Down with The Daws

Announcing Our New ADDITION!

2011-03-01T18:47:00.000-08:00

wait for it...

Oops! I forgot!

2010-09-25T07:50:00.000-07:00

I forgot to post Five for Friday yesterday. Oops. I was really busy doing... nothing! Actually I didn't realize it was Friday, until Spencer called and asked if I wanted to go on a date. By then the only thing I was thinking about was that I had to hurry and clean the house and make sure the kids were fed. So we could head out the door before 6.
Such is life...always late.

1. We went camping at Ensign Ranch last weekend, and had a blast! Eating smores, and chillin' was exactly what we needed. Jr.,Tricia, and family came along too. The kids were so excited to explore and collect leaves, we didn't see them much. We were going to spend 2 nights there, but the day we were supposed to leave I was feeling really lazy, and didn't pack. So we decided to just spend one night instead of 2. I really wish I wasn't a loser because 2 days would have been fun. Oh well.

2.   Emily said the cutest things this week. We were driving back from Yakima, and she saw the moon behind the clouds and said " Mom, look at the moon...it's hiding because no one likes it."
Yesterday, we were on the couch cuddling and she started to fall asleep. Not so good, because it was 5p.m. and if she takes a nap later than 1p.m. she won't go to sleep until 12 in the morning. So I nudged her and said "Emmy don't fall asleep." With sleepy eyes she said " mommy, my eyes told me they were tired and I have to put them to sleep." How could I say "no" after that? So CUTE!

3.   Had a weird experience on Wednesday morning. I was running late (again) and I was in a hurry to take Kaden and Emily to school. I told Kaden to hurry and brush his teeth and meet me in the car. I pulled the car out of the garage and was waiting for him in the driveway. Honked a couple of times, and was getting angry because now I was really late! Kaden comes running out the garage door, and as soon as he is out of the way I close it. As I'm backing out I hit the gas hard, and the car goes nowhere! I'm like "What the heck?!" So I put it in park and then put it in drive and hit the gas for a second time. Again, the car goes nowhere. "Crap!" I put it in park again and then realize that I had it in DRIVE! not REVERSE, which is what I wanted in the first place. Those two times I had it in drive, I had hit the gas hard. What scared me was that if the car had worked I would have drove straight into the garage, ruin the door, deploy the air bags and hurt Kaden really bad, because he had his saxophone on his lap. Someone was watching out for me for sure!

4.   Sophie got strep this week. She was miserable! I felt so bad for her. She didn't eat for three days, because her throat hurt so bad. Not fun! Took her to the Doctor and she was surprised how bad her throat was. Got some antibiotics and she is doing much better. Now, I'm just hoping now one else gets it.

5.   Went out to dinner with some friends last night. Spencer and I are pretty faithful about going on a Friday night date. We always do the same thing every week, which is go out to eat, just the 2 of us. I love my husband and I love spending time with him, but doing the same thing every week gets boring. So when some friends invited us to go out, we jumped at the chance. And we are so glad we did! We hadn't laughed so hard in a long time. We had the best time! Thanks Jeremy, Heather, Tiffany, and Spencer! Next time it's on us!

Five for Friday.

2010-09-17T17:34:00.000-07:00

I saw this on one of my friends blog, and I thought "What a GREAT idea!" Just some happening of the week, thoughts, maybe some pictures, and hopefully some insights or "ah ha" moments to share with all my fellow bloggers.

1. I am learning that a clean house is not MORE important than taking time to play a game with my kids, or color on the floor. Kids grow too fast and I want my kiddos to remember mom playing and hanging out with them. Not ALWAYS cleaning the house. It seriously has taken me 15 years to learn this lesson, so I hope it's not to late.

2. I really like my husband! I know that's like a given, but I thoroughly like spending any time possible with him.

3. Kaden got really disappointed today when he was practicing his saxophone. He was upset with himself because he wasn't playing the notes just right and he wanted to do it perfectly. Had to explain to him that it is going to take awhile to get it just right and that he need to practice and work hard. Sadly, that is a trait he gets from me. I do things and I expect it to be perfect the first time. Not to self...need to work on that.

4. Going camping tomorrow. Excited, but not excited. It seems like a lot of work for just a day. I have to step back, and remember that this family time is a memory the kids (hopefully) will remember.

5. I can actually walk this week. So HAPPY about that! Still not 100%, but slowly getting there. Bending still hurts, sitting in cars, and walking down steps are not fun, but at least I'm not crawling like I was last week. Thank goodness for Brandon! (Chiropractor)

Well that's pretty much it in a nut shell.

Tiny ACTS of SERVICE mean the very most!

2010-09-16T16:07:00.000-07:00

Thank you Babe! For taking care of me when I needed you the most.

Thank you Brandon for for making chiropractic house calls to get me back to my ol' self.

Thank you Jr. and Tricia ( more Tricia, than Jr.) for coming over and cleaning my very messy house and feeding us a wonderful dinner!

Thank you Jen for watching Emily after pre-school.
Thank you Natalie for driving Sophie to school.

Thank you Heather for watching Emily, and coming over to trim my bushes for me!

Thank you Marci for your willingness to take and pick up my kids from school.

I can't express the gratitude I have for each and everyone of you! You willingness to serve has been a huge Example to me, and I only hope I can return the favor sometime. Thanks again for the GREAT people you all are! My Family has been blessed by your kindness.

Blogging? ...What's that?

2010-09-15T21:37:00.000-07:00

    I know...I know, it has been a long time since I have had the time to blog. Thank goodness for a GREAT and WONDERFUL husband who took time to post some of the fun things that have happened to us during the summer months.
     Time really does fly! I think of all the marvelous and wonderful memories we have made this past summer and it just reminds me of how fast my kiddos are growing. I realize that once that moment is gone, you can never get it back. It has made me think that maybe, just maybe I need to stop what I'm doing and just enjoy the moment. It seems that I get caught up in all the mundane chores of my daily life and forget what is most important to me. And that is my FAMILY. So this is a post for my kids.
      Brianna.(Beenana)
         You truly have blossomed over night!

