SPT- Back To School

Here are the kids this morning before their big day.....


Here are the kids after their big day at school....


We try to make the first day of school a fun day. So we took them to get cones at McDonalds after school. They enjoyed every bite.... :D



Here is Miss Emily on her first day of preschool. She was so excited to go and had a great time. She can't wait for her sharing day on Thursday. I'm so happy she loves it. I had no doubts she would. She had the biggest smile on her face when I picked her up. She felt so big telling me that she had so many papers to hand me from her school. :D Happy day. I can't believe she is already going to preschool. Time really does fly!


I don't even know the words to describe the day today. Crazy, hellish, whirlwind, exciting, exhausted, overwhelmed, fun....
Today was my kids official first day of school. They missed the first week due to our trip to Hawaii (I still have to find a moment in my crazy days to write about it). We had lots of fun but am tired now that school has begun. What did I say about not being able to wait until the kids were in school. I might be taking that back real soon :D.

We have been trying to adjust to the time since coming home late Saturday night/early Sunday morning. For some reason my boys won't go to bed at a normal hour yet. It's killing me. I had to wake them this morning and we were rushing. I had to have Emily dressed and ready to go when we took the boys since it was her first day of preschool as well. The boys were cooperative in getting ready but I felt like a chicken with my head cut off. Thank goodness Todd took today off as well. I was looney today. There were so many packets of paper handed to me to read, sign and "look over" for each child, different homework policies, different supplies needed, and make up homework for Mitch to catch up on. I left my check book out on the table at the preschool and never knew that I left it until I went back 3 hours later to pick up Emily and the teacher said, "oh did you miss your checkbook?" I looked behind me as if she was talking to someone else. I had no idea what she was talking about. She said, you left it right here on the table. I had no idea that I was missing it. I feel like I'm 78 and have totally lost my marbles.

I feel very overwhelmed now that school has begun for us. I have 3 now in a school setting and I feel crazy right now. How do you all remember everything? I feel like I'm going to be posting notes all over my car, my forehead, my refrigerator, etc. Hopefully, we can get into the swing of things and ease into this school year smoothly. I did enjoy the time alone with Todd and Ellie while Emily was at school. We returned some items to a couple of stores and then hit Costco for some groceries for lunches. I won't even go into the experiences that I had trying to return some things. It was fitting for my absolutely crazy day. Incompetent workers is all that I will say. Anyway, today seemed to be a mad rush and I hope tomorrow will be a bit easier. I didn't even get a picture with me in it today. It was just one of those day. To top it off...I am dealing with some form of vertigo. It's brutal and just doesn't go away. I'm sure that is making my attitude about certain things worse. I just feel dizzy and like I'm on a boat all of the time. I'm going to the dr. on Thursday to hopefully get some relief.

** Just a few cute things Casey said to me about starting school.... I asked him if he was going to sit by his good friend from Kindergarten at lunch and he said, "uh, no...I am going to sit by a girl." I said, "oh, what girl?" He said, "I think a third grade girl." Oh no Casey....is that any foreshadow for me :D

He also said that he felt scared and shy yesterday morning before going but now he doesn't at all. Oh good!! Mitch really came out of his shell his first grade year so maybe Casey too. Ahhhhh....don't scare me Casey!! :D

On a better note, the kids had a great day today and the boys loved being able to play together at recess time and at lunch recess. Casey and Mitch both love their teachers and that makes me happy! :D That is a great way to start off the year! I am excited for the school year. So much growth is going on in my kids and things are changing. Fun times! More posts to come on our Hawaii trip, our Anniversary and lots of pictures.

Weekend Recap....Busy Week Ahead

The weekend was nice. Our church bldg. open house was great. The building is awesome and it feels so good to be back in it. What a difference the additions make to the building. The bathrooms are all new...ahhhh!!! I love a new, clean bathroom.

9:00 church was awesome too. We left here at 8:55 and made it to our seats before the meeting started. I love it! The time was a bit hard for Ellie. I was saying to myself..."I think this has been the worst sacrament meeting with her all year." It was frustrating. She wanted her bed. Her nap time is right in there during sacrament meeting. Oh well, something new to get used to. It was great coming home and having the entire afternoon/evening to ourselves. I made a veggie lasagna which was a knock out. I just have to say it.....it was tasty! It looked so good coming out of the oven I had to take a picture.


Todd was able to get home by about 1:45. That was nice since we never have Todd home during the day on Sunday. A normal Sunday with his meetings should get it home around 3:00. Not bad. The downside is that his day starts with 7am meetings. He really enjoys his calling and I'm so proud of all that he does. Here is another picture of how Todd and the kids spent some of the afternoon....


Doesn't every dad have to do this? :D Or I think all kids want to get on dad this way.

I learned over the weekend that my great aunt who would have been 98 in September passed away and her funeral is in Long Beach on Wednesday afternoon. It looks like I'm gearing up to make a quick trip down and then right back to finish packing for our trip to Hawaii. I have to have at least one day to pack up my family before we leave on Friday morning. We leave Friday morning to go up north and then fly out early on Saturday morning. It's been a bit busy around here. I'm on my last couple of loads of laundry and then all items in this house will be washed. I love that! I have been thinking about Christina this evening because I think my dryer is going out. One load of clothes was taking 4 or 5 times through the cycle before they were feeling dry. Don't do it to me now....please!! I really can't take all of the kids and head to the laundry mat. I guess I could and many people probably do but that would just be painful. We'll see how these last 2 loads do.

I went out to a couple of stores today with the kids. Mitch found a backpack and then wanted to buy something with his own money at Wal-Mart. Fine. Of all things, he asked, "Mom, can I get this?" It was Old Spice Red Zone deoderant in the travel section (mini size). Sure Mitty. He was loving it and so of course Casey was begging for one too. They are both set with deoderant tonight. :D Emily picked out one of those little aerosol cans of perfume. She felt like a big girl too. Too funny these kids are. It's nice to have them all asleep since they woke up this morning at 6:40 when I was walking in from the gym. That is never what I love to be greeted with...the kids coming out of the woodwork that early. Essentially it means I miss my own scripture reading and shower time in a quiet house. Am I sounding too selfish?? I just really enjoy some quiet time in my house after a long day.

I'm off to finish up laundry and many other details that have to happen this week. There seem to be too many to list right now.

