPR to keep it going. I'm not kidding...I take 2 hands and press down on the lids to move it to the rinse cycle. I have stuck a 20 lb weight on the lid, and sometimes that helps.

Thanks...I'm done venting now!

Things I could blog about today.....

2010-09-12T15:43:00.000-07:00

1. How to totally ignore a grumpy baby.

2. How to TRY to ignore a grumpy 3 year old.

3. Church....with 4 kids.....three hours of what "spirit prison" must be like.

4. Why bishopric members get fat.

5. My journey with a certain black widow.

6. Treasures I have found while cleaning my storage room.

7. Sunday dinner last week=gourmet cooking from grandma.

8. Sunday dinner this week= leftovers from mommy.

9. Does Quinn have a mute button? There is a big horse on the Ghost Falls trail that discovered he didn't.

10. My darling 7 year old/demon. What happened to my angel?

11. 2 weeks until I take class from tWitch, Lauren, and Comfort (woo hoo!)

12. Exercise is overrated. That's why we have Spanks.

13. How to make a killer "Mormon Mojito"

14. Unemployed husband=messier house.

15. Partying it up with my neighbors.

16. I do not consider Costco a getaway.

17. I really do love my children, though I have no reason to.

18. The list of stuff I will buy when Bill is back in a job.

19. BYU choked.

20. Social Kiva...what is it and when will it pay the bills.

21. I love me some Green Tea.

22. New ways to wipe my babies yucky nose.

23. Role reversal: Emi vs. Parker, Liz vs. Bill

24. My ghetto mailbox drama.

25. September 11 still makes me crazy sad. Almost like it happened yesterday.

26. Mourning the baby clothes.

27. How to turn your kitchen floor into an ice rink using vegetable oil....twice.

28. Where's the teeth?

29. Macy, the grass princess

30. Parker is the prime example of the pot calling the kettle black.

31. Bill does an amazing Dr. Doofenschmirz impression. You really must see it.

32. Why Liz is walking sideways today.

33. I envy my cat.

I guess that's it. Should I expand on any of these, or just let them be?

August 2010

2010-09-05T20:58:00.000-07:00

Well, here is the last of my summer re-cap. I'm just a teeny bit impressed with all we did, but I'll try to not to get a big head about it.

More swim classes...after crying for mom the first day, he sucked it up and became a GREAT little swimmer.

Not even sure how to describe this one....I run a dance studio. Props and costumes are everywhere.

Macy is the world's cutest sleeper. She loves her piggy.

We were lucky enough to go to the opening night of "Lion King". So amazing. I saw it in NY before I was married, and it was so fun to take Parker and Emi to it.

Quinn started pre-school. I have a cuter shot than this, but it showed too many name tags with first and last names. Darned stalkers ruin it for everyone!

The ward campout. This is the bishopric performing "My Little Buttercup". There is oodles of talent seeping through these men.

Emi went to a wedding party. WOOOOW is all I can say. She's got great friends.

We ate lots and lots of fresh corn. Sucks with braces, but I'm making it work. Yummmmm.

Cowabunga Bay. Went on the world's most crowded day, but still great.

Grandma came to observe......

Macy is everywhere, into everything, and all-around crazy!

My friend's dad set this up at the library for a day. Parker was in Heaven!

And then school had to start and ruin it all.

Cubs started up again, with Parker getting his Bear. Here I am getting pinned. All I can say is ouch!

So...here we are in September. I'm ready for it. Bring it on school, work, lessons, homework, and schedules. I can take it!

On to July!

2010-08-29T22:12:00.000-07:00

Another summer recap post....I hope you all continue to check in on me!

Other than just relaxing....

we spent 10 glorious (but chilly) days in Coronado...

Bill and I got to spend an evening at Heber Valley girl's camp.

Checked out our new local hot spot (love it!)

Parker did his first big kid puzzle!

Visited Kennicott Copper mine....as did the rest of Utah.

Partied it up with good friends....

Ventured to Lagoon...beat major rainstorm.

Held tea parties for little siblings.....

Emi taught music to her cousins.....

...and Parker and cousin Josh imitated Ron Burgandy ("stay classy, Salt Lake City")

Tubed and skiied with Aunt Joyce...check Quinn out... NO FEAR!

Be cool, Quinn....

A recap of June! (a few months late)

2010-08-22T21:09:00.000-07:00

As I close the book on another summer, I realize I have been a bad blogger/journal keeper. So I will attempt to recap my summer, though it will take 3 separate posts:

JUNE

This is the Place

Aquarium

Swim lessons....I managed to have 3 kids in 3 separate swim classes....at 3 different pools. Not too bright on my part.

We shared germs with our friends....

We dressed up for Father's Day at church (guess which one is Bill)

We hung with old neighbors....totally miss the Hopkins! Please move back!

We set up "Princess Corner" in the dance studio

We rode a variety of horses.....

And loved hanging with the Homeless Hopper Family!

We attended amazing ladybug birthday parties....(and mom felt completely inadequate as a mom and party giver). This mom is incredible!