This year you turned 12 and I can honestly say I swear you were just a baby a couple years ago. Now your talking about boys, wearing make-up, wanting a pair of high heels, into the latest fashion, starting Young Womens, babysitting, hanging out with your friends, talking on your cell phone into the wee hours of the morning, and asking questions I'm not yet prepared for. You truly have become a BEAUTIFUL young lady. I am so PROUD of the choices you are making and your setting a WONDERFUL example for your brother and sisters. I could do with out all the DRAMA, and the COMPLAINING, but that is what makes you, YOU! I know I'm going to look back on this time in your life and SMILE. Because, this is the BEGINNING for you. You're going to look back on you life and remember ALL your firsts. Your first CRUSH ( Ethan ), your first kiss (which by the way, your WAY TO YOUNG, wait 5 years or so), your first dance, your first date, the first time you drive a car (heaven help the other poor souls on the road) the first day of college,etc...
I LOVE you Brianna! For the person you are and the person you are becoming. Stay TRUE to yourself and close to the Gospel. I'm now going to quote Grandpa Hernandez (something I promised myself I would never do) Remember WHO you are and WHERE you came from. He used to say that to me every time I went out somewhere. And now it will be something you will hear from me every time you go somewhere.

Kaden (Buddy).
To my ONLY son. You too have grown up to fast!

You are my BIGGEST helper. You are the GO GETTER for the whole family. And NEVER once do you complain. You make me so HAPPY! I love how you tell me, you never want to leave me when you get older. When I asked you what your were going to do when you go on your mission. Your reply was " Mom, I want to go on my mission, but I just DON'T want to MISS you too much!" I then asked what you were going to do when you go to college and then find a wife. You looked right at me and said " Mom, I'm not going far for college and didn't you know when I get married, we are all going to live with you?" ( Maybe you should wait and ask your wife where she would like to live. I can guarantee, she will not say with her In-laws. ) You amaze me with your creativity, and your mad Lego skills. I have seen you build the most amazing cars, airplanes, towers, houses, and space ships. I remember one night I was already in bed and I heard this loud noise coming from your bedroom. I went to investigate, and I found you in the middle of your room with thousands, and thousands of Lego's all around you. My first reaction was to get mad and ask you what were you thinking playing with Lego's at 12:30 in the morning. But the look of pure excitement that came from your eyes, prompted me to ask you what you were building, instead. You couldn't wait to show me everything you had built. I took a picture of you surrounded by all those tiny Lego's(knowing I would have to pick them up in the morning), and shook my head as I walked back to my room. I LOVE you Buddy!

To my SoSo, my Sofa loaf. I waited 5 long years for you, and you were my wish come TRUE!

You my child, are my lover. I love how you love to cuddle with me. You always ask me to save YOUR spot next to me. You absolutely love to give hugs! That is just one of my favorite things about you.
You are my little sponge! You thoroughly love to learn. You SOAK up everything and are so eager to know everything. You are always asking questions and sometimes when I ask you something, your responses are so grown up.
I LOVE to watch you and Emmy together. You are so PATIENT with her. I can see how much you love her, no matter how mad she makes you.I am AMAZED that you taught Emmy how to ride her bike(without training wheels). You had just learned yourself, and next thing I know your calling me outside to watch Emmy go down our drive-way on her Dora bike. You were so proud of her and I was so proud of you!
You are always thinking of others. Just today, we went to McDonalds and everyone got something to eat except for Kaden. (he was at home) Everyone was enjoying their food, and you weren't eating. Then you said "Mom, I'm gonna wait to eat at home so I can share with Kaden." Today, you were my example and everyday I am reminded of what a special spirit you are!
You are an unmovable mountain! Stubborn to the core. (I think you get it from Dad's side of the family. But shh...don't tell anyone!) But, nonetheless we love you! My little SoSo, you are my little ray of sunshine, and I LOVE you more than the stars in the sky!

To my little Emawee! My little surprise package!

I LOVE you, I LOVE you, I LOVE you! You are the baby of the family, and you know it! You get whatever, whenever, however you want it. Yes, you are spoiled to the CORE! And not just by me. By everyone! How could we ever deny you anything? One look from those big brown eyes and we turn into MUSH!
You are so sweet! And I love how, all you want when you get older is to lose a tooth. You talk about it almost everyday. I personally think you just want the tooth fairy to visit. But according to you, losing a tooth means you will get older, turn five, and get to go to Kindergarten. Why you would want to get older, I don't know. I want you to stay just the way you are. SWEET!
I have never seen a more smiley person in my life, until you came along. You smile 24/7! I love waking up to your cute BIG smile. It makes my day everyday! And your sense of humor is like no other. You are constantly doing and saying the cutest things. I wish I could walk around with a video camera to catch all of you silliness, and HAPPINESS. You ARE my favorite Emawee in the whole wide world. I love you!

I could probably go on and on, but there is truly not enough time. Just know I love you with all my heart.
One of my all time favorite quotes says it perfectly. "I never said it would be easy, I only said it would be worth it." And YOU ( my little ones) are definitely WORTH IT!
Love you more than you KNOW!
Mom

A plethura of stories.

2010-09-13T22:59:00.000-07:00

You'll have to forgive in advance the mish mash of stuff I'm gonna post. Just a bunch of quick hitters, some kinda fun, some not so much.

The other day, I was getting ready to go somewhere and Emily asked where I was going. I said that I was "Going Far Far Away on Judea's Plains". She immediately jumps up and says, "Oh Oh, can I go Daddy". (slight pause), then she says,"Lucky". With a J-Lo type sass. It was cute.

Kaden came to me a few days ago after I had asked him to load the dish washer. He proceeded to tell me that he did his very best, but he could not fit all of the dishes. With out uttering a word, I unleashed "the look". You know, the one where you drop your chin, rais your eye brows and stair directly into his eyes. He first sputtered a bit and tried to say he tried really hard. The look was reiterated by reversing the angle of the face and causing one eyebrow to raise above the other. He slumped down a bit and said," Um, maybe I should go down stairs and just try to rearrange it and fit them all in". Then he just quietly turned and reloaded the dish washer. Me and Susi must have laughed for 5 minutes.