Random Post....a jumble of things.......

The Part of You That No One Sees

You are balanced, peaceful, and sincere. You're the type of person who goes along to get along. And you're definitely afraid of rocking the boat. Underneath it all, you fear your world falling apart. You'll put up with a situation that you don't like in fear of changing it. Disruptive and forceful people intimidate you - and sometimes exploit you.

What's the Part of You That No One Sees?

A new test I saw on April's blog today.... thought I'd see what it said about me. Very interesting :D

I took Ellie to the doctor this evening. She just had not been herself this week with a fever and then a rash yesterday and today. Todd and I both said to ourselves, "I think she has roseola." The only thing that made me take her is that she kept batting her ears yesterday and today. I didn't want to head into the weekend with ear infections and no medicine. You can see I hate any urgent care setting or clinic. We were right...Roseola and no problems with her ears. She seemed to be doing much better this evening around the house. She was perking up a bit more. She has only wanted me to hold her and is so wiggly and fussy that it's been very tiring. She is so sweet though and it makes me feel bad that she isn't her happy self.

Here is a picture of her the other day. Her smile was just too much to pass up with a camera. Too bad it's a bit blurry. This is how she normally is. :D


We also took the kids to Target this morning so they could get their icee and pick out their reward for doing so well with their chores this week. Week 2 proved to be a good week in the chore dept. We didn't do the beach today because Ellie was not up to it and neither was I if she was going to be cranky and fussy the whole time. The boys picked out baseball cards and Emily picked out a baby bottle pop. They each individually wanted to buy their item and give the checker the money. They all did a great job. We picked out some last minute items for our Hawaii trip. It's nice to buy summer items at the end of summer....massive sale on stuff. Swim diapers were only $4 a pack. Here is what I bought for Ellie for her b'day from Grandma Carol....The Leap Frog learning table. She was loving it tonight. At one point, Todd said to me, I think the boys are getting more enjoyment out of it than Ellie. So true. The boys were playing and had it on Spanish so then would come and tell us what they knew in Spanish. It's cute and always fun to get a new toy!!




Todd washed his car and then we both did the truck today. It's always nice to have clean cars. Why do I wait so long to do it?

I am waiting for the kids to go to sleep so that we can get YC. I passed up dinner out so that I could eat yogurt instead. Oh I am craving it right about now.

Tomorrow is our church bldg. open house. We have been out of our normal bldg. for 14 months while they have renovated it. Oh will it ever be so nice getting to church at 9:00 and having to leave the house at 8:55 to get there. :D AHHHH!! Not to mention how much we will save on gas for the beast. :D Have a good weekend!!

A Little Under the Weather but needing to get out

Today has started out just fine with all of the kids....that equates to no fighting yet. I think we have to get out of the house today yet I'm not up for a beach trip. What to do here?? I haven't felt too good the last couple of nights. The days have been ok but today my stomach doesn't feel so good...ugh! This mom can't get sick. My eyes are tired and I could just crawl back into bed.

Ellie had a fever on Tuesday and Wednesday. I think it's her teeth. She has a molar in the back that I can feel has popped through. Her fever has been 102-103... hot enough to keep her a little cranky and not her happy self. Makes it tough for mom with all of the other kids wanting and needing so much. She is much better this morning and doesn't feel hot so fingers are crossed for her to do better today. :D

Yesterday was beautiful here and so I put on my bathing suit and hit the backyard. Emily followed and we played a few games of UNO on the blanket. She loves UNO and plays really well. She and the boys played in the kiddie pool while I relaxed...dozing off. I have been really tired come the afternoon. No mystery as to why but I hate that feeling. I kept dozing off on Emily's bed while I was supossed to be in there playing with she and Ellie. Sorry girls!!

I agreed to watch a friends boy yesterday and have him for dinner. It was fun for the boys to play together. He has been in Mitty's school class the last 2 years. The funny conversation the kids carried on during dinner was fun to hear and watch. Todd tried to chime in with something he thought the kids would think was funny but instead showed his age. He and I were laughing about that. It wasn't funny/goofy enough for these boys. They didn't even laugh. Sorry dad!

I better get going with this day....some dishes to wash, laundry to clean (always), a Wal-Mart run, beds to make and I wish a nap to take. Hopefully the boys will continue doing well with their chores today and will really want to help me out. They are working toward a beach party tomorrow for the end of the week reward. Sounds good to me. I'm so glad Todd will be off tomorrow so he will be there to help carry and watch.

Daily Happenings...nothing too exciting

I have so many things I could write yet I don't know what to write. Has anyone been there before? I have been busy with the kids... entertaining them, breaking up fights (referee), making food, cleaning up, and laundry. Sometimes the days can seem so boring...the same thing day after day. I have been trying to come up with some fun activities for the kids instead of the tv or video games....

The weather was nice yesterday so I put on my bathing suit and went out back. The kids came out of course and so I took my mom's advice and had the kids do relay races. It was pretty fun and they were all game for an hour of racing. We mixed it up...skip to the fence and then run backwards, walk to the fence do 2 jumping jacks and crawl back. It had us all laughing. The kids had fun and I enjoyed being a part of their fun. Ellie had fun on a blanket and I laid next to her. Last night I realized that I burned the backs of my thighs. I had no idea. It's not unbearable or anything.

After dinner, the missionaries came by and chatted for awhile with the family. We have a missionary that just transferred in so we met him and he is really nice. My kids were wild when they came. It's so out of control. The kids were wrestling, jumping, throwing pillows, running/sliding, laughing loudly, Emily is doing somersaults everywhere, and just wiggly. It was crazy. We tried to get them to calm down and we were successful by the end of the visit. After they left the kids went to bed and I was able to go make my store run.

