Taking a short break...:D

I have been busy getting myself and my family ready for me to leave for Women's Conference tomorrow night. I am so excited for this trip that I am giddy about all of the fun I will have with my mom, sisters and friends. I stayed up too late last night typing out everything that anyone may need to know to run our house while I'm gone. I know I wrote out too much but better too much than too little. Todd will be working during the day while his aunt is watching the kids and keeping our busy schedule going. They will be fine and will have lots of fun I know.

Today I have done laundry,gone grocery shopping, cleaned the kitchen, went by Wal-Mart, vacuumed, straightened and really shouldn't be on the computer until more laundry and more cleaning are done. I had to take a short break and check in. I'm trying to stay on task so that I'm not up until 2am tonight finalizing everything. I hate that but am likely to be doing it.

As for the weekend, it was fun with warm weather, in laws here, baseball games, and church. We had fun and the kids love grandparents to come and visit. Well, I'm off to keep up the pace to getting the house and myself in shape to leave.

I Made It Through the Day

I'm still awake after being up for 16 hours. That really sounds awful! The day wasn't as bad as I was anticipating it to be. I even went out for another 2 1/2 mile walk this afternoon with the girls. I honestly believe age has caught up with me and I have to do double duty on working out to lose weight or just to stay the same. It feels good to get out and exercise. I really do love it. I'm probably freaky to some but I really do enjoy exercising. I know the positive effects it has on me and I can't live without those.

Today was gorgeous and about 76 degrees. When the weather is nice and sunny, I have to do something outside. I never know if tomorrow it's going to be raining. It rained on Sunday and was cold here and then overnight it was nice and sunny.

To answer Christina's question on what time I go to bed ~ It isn't early. Are you kidding. I have to be awake in my house with children asleep for a period of time every night. Last night I fell asleep watching AI on tivo. I still don't know who got booted off. I have to go catch up tonight. It was around 11 or a little later that I went to sleep. I'm good with 6-7 hours of sleep. I can't sleep in so since I was awake this morning I took advantage and got my workout out of the way. Todd has tomorrow off so I don't have to go that early...whew!!

Jim and Carol (Todd's parents) came to Mitch's game tonight and that was fun. He had a great game and ended up getting the "game ball". Todd started that in the beginning with the team and thought it would be fun for the kids. The kids really do love it. I was in charge of snack tonight so Casey and Emily were so happy to pass the bags out to everyone. They really helped out and did a good job of making sure siblings had a snack bag too. It was pretty cute to see them at work.

I'm off to enjoy a skinny cow and AI. The computer screen is now putting me to sleep. I probably won't make it through the 2nd time of watching AI.

An Early Morning...a good start!

It was an early morning today. I was up at 5:00 just by chance and decided to go wake Casey to have him go to the bathroom in the right place instead of his bed and he did. He is doing a great job!! He went back to bed and I decided to go to the gym since I was up. I was there at 5:30 and it felt so good to get that done early. I got back home, put in a load of laundry, read scriptures for a half hour, said my prayers and now am even getting in a post for today. It was strange to be able to do all of that and not have anyone bothering me, asking questions, finding me, calling for me, etc. I feel like I have really accomplished what is most important and wish I could say that everyday. The mornings start so early around here with the kids getting up that the day slips away quickly from me and then I'm trying to read scriptures at night and end up falling asleep. I have decided after this morning that this is what I need at the beginning of my day and not when I am dead to the world at night. I feel good and hope that I can keep this going. No telling what I'm going to feel like at 3:00 today or even at 10:00 this morning.

Todd's parents came up to visit on Tuesday night. They will be here until Saturday. They wanted to get up here and watch the boys games before the season is over. The kids love it!!

The weather has just been beautiful here the last couple of days. In the 70's and sunny. I love to take my walks when it's like that. I love how clean the air feels here and how crisp the colors of the sky with the trees are. I really am thankful to live in a beautiful area. To see the ocean everyday as I drive on the freeway is just gorgeous. I'm ready for it to stay warm for awhile so we can enjoy the beach!

I better get back to folding some laundry before I start to hear signs of children waking up :D.

SPT Challenge.....Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

This was a challenge for me...