Last night we hear a loud BANG and a high pitched scream (one you would expect from a leetler geril) I went upstairs to find Kaden on the floor crying and Brianna trying to convince him he was over reacting and that having the door slammed on his forehead really should not hurt. After all, he'd done the same thing to her and it didn't hurt at all. It's amazing how early kids begin to employ (or at least try) to employ the power of suggestion.

I pulled Sophies first tooth out the other day. The thing was hanging by a no more than 3 gum cells. That little girl put up a battle that would have made Rocky Balboa proud. She absolutely did not want her tooth pulled out. It took at least 20 minutes of convincing wrangling and a touch of brazilian jujitsu to finally get that kids tooth out. I was sweating profusely by the time I got the little sucker out. She is one stubborn little girl.

Me and Susi got to go to California for our 15th anniversary. It was a blast. We got to meet our friends Mark and Lisa and go eat at the Cheese Cake factory. It was great. We then spent an entire day at Disney Land and another day at Magic Mountain. We got the Platinum Flash Pass which allowed us to go to the front of the line and ride each ride twice. I had a few choice words directed my way from people who waited 2 hrs while I happily butted in front of them. On our way out, we stopped right before LAX to gas up. Not a great idea. Just FYI, those people who look like gas station attendants and pump your gas are not gas station attendants.... Very weird.

The day at magic mountain had some negative effects on Susi. Her back went out a week ago today. As it turned out, she pinched her siatic nerve and was pretty much resigned to crawling all week. The only other time I've seen her that uncomfortable was when she had Kaden. And that was only becuase her spinal block wore out.. She was in major pain. She was very lucky to have a great friend who came over and made in home Chiropractic calls for her. Our fam also took care of us by making food.

I went down to Provo a couple of weeks ago and got to play 54 holes of golf with my brothers. We also went to the BYU - UW game. It was awesome. There's nothing like going to Lavell Edwards Stadium with a sold out crowd and competetive game.

That's it for now.

SHADE SALE!

2010-08-17T08:51:00.000-07:00

TriCities,WA: SHADE Sale & She-Market!

If you are in the Tri-Cities area you DO NOT want to miss this event!!! There is going to be another Shade sale and bazaar…however this time its BIGGER…MUCH BIGGER. In fact Shade is going to be sending a 24-ft Uhual packed to the brim with clothes. These are all NEW seconds and irregular Shade clothing items that our hostess Jen can sell to us all at a super cheap price!! Some are discontinued colors and styles including camis, tanks, layer tees, long-sleeved shirts, skirts and Maternity. Prices will be $3-$15.
Important: This could be the LAST shade sale we will be having here because sadly I read that Shade will not be offering a new fall line, and they will be selling off their intire inventory, closing their stores and going for a dark period. This sounds to me like Shade is closing down for a while so this is it, the inventory that we are getting is about the last that the company will have and there will be no more. So you might want to stock up!

She-Market {featuring Shade clothing}

Credit Cards + cash accepted

When:

August 24-25 from 3pm -8pm

Where: 2908 Road 61 Pasco, WA

What: Thousands of NEW Shade clothing, sizes are girly: 4-6, 7-9 .Womens: xs, sm, med, lg, xlg, and xxlg. There is Maternity clothes also! Items include skirts, specialty tops and regular Shade shirts.

Vendors coming:

Scentsy
Jewelry
Baked Goods
Pampered Chef
In Bloom Birth Support
The Breadman’s Wife
Mary Kay
Tupperware
Me..Stop in and say hello.
+ more. If you are interested in being a vendor email Jen (vwbabe3148@hotmail.com)

Brilliant Brianna!

2010-07-01T21:49:00.000-07:00

That's right, you heard it here first folks. Brianna is brilliant. She's my 4.0 future doctor/ lawyer/ dentist/ orthodontist. My retirement is now set.... (you have to click on the picture to see the grades...)

The Heist!

2010-06-19T11:44:00.000-07:00

Parents beware, 4 and 5 year olds are capable of more than you think... AND NOT IN A GOOD WAY!!
So it's my Friday off and I go with Susi to pick Sophia up from Pre-school. We get home and almost as soon as we walk in the door, Sophia starts to ask me if I want to go upstairs and rest with mommy. Normally, I would think she was just wanting me to spend some quality time with Susi, but my gut (which is much larger than is should be) told me there was a bit more going on. So after she insists and practically pushes me upstairs, I relent and go up stairs. I waited about 10 minutes and did my best stealth mode descent down the stairs to find.... The little girls had been running a clandestine smuggling operation right under our noses!!

Well, you can see the picture. I found both Sophia and Emily with one each. Then I did a little more investigation only to find that they had stashed a fair number underneath the couch. I wish I knew how to photo shop the pictures of them into mug shots, it would have been entirely appropriate! You have to love those little girls. Me and Susi had fun playing bad cop - bad cop interrogating them. Aren't the crocodile tears convincing?

Director, Producer, and Camera Man.

2010-04-26T16:51:00.000-07:00

This has been Spencer for the past month or two.

I think he has an obsession.

I've been contemplating and intervention.

But when I watch all the wonderful memories that he is capturing of the kids and our family. I realize I don't mind having a video camera in my face 24/7. I don't mind when he tells every one to freeze and not move, so he can get his camera. And, it doesn't bother me when we get to where we are going and he realizes he forgot the camera and runs home to get it. That the first thing he says when the kids do or say something funny is "Wait! Let me get my camera." And, "Do it again." All the while the kids are hum and hawing about "it's not the same," and "do we have to? " The endless complaining and video taping is worth it. Especially when, the kiddos are older and we have all these great video tapes of them doing and saying the cutest things.

Gotta love our family Director, Producer and Camera Man!

The beautiful, complicated, simple, wonderful Susi

2010-03-29T21:43:00.000-07:00

I've been contemplating a post about Susi for a while. But there is such a range of things to write about that I would get hung up in one area. I could write an entire novel on all the funny things she's done, but that doesn't quite tell the tale. So I guess I'll just try to make a bit of a cross section of her through the years.