I hate going shopping so late but it does beat a crowd or a trip with all of the kids. I got a bunch of stuff to pack the kids backpacks for our 5 hour plane ride. Gotta love Wal-Mart for the prices of these items.....

markers, junior mints, gum, gummies, good & plenty, Circus animal cookies (so tasty), chocolate animal crackers, granola bars, more crackers, applesauce and more. Do you see a pattern.....nothing too healthy. We need lots of fun snacks/goodies for 4 children for 5 hours. What am I saying... for 2 parents too dealing with 4 children on a 5 hour flight. I am going to pack each individual backpack with their own snacks so it will break up the heaviness of a huge bag left for me or Todd to carry. I'm getting excited to go. It's been awhile since we were there last and it is just so relaxing to hang by a pool/beach all day. No phone calls, no driving around back and forth, no cleaning, no making food.... sounds good to me!! We leave next Friday so the countdown is on...9 days and counting! :D

I hope to have a good day today. I am really trying to spend some quality time with the kids. I am hoping to have patience today in spite of whatever crazy situation arises, play a game or two with the kids, maybe even hit the beach, focus on being more Christ like in all that I do, be a better example to my children of being Christ like, and read scriptures with the kids. We may even hit the trail again this evening. I think their legs were recovering yesterday. The kids told me that their legs were tired and that they didn't want to ride yesterday. I just realized all of the relay racing they did probably didn't help. We'll see how they are feeling this afternoon.

Picture Day/Weekend Recap

I woke up this morning and decided to make an appt. for today to have the kids pictures taken as a family and then Ellie alone for her 1 year picture. It has been haunting me for some time now. Pretty much if I wait any longer, she will be 2. I don't have any professional pictures of all of the kids together since we had Ellie. Today we did it. The picture of all of them is so cute. First pose, first shot and we were done with the group. Ellie was a little more difficult. Once she was crying we were done. There is no making a 1 year old happy again in the studio without holding them. We did a cute shot that will work for our family wall.

The kids were good for me. A few minor exceptions but it was expected so no big deal. I am always so happy to be done with a group picture day. I feel pretty tired this afternoon. I think it is mental exhaustion and I guess physical in trying to make the pictures just how I want them. It can be very stressful for me. I want the picture to be just right and their clothes to not be all disheveled (sp). They were good and I am glad we just did it. One big thing to check off of the list that is never ending.

As for our weekend, we had a good time. We had a party on Friday night with the kids to reward them for doing all of their chores so dutifully throughout the week. There choice was pizza and then to go do their own frozen yogurt/toppings. They had fun and so did I. You can't beat $5.00 pizzas from Lil Caesars.

Saturday, I woke up and worked out and then as a family we went and did the Bob Jones trail. It was perfect. I pushed Ellie in the jogger and the other 3 were able to ride their bikes all the way to the beach. Todd walked/jogged along side. It was a fun family outing with good weather!! I can't really believe Emily made it all the way to the beach (2 miles) peddaling her bike. She is a trooper!! At about the 1.5 mile mark I turned around to go back and get the car to meet them at the beach. We knew they wouldn't be able to ride back. Definitely not Emily. All in all I walked/jogged 6.5 miles on Saturday. I think we will make this a family outing 3 times a week. We will just meet Todd there after work and then everyone gets exercise. :D

Saturday afternoon, everyone seemed to be pretty pooped/tired. The kids put in The Sound of Music and Todd sat and watched with them. We did Loco for our dinner and that was tasty as always. It has been awhile since I had Loco. If I want to lose any weight, I really can't eat out. It fouls me up so badly. My goal was to lose the last 6 lbs. before our Hawaii trip. I started a week ago Sunday and was down 2.5 yesterday. Yeah!! It makes me so happy when I see results after putting in so much effort throughout the week. I am really obsessed with the stupid scale. It has become a sickness I think. Barbie....you know what I'm talking about, right?? I better go back to weighing once a week.

Sunday was nice since Todd didn't have any morning meetings :D. We made it through the day and had a great dinner..pork tenderloin, baked potatoes, salad and sauteed apples with butter & brown sugar. It was delicious!

Personality Quiz....not sure about it/Yesterday's Activities/New Cookie Concoction

I saw this quiz on Anne's blog and took it. Oh boy....I have never seen myself as the nurse type and hoping others don't see me as a know it all. Oh well....it was fun. Try it!

You Are An ESFJ

The Caregiver You are sympathetic and caring, putting friends and family first. A creature of habit, you prefer routines and have trouble with change. You love being in groups - whether you're helping people or working on a project. You are good at listening, laughing, and bringing out the best in people. In love, you value harmony and mutual understanding. You will apologize or give someone the benefit of the doubt, if it means getting over a fight sooner. At work, you are good at building relationships and connecting with people. You would make a great nurse, social worker, or teacher. How you see yourself: Organized, dependable, co-operative When other people don't get you, they see you as: Opinionated, critical, and know-it-all

What's Your Personality Type?

Yesterday was a blah day to a degree. I was so sleepy and couldn't really get out of a blah mood. I didn't really want to go anywhere but felt bad that my kids were home all day. It was about 2:00 that I laid down on the floor and asked the kids if they wanted to earn a dollar. Emily was brushing my hair (I love) and Mitch and Casey each took a foot to rub. It was so relaxing because their touch is so light just how I like it. I told Todd Casey does a better job than he does. Casey knows just what to do and how to rub. They then rubbed my arms and I was pretty much on the verge of asleep when I heard a knock at the door. It was the missionaries looking for a drink of water.

I was then up and decided I better get to work or else I will fall asleep. Since the kids had done so much housework, there wasn't much for me to do. Yeah!! I decided to take them to the Bob Jones Trail to ride their bikes. It's been a great afternoon activity to go on walks while they ride their bikes. I knew Emily may get tired very quickly and so I thought she would be up to going in the stroller. Oh no, she can ride her bike she said. Well, to my surprise, she made it. Her little legs were just a peddaling. We took short stops at different benches along the way to help her legs rest a bit. We did about a mile and a half and she went the whole way. I was surprised! Good job Em! She was telling me her legs were tired but that she could make it to the end. The boys and girls loved it and so it was nice to end the day with something outside that we all love to do. The girls were in bed asleep at 7:30...so nice and needed for them. The boys shortly after.

A couple of loads of laundry are on the agenda for today. We are going to treat the kids to our favorite yogurt place tonight... there are so many toppings to choose from and they love to do it themselves. My kids are still not very motivated by money as a reward for doing chores. Lucky me!! I will keep it to treats like frozen yogurt and other activities. The sleepy bug is coming over me again. Maybe it's the 5:00 wake up every day. Do you think??? It was nice to sleep in until 6:00 this morning since Todd goes to work late on Fridays.