I must say that I am not good at recycling all that I should. My kids keep me in line in that area. The kids have been talking a lot about this in their classes at school lately. I guess because it was Earth Day on Sunday. They come home to tell me what can and can't be recycled. I'm glad that they know so much about it. They actually do some of it for me. I never discourage it if they are excited about it. I guess I'm just lazy when it comes to recycling. I would much rather toss it in the trash to get it off of my counter right then than to walk out to the side of the house and put it in the recycling bin 20 x's a day. I definitely did my share yesterday when I collected up all that I had set aside for this challenge. I'm not Earth friendly in the car department either...I drive a big SUV but need something big enough to carry my family in. I love my Suburban and wouldn't trade it for anything.

I live in an area that the bins are provided so there really is no excuse for me. I definitely admire those who are good about recycling. I do know that every effort to do so can make a difference. I will do better....I promise!! :D

Monday...a good start

I am beginning to love Mondays more and more. I love that it gives me the feeling of a brand new start...of anything. Right now I love that I was able to start over on my points after the past few days. I made Chocolate Yogurt covered raisin cookies. They are so good. Isn't that a better choice than chocolate chips?? I thought so too. :D I just ate too many of them. Oh well, I threw the last one out this morning and promised myself that I would stay within my points today. I accomplished that and will finish the night off with a skinny cow. I did my walk and felt so good after that too. I'm realizing how much I need to get out in the fresh air daily. I love it. I think it clears my head and gives me a chance to listen to some music (ipod)...maybe it is just diversion from in the house. Whatever it is I love!

Of course I had the bad "Sunday headache" last night so I went to bed early and woke up feeling good. I was able to get up at 6:50 and do the dishes from last night and get the kitchen all cleaned up before the kids were getting up. I try to make my Monday's very productive to start my week out right. I feel like I did just that and even talked to my mom and sister on the phone. I started the laundry and still have to finish that tonight, cleaned out the refrigerator and wiped it all down, wiped down the kids bathroom, vacuumed the entire house, cleaned up Emily's room, changed sheets, went to the grocery store, put clothes away, read a story from the Ensign to the kids while they cleaned their room, sang Hymns together as a family tonight, read some scriptures together, and had a family prayer. And what was so great was that they were all in bed and asleep by 8:15. I am feeling accomplished at the end of this day.



This morning I told Casey to put his clothes away that were on his bedroom floor and pick up his portion of the room. He wasn't so thrilled to do that and so I told him I was going to set the timer and see if he could get it all done. I heard him crying in there once I set the timer. I want my kids use to working against the clock....that is the real world. Am I brutal or what?? Anyway, I didn't say too much to him and just let him work it out with himself. After a few minutes had passed, I walked by and he was doing a great job of putting his stuff away. Just as he called me to come see what he had done, the timer went off. He did such a great job. He made his bed look so perfect and put up the Raggedy Andy doll grandma made him on his bed with a book in front of it like the doll was reading. So cute. Mitch had done that the other day and I just loved it. It looked so darling. I told him he is such a good worker and knows just how to clean so well. I thanked him for doing his work. I noticed he stayed in there and was doing some other stuff and pretty soon he called me back in to show me that he had put all of Mitty's clothes away for him, and made Mitty's bed. The room looked excellent!! I try to make them aware of that nice feeling that they exude when things are picked up and cleaned. They love to run around when everything is cleaned up. I feel like doing that too. Mitty was pleasantly surprised when he got home to see what Casey had done. He ran over to Casey and gave him a big hug and telling him thank you. I love moments like that!! I want to capture those moments in a bottle and never let them go. Mother's need to see that often. I love that they are close. They had fun together the rest of the afternoon being as wild as boys can be!!


We had a nice surprise this evening when the counselor in our bishopric and his wife stopped by to bring us salsa that they jar (all from their garden) and honey that he does himself. He has about 30,000 bees. This guy does everything. I thought he was kidding when he said he does the honey himself. That was so nice of them since he knows we love salsa. I can't wait to try it. They are going to show us how they jar it in August when she makes a ton of it. Todd makes a mean salsa so I'm anxious to see how this compares.

Weekend Activities/Good Mail/Ellie's 9 Month Check

Blogger went on the fritz for me again....it's bugging!! I will start off with a cute good mail letter that I got from Kristi on Saturday. How fun to get a cute note and some Pop Rocks Bubble Gum...just for me! :D Thank you Kristi! I've been so bad about sending Good Mail that I've decided to try and send some things this week. I always feel like it's got to be the perfect package for someone. I'm throwing that thought out the window and just sending something. If anyone doesn't care for what I send...pass it on to someone else :D.