I still remember like yesterday dancing with her for the first time 15 years ago. Then after I danced with her twice in a row (both slow songs baby... oh yeah), I spent the rest of the night trying to chase her down in vain. I was quite convinced that she was trying to run away from me.

I had only known this girl for about a week when she started trying to win my heart via my stomach. To this day, she doesn't have an equal when it comes to cooking.

I'll never quite forget the time we went to the park in Rexburg to read scriptures. It was supposed to be a transcending moment where we bonded spiritually. Not quite wanting to cooperate, Susi uncerimoniously (accidentally of course) blew a monster booger right onto 2 Nephi. She was mortified, but I just flicked it off and laughed for a bit.

She proved very adept at holding up gumballs with her nose, very cool.

There are more funny stories about Susi than I could shake stick at, but they'll have to wait till later.

If there were no Susi:

Who would pack my bags for me when I traveled? (I know, I'm pathetic huh)

Who would put their icy cold feet on me before we go to sleep?

Who would shake there head at every one of my attempts at humor?

Who would constantly complain that I drive like a maniac? (Early years)

Who would constantly complain that I drive like an old man? (More recentl) Funny how time changes things.

Who would be the cleaning Nazi who hunts down every speck of dust with vim and vigor?

Susi get's into what I like to call "the zone" when she'd cleanging. The zone is a very unhappy place. The zone is a place that we like to help Susi get out of as soon a possible. The zone can cause serious emotional and physical damage if overexposure has occured. Just look at me, I'm a prime example. But seriously, I LOVE how wonderful of a housekeeper she is.

Who would be so worried about how they looked for me that they made sure to put on make up every day before I got home?

She has an uncanny sense of smell. Last night, we stayed at a hotel in Bellevue. It was supposed to be a non-smoking room and it smelled like an ash tray. I was able to block it out for the most part, but she was up most the night gagging because of the nasty smell.

All my friends in college loved her. We had a whole list of rules to live by. One of the rules was that Susi had to bring goodies if she wanted to come over. The other was that they all had to get permission from me if they wanted to squish her. She was called the Woogie in college, thanks Mark. So the rule was that you couldn't squish the woogie. The all loved her.

Heck, who doesn't? I am seriously the weak link in this partnership.

I'll add pictures later.

Raptor Reef

2010-03-09T16:29:00.000-08:00

I'm really late at posting this, but better late than never. At the beginning of last month we and the Beebe's took a trip to Idaho, and had the best time ever at Raptor Reef.

The kids loved the slides and the wave pool.

We even snuck in some fun...

All in all it was a very FUN weekend! The kids had a blast! And the adults didn't have a bad time either. Thanks to the Beebe's for just being COOL! We loved spending time together as families. Looking forward to next year!

The many masks of my hubby...

2010-03-02T20:45:00.000-08:00

I came across these pictures the other day, and about fell off my chair laughing!

Spencer has decided to grow his beard ( because he says you can see his double chin without it) and one night he got tired of it. so he decided to do this...

He totally looked like a Harley riding, beer drinking, 4 pack smoking, biker. All he needed was a tatoo of myself on his arm and my name on his chest.

I have always wanted to know what he would look like with just a mustache. So he shaved th rest and this is what we got...

Ha! He's the guy that pulls you over when your speeding!!!

Pity Party!

2010-02-26T10:01:00.000-08:00

Just having one of those days...

You know...where you wake up in the morning, grudgingly trying to pull yourself out of bed when all you really want to do is pull the covers over your head and lay there wallowing in your suckiness. That is me today.

Last night, I went to a Relief Society Stake Conference thing, and met up with some of the sisters from our new ward. (nothing against the sisters in our new ward, cuz they are AMAZING, but I miss my friends from Yakima 2nd, and I feel I can be myself around them, and I don't have to watch what I say, because, I know (at least I hope) they won't judge me, if I say something totally stupid. And I hate making new friends because beleive it or not I have a hard time doing it ) As I was sitting there watching the re-enactment of the parable of the 10 Virgins to music, I had this over whelming feeling of inadequacy. Usually I leave those kinds of things uplifted and full of the spirit, but sad to say last night was not one of them.

I felt inadequate in every way... I was having a pity party. And it has spilled over on to today.

I feel that I'm not doing everything spiritually to grow my testimony. I have kind of slacked off when it comes to spiritual stuff. Saying prayers, scripture study, yada, yada, yada, etc...

And this morning as I was blog stalking some of the sisters in our new ward, I felt even crappier.

So, as I'm sitting here crying, trying not to do it out loud ( cuz then I would have to come up with a lie for Emily as to why I'm crying.) And thinking of all the ways I'm not smart enough,
skinny enough,
creative,
spiritual,
determined,
pretty,
clever,
funny,
musicaly inclined,
sporty,
geeky,
disciplined,
a chef ,
crafty,
and witty enough. I'm sure there is a lot more that I'm not good enough at..I just can't think of any right now. Just keeping it real. This is how I feel today. Tomorrow will probably be different, but today sucks! And to top it off, it's Kaden's 10th Birthday. Usually I go all out with amazing parties, that his friends talk about for days, but today party preparations are slow to nonexistant. I feel like a big crap hole! and I'm having my bi-monthly pity party. No one will probably comment on this post. So I guess I'll go eat worms!

Sophie Sophie Sophie

2010-02-24T21:48:00.000-08:00

We were having a roundtable discussion at dinner yesterday when Brianna started talking about being four. She thought for a second and said,"I don't remember being 4". Kaden chimed in by also noting that he had no recollection of being four. Right after that, Sophie said, "I don't remember being 4 either". As you all know, Sophie is four. We all fell out of our chairs laughing.

Tonight, Brianna got after Sophie for messing with Kaden's Pokeman Cards. Two strange things about that one, Sophie being interested in Pokeman Cards and Brianna caring about anyone doing anything to Kaden's stuff in general.. but I digress.. Anyway, Brianna sent Sophie up to her room and she went wailing all the way. About 10 minutes later, she walks up beside me whilst I'm working on the computer and get's my attention (no small task while I'm on the computer). She says, "Daddy, I just wanna go be with Jesus". This definately piqued my interest and I asked why she would want to do that. She said, "I just want to be with Jesus because everyone's mean to me and wants to send me to my room". There are equal measures of cute, funny and sad all mixed in there. She was soo pathetic when she said it, I still chuckled just a little bit.