Here is a new cookie concoction...I made it up. For some of you that know Todd and I a little better know that one of our missions in life is to perfect a chocolate chip cookie. This is what I made up last night and it was delicious. The texture was A++....

2/3c. butter
1/3c. crisco + 2 tsp. water
1. brown sugar
3/4c. granulate sugar
1 egg + 1 egg white
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 c. flour (a little less than 2 1/2c.)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 1/4 c. chocolate chips

Mix the butter and sugar and then add eggs and vanilla. MIx all of the dry ingredients together including chocolate chips and pour it in all at once and stir.

Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. They were tasty.

**Mom, the other recipe using all Crisco and only egg whites was pretty nasty. Todd wouldn't even eat them. That really says they are nasty. They tasted worse the next day.

Happy Friday!!

Errands Accomplished/Housework Done

Yesterday was somewhat of a disaster with my children so I was determined to make today different. WE were leaving the house for sure. We left about 10:00 to go to Kohl's (45 minutes away). I had never been to the one up here and the kids were wanting some Tony Hawk t-shirts for school. I found some workout clothes that really fit right. It's hard for me to find decent workout clothes that fit my body right. I found the shirts for $4.00 a piece and the capris/shorts were all on sale too.
Grabbed the kids Hawk shirts and we were out of there. I could have spent a lot more time in there but with 4 kids...there is no browsing.


Since we were passing through SLO at lunch time, we decided to visit Todd/dad for lunch. He picked up Subway (gotta love the $2.49 6" turkey sandwiches on Wed.) and we ate on the grass in front of his office. Sounds corny but it really was ok to eat lunch in front of the office. I would have never dreamed of doing that when he was working in Irvine. It almost seems that it wouldn't have been accepted at all down there. Oh well, we had fun. We were off to exchange pants at Old Navy for the 2nd or 3rd time. That place on Saturday was so crowded that there was a line of about 20 for the dressing room. We weren't going to wait to try on with 4 kids. Mitch was able to go and try on the pants today and so we are set with the right size....he remains in the "slim" sizes. His waist is so tiny and his legs are long. Where in the world did he get that gene??? :D Who are his parents again? hahaha The kids were really good for me. Casey took over the stroller and kept Ellie happy. It was pretty cute...they all sat down and waited patiently on a bench at the end of the counter while I paid. I kept thinking to myself...my kids are really well behaved. It was really nice and I felt so proud of them.

We were then off to make one more stop...pay the deposit at the preschool for Emily. Since we will be gone on vacation while the preschool has it's orientation day with the teachers, I asked if Emily could go in and see her classroom. It was fun for Emily to see the room and all of the fun centers and things she will get to play with. She was loving it and very excited about school. I was very excited to be going home at that point. We were gone for 4 1/2 hours. I was ready to be home!!

As I mentioned above that the kids really gave me a hard time yesterday, I wasn't ready to enforce their charts this afternoon. I was pleasantly surprised to watch Casey look at his chart and then get to work without me saying one word. That is the best!! Since he was doing so many jobs and putting stars up, the others didn't want to be left out and so they got to work. Casey wiped down the bathroom, vacuumed the living room, folded and put away a load of laundry, emptied all of the trash cans, made his bed and helped the others all without me saying a word. I was so happy and now really need to treat him with something. He is loving the chart and it's keeping him motivated. Mitty and Emily the same. Mitch got out the vacuum and did his room, the family room and dining room, took out the trash, and cleaned his room. Emily was just dying to clean my bathroom with the Clorox wipes and so she did it without me helping. She helped with emptying out trash and put some clothes away. She knows just what to do with anything. She is so cute and can do so many things. I love that her age doesn't stop her at all from pitching in and doing housework. Am I warping my kids? Poor girl, she could care less about cartoons but loves to do housework. Oh well, just introducing the real world to my young ones. Life is all about work!! It really never ends. I was so happy to see so much of the housework done and I didn't even have to do it. It left me with more time tonight to do what I want instead of having to clean and pick up. THANKS KIDS!!! I really appreciate it!

After dinner, we all went on a walk. The kids rode bikes and Todd pushed Ellie. They always love that. It was a nice way to end a nice day. I hope we can repeat another good day tomorrow. I have to go figure out what to reward the kids with. They have done such a good job!!

The Chart is Working....

All of you crafty, creative ones that I know are out there are probably dying at my whip out a chart in 10 minutes and be good to go. I was desperate last night to come up with something to get my children to stop the teasing, arguing, and fighting with one another. As I stood in the kitchen last night doing dishes, hearing the boys argue/fight about who was touching who and someone was in his spot first, and stop bugging me, etc. I whipped out 3x5 cards and wrote a name on each with some daily chores. I'm going back to basics with the stars.

So far so good today. Boy this kind of chart keeps Casey begging to do more. I had no idea I would run out of things for him to help me with. He wants to do everything so that he can put another star on his chart. I love it. I asked if he would wipe down the toilet this morning(those with boys know what I'm talking about) and he was glad to do it. Before I knew it, he was getting me to show what all he did. He took the Clorox wipes and wiped down the entire toilet, the counter tops, sinks and fixtures and then did the tile floor by the toilet. He did as good of a job as I would do. I was proud of him and he was too. I marked on each child's chart to take out 1 trash...Casey brought out trash from both bathrooms, has folded 2 loads of laundry and put them away, changed his sheets and made his bed. He was begging to do more so I taught him how to start a load of laundry in the machine and put the soap in. He is in heaven because I let him teach Mitch how to start a load. They can't wait for there to be another load to do. I'm in heaven!!!

Mitch and Emily both have been very helpful as well. As you can see, Casey is determined to get that card filled up very quickly. I appreciate all of the help that they have been today. It felt so nice having so much housework done so early on in the day. We even went on a 2 mile walk and the boys rode their bikes. They want to go again so I guess this afternoon we will make the rounds again. With so much of their help, I was able to get to some other jobs (floors, windows, doors, mirrors, etc.) that usually get put off a bit longer.

I have to figure out what the rewards will be for the kids work/good behavior. I have to pay out the reward every couple of days with this group. Waiting a week to pay out is too long for Casey and Emily. They need to be getting something every 2 days or so. Any ideas??? I guess it will be a choice of money, treats, activity, or a toy. We'll see. Todd may have some good ideas that we will talk about tonight during FHE. I just love that the kids aren't fighting today at all. Casey keeps telling me that he will get to put a star on his card tonight because he hasn't been fighting. I love it!! Whatever works. I know these charts are good for a short time and then I have to switch it up. If they see the reward coming often enough, it may last a little longer.