I wasn't feeling so hot on Thursday when I woke up but by the afternoon I was ready to take my walk and went ahead and did it. Thanks for all of your kind comments. I did feel better as the day went on.

Friday....was a day packed with activities. It started early by the whole family taking Todd to work since his car was getting work done on it. I dropped Mitch off at school on the way back and then we were home for a couple of hours. Does anyone else have a child who is extremely picky about what he wears. Mitch is exhausting me on his pickiness. I guess i was the same way about many things that I wore. I just don't remember it being as early as first grade. He wants sweatshirts with hoods "Hoodie". How come that is the hardest item to find around here without spending $40.00 for it. Frustrating! I'm hoping when I'm in Utah in a couple of weeks I will be able to find one. Anyway, we then took Casey to school and then went up to meet Todd for lunch. I was headed that way for Ellie's Dr. appt. so we took advantage of spending some time with dad.


Ellie is now 9 months old as of April 12th.

Ellie's 9 month well check visit went really well. I was happy for her that she only had to have one shot. Yeah!! She weighed 18-2 and is 28" long. She gained 2 1/2 pounds and grew 3 inches in 3 months. Pretty good. Mitch weighed 18-2 when he turned 1 years old. She is doing really well. Last week she officially got up on her hands and knees and crawled across the room. Todd and I were so excited. She is our only baby who has crawled hands/knees before they walked. They have all done the army crawl. She is a pro at the army crawl. It gets her where she wants to go :D. She really enjoys table food. She is so good at picking up pieces one at a time so acurately that it literally makes me laugh to watch her eat. She is so precise. She is such a good baby. She is having a little more anxiety with strangers and even with the dr. She was doing fine for a minute until he came closer with his hands and she just broke out into a big cry. Poor sweetness. That is what I call her...fweetness to be exact. I love that she sucks on her thumb...it is so cute. She will just start giggling for no reason to us but apparently something has struck her funny, she loves to play with her siblings. Casey loves to take care of her. He really does do a good job. He takes her and sets up some toys and then gets down with her to entertain and play with her when she starts to get fussy. I love to see how the older ones play/interact with the baby. I hadn't realized how fast the time has gone by when the dr. said I will see you back when she is a year old. That is only in 3 months. Where has all of the time gone? The school year is almost over too. These next few months will be monumental with her. Crawling more, pulling herself up which she does a little right now, walking, switching to regular milk, more use of sippy cups, and much more I'm sure. She is getting her top two teeth also. She does say da-da and babbles. She mimics noises and gestures with her hands. It is so much fun. So much starts to happen from here on out. I have really enjoyed her and look forward to more fun times with Ellie Jayne girl.



Here is Ellie showing what she can do now....now that she is a big girl :D. She will hold the bottle on her own. I love to see her grow and do new things.

After the appt., I dropped Todd off at the dealer to pick up his car and then I was off to pick up the boys from school. We came home, picked up, I got dinner ready so that the kids could eat before Mitch's practice at 5:30 and then we were off to practice. It was stinkin cold out there on the field. The wind was blowing and the sun just wasn't warm enough. Anyway, the kids had fun playing on the playground and Mitch enjoyed his practice. We picked up ice cream cones at McDonalds for them on the way home. I had promised them a cone since they were so good the night before going to bed. Showers and bed for them, the gym for me and then Todd picked up Panda for us. You can't beat 4.5 points for dinner....Mushroom chicken and 2 veggie spring rolls. It's always so nice when the day comes to an end and I can just lay down on the couch with a warm quilt.

Saturday was a baseball game for Casey. He is so cute to watch. He had some good plays. I walked about 2.6 miles before his game and then jogged home from the field..another 1.5 miles. The way I ended up eating last night I needed to walk about 10 miles. I OD'd on chips and salsa. I hadn't had Loco for a long time and the chips and salsa totally hit the spot.

Today it is raining. It's fun to hear rain. It has been low key around here...It helps that I was ready for church by 10:30. I'm hoping for a nice day at church.

This post is soooooo long. Sorry for the book. That is what happens when this darn blogger doesn't let me log in and post. I haven't been able to leave comments either. So frustrating.