A couple of other funny Sophieisms:

It's not spaghetti, it's sgabetti (pretty normal for lil'kids)

It's not trampoline, it's jumpoline

It's not sprinklers, it's squirters (my favorite)

It's not copy, it's coffee (not sure where that one came from)

Also, her pre-school teacher told Susi the other day that she was concerned that Sophie wasn't learning her letters as well as she could. Susi asked Sophie why she hadn't learned her letters, Sophie informed Susi that she wasn't old enough to learn her letters and wanted to wait till she was older to learn them... She's such a smart little stink that she ought to be able to learn them in a day, she's just decided she doesn't want to yet.

She also loves to ride her bike and play out side as long as we'll let her.

We love our Sophie, don't know what we'd do without her.....

Fun Evening

2010-02-15T19:59:00.000-08:00

I got home from work today and really wanted to shoot some hoops with the kids. So I make the proper preparations by blowing up the ball and then ask Kaden if he wants to go. "No thanks dad, I'm playing marbles with my friends". I very politely explained to Kaden that asking him to come was only a courtesy and that attendance was not optional. So he begrudgingly climbed into the car and we headed over to shoot some hoops. We went to a Park about a block away from where we going to build the new house where they have a couple of hoops. We shot around together for a while then a group of kids asked if they could play bump (lighting for us older folks) with us. That was pretty fun, Kaden one once and I won a couple of times.

We came home to a rattled Susi. When I left, I TOLD her I was taking Kaden. Apparently she mis-remembered the heads up and was ready to call in the cavalry to find the boy. Despite my best efforts, I couldn't convince her I had told her I was taking him... and admitted that 'OF COURSE" I was wrong.... and not told her... Ya gotta pick your battles baby.

During dinner, I noticed that Kaden was chewing with some difficulty using my keen powers of observation. (In actuallity, I was totally clueless. Susi asked why it hurt while he was chewing. A few minutes later it dawned on me he may have a tooth coming out. I can be a bit slow at times). Anyway, I talked him in to letting me yank it. It's been a while, so I must admit I was a bit nervous. Despite the butter flies, I popped the sucker out the first try. Now, Kaden could be officially classified as a chinuelo (toothless in Spanish). He has the four fronts on top and bottom. Then after the tooth pulling, he has three emptty spots between the fronts and the back molar. That should make for some interesting meat chewing till the permanents come in...

About 15 minutes before this, the girls had vanished upstairs and it was eerily quiet. A little too quiet if ya know what I mean. So we got the video camera running and quietly tiptoed up to our bedroom. We ran into them leaving the bedroom as we got there. The excitedly told Susi they wanted to show her a surprise. So she obliged by closing her eyes as they led her to the closet. She opened her eyes to a completely cleaned and organized closet. Sophie and Emily exclaimed that they had cleaned her closet for valentines day. Very cute..

Anyway, that's the report for today, the 15th of February 2010.

First Kiss Redux

2010-02-04T20:22:00.000-08:00

As is the case in all stories, there are two sides to this one. Your about to hear about our first kiss from a wee different perspective.... (Camera fades off into the sky and slowly focus on Spencer sitting at his very spartan cubicle at Bechtel on the morn of the 3rd of Febuary, 2010). So I'm sitting there thinking about how long Susi and I have been married, almost 15 years. Then I tried to remember the first day we met, first date, first kiss and all that stuff. As I was looking at my calendar (also thinking that I'm on company time day dreaming about my first kiss, money well spent. Thanks Bechtel), I realized that the 3rd was the 15th anniversary of our first kiss. At least it was really close to the first anniversary of our first kiss... I remember when it was you see, because I had a plan for that first kiss. In case you don't know me very well, I'm a serious plotter. Not one to fly by the seat of my pants. And as such, homie had a plan laying the first kiss on his woman! The plan was (emphasis on WAS) to kiss her on Valentines day. Susi always seems to manage hosing my plans for her, finding her Christmas presents EVERY YEAR, never letting me name our kids.. but I digress.

So here I am circa 3-Feb-1995 on a date with Susi. We had a scavenger hunt around the campus of Rick's college and ended up at Susi's appartment with all her room mates to watch a movie. The evening was drawing to a close and I was ready to make my escape. Should be a pretty simple move right? "Hey Susi, I've gotta get, got church". "Been loads of fun, see ya tomorrow...k.. bye". At least that's what I had planned. So I get up to make my exit, head for the door, step out side thinking I'm gonna get a quick hug and be off. Then... I hear ... the door shut behind me ... with Susi unexpectedly being on my side.

Heart begins to race, face goes somewhat numb, knees get just a bit weak. "This is ok, I can handle this, I've got a plan!" Think, come on you fool!! Think!! Ok Ok... this is gonna work and I can still say our real first kiss was on Valentines day. Dang she's cute, just a little kiss wouldn't hurt.. NO NO, be strong, it's just one more week. OK, here it goes, I'm mov'n in. Small hug, lips on check, perfect. SCORE!!
Then she said something, but it wasn't what I thought she said... No no no, she "Your Great", because no one EVER says "That's It" when a guy tries to be romantic. That just doesn't happen.... or...maybe ....it does.
Well, at that point, I just didn't have a choice. It's not that I didn't want to, you need to appreciate how unbeleivably gorgeous she was to grasp the kind of will

power required to just kiss her on the check the first time. But she just called me out, so it was game on now. Nobody calls homie out on the first kiss.
So I laid one on her like I meant it. At that point, I really did loose all feeling in my legs.
I'm surprised I made it home. As Susi said, when I got there I poured a bowl of cereal and put the milk in the cupboard and the cereal back in the fridge...
She blew my doors off.
So yesterday, I wanted her to know that I remembered that day. I'll never forget it.

First Kiss

2010-02-03T20:08:00.000-08:00

Aaahhh!...The first kiss. I'm sure if you ask any of your friends, they could tell you about their first kiss. Where they were at, what they were wearing, (hopefully)
who they were kissing.