I have the Goodwill coming to pick up stuff on Thursday. AHHHHH!!! I am going through everything. I want there to be tons of stuff on my porch for them to pick up. I am on a de-junk binge. :D I better get to work while the kids are playing nicely together.

Is My Body Really Too Old For Waterslides??

Oh my goodness!!! My neck is under some serious trauma/stress from yesterday's activities. We went to Todd's company picnic near Lake Lopez yesterday afternoon. The food was ok....the potato salad was a hit with Todd and I. The kids played around and had fun drinking soda and bouncing in a bounce house.

It was finally time to hit the waterslide park. They close the park for 2 hours and it's reserved just for the company party. IT's pretty nice not to fight any crowds or lose children in the crowds. The kids love the slides and had a ball. I was dying to try the "Stampede" ride that is pretty much a huge 1/2 pipe. You can go down in a single tube or double. I couldn't get anyone in my group to go wtih me except Mitch. He was willing and all game to go down with me. I asked the lifeguard for any tips to riding this ride....he replied, "keep your butt up, and chin tucked in". As he pushed us over, (it is straight down) there was no time to tuck my chin and it felt like the worst whiplash I have ever felt in my life. The force snapped my neck back as far as it would go. I'm not quite sure why I continued to try and bring my head foreward but I did and my neck is so dang sore. It was hurting instantly. It felt like I had been in a bad accident. My head has been hurting since and this morning my neck and shoulders are really sore. It hurts to bring my head down to my chest. I don't think I will be trying that one again. I think I will leave it for the kids!!

I'm off to organize all that I have to take to church to keep the kids quiet and happy. I'm on the countdown until we are back in our church building 2 minutes away. It is set for the 19th of August. Yeah. We have been driving 20 minutes each way to church every Sunday since June,06. It's not so much the drive as it is the time 2:30-5:30. It will be nice to get back to 9:00 church. I never thought I would say that but I know I will love it.

A DAY OF GOOD EATS!!

I have to document some good food that I made today. The lunch that I made was just delicious and so me. I have to share it with the rest of you....

Guerrero brand whole wheat flour tortillas (not carb smart) (2 points per tortilla for any fellow WW lovers).
1/4c. black beans
1/4c. corn
lots of lettuce, tomatoes, gr. onions, 1 tsp. light sour cream, 1 ounce or less of finely grated jack cheese, Pace salsa, Cholula, Old El Paso taco sauce, salt, pepper and some cumin.

I tossed all of filling with the salsa, sour cream and taco sauce and stuffed the tortilla. I toasted the tortilla over the gas burner to crisp it up. It was tasty and so filling and was under 4 points. I was loving it so much I had to take a picture.




On to the dessert I made tonight. I had to come up with something for the company picnic tomorrow so I browsed my cookbooks to find something new and hopefully delicious.



I decided on Fudge Jumbles...

1 cube butter
2 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
3 c. quick oats

Mix in order listed and put 2/3 in a greased 9 x 13 inch pan. Reserve 1/3 for the top

Filling:

12 oz. chocolate chips
1 can evaporated milk
2 Tbsp. butter
2 tsp. vanilla

Put milk, chips and buter in a microwave bowl and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Stir and add vanilla. Pour into the pan over the crust. Cover with the remaining crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.

It is so dang good I can't stay out of it. It's a death wish for me. The middle is gooey like lava cake. I'm hoping this will be a crowd pleaser. Todd was loving the bars tonight with his big tall glass of milk. I had some and am expecting that scale to be up 2 lbs. tomorrow. That is how easily I can gain weight. It's bad, really bad. I guess I will be walking to and from the gym tomorrow :D

I did accomplish some of my list today but not all. That's ok, the kids really helped me pick up this afternoon. They folded more laundry and put it all away. Mitch even asked if he could help Casey fold clothes. What??, did I hear that right? Mitch told Casey, let me help so we can get it done so fast. Now they are figuring that out or just realizing what I have been saying to them all of these years. I can't express enough how much I love that they will do that for me. That takes so much work off of my back.

I went on a walk with the kids today. I pushed Emily and Ellie in the double stroller and the boys rode their bikes. We then stopped and let Emily ride her bike 2 laps around the block. She did great but was ready to come in by the second time around.

I'm sleepy tonight and ready to hit the sack.

School Shopping Already!!

The boys have been so excited to get some new school clothes. THey have been checking clothes out online and picking out what items they want. IT's been pretty funny. Mitch is really getting into it this year. He has specific requests. Thank goodness he is nice about it all. Since Old Navy has finally come to our area, I decided to take them to the store and find things. It was nice that they had already picked stuff out online so they knew just what they wanted. That didn't mean the trip was easy for me. Ellie was not good for me at all. She was crying most of the time in the stroller and I just couldn't even think. I think the rest of any school shopping we do is going to be online. I knew I loved online shopping for a reason. I was curious to visit the new store and the kids were so excited to get stuff. I remember being like that. It was a big deal to go school shopping when I was young. It was the best when my dad took us!!

It was fun getting new clothes and picking out some cute ones for Emily. She was excited and was picking out everything! She is really excited to be starting preschool this year. I think it will be really fun for her. I can't believe she will be 4 next month.

After a trip to Old Navy with all 4 kids and a short visit into Costco, I was good for the day and ready to go home. I had packed the kids lunch with us so it was nice not having to come home to then make lunch. The rest of the day we hung around the house and stayed busy. The kids watched High School Musical. That is the first time that we have seen it. It is pretty cute....Todd could hear the singing and said to me, "this is just awful." I had to remind him that Mitch is getting a bit older and really liking some of these shows instead of cartoons now. It was pretty classic to hear Emily sit down last night with the remote and tell us that she really wanted to watch Hannah Montana. She hears the boys and then repeats everything. She has to be grown up just like them. Too funny.

Todd is having to work on his "off" Friday today. Bummer. I really love when he has Friday off. I can sleep in and workout a bit later than o dark thirty. His company picnic is tomorrow so I have to make a dessert. I love to bake!!! Any excuse to get out a good tasty recipe is fine with me.