Busy Days Lately

I feel wiped this morning. I woke up with a headache and then proceeded to wash the truck myself after I took Mitch to school. I hate paying almost $20.00 for a car wash...it was so overdue on a wash. My head is still hurting and I don't feel like doing one thing around here today. I have been constantly going for a few days now and I feel like I have to take the day off.

Tuesday morning I had to make cinnamon rolls to take to the park for a girl in my ward who is moving on Friday. It is always so much harder than it sounds to get kids ready and all of the things we needed for the park. We had a nice time at the park. I hate to see her go. I really like her and her husband. They are awesome!! It's so sad to lose a good family in the ward. Anyway, I took Casey on to school, did my 3 mile walk with the girls, fed the girls and myself, picked up the boys, fed the boys, helped with homework, got the car packed to head over to the baseball field, watched Mitty's game, and then from the game took Emily and the boys to the School Play which was Jungle Book. It was fun and the kids really liked it. Toward the end of the play, Emily was getting a bit restless. It was only an hour. By the time we got home, it was jammie time and bed time.

Wednesday was busy with chores and laundry, a friend & her husband came over with their little boy for a bit in the morning, 3 mile walk with the girls, and then had the same routine but for Casey's game. We sat at the field in the cold wind for an hour to watch Casey play. He is doing so well. He has the cutest run. I guess it's only cute in T-ball. The coach would probably be irritated with it if he does it when he is older. Thank goodness I was able to get the girls bathed before we went so there wasn't so much to do later after the game. Ellie slept during that hour which helped. Todd met us at home and then I went to work out while the boys showered and got ready for bed. That works out perfectly. Todd then has the time to play with the girls by himself.

I didn't end up eating dinner until 9:00. After bed time routines and reading, etc. it ended up that late. For some reason working out causes me to lose my appetite right after. I don't feel hungry at all right after. I made the best black bean slaw. The recipe is from the show Guy's BIg BIte on Food Network. You put in a can of black beans (drained and rinsed), a can of corn, red bell pepper, green onions, tomatoes, cilantro, red onion, pineapple, some honey, salt, pepper, sherry vinegar (I only had red wine vinegar), cumin and jalapeno. I put in some red cayenne pepper because I didn't have a jalapeno. It is so good!! You then let it chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes or so. I couldn't wait that long. I am thinking that it would be good on fish tacos as a salsa/slaw. Had to share that new find!

Writing all of this is kind of making me sick....I feel very tired this morning eventhough I went to bed at a decent hour last night. It is exhausting me to relive the last couple of busy days. I hate that there has been something constantly on the schedule to do. And I'm constantly trying to fit everything into my schedule in my head. I do have to say no to some things.

On a side note for some good health news.....the dr. called me yesterday to give me my results from some blood tests and said everything looked great and that my cholesterol was really good at 137. I can't complain about that. Todd was like WOW..that is good. This post was kind of mess but that is what I feel like right now. My head is clouded and hurting from this darn headache. I hope this burning feel in my eyes will go soon.

SPT...& "Three's"

SPT Challenge.......$100.00 Virtual Tax Refund...How would I spend it??

Where do I begin. I feel like my list for things that we truly need gets longer & longer as each day passes. If I didn't have a list of things that I "need" and could just spend the $100.00 how I wanted here is what I would consider.....

-cute capri's, shirts, accessories to match (last year at this time I was 7 months pregnant and 30 pounds heavier)
-more workout clothes
-new sandals
-good pair of sunglasses
-put nails on
-shop my heart away at Target
-new digital camera (I guess it would buy a part of it :D)

THREE'S

I LOVE.....

-my family
-being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
-to buy new clothes

I MISS......

-living close to stores...Old Navy, Target, Kohl's, and a mall
-living closer to my parents & siblings
-being able to go to Disneyland for an afternoon


I HATE......

-a dirty kitchen
-to get up and speak in front of people
-a Sunday headache

PEOPLE WHO MAKE ME LAUGH........

-Todd
-my kids
-Dr. House and many more.

SCARE ME..............

-the ocean
-something happening to one of my children
-a health issue with anyone in my family or extended family


ON MY DESK............

-phone
-computer
-many papers to file...ugh!

I WANT TO DO IN THIS LIFE..........

-raise well adjusted children
-be a grandma
-go on a vacation to the islands (just Todd and I)

THINGS I CAN DO.........

-have babies :D
-cook/bake
-clean house

THINGS I CAN'T DO.........