I remember my first kiss. And I'm sure everyone is dying to know all the details. But, what I want to talk about is my first kiss with Spencer.

We had only known each other for 2 weeks. And I believe we had only had one real date. ( which by the way is another story) He had come over to my apartment to visit me. And I remember very clearly, when it was time for him to leave, because I followed him to the door, walked out with him and closed the door behind me. Now thinking back, I realize I was possessed with some kind of alien life form. Usually I would have said goodbye in the apartment, and watch them walk out the door. But for some unexplained reason, I decided to do something different.

I was standing on the first step of our little porch, and he was standing in front of me. We talked for a while, and then he said he had to get back home. There was this little moment of awkward silence, where neither one of us didn't know what to do. Then it happened. He kissed me....on the CHEEK! What?! Are your freakin kidding me? On the CHEEK?! He pulled back and was looking all proud of himself(probably saying to himself " I'm the Man baby... booya!")

The next thing I remember, is looking at him with this perplexed look on my face and blurting out " That's it?"

Remember, you have to believe me when I say, that my body was possessed by an alien, because I would have never said anything close to that to someone I hardly knew.

But, then it happened...again. He kissed me. Only this time it wasn't on the cheek. This is where it gets blurry. I really don't remember anything after that. Somehow I made it back into my apartment. Whether I told my roommates what happened or I went to bed. I can't remember. I guess it had the same effect on Spencer. When he got home, he made himself some cereal, put the milk in the pantry and the cereal in the fridge. And walked around in a daze. So I was told by his roommates.

Needless, to say, our first kiss was memorable. And one of my kids favorite stories.

So the reason I recounted our first kiss, is because, yesterday I heard my doorbell ring. I opened the door, and found Spencer standing there with a dozen red roses. "Happy 15 Year Anniversay of our First Kiss" is what he said to me right before he planted a juicy one on my cheek.

And I'll give you one guess of what I said.....

Without Spencer.

2010-01-19T09:30:00.000-08:00

Without Spencer, there would be no one to give me back rubs.
There would be no one to help with fighting kids.
There would be no one to make Saturday waffles.
There would be no reason to make cookie dough.
There would be no one to help manage the chaos we call life.
There would be no reason to fall through the toilet seat.

Without Spencer, who would find creative ways to use leftovers?
Who would leave socks in rare places so I can spend my free time picking them up?
Who would support my vain addictions (scrapbooking and shopping to name a few)?
Who would remind me to say my prayers and read my scriptures?
Who would insist that I take time for myself?
Who would beat me in Scrabble?

Without Spencer, I would have full command of the remote control.
I would watch chick flicks whenever I wanted.
I would have a clean bedroom.
I would eat Way to many candy bars.

Without Spencer, I would not enjoy long road trips.
I would not need to color coordinate his clothes to make it easier for him to find things.(and to hear him say "where are my..." every time he gets ready in the morning)
I would not have someone to run to the store when I forget something.
I would not have seen Star Trek 32 times.

Without Spencer, I would not laugh every single day.
Without Spencer, I would not have so much fun planning the future.
Without Spencer, I would not have such wonderful memories.
Without Spencer, I would not enjoy today.

Without Spencer, my life would not be complete. He is the cheese to my macaroni.
The caramel to my ice cream. The cherries to my pie. The sauce to my spaghetti. The butter to my toast. The jalapeno to my salsa. The beans to my burrito. The cookies to my milk.The bun to my burger. The sugar to my tea. The pork to my chops. Ya da, Ya da, Ya da... I think you get the picture.

Just a little shout out to my Honey. Thanks for all that you do. Without you life would definitely be boring.

Grandma comes to town.

2010-01-04T09:12:00.000-08:00

Grandma Daw came to town and stayed for a visit. We always love when Grandma Daw comes to play with us. We had a lot of fun just relaxing, going out to eat, shopping and just hanging out with each other. She always spoils us and we love her so much.

We even had time to teach Grandma how to play poker. She was a natural. Her and Kaden were kicking out butts. We had alot of fun and look forward to another visit from Grandma.

Slacker!

2009-12-17T13:17:00.000-08:00

I have been probably the #1 slacker of all time, when it comes to blogging the important stuff. Sad to say, but so many things have happened in the last 6 months, that I haven't blogged or recorded. I read some amazing blogs (Mary) and it makes me feel so inadequate as a blogger. I feel the need to be as entertaining, and funny as some others (Mary). And I have good intentions of blogging, but then life takes hold and other things become more important.
There is no excuse, for not recording the funny,the sad, the cute, and the happy memories that my family has made. So I'm making a resolution before the New Year. And I'm going to TRY to blog at least once a week. But before I start, I think I better finish what I'm starting. So bear with me, this post will be filled with lots of picutes and stories of the things that has happened to us in the last 6 months. And hopefully those who are reading this will not be bored.

We moved back to Yakima, from taking a long but short "Vacation" in Southern California. Where we moved in with my mom, and CRAMMED ten people into a two bedroom house. This is where Spencer learned "GANG" signs. He was thinking of starting a business (since he was no longer employed) of teaching some other 30 year old white men to learn gang signs. There wasn't a lot of interest, so that idea was bagged quickly.
Since, Spencer was no longer working, that meant he and I had a lot of free time together and as a family to do things. We went camping with some of good friends from Yakima 2ND Ward. Where we did lots of relaxing, eating, hiking, playing games, and enjoying each others company.Thanks Dave and Kathy! You guys totally rock!

We also had plenty of time to visit family. We went to Grandmas house in Smithfield, Utah

Took a trip to Bear Lake!
A trip to Temple Square was next.

Then off to the annual Daw Family Reunion in Island Park. Where we had a total blast with family we hadn't seen in a year. We loved being able to spend time, and relax with everyone! Lots of good food, fun games, water skiing, tubing, hikes, trips to West Yellowstone, stories of reunion pasts, haircuts and waxing ( for those who needed it) from Aunt Mai,fun crafts, canoeing and lots of time with the fam!

My baby girl turned the "BIG" 11! She is growing up too fast. And we are so proud of the young lady she is becoming! She had the chance to celebrate with everyone at the reunion.