And Bill got to do his best Ty Pennington impression after working on our ward's Youth Conference Extreme Home Makeover (and he got a lot of new coverage....Big Buddah liked him)

...and basically, everything was a mess in the house.

Tune in later this week for JULY!!!!

I really love her, but..........

2010-08-15T21:12:00.001-07:00

I am fully confident in the beauty of my daughter....she has stunning blue eyes, sweet little giggles, the most wonderfully chubby legs, and I practically melt when I put her in her crib and she grabs and squishes her little piggy stuffed animal.

However....

things aren't pretty with her right now at all!

My cousin, Brooke, blogged about her baby entering the ugly phase ( if you aren't reading her blog, you should....link is on the side bar. She is hilarious!). It made me realize that my little princess is in a real diva stage right now. She's like a little wild animal that I must tame somehow.

1. She has a cold and has the yuckiest nose on the planet.

2. She has claws....I can't get her still enough to cut her nails, and she pinches me all over my arms all day. My arms look like I'm shooting up. She has scratches all over her face because of it.

3. She pulls on one spot of her hair. I'm sure that is leading to a great bald spot. She won't keep on any headband or bow.

4. She army-crawls instead of normal crawling (see video below). Because of this, all her cute, light colored summer outfits are gray by the end of the day (I need to get my carpets cleaned!)

5. She shrieks like a howler monkey in a blender.

6. Big no to cuddling.

7. If she doesn't like the binkie you give her, she happily chucks it across the room. She actually has a "wicked 12-foot arc" (if you were in my immediate family, you would be laughing about that).

8. She drools all over while drinking a bottle, then immediately pushes it away the second she thinks she is done. Very diva-like.

9. She has not slept all that well lately......nor have we.

10. I'm constantly cleaning up a trail of puffies and cheerios, and she loves to throw those, too!

(I can't get this pic rotated, but you get the idea. She looks so happy)

We strapped her in the swing in desperation to get her to sleep. I guess this isn't our safest option anymore.

A friend at church took this of Macy at church on his iPhone.....I'm not sure if you can get it to play, but she does make everyone laugh with her army crawl. Please ignore him saying in the background that I have no idea where she is....I did too know.

Anyways.....I love her. She is everything to me, but these rough patches have got to go. She will be wonderful again soon. Love you, Macy!

≈

How can I feel this way?

2010-08-04T20:51:00.000-07:00

I don't understand it. I had 4 very long, hot, tough pregnancies. About this time last year, I was in dire condition. Words can't even describe how hard the end of Macy's pregnancy was. I ripped muscles, I swelled way up, I felt sea-sick for 3 solid months.....basically, my body just told me DONE! I danced through the pain at the end, but it was so ugly. My blood pressure was a constant concern, and I spent a good 2 weeks strapping myself into the blood pressure machine at Harmon's, on alert to go into labor at any time. My dad had a stroke one month before my due date, and it was an ugly, ugly, painful, emotional, stressful, fat time. My mom couldn't be around if I went into labor (because of my dad), so I spent every night that month having everything totally ready for my kids to get to school with instructions to keep the routine (for Parker's sake) just in case a neighbor had to come in the middle of the night. That last month was awful in many ways.

Yet....I find myself longing for that month?#$@ I don't get it. I have a lot of prego friends and my cousin is actually going to have her baby any second.....I am sooooo jealous! That is not me. I love the hospital, the excitement of seeing your new baby for the first time, the preciousness of it all. Macy was born in the middle of the night, and it was the quietest (fastest...2 hours) and sweetest night of my life. I felt like it was just me and her in a quiet little world. I love the flutter of baby kicks. I love these moments, but I'm realistic enough to know what it takes to get there. I'm so happy with 4, and 5 would kill me! I know this, but we woman are wired to keep the maternal feelings forever. It sucks.

So, I'm 36. I know I will never go through the hell of pregnancy again. But tonight, for some reason, I am sad about that. Maybe because Macy let me snuggle her to sleep tonight, something she rarely does these days as she is always on the move. I need to savor every moment of this baby.

On a way different note, took Emi to see "Ramona and Beezus". Absolutely loved it. I loved all the books growing up and have loved watching Emi read them. I thought they did a great job of making it sweet and fun, just like the books. So cute!

Oh....August.

2010-08-01T16:01:00.000-07:00

I seriously have nothing to say today, but here I am.

Last week was awesome! Lagoon, boating with my sister, children's museum with my sis-in-law's kids and a wonderful nap last Sunday that I'm still reliving. July has a bit of sparkle and flare to it.

And then there is August. I kind of hate August. Summer has lost it's flavor. I feel like I'm waiting for the other shoe (school and work and the general rat race) to drop. I really hate intense heat. My flower pots have almost always burned up at this point. I realized how much I haven't accomplished on my to do list. I have to spend a good hour in Wal-Mart searching out the extremely specific school supplies my kid's school requires. I'm in search of a pink camouflage backpack and have yet to find one. My cat sheds a lot in the summer. I have to go running early enough in the morning before it's crazy hot. At some point, I have to lug a summer's worth of toys out of the dance studio so I can teach again. Heavy sigh.