-dance
-never turn a church calling down
-act on stage or anywhere

THINGS I WOULD LIKE TO LEARN.........

-salsa dancing
-quilting (obviously at another time in life)
-snow ski

I REGRET..........

-not reading the scriptures on a daily basis through my younger years
-not saving money while I was single and working.
-my mind is so blank right now...oh well. Maybe it's a good thing that I can't come up with too many regrets :D.

FAVORITE FOOD........

-Mexican/tostadas
-Black bean salad mixes
-Salads at CPK

FAVORITE TV SHOWS AS A KID

-Cosby Show
-Facts of Life
-I really can't remember much about what shows I watched. I'm either old, bad memory about certain things or it wasn't that good so no need to remember. I think the kids have warped me :D. Some days I can hardly think straight. The kids provide me with too much stimulation at times!!

Anyone who reads and hasn't done the "THREE'S" is tagged to do it. Have fun. It took me too long to think of all of those. Who said it took 5 minutes??? I guess it's just me. I have Emily whining next to me...maybe that has something to do with how long this took me to do.

The weather is beautiful today!!! I love that about here.

MASSIVE FRUSTRATIONS with Blogger...Ugh!!/Busy Days

OH MY GOSH!!!!!! I am screaming right now at this darn blogger. I have tried to comment and post at many different times since last night and haven't been able to. I have changed passwords a thousand times and nothing. Very frustrating to comment on others blogs and spend the time and then to not be able to leave the comment. I was about out of patience. I decided to finally restart the computer and wow....it worked. So here I am.

Sunday was a nice day. Todd didn't have to be at meetings until 12:30. I love that. I know he does too. We had a nice Sacrament meeting/high council Sunday. The talks were great. I couldn't tell you too much of what it was but at the time I really enjoyed them. Kind of a problem if I can't remember what was so good about them. It's the darn computer that has put me into a mental shutdown. I taught Mitch's class and it was really a good group of kids. I only had 4 kids...3 were out of town. Ellie did ok for a bit but was fussy because she was tired and wouldn't go to sleep. Anyway, it all turned out just fine. We got home, did dinner and bedtime and then the headache set in. It was bad. Sunday stress is the cause of it for sure. There was too much juggling Ellie while trying to help my class in Sharing time and then teach a class and then round up my kids to get them packed in the car...and then to have to wait 40 minutes for Todd while he counted tithing because we had one car at the bldg. and then take him to the bank to deposit all of the checks. We didn't get home until 7:00. I didn't know this but he said that they have to make a deposit every Sunday. That wasn't the case in our old ward. My tithing check wouldn't clear for weeks. I hated that. Back to the headache. I ended up only being able to curl up on the couch and close my eyes. I went to bed early and Emily woke me up at 7:10 this morning. I felt good!! The headache was gone and I was able to clean up the kitchen before I took the kids to school. I love that. I put myself on a schedule today and it was great. I was able to cross everything off.

I went to Target and picked up some items. I am looking for plain hooded sweatshirts for the boys. Why is that so hard to find?? It was a bit of a challenge in Target with the 3 kids but we did it. Once I got back there was just enough time to feed Casey some lunch and then take him to school. He was happy to be going to school today. I love that my kids love school. It really makes it so much easier for me. Since I had done all of the laundry over the weekend I didn't have so much to do today. Here is my list of what I accomplished today. It makes me feel good when I can see it on paper....

Target
Washed sheets and put them back on beds
Vacuumed
Put laundry away
Cleaned kitchen/2 loads of dishes today
3 mile walk with the girls
Added workout at the gym this evening
Grocery store for a few items
helped show Mitch how to clean the bathroom
Did FHE lesson
Read scriptures with kids/sang songs together during FHE
Read books with Emily

I had the boys each pick a chore outside of their regular responsibilities and do today after school. I never thought my son would pick clean toilets out of all of the choices I gave him. Hey, if he wants to...I'll let him. It was fun showing him how to clean the bathroom. I keep Clorox wipes under all of the sinks and so he used them to wipe down the entire toilet. He cleaned the mirrors and washed the counters/sink. He did a great job cleaning the bathroom and asked if he could do that everyday. Did i really hear that right???? It was so nice to know that I didn't have to do that too. I was feeling the relief of some help with the housework. He is hired! Casey also washed windows with Windex and emptied all of the trash cans in the house. I love my little helpers. They did such a great job!! I can't wait for it to get done tomorrow too. I love their enthusiasm to clean. Mitch was so excited to see the faucets shine as he wiped them. So cute.