This summer was by far the "BEST" summer "EVER"! Even though Spencer didn't have a job, and we were getting by, by the skin of out teeth, and there was NO INCOME, we never lost sight of what was most important. We definetly saw the Lords hand this year, and are so grateful for the blessings we have received!

We came back home from all of our adventures. And quickly there after school started. Brianna is now officially a Middle Schooler. She reminded us everyday for a month, how cool it was to be in Middle School. Kaden started 4th Grade, and was glad to be back with his partners in crime. Sophie and Emily also started school. Pre-school! And I thoroughly enjoyed my "Free Time"!

By this time Spenc had found a job. Hallelujah! Thank the Lord! We had moved into a tiny apartment. But we weren't complaining (at least not much), we had or own SMALL space to call our own. Things were definetly looking up. The kids were so happy to be back in Yakima. Little did they know, we were thinking of moving them again. This time to Pasco. When we told them, they cried like babies. But we tried to explain to them, Life SUCKS, get over it. But, it still didn't help with the crying. We will always remember our fun times in that SMALL apartment.

Right before our move, Brianna had a band concert. She plays the trumphet. And in a small apartment with neighbors, not good. But we all survived ( as long as we had cotton in our ears). And I think the neighbors survived too.

The next BIG event I missed was Halloween. This year I thought it would be fun to make costumes for the little girlies. NOT!!! I figured out I'm not a seamstress, not even one in the making. And I will never have mad sewing skills. I know...sad, but true! Fortunetly I had an awesome friend who was willing to help me through this very painful and stressful time in my life. The costumes turned out great! Thanks Julia!

Soph,had a few fun fieldtrips this year in preschool. She went to the Pumpkin Patch, and the Fire Station. She absolutely LOVES preschool! And it's fun to watch her grow up into a very fun 4 year old.

Brianna got a new nickname. She is now BRACE FACE. For the longest time, Brianna has always wanted braces. Her wish finally came true. She was so excited, she could hardly contain herself. She told anyone who would listen to her about her braces. The day finally came, and she was on cloud nine, but then...morning came, and no longer was she a happy girl. I woke up from deep slumber, with her moaning, and crying from the pain. Poor Girl! But even in all that pain, she said it was still worth it.

I turned 34 this year. And it wasn't a big deal. So what if I'm a little bit older, hopefully a tinsy bit wiser, a lot more chunkier, and whole lot happier. Life was good to me this last year.

Life at the Daw home was not boring to say the least. This year had more ups and downs than a 6 flags, 4 star black diamond close your eyes and hold your boobs roller coaster. But.. we got through it. We learned alot about each other and are much closer as a family. We learned what amazing friends and family we have, we are so grateful. And more than anything, we learned that we can make it through just about anything. So life from here on out will be a breeze. Onery boss at work... no problem. Daughter becoming a mouthy teenager.. bring it on! Two little girls that drive us to the edge of sanity... walk in the park baby. Oh yeah, the world is our oyster (what a weird saying, oysters are slimey and kinda gross, why would I want one... but I digress). Until next time, this is the Pasco based Daw family, good night.. and.. good luck.

Boobies or Chi Chi's?

2009-12-02T17:50:00.000-08:00

As I was cleaning the kitchen, Sophie and Emily were coloring at the table. This is the conversation as I heard it.

Sophie: "Emily you color really pretty. I'm coloring mommy as a princess. Mom what is your favorite color?"

Me: "Red"

Sophie: "Mom do you want jewels on your crown?"

Me: "Sure, that would be great."

Emily: "I'm coloring a picture for mommy too. Sophia, can you help me color the crown?"

Sophie (talking to Emily): " I wish I knew how to color chi chi's."

Emily: "Sophia, they're not chi chi's, they're boobies. Look ( as she pulls her shirt up to her neck to make sure Sophie can see where she is pointing.) I have boobies. See Sophia, look, I have boobies."

Sophie ( without even taking her eyes off her drawing): "Emily, those aren't boobies, they're chi chi's. I have chi chi's."

Me (silently laughing)

So boobies or chi chi's? Which one is it for you?

C. U. P.

2009-11-19T15:07:00.000-08:00

So we're moving. And I don't know about all of you, but when we move I like to have the whole house cleaned before we pack. (So it is easier to pack when everything is put away and in it's place.) Well got up way to early and started to do all the small little things that had to be done before the movers came. One of the things I did was clean the bathrooms. For those of you with little kids you know how they like to fill every cup possible with water and leave it there for the next time, so they can dump cold water on each other. I try to dump all the water out, but sometimes laziness get the best of me.
So I'm in the bath, dumping all the water out of the 30 cups, saucers, pitchers, and any other container the kids have water in. I get to the last one and I notice it's really murky. To my amazement it isn't water. It's pee! Yucky, smelly, gross yellow stinky pee! Your probably wondering, "Who in the world would do such a gross and disgusting thing?" I'll give you one guess. KADEN! My sweet, innocent, never does anything wrong Kaden!
When he gets home, I pull him aside and ask him a simple trick question, "Kaden, did you pee in the bathroom?" As soon as I say it, his face registers to the grossness that happened in the morning. But he tries to play it off. So I say " You know what I'm talking about right?" He lowers his head, and says "yes" because he knows he is already in trouble. I ask him " Where did you pee?" He responds with "C. U. P."I laughed so hard, I almost peed. Oh, I love that kid, even if he is gross.

UUGGGHHH!

2009-11-03T13:50:00.000-08:00

Have you ever had a day, where you just want to run away? You really don't care where you go, as long as you get out of the house away from cleaning, laundry and screaming kids. I'm thinking about locking myself into the bathroom with a thick book, and not coming out until Spencer gets home. Which will be sometime around 6:30 or 7 tonight. Do you think anyone would notice? Or will I have 2 little girls crying and knocking on my door asking me to come out? Anyone want to come and save me?

Just you wait...You'll see. You'll ALL see!