I don't like posts that are all Debbie Downers, so here are it's good points: fresh tomatoes and corn.

That's about it....

I would eat that every dinner in August, but my kids would start complaining. I'm having dinner brain blocks lately.....PLEASE SHARE GOOD EASY IDEAS for dinners. I'm tapped out.

Happy August to you all!

Coronado pics....a heck of a lot of them!

2010-07-15T20:58:00.001-07:00

Well, I returned on Sunday from 10 or so great days in Coronado, my home away from home. It was a bit cool this year, like the coldest it has been since 1912 (for a first week of July). Still, not too bad and it's still paradise for me.

Highlights: The amazing beds in the condo, Sheerwater dinner with Bill, impromptu fireworks during my dinner with Bill, no sunburns, Toy Story 3, running everyday along the beach ( I love sea level running), time with my cute parents (so glad my dad could get there this year), watching retro Muppets videos with my kids at night, digging huge holes in the sand, NOT being prego this year, the parade, Mootime Creamery, being waited on at the pool, cousins, watching Quinn jump waves, watching Parker and Emi boogie board, and watching Macy enjoy her first trip to the beach.

Lowlights: Dragging sweatshirts to the beach and then dragging WET sweatshirts back from the beach, seagulls attacking my kids' dinner at Seaport Village (they are mortified ...think "The Birds"), chilly weather, sea weed, Emi and her infamous car sickness, and oh yeah....ANOTHER EARTHQUAKE! (and then having to drive over Coronado bridge right after it).

Here are some of my million pictures:

(Darth has let himself go)

watching fireworks

The King and Queen of the beach (with the princess)

Macy with her phone, catching the rays....

Parker and cousin Josh playing gigantic Connect 4

Free hair braiding for the girls!

MOOTIME CREAMERY!

yeah...I know.

My Wedding Rules....

2010-06-26T11:31:00.001-07:00

I took this post off, as to not offend anyone.....sorry!

Where we've been.....May edition

2010-06-18T21:30:00.000-07:00

So...blogging has been on the back-burner to say the least. But here is a quick run-down of all we did in May (minus the dance recital...you've seen all that):

we built forts....

we did the unusual and went to Temple Square in the spring (a lot nicer than Christmas weather-wise).....

finished up Kindermusik with Quinn.....

Jogapalooza Fun Run at school....

we froze at every soccer game (all for one goal the entire season)....go Purple Piranhas....

We went to a murder party....it was the day after my recital and both Bill and I were hoping we wouldn't have to do much. Of course, Bill was murdered and I was the murderer. So I had to work at being coy and sly.

Bill was Steven Spillsome and I was Molly Ringworm...

we attended art shows....

and piano concerts......

Anyway, if you're still here, thanks for viewing pics of my life!

Princesses and Kings

2010-06-01T21:39:00.000-07:00

My annual dance recital for my studio was about 10 days ago....I'm just now getting to the post for it as I have finally recovered just a little.

Theme was "Princesses and Kings", meaning Disney Princesses and a tribute to the King of Pop. I did this theme about 7 years ago with Elvis.

There were 19 dances, so they are not all on here, but here are some highlights!

Emi opened the show with "When You Wish Upon a Star"

Beauty and the Beast

ABC 123 ...that's my dear little Emi again.

Black and White

Beat It...notice the sparkly socks and glove!

Smooth Criminal

And oh yeah.....I made my teaching staff dance this year. They were so fun to work with and good sports.

This is me leaping....I have to brag as I had a baby just a few months back!

Phew....glad it's over, but it is always fun.

Me and my favorite dancer........

......and my next favorite future dancer

Why I won't be smiling for 18-24 months....

2010-05-26T20:17:00.000-07:00

Well, third times a charm, right?

That's right....I am a metal mouth for the THIRD time in my life. Did the normal Jr. High stint with braces, got them off in 8th grade. Wore the retainers, but had a tongue thrust that pushed my front teeth out a bit. Got them a second time right before high school (I made my crazy orthodontist who called me "lassie" promise they would come off before high school). Wore my retainers. End of college....during a rather significant bout of stress, my jaw pops and I get TMJ. This requires a specialist and physical therapy that involved taping up my back, shoe inserts, and relaxation CD's. It also screwed up my teeth again.

So here I am...age 36 in braces. I should have done it years ago, but kept putting it off. Pregnancy and braces would have marked me as the elephant man. I did spring for the porcelain ones, but still, not a good look for me.

No nuts, gummy bears, and caramel. But I did have a milkshake for dinner!

Chicks

2010-05-12T13:58:00.000-07:00

So....Quinn went IFA with Bill the other day to get some seed for our lawn. While there, he saw baby chicks and ducks. Quinn told this to Parker when he got home. Parker's response...

"Yeah....I have experience with chicks.....hugging them.....petting them....at school."

This was in reference to the baby chick Parker saw being born in his school class last year.....not to the females of his class. You kind of had to be there, but I had to write it down.

Wow...new pic!

2010-05-10T21:33:00.001-07:00

Yes...I'm aware that it is May....I so needed to update my title pic. There you go.....they are pretty cute!