I have a couple of loads of towels to fold so I better do that before it gets to late.


**Happy B'day to Joey and Melody!!** Joey is my nephew who turned 17 today and his sister shares the same b'day and she turned 6. I hope they had a fun day. Thinking about Joey turning 17 brings back so many memories of myself at 17. Has it really been almost 15 years ago..Yikes. That sounds scary. I can remember 17 like it was yesterday. I can say I'm glad it is in the past and happy I don't ever have to relive being a teenager again. :D

This post was too long...so sorry but wanted to get in so many thoughts.

Weekend Activities

Todd had the day off Friday which is always nice. I had to be out the door to a dr.'s appt at 7:30 so now sleeping in for this girl. I loved that I was out the door early and worked out all by 9:00am. I then came home to hear Casey telling me, "Mom, don't forget that we are going somewhere today just me and you." I had promised him that I would take him somewhere by himself. I said get dressed and we'll go wherever you would like. He was dressed in 2 minutes and we were off. He picked for us to go to Wal-Mart to get a shovel for him. Of all the places....he picked Wal-Mart. That was easy. They had toy shovels all packaged together (garden toys). He picked out 3 sets...one for him, one for Mitty and one for Emily. He is so cute. We had to get one of each of everything he picked out. I love that he wanted to be fair and get some stuff for his brother and sister. He picked out coloring books for the 3 of them as well. How can you beat $.25 for a Giant coloring book. I think we scored big time on that. He then of course had to have gum at the check out and then we were done. He wanted to get home to show the others what we got for them. It was fun and I know that Casey enjoyed being alone with mom at the store of his choice. Later in the day, I talked the entire family into going on my 3 mile walk. The boys rode their bikes, Emily and Ellie were in the double stroller and Todd and I walked. I did feel it was a bit far for the boys round trip so I dropped Todd, Emily, Mitty and Casey off at the park to practice baseball and play on the playground while I walked back to finish my walk and then go pick them up in the truck. It worked out perfectly! I think the boys were really tired out because bedtime was not an issue. They were asleep by 8:10. Todd then went out to get our Friday dinner. We chose Panda Express. The mushroom chicken is only 2.5 points per individual serving. It's totally good. Since the kids were in bed early we were able to catch up on some shows last night.

Today we had 2 baseball games to watch....very fun. The boys are doing so well! The teams are really good and exciting to watch. The t-ballers are great to watch. They just started to count the "outs"...I guess it helps to get the kids ready for the next level. Mitch's team is doing really well too. There is a girl on the team that had no idea how to swing a bat when she started. I was so happy for her today. She has come a long way and is doing great. She is hitting the ball now. I find myself cheering for her and almost squealing for her because she is doing so well. She needs "most improved" award. We had the fam at the games this morning at 9:00 and then another one at 12:00. After the games, we went to Subway...the kids are in love with that place. Casey is so much like Todd in what he likes to eat it is almost scary. Casey has to have the Parmesean/Oregano bread with Turkey, salami and now he loves pepperoncini's on it. What 5 year old eats that way? I think it is cute. I love to see him so open to trying new things. While they finished up eating, I ran across the street to pick up some groceries with Emily. We flew through the store and are now loaded with veggies galore. Marilyn got me hooked on a new vegetable medley to fill in the gaps during the day when you are hungry. It is so tasty!! It really does fill me up. I decided to run all of our major errands on one trip out so we ran by Office Max also to get Turbo tax to finish our taxes. I can now say we are done. Phew!! I hate all of that looming over me. I busted it out in an hour and then was ready to hit the gym. I hustled over before they closed and got in a decent workout. I stopped running as much..substituted with the 3 mile walks and the scale has gone down. I even dropped sizes in my clothes. I love that feeling :D. I just wonder what that is. I do my 3 mile walk and then do some weights and crunches. I am walking pretty fast on the walk and am sweating just as much as when I am running. Whatever works!!

Tonight, I have been doing more dishes, rotating laundry and picking up. I love the house to be clean for a Sunday morning. I love to wake up and know that I am not doing anything/going anywhere except to church. The primary pres. called today and asked if I would teach Mitch's class tomorrow. We'll see how that goes. I hope Ellie cooperates for me. I better look at the lesson....it's getting late. Yikes.

