Fun Blog

I love this new blog I just found. Check it out!
http://www.9thwardcartoons.com/

My YW

I Love 'em!

Thanks Mimi

Mimi (my mom) took Harry out on a "date" the other day. She took him out for ice cream and bought him this little water sprinker. The kids have having a blast with it. This is holding them over until it gets warm enough to swim.

No Sweeter Words

Very few words are sweeter for a mom to hear than when one of your kids says, "Can you turn the TV down! I am trying to read here!"

Update on Us!

I try really hard to teach my kids to say "no thanks", or "no thank you" when they are first learning how to talk. I just hate it when I hear a kid screaming NOOO at their parents. So I try to make sure I always say no thanks/no thank you to my kids when I want them to stop doing something or I don't want something they are offering me.

Grant has started to say it now which is fun. Whenever I give him something he doesn't want he says, "No cue, no cue" over and over. It is pretty cute.

He is also really into playing with Paige's baby doll. He wants to dress it and change it's diaper and put it to sleep. I am loving it cause I haven't been able to play "girl" stuff in years.

Paige is getting so tall! She is up to Mimi's shoulders already. She is back to sewing which makes me happy. She is going to start swim team soon and she is really excited about that.

We moved Mitchell to his own room last week. He is very excited about this. I have been pleasantly surprised at how clean he is keeping his room. He is my little organizer when he wants to be.

Our computer has been "broken" a lot lately. (Wink...wink) I know this is a cop-out with having to stand up to Harry and his obsession with the computer lately, but it is so much easier for me to tell him that the computer is not working and he needs to find something else to do. He takes this news just fine and runs off and plays. I really need to find a pre-school for him next year, cause he is bored being home with Grant and me all day.

Fun in the Sun

Why do kids love water so much? I swear these two could play with a hose for hours on end!

Nothing much going on.

So, I don't really have anything to report. We have just been having fun in the sun the last few days. Matt put our trampoline up so kids have been having fun rediscovering that.

Grant is talking more and more so that is fun. He now calls Mitchell: Chichell, and calls Harry: Ha-we some times and other times just we-we. It makes us all chuckle.

Matt spoke at a fireside last night and did a great job. I am very proud of him! He is quite the teacher nowadays!

Landscape Pro

The front of our house has been driving me crazy. On Saturday I decided to take advantage of the warm and sunny weather and went to town on it. It was just a bunch of dead/half-dead plants, weeds, and dirt.

So I replanted a few bushes, pulled a million weeds, laid down that black paper stuff, bought a bunch of new plants and flowers, and planted them all.

Matt went at lunch time today and bought some bark for me. I just finish putting the bark in. I know it's just a small area but I am pretty proud of myself.

Mess Maker

This photo says it all.

7 more weeks

7 more weeks until Mitchell turns 8! I can't believe I am going to have another child get baptized!
Mitchell wants to have Paige sing at his baptism and so I found a really cool song for her to sing. (The primary is going to learn a simplified version of it in 2010) It is new and kind of hard so Paige is starting to learn it now. I downloaded it to her MP3 player so that she can listen to it.
In our family when you turn 8 you get a set of new scriptures and a suit (or dress). I am happy that Mitchell is excited to get both of these...I was worried he might need some convincing but he didn't. I need to order the scriptures now because there is no where around here to buy them.
It is so fun to see our family grow and change!

lip sync!

The other night we had a skit night with the YW and YM. One of my Laurels (Ally Bj) and I did a lip-sync with me. It was pretty funny! Ally tends to be on the shy side so I was excited that she agreed to do it with me.

Thanks Ally it was fun!

Popcorn popping!

Half of me loves this time of year when all the trees are blossoming. When you live in here in CA and there are orchards all around it's so pretty! But the other half (the nose/ears/eyes/throat half) hates it. My allergies have come out in full force!
I guess it's a trade off.

Happy Birthday Matt!

So yesterday was Matt's birthday. Poor neglected Matt. On that day I also had a HUGE fundraiser for my youth at church. He came home from work early so I could go to the church and start setting up. I didn't get home until about 9:30 that night. Matt was so sweet and understanding about it.
His parents came over though that night and did a great job at helping him celebrate his birthday. (Thanks guys!)
Happy Birthday MATT!!!! I love you!

Poor Paige!

So, just this morning I was thinking about how I needed to write a post about how much Paige loves her sewing machine. She spends HOURS on it every day just making things/outfits up. She makes little blankets and a lot of doll clothes. Almost every night I have to yell at her to turn off the sewing machine and go to bed.
Well tonight Matt was putting the kids to bed and I ran to Wal-mart to buy a few things. When I walked in the door Paige was crying hysterically. Apparently she wasn't paying attention and put the needle right through her finger nail. :(
She started screaming but Matt thought she was just yelling at Grant for bothering her. After a minute he went to check on her and she was totally freaked out. He had to unscrew the needle from the machine to get her finger and the needle out. Then she didn't want him to pull the needle out of her finger.... she finally calmed down and did it herself.
After I got home and they told me what had just happened I held her and she cried and cried. She wasn't crying cause it hurt, but because she was so scared and freaked out about the whole thing. It really shook her up. I finally got her to calm down and to lay down with her MP3 player.
She said she wants a break from her sewing machine and doesn't want to use it for awhile. I really hope this doesn't scar her from sewing for ever. We agreed that maybe she shouldn't sew at night anymore and that I should be with her to keep an eye on her.
Poor, poor Paige!