2009-10-22T22:23:00.000-07:00

It's inevitable. It will happen one day and then you will know. You will find yourself with four small creatures that you created by your own free will and choice. These creatures will start out tiny and helpless and cute. This is their way of tricking you. You will feed them. They will get bigger. And then the creatures will begin to argue with you. They will talk back. They will demand things. They will draw with sharpie on your favorite living room chair. You will make threats. They will throw their heads back in laughter at your threats. You will do something you promised the universe you would never do. You will say things your mother used to say. These phrases might include: "You are suffering the consequences of your own actions" and "I brought you into this world, I can take you out!" They will jump on you and pull your hair in response. They will tell people at church that you didn't answer the door when the doorbell rang yesterday because you were naked. They will scream at the grocery store at the top of their lungs "Help! This is not my mommy!" There will be many more antics, but I will not go into that now because I wouldn't want to depress or frighten you.

One day you will walk through your once quiet and calm home. There will be globs of toothpaste on the bathroom counter. There will be red crayon on the walls of your hallway. There will be clothes that were freshly folded only two hours before scattered all over the laundry room floor and the basket they were in will have turned into a "boat" somewhere else in the house. There will be dried juice on the kitchen floor that makes your shoes stick. There will be tiny hair bows of every shape and size tucked in the sofa crevices. There will be a Dora doll wearing your husbands garment top and your $80 glasses sitting on the sharpie chair mocking you with her permanent smile. And then you will make your way to the creatures' head quarters where you may or may not still be able to see a bed. You will wander into the creature's lair, but this is a mistake because you will step on a tiny black Lego that with jab so far into the bottom of your foot that it pierces your sole. You will want to scream naughty words at the top of your lungs but you will stifle your scream because of all the "little ears" that are surely lurking nearby. Instead you will bite your fist and squeak out a small cry. It is a cry for help but no one will hear you. At this point you will turn around and see your husband standing in the doorway. He will have a look of despair and confusion on his face that mirrors yours. You will stand side by side taking it in in total silence (aside from the screaming and complete chaos taking place in the living room as the creatures dance to the music of "The Wiggles" who you vow to strangle should you ever meet in person). You will look into each others eyes and there will be no need for words. Your minds will communicate with one other. First his brain will say, "What have we done?" and then yours will say, "I don't know, but it's too late now." and then his brain will say, "It's never too late! I've heard of gypsies who come through town and buy children. It's worth looking into." Suddenly a wave of motivation mixed with the devil's rage will surge through both your veins and you will summonthe creatures in your most intimidating voice. You will stand in the doorway with your hands on your hips and shout out commands pointing wildly at the mess. The creatures will put up a fight. There will be stomping of feet and gnashing of teeth. The air will be thick with defiance, but this is a fight you MUST win. They will sulk in the tub after losing "The Cleaning of the Room Battle of '09". They will pout begrudgingly as you scrub them clean of all the filth. You will silently attempt to scrub off some of the naughtiness in the process. This attempt will be in vain. You will help the creatures say their prayers by having them say things like, "Please help us to be gentle and loving and to obey mommy and daddy." This attempt will also be in vain. The creatures will eventually fall asleep but not before goofing around for half an hour, falling off the bed, and demanding a Hello Kitty band aid be applied to a patch of perfectly healthy skin. You and your husband will collapse on the sofa. You will lay there limp and expressionless for an hour. And then the unexplainable will happen. It always does. You will actually begin to MISS the creatures! Why would you do it? So you will stealthfully sneak into each one of their freshly tidied bedrooms and hover over their beds. You will watch the newly bathed peaceful creatures as they sleep. You will say words like "angels" and "sweet". You will ooh and aah and pat one another on the back at your perfect little masterpieces. Then the little fat one will stir, threatening to awaken and you will tear out of there so fast your head will spin. Your heart will be pounding with fear and terror. This serves you right.

I wish you all the best of luck with this very special and obnoxious rite of passage. Later you can ask me who stole my brain straight out of my head when the decision is inevitably made to expand the creatures' numbers to five.

The Hammer

2009-10-19T21:54:00.000-07:00

I never really fancied myself as the as an authoritarian or just a big meanie. And most of the time I'm not. I'm just a big lovable teddy bear who melts when he sees his two little girls. Ok, that's not totally true. I don't really melt when they take a razor to my computer monitor, pour paint all over themselves, put my phone in the toilet, jump head first into my privates, dump all the body wash into the tub... need I say more. BUT.... I usually am just a big furry (except on top of my head) lovable, Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent. Wait a minute, that's a scout. I guess I'm one of those too. But I digress...
In a nutshell, I'm pretty mellow most of the time. Well, most of the time comes to an abrupt end at bed time. In an instant, I go from being fun lovable dad... and into... THE HAMMER. I don't know what it is about bed time that makes me so crazy. I guess I just like to have every thing orderly and expeditiously. So when I go to bed, I don't really like to hear the following: 1) I forgot to do my homework (here's the kicker) and it's going to take me an hour. 2) I forgot about my science project that will require you to run around town like a mad man till midnight tonight to make it happen. And to a lesser degree: 3) I forgot to brush my teeth. 4) Can I get a drink. 5) I forgot to eat dinner. 6) I want another story. 7) Kaden's touching me. 8) Brianna won't let me have the book. .. yada yada. I could go on for pages. I suppose that if those things were the exception to the rule, it probably wouldn't bug me. But the fact that they happen.... every... night... drive... me to the... brink ... o f s a n i t yyyy. And probably just a teensy weensy bit over. I find my self just repeating over and over,"Just go to bed". The way I say it changes as the night goes on though. It starts out very polite. "Please small child, just go to bed cherished little one". Then a little bit annoyed, "Will you just go to bed already". Then just a touch of the Hammer, "GO TO BED NOW!". And finally, with a faint sob,"for the love of all that is good in this world, please go to bed before go into a full nervous break down". Once my children have seen that they have taken me through this gamet of emotion, they dutifully go to bed. "No more damage can be inflicted tonight" is what they whisper to each other...
Anyway.. last night was one of those nights when they were just getting on my last nerve. Sophia and Emmy were just playing non-stop in thier bed and wouldn't go to sleep. So I took Sophie and laid her on the floor in our room and told her to go to sleep. After just a second, she started to cry and begged "The Hammer" to let her lay down with mommy. Oh, and she also said something about some stupid spider