A Great Spring Break!!!!

These pics are in no particular order...I'm just documenting the good time we had together this week with my mom, sister and our 8 kids together.

This week has been so much fun. I have so much to write but don't feel I can spend the time to write it all down. Here are a bunch of pictures that tell about this week. My mom, my sister Marilyn and her 4 kids got here on Monday afternoon to see where I moved and to spend some time together. My sister and her kids had never been here so it was fun for them to see where I live. The kids hadn't seen there cousins in 6 months. I had a great time!! I just love to spend time with family. I know the kids had a blast. Mitty was so sad tonight after they left. He has been in a somber mood. I feel so badly for him. I was the same way as a kid. I could barely keep the tears in when my mom and dad went out to dinner. I was very sensitive and he has that same trait. He is full of emotions. The boys shared their beds so it was 2 in one and 2 in the other. Very cute and it worked out great. Not a problem with going to bed at all. Mitty missed everyone so much tonight he said he was going to sleep just where Mark was sleeping. Mark is 13 months older than Mitty. He came out a few times tonight to get more kleenex to wipe his tears. Poor little guy. I felt so bad for him.

The kids played on skateboards, painted with Grandma, played Bingo with Grandma, we took them all on walks, climbed trees, chased roosters (boys will be boys), made sundaes, cookies, played at the park, went to the beach, watched movies, played gameboy, and enjoyed one anothers company. The babies were so cute together. They are 2 months apart and were fun to have around. I thought the week was fun. Megan gave the best back rubs and was so fun to have around. I need her to come up on the train and stay with me for a week. She is a big help and was fun to talk with. I loved to hear about the boy she likes. I can remember just how it was in 5th grade. How fun!! I loved having my mom and sister here to watch American Idol with, paint nails, talk, go on walks with, help clean the house, make food together and ultimately just to be with each other. It will seem a bit quiet here tomorrow :(. I loved it and can't wait to be together again. Thanks mom and Marilyn for all that you did and just for coming up to see me.

SPT- Easter 2007

Here are pictures of my family on Easter. I remembered to get a picture as Casey was undressing that night after church....whew!! It has been a busy Easter weekend. Todd's aunt came down on Friday and left Monday morning as my mom, sister and her 4 kids came Monday afternoon. I love to have family around. It makes the holidays more meaningful. We visited the zoo on Saturday and made it a nice kids day. Made a Costco trip on our way home and was set for a yummy Easter dinner. Sunday was busy but nice since Todd didn't have bishopric meetings. The morning started off with kids getting up at 6:50am like it was Christmas morning. They were looking for their baskets....of course. The 60 eggs filled with candy were hidden all over the house. Very fun for the kids to find them. They have so much fun together. What was I thinking having so much candy???? Todd's aunt supplied us with enough See's candy to last a year....no joke. Thank goodness there is family around to share the treats! After the hunt, the kids dyed eggs and had a good time mixing colors and getting their eggs just the perfect shade. I really love Easter festivities! Of course we didn't leave out talking to them about what the true meaning of Easter is. We had a nice Sacrament Meeting and enjoyed all of the music. Mitty, Casey and Emily got up and sang with the primary. This is a first....they are usually too shy to get up there. It was cute Emily led them up and was right in front...so cute. Casey stood up and covered his mouth the whole time and Mitty held the words a bit high to cover his face. Too funny. I was just happy that they were all up there. I loved it :D!!

The day ended with a tasty dinner....pork tenderloin, baked potatoes, salad, and the best veggie medley made by Todd. He makes the best mix of veggies. Dessert was a new recipe...Boston Cream Pie/Cake and any choice of See's candy. :D We had a nice day together as a family. I hope my children will remember all of these memories.

SPT - Play well with others??

SPT CHALLENGE.........

Remember when you were 'graded' on things like stacking blocks, tying your shoes, sharing your crayons? you might have gotten supportive comments, like, "always has a smile," or the dreaded, "runs with scissors!" [i remember, in about the second grade, getting my first "U" for unsatisfactory. i don't remember what it was for, but i remember exactly how i felt .]
one of my favorite comments has to be "plays well with others." elementary school social skills speak volumes for the people we will become. were you a shy child? were you the class clown? the social butterfly? do you still identify with that inner child? what are you doing for "play" this weekend?
i would love to see how we play with our friends, our neighbors, our siblings. are you having a game night? a date night? a girls morning out for coffee and target? will you go to a party? or a picnic? are you on vacation? do you find yourself intimidated by these gatherings, or do you jump right in and organize them yourself? do you play well with others?