Things for today to check off of my list....

-clean kids bathroom
-vacuumn
-wash clothes
-make a dessert
-return some clothes
-clean out car

Hopefully at the end of the day, I can check all of those off.

Photos of the Ball Family Reunion '07(Dad's side)

My younger brother Mike and my oldest sister April....


Mitty winning his hoola hoop contests.....


My dad reliving his youth.....


Todd joining in on the fun


A partial family picture...Todd, myself, Ellie and Emily at the picnic...


My dad's 2 nephews...they are brother's....Chuck and Bob Stoddart


Here is Grammy, my mom's mom. She came and enjoyed the festivities. She is 86 and looking good!

Busy Tuesday...I'm barely awake

I was up at 5:15 this morning after going to bed last night at 1:00am. I have to keep to my program so I just figure I will go to bed early tonight. It's a bad cycle because I never get to bed early. Anyway, I was able to get some ironing done this morning after I worked out while the house was still asleep. I love that. I spent an hour ironing....which equates to 3 of Todd's shirts, 4 of the boys dress shirts, a pair of pants and a dress of Emily's. It felt so good to see that pile go way down. I still have 2 more shirts and a dress to iron. Not bad. I'm impressed that I stuck with it for an hour and got most of it done.

The crew woke up and wanted pancakes. My kids just love pancakes and can really put it away. :D I packaged up the zucchini bread I made last night for the sisters I visit teach and got those ready for delivery today. This month was so busy with my own family that I left visiting teaching until the last day of the month. I hate when I do that. It was fun visiting with them today. I need to make it more of a priority earlier on in the month. I don't want them to feel that they are last minute. I can only try harder. I can't beat myself up over it. My plate feels pretty full most days.

The kids decided they wanted to make lunches and go eat with dad for lunch. We ran out to the store to get the right ham and rolls for me to make Todd a lunch. He is pretty picky about his lunch meat and bread that you put it on. I have to say though....the food he orders and makes is always delicious. He has good taste in food. Of course, after I made the kids lunches, packed up chips, fruit, drinks,etc. I was rushing at the store to hurry and get out of there so we could make it on time for lunch. Ellie hadn't had a nap so it made it very difficult trying to make sandwiches while she was hanging onto my legs crying to be held. Poor girl. I finally got it all made, packed up into the car and we were off. I picked up Todd and we headed over to the park down the street from his office. We get everything out and onto the grass to find that there are a million bee patches everywhere. I can't relax and eat knowing there are bees just buzzing all around. We ended up throwing down the tailgate and trying to all eat around. It was somewhat of a nightmare...kids were knocking over red powerade drink, spilling their bags of chips, dumping the ice that I brought for Todd's coke, and then dancing around while saying they have to go to the bathroom. Todd is always so calm about these things and I'm just dying inside because I wanted it to be this nice family picnic and it ends up that we are sitting on a blanket on the curb trying to enjoy our lunch. Oh well, life goes on and it's over now. Probably never to happen again :D. We quickly picked up and headed back to his office so the 2 kids could use the bathroom.

Once we got home, I packed up some toys that I won't use anymore and took them to a friend in the ward who has a 4 month old baby. I'm so happy that she can use them and more happy to get them out of our space. After that, I delivered the bread to the sisters I visit teach and then was back home at 4:45 just to start thinking about dinner and the nightime routine. I made dinner and that seemed to last so long. Does it seem that way for everyone else?? The kids got showered up and in jammies and are in bed asleep now. Earlier tonight I layed down on the floor because Emily wanted to lay on my back. She layed down and was hugging me and said, "Can I stay like this for infiniti?" How cute is that. I love her little comments like that. I ended up falling asleep in seconds and the family had a family prayer around me. 4 hours doesn't cut it for me at night. Anyway, I am going to fold and do a couple loads of laundry and hopefully be in bed by 10:00. I hope tomorrow is a bit more mellow.

The kids did a lot of work for me which is so nice. They folded and put away 4 loads of laundry. I love what they can do now that they are older. I have started a new thing....I make the kids work if they are causing trouble or getting into trouble. (thanks Christina...it really works) The timeout thing doesn't phase my kids. They want to sit down in a chair. It helps me out a ton. My kids are good workers. They really will do what I am asking. Some wait for it to be asked a few times but for the most part they get the jobs done. Thanks kids!!! They are a big help to me. Gotta get back to work so that I can be in bed early.

I'M BACK....

It is nice to be back home after a week of traveling around and pretty much living out of our car. It was busy but very fun to be with family.
Thursday started our family reunion by eating lunch at Knott's Country Kitchen. It was really nice and very fun to see family I haven't seen in years. It's hard to believe all of the cousins are so grown up now. I guess that includes me too. Where does the time go?

Friday was a temple trip to the Newport Temple and then a family luau that night. Marilyn, mom and I took 11 kids to the beach while the others went to the temple. It was crazy. Mom saved us.....we couldn't have done it alone. Thanks Mom! We went to Balboa and I loved it there. I hadn't been there for so long. Even when we were living down there, I didn't go there for the beach. Mitch and the cousins loved to get out there on there boogie boards and ride the waves in. I'm glad they were able to have so much fun together. Emily enjoyed digging for sand crabs with grandma. Ellie enjoyed shoveling sand into her mouth. It was crazy. It wasn't just a little bit of sand either. Oh well, what can you do. As we were leaving, the kids showered off and then we were hustling to the car so that we could fight the traffic and make it on time for our luau that night. Casey was walking with his towel around him and had his hands inside of his towel. You know whats coming next. We were almost to the car when I heard the sound of a head hitting the cement. Casey had tripped and landed right on his face. He was screaming, I was carrying Ellie, trying to push a stroller full of stuff and trying to keep an eye on the other two kids. Casey was ok but had scabs on his forehead, nose and chin by the evening. That evening we enjoyed a luau dinner with games at the Newport Beach Stake Center next to the temple. The temple is just beautiful. I miss living so close to a temple. The kids had a blast. Mitch participated in the hula hoop contest and made it to the final round. He is so good....I had no idea. We were laughing so hard because he was like the energizer bunny up on stage just going and going. It was a fun night.

Here is Ellie at the beach....


Saturday was a picnic lunch with games at Irvine Park. It was fun but hot. What is up with the weather down there? I pretty much was sweating every second of the week. The humidity was awful. We left to come home on Saturday night. It is always sad to leave but so nice to come back to cooler weather. It was 74 yesterday with the sun shining. It was beautiful.

Now it's Monday and time to finish the laundry and change bed sheets. It's a day to be home for me for sure. I feel like I've been running all over the place for days. I have! I'm so motivated to clean, clean, clean. I started in the kitchen yesterday and cleaned out drawers and scoured counters. It feels so good knowing the drawers and cupboards are organized.

Here are the kids with the cousins at Rite Aide last week getting double scoops after a hot day at the pool....


This is a picture of my kids with Crosby, their cousin, the weekend before we left. Crosby is Amy's youngest son for those of you who know Amy. They are all about the same color. Pretty funny!


The kids are not being too cooperative for me today so I better close this up and pray that we all make it through the day together. :D

Having Fun......

Lots has happened since I wrote last. Our visit with Grandma and Poppy and the cousins up at our house came to an end on Saturday when they left. The kids had lots of fun playing and swimming and swimming some more. Donut trips a couple times last week, BBQ and s'mores at the beach, lunch out with the cousins, and a trip to Doc Burnsteins was lots of fun for all of us.

My haircut was so nice...I have to document because it is so rare that I am out by myself. I love my hair girl. She massages my head and neck when I first get there with some oil. It is the best and I tell her that every time. I love to have someone wash my hair. She then put a hot towel on my head for a couple of minutes. It is so relaxing!! I love that I leave there and someone else has washed, blow dried and styled my hair and it looks good. All for $40. It is worth every dime.

Saturday night we were invited to a BBQ at a friends house. We went and that was fun. Once we got back, it was 9:30 and I had to pack us all up to leave for a week the next morning. I had 4 loads of laundry to wash and then get all of the kids stuff organized as well as my own. I got most of it done but had to stop at 1:30am...I was falling asleep folding the laundry. At least I had all of the kids clothes organized and in stacks ready to just be put into a bag/suitcase. My stuff was in a suitcase and for the most part good to go. I got up and got ready and then did all of the last minute stuff that there is always left to do right before you drive off. We left the house at 10:30 and had to drop off Todd's wallet and phone at the church. We were off to Palm Springs. I have to say that the trip went really well. The kids got along great, nobody teasing, no fighting, no crying, etc. I couldn't believe it. I was pleasantly surprised how nice it really was. We made our first stop in Rancho Cucamonga for some lunch and a bathroom stop. Sorry April, you guys were at church when we made our stop. We made it in 3 hours..not bad! We then headed out to the desert where mom was waiting for us. The kids were excited to be there and had fun painting, and swimming, and having grandma make them "flat" pancakes. Monday we went to the movie and to Target to stay cool. We saw Meet the Robinson's. The best part about it was we paid $.50/per person. You can't beat that. IT was a bit long for Emily. Ellie had a hard time falling asleep because it was so stinkin loud. I hate that. It ended up being fun and the kids had a good time.

Monday evening we traveled on back to Marilyn's house in Murrieta. It is so fun to just hang out all day with her and the kids. There is tons of space for the kids to play and ride bikes and just do their thing. They love to be with their cousins. I sure hope they will remember all of these fun trips to see cousins and grandparents. The kids play so hard all day long that once it's bed time they crash. It's wonderful! THey all get along so well.

I have been keeping up my walks every day early in the morning to enjoy the cool weather. It's nice to be out at 6:15 feeling the cool air when the afternoon's are pretty hot. It hasn't been too bad. There is a nice breeze that blows through in the afternoon that makes it so pleasant. Every time I come to visit it just makes me wish I was in the house down the street or around the corner. Marilyn has such nice neighbors and so many people in her ward are right here in her neighborhood/street. I long for a neighborhood like this. Everyone seems so friendly and there are lots of kids to play with. It's something I hope to have someday soon.

Yesterday, we took the kids to the pool for a few hours and then to Rite Aide for double scoops...thanks Marilyn!! I picked up Little Caesars pizza and we were set for dinner. I am watching Cooper and he is up so I will report more happenings later.

It's Almost Friday.....

We have had a fun time this week having Grandma and Poppy and some cousins up here. No pics to show for it yet. I'm so bad about the camera. If only I had another 3 arms, I could probably manage some pics. That is how I feel most of the time. Crosby, our 9 year old cousin has been staying the night last night and tonight and probably tomorrow night. The boys are really having a great time together. I'm happy because they don't get to see each other that often anymore. They all have been living in the pool. A pool is my absolute summer life saver. My kids are total fish. Emily has just blown me away. That girl has no fear and is doing big cannon balls into the pool and swimming to the side. She is amazing and just so grown up about it all. Whatever those boys can do....so can she. She lives under the water doing somersaults and going to the bottom with Casey. She swims across the jacuzzi that is 3 ft. deep so she can touch. She does her arms and legs and gets herself across. It's amazing how great she is doing. I'm so proud of all of them. I finally feel comfortable at the pool with all 3 in the water without me. It's a nice feeling. Every day they ask, "are we going swimming tomorrow?" It has helped that we go to Grandma's hotel pool after swim lessons to be there until dinner time. The kids are just doing so great.

The swimming lessons schedule is really wearing me down. We are constantly going, going and going. Ellie is totally at that stage where she is crawling everywhere and into anything. We just say..."oh she is so precious and pecial". I think that is what you say with your last baby. Anything is cute and precious. I can handle a lot more now than I could with my first that is for sure. I encourage her to make noise with measuring spoons, spatulas, bowls, measuring cups, etc. What it means is that she is playing happily and I can put stuff together without her ramming her head into the back of my calf wanting to be held. It is pretty cute.

Todd is off tomorrow so we have plans for a fun day with family. I am working out bright and early, then the grocery store, then I think we'll hit the trail for the kids to ride bikes and Todd and Kenzie to get in a good run, then it's swim lessons from 11-1, then the pool at the hotel, and then a cook off at the beach with hot dogs and s'mores with all of the kids and Grandma and Poppy. The kids are just dying to show Todd how well they are swimming. (The dogs want to show their owner all of their new tricks :D) Todd will be so amazed to watch Emily do what she does. She is a character. I will take pics tomorrow and post. Anyway, I feel so tired tonight. It's been a busy week or should I say month. Being in the hot sun every day for hours isn't helping.

I will be getting my haircut on Saturday and then packing to leave on Sunday for my trip down south again. Never a dull moment or down day around this place. I guess the whole month of August will hopefully be somewhat mellow. No major plans except for our Hawaii trip at the end of August. That will be so needed right before school starts again.

Have a great weekend!!!! I'm off to watch a show or really to go pick up. It's almost bed time is what I keep telling myself :D

SPT - "Embrace Your GEEK"

It's still Tuesday, right?? I have loved seeing all of the cute pics that everyone has put up for their "geek" SPT. So fun!

This is about as "geek" as I get. I love my cell phone(it is my alarm every morning under my pillow), love my iMac, and couldn't live without my ipod :D. I'm not the most computer savvy person but I can figure things out most of the time. It is a lot easier if Todd is close by to just ask and he'll show me. I can burn cd's now and know just how to work itunes and getting music onto my ipod. That is very important. My ipod saves me at the gym for sure.

I love the whole text message concept. I use that quite a bit. It comes in handy a lot of the time. I'm not familiar with all of the text messaging lingo/characters that Jenny explained for us. I loved her post. I see teenagers everywhere texting constantly. It can be a bit much in my opinion. I'm not that extreme but I do love it. What will it be like for my children in 10 years? I'm not sure I want to know right now.

Not Another Car Repair....UGH!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMIE!! I HOPE YOU HAD A NICE DAY AND GET SOME TIME TO RELAX AND ENJOY SOMETHING FUN.


Oh boy, trucks are expensive. I love them yet I hate them. I noticed a leak the other day and then noticed that it was leaking quite a bit. I took it in early this morning and knew I would be without a car today. It's nice because the dealer is at the end of our street and around the corner...very close. We can walk to it for sure. I knew that we needed the front brakes done so check that off and then the mystery leak. A couple of hours later, just as I am trying to get everything packed to walk to swim lessons, I got the call that it was a water pump. I know those aren't cheap...ok, give me the bad news. $900.00 later with the brakes and all I think I'm going to start walking/riding my bike. Thank goodness the school where we swim at is less than a mile or just a mile away. The boys enjoyed riding their bikes and I pushed the girls in the double stroller. I should just look at it as added exercise for me.

The rest of the day was a normal circus around here. Kids playing here and there and everywhere. They were good for me today as far as I can remember. :D My brain shuts down a bit at night once the kids are asleep. I was falling asleep reading a story to the boys. I got laundry done, well the Mitch folded a load and the kids helped put clothes away. They really are good workers. Emily can do just as much as the rest. She dumped out her drawer of clothes today and said, "Mom, we need to organize this." That just means to re fold everything in a nice stack and then put it all back. I like that she notices those things and thinks to do something like that. She has heard Mitty and Casey say all of that. Mitch is king of dumping everything out and re doing his drawers. He doesn't care how long it takes him to do it. I don't think he looks at tasks like how long it's going to take him. He just does the job until he finishes. He is my patient child.....(trait from his father :D). We had a bunch of our chores done before 10 this morning. I love that.

Tonight we all played UNO as a family and read more about Baptism out of the book I got Mitch. In preparing Mitch for his baptism in October, we try to read out of this book every Monday night and talk about it. It's a great book that explains so much about what Baptism is and what to expect. I think it's great for a child that age to understand. It was fun. Emily won our game. She is good. She knows just what to do without any help, of course. I will have to play again with them tomorrow. It's so fun to play a game that everyone knows how to play so no child feels jipped in any way. It was a nice evening together.

This week is swim lessons still for 2 hours each day. The kids are doing so well. I just love watching them do so much and feeling so confident about what they know how to do. It's great. Emily will swim out to her teacher and back by herself. Casey has really done well too. They do a lot of swimming in Mitch's group. It's good for him.

This week....

-Jim and Carol are coming up this way with Jake and Crosby (kids cousins) tomorrow and staying until maybe Saturday
-Ellie's dr. appt.
-Hair appt. ( I look forward to that time alone...and to have someome wash my hair.AHHHHHH!!!!)
-Swim lessons daily for 2 hours
-Getting ready for my vacation next week down south for a family reunion

It doesn't seem to bad but we'll see when the week is over how tired I feel. :D

Ellie's B'day and TGIF

Ellie was dying to get her hands into that cupcake. She didn't want to wait for us to blow out a candle and sing a song. You can see it in her face. :D That's my girl....she knows what she wants.









Yesterday was fun watching Ellie drink her first big glass of chocolate milk and dig into her very own cupcake. She was so happy to dig into it and eat it, smash it, smear it. Too cute!! She was doing so much talking after her face was covered in frosting. I know she was in heaven with all of that sugar. We brought in pizza for dinner and I made a salad. It was a good night! I'm sure Ellie will remember every last detail....ha:D. She went right to bed after her big hoorah! It's fun to officially say she is one. My baby girl is now 1 years old. That's huge.

Today was another beautiful day in the sun. The weather was just perfect to be out by the pool in our swim suits. The kids finished up their 3rd week of lessons and I am feeling happy. They are doing great and I'm so proud of each one. Emily will now swim out off of the steps to her teacher and then her teacher has her swim back to the steps. That is major to me. She is really getting it down and not afraid of it at all!! She loves it too. Casey and Mitch are doing awesome too.

I am happy for it to be the weekend. The gym doesn't open until 8:00 so I can really sleep in. :D yeah!!! Although, I may be up early walking to go get donuts for the kids before they wake. The boys went to bed great tonight and that is what we promised. They love to get donuts on Saturday morning.

I'm hoping to have a do nothing kind of weekend. I feel like we go and go and go every day all week long that by Saturday...I don't want another thing scheduled on the calendar. My lack of sleep this week caught up with me today. I was going to sleep reading blogs today. Not that they were boring....I couldn't help it. I was dozing off big time and not really realizing it. I hope to get to bed much earlier tonight. Who am I trying to kid. I almost think it is impossible for me. Thanks Mom for that gene :D. We are night owls.

I hope eveyone has a great weekend. I'm off to watch something on Tivo....or sleep to it.