So Excited!!!

Paige has been begging me for years to plant a garden. Although we helped my Dad with many gardens growing up I really knew nothing about planting one....so I have been putting it off. I figured now was a good year to jump in and do it because of our new house has an unfinished backyard so we could put it anywhere we wanted. I have been picking many brains the last few weeks and I really appreciated everyone helping me! (Janell, Travis, Dad)

My friend Janell taught me how to make a wormery and so the kids helped me get started with that. (Did I do it right Janell?)

My dad came over today and helped Paige and I get started on our garden. Harry and Mitchell had fun playing in the dirt. We got everything ready to go! Now we just need to plant!

Thanks Dad for the help!!

Yellow Hutch

Growing up we always had a yellow hutch in our kitchen. It is a fixture in my memories as a kid. So when my parents moved back to live by us a few years ago and didn't want it anymore I snatched it up as fast as I could. For awhile I didn't have any room for it so I stored it in Grant's closet. But since moving to our new house I have redone it and used it to put all my china in it.

Here is a photo of the old hutch. It has blue painters tape on it because I was preparing it to be painted. And here is a photo of it now: What do you think Travis and Hill?

Take OFF!

Tony bought Harry a rocket for his birthday not realizing that it took some time to put together. So Tony took it home and built it for him. Today he took Harry out to go launch it (and the rest of us went along for fun). It was a little cold but so much fun for everyone.






My kids are so lucky to have such a cool Uncle Tony and Aunt Traci!! Thanks guys!

scrapbooking

Harry Turns 4!

We have had such a great time the last few days. We went to the beach for a short vacation this weekend. It rained like crazy Friday night so we all piled in Papa and Mimi's trailer to watch a movie and to sleep. Saturday was Harry's birthday and we spent the day at the beach (it cleared up thankfully!). Harry loved his new gifts especially his airplane and dog. Thanks Mom, Dad, Tony and Traci for the gifts and for driving all the way out there to be with us!

Pat Down

Grant has the habit of shoving stuff down his shirt when he wants to keep something. It's not a bad idea to hide things when you consider he has 3 older siblings who often want what he has. It is not a good idea however when we are leaving McDonald's and he decides he wants to keep his hamburger. A mashed up hamburger all over his chest is not fun to clean up.

This morning when I took off his jammies I found a toy train, a hot wheel and a small action figure inside them. Can you imagine sleeping on those things all night? He slept for 11 hours without a fuss, so he must not have been too uncomfortable.

This is the second morning that has happened. I think we are going to have to frisk him tonight when he goes to sleep.

Grant

Fun Hairdo's

Paige's hair is starting to grow out long again. She really wants it to grow out so she can donate it again. I think we are going to both donate our hair in a few months. But Paige is really bad about keeping her hair out of her face (and out of her food). So I have been trying to learn new, fun ways of doing it. There are a lot of blogs out there teaching you how to do fun new hair styles and so I have been trying some of them.

Here is the one I did tonight for her birthday! One side was higher than the other side, but it was the first time I tried it. Next time I think it will be easier.

Paige Turns Ten!!

Paige had a great birthday today! Matt surprised her and picked her up from school at lunch time. He told her they could go anywhere she wanted for lunch and she chose Sizzler's. She loves the salad bar and the fact that you have so many things to chose from. She was very surprised to have that special treat from dad.

Then after school we went to the library and got some book on gardening. Paige has been begging for a garden for a long time and so this year I am going to try to make that happen for her.

I told her she can have anything she wants for dinner and she pick Tuna Noodle Casserole???? Sounded good to me.....nice and easy!

Then tonight all the family (Papa, Mimi, Tony, Traci, Papa Paul, and Megan) came over for cake and ice cream and presents. She was very excited with all the gifts. Thanks everyone for them and for helping to make her birthday special.

I can't believe she is ten! It makes me feel so old.

I am so proud of her and the young lady she is turning into. I couldn't have been blessed with a better daughter.

I want to pull my hair out!

WARNING: I am just going to be venting in this post.....so feel free to skip it.

So today hasn't been a great day. First off our TV is still broken. The kids have been great about not complaining or whining even once about it. But they think it is a great idea to go around and make HUGE messes everywhere they go. All 4 of them! They have been doing contests, crafts, dragging out every toy, building thing, etc. I am sure all of this is great for their brain.....but I am so tired of going from mess to mess picking it all up.

And how in the world am I supposed to help this kids with their homework when Grant wont get off my lap? He was trying to grab their papers, write on them, scream when he doesn't get what he wants, climb up on the table, and just cause overall chaos. Poor Mitchell just wanted some help and I couldn't give it to him.

And I swear I am ready to take Paige's recorder and break it in two. How am I going to survive next year when she starts with a real (and even louder instrument)?

I am looking forward to the weekend!!!

Harry's Playgroup

Once a week Harry goes to playgroup with some of his friends. They have a lot of fun playing and we learn about a different letter each week. He is the only boy and we no longer have any "girl" toys here at our house. So when all the little girls come to our house at first they don't know what to do with all the trucks, trains, swords, etc. But I usually find something that they like to do like play-doh or just reading to them. Harry really loves it when it is Tuesday and he gets to go play with his "best friends".

Grant is Talking!

Grant has come leaps and bounds with his talking this last week. He now will repeat almost anything you ask him to say and is using more and more words on his own. My favorite is when you hand him something he always says "danks" without being asked. So CUTE!

He thinks it is funny to scream the word back to you.

Asleep

Harry has really been into writing lately. He is always asking me to help him write his name and other things. He fell asleep the other night trying to draw and write.

Fun Sunny Days

Beatiful Days

As much as I hate CA summers you can't beat the winters. It has been over 60 all week and today was 68 degrees. HEAVEN!

Trying to be like his mom

Can you tell what I have been doing lately? He even knows how to turn on the MP3 player!

Deck the Halls

Ever since christmas Harry has been obsessed with singing the song Deck the Halls. He has made up some of his own words. My favorite is 'Tis the Season to be Careful at the end of the song.
**I have to apologize because apparently Harry had to go to the bathroom while I was taping it. Sorry***

Harry, our comic

Today Harry asked me why I was getting dressed up. I told him that an old man in our ward had died and I was going to go to the church so we could talk about what a great man he was. Then Harry got quiet and thought for awhile then he asked, "Was his name Jesus?" I laughed so hard!

Tonight during prayer Harry blessed Timmy and Cosmo. I guess it is a sign that your kid is watching too much TV when he starts to bless cartoon characters.

Digi Scrapbooking

I have been looking far and wide for Digi Scrapbooking stuff that is LDS. It's hard to find! Or at least it is for me.....any suggestions?
So I started making my own. This is what I made today! You can copy it if you want. I thought it was going to be hard but it ended up being a snap.

Here is the link to download it:
http://www.4shared.com/file/79813441/194397c2/oaklandtemple.html

http://www.4shared.com/file/79813834/2f720cee/lovetemple.html

Bear!!! Where are you???

Okay, I am horrible at losing things. I have always been that way since I was a little girl. You wouldn't believe how often my parents were frustrated with me for loosing something (coat, keys, wallet, etc). I am still that way! Now it is my husband that gets frustrated with me instead.

So why in the world would I think it was a good idea to get my child attached to something?? Why did I do it? Why didn't I get him attached to something that we have more than one of? But, no! He is attached to one specific bear and will not anything else substitute it.

Poor Grant, had to cry himself to sleep tonight because his bear is no where to be found. I went and walked around Target, Wal-mart and Food-maxx tonight because those are the three places I went with him this afternoon. No luck he wasn't there! I searched my house for an hour and a half solid, looking for it. We take that darn bear everywhere with us. He loves it so much and wont go without it....so who knows where it is?

When I put him in his bead he was still crying "I waaa bear" over and over again. *SIGH* I hope I can find it tomorrow!!! Wish me luck!

2008 in Review

Stole this idea from Susanne's blog:

Harry (these are the answers he gave me):
Favorite Book- Are You My Mother?
Food- Burritos
Color- Red
Favorite Toy- Bat Cave/Jeep
Favorite Place- Wal-Mart
Favorite Movie- Lightning McQueen
Favorite thing to do- Playing tic-tac-toe
What I want to be when I grow up- Football Player
Favorite Song- Deck the Halls/So WHAT
Least Favorite Thing- Throwing up

Mitchell
Favorite Book- Beast Quest series
Favorite Food- Cuties (small oranges)
Favorite Color- Orange
Favorite Toy- Nintendo
Favorite Place- Incredible Johns
Favorite Movie- Transformers
Favorite thing to do- Play on the computer
What I want to be when I grow up- Robot builder
Favorite Song- So What
Least Favorite thing- Eating something I don't like

Paige
Favorite Book- American Girl series
Favorite Food- Tuna noodle casserole
Favorite Color- Baby blue
Favorite Toy- Fish Tank
Favorite Place- The Exporatorium
Favorite Movie- Newsies
Favorite thing to do- Read
What I want to be when I grow up- Fashion Designer
Favorite Song-Kung Foo Fighting/It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
Least Favorite thing- Cleaning her room

Grant
Favorite Book- anything that Harry is trying to read
Favorite Food- Spaghetti
Favorite Color- ?
Favorite Toy- ride on car
Favorite Place- daddy's lap
Favorite Movie- Hi-5
Favorite thing to do-Play Chase
What I want to be when I grow up- Electrician
Favorite Song- Hi-5 songs
Least Favorite thing- Going to bed

Some of my new pages I scrapbooked