I really love the Self-Portrait Tuesday challenge. As I thought about this week's challenge, many things came to mind. The one that stood out and who I spend most of my time with was my family. WIth 4 little ones, many of my outings have to do with my children. I love to go and "play" with my family. Not always do I feel like I can really do that with so many responsibilities tugging on me. Anyway, I love outings with Todd and the kids. I love that as a family we love to be together and look forward to a trip, a lunch out, day at the park, baseball games, or just taking a drive in the car. We love to go out and try a new restaurant. Todd decided for his b'day dinner last night to try this new Mexican restaurant. It was very good and here are some pics of us enjoying our dinner....or should I say enjoying juggling Ellie Jayne girl. She was good but oh so wiggly. You know how it goes when the baby is approaching 9 months. Wiggle worm city!!


Emily, Casey and Mitch loving the chips and salsa. :D We have trained them well. They love salsa.


Me and Ellie girl. She was pushing off of my face to lean outward and get into anything that was in front of her....my plate of food. :D It was just fine and we enjoyed our dinner together.



I just love this picture of Todd and Ellie. It turned out so cute and has so much love in it. She is so precious and that is what Todd calls her. He's in love with his girls. :D

Do I play well with others???? I guess so. I'm always up for something fun!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TODD!!

Happy b'day Todd... I can't believe he is 39 today. Todd is so not affected by age so I can write that. I remember like it was yesterday throwing Todd a surprise b'day for his 30th. Now, 9 years later, married for almost 9 and 4 kids....where does the time go. Wow, time really does fly!
I love b'days! I think because it means we celebrate and go out. Who doesn't love that?!

Here are some things about Todd ..........

-He loves me and the kids.
-He loves baseball and college football.
-He loves anything USC.
-Graduated from USC 13 years ago....that sounds really old :D
-Some of the shows he likes are Food Network, O'Reily Factor, Law & Order SVU, House, Smallville, The Apprentice(because of me), American Idol(I got him watching), any college sports and baseball.
-He is patient....very. I'm so glad my kids have one parent to show them patience :D. I'm not too bad.
-He loves to cook. Makes good food.
-He makes a mean batch of salsa.
-He loves chocolate chip cookies and eats them every night before bed with a tall glass of milk.
-He is a guilt free eater. I wish I could be.
-He is very non-judgemental. I love that about him.
-He is a great teacher.
-He is honest.
-He can speak in front of people and do a great job.
-He is dedicated to his family.
-Has a testimony.
-Is a people person.
-He won first place in the hula contest at work.
-Has respect for others.
-He can keep a secret. That's big to me.
-He has great taste in clothes/shoes.
-Loves dress ties.
-He is very supportive of me.
-He has more white shirts/dress shirts than anyone I know.
-He likes to have fun.
-He loves anything chocolate.
-He is a faithful, priesthood holder in our home.
-Served a mission in Montana.
-He is a good example of many things for me, his children, and others.
-He likes to tease his mother in law.....badly :D Mom, you know that.
-Loves pizza!!
-How could I forget....he loves Coke. That is the only soda he will drink out(fountain or restaurant). We get on our kick of finding the best Root Beer, Black Cherry, or Cream Soda. We have tried so many. It's all fun. I love that about him too.
-Loves Haagen Dazs ice cream.
-I love that he is willing to spend so much of his time with his family(kids). He is awesome about that!! Never complains about doing anything for them or with them. He even wanted to take the baby on his weekend trip down south. I compromised with him taking Emily.

He is a good dad, husband, friend, son, and brother. I hope he enjoys his last year of being in his 30's. Am I rubbing it in that he is almost 40??? :D

I love and appreciate who he is. I look forward to many more b'days with him!! I love you Todd.




I wish I could say that I made this quilt for him...yeah right. His mom made him a quilt for his b'day. I love that the colors are perfect for in our house. He has wanted a quilt from his mom for awhile now. He loves to lay on the couch with a good blanket to watch TV or just get cozy. His mom was dying that she labeled the quilt wrong with "merry Halloween"...it is called something else but she didn't want to cross it off and have it be a mess on her cute label. No big deal to us. The quilt is beautiful and it's so nice to have handmade items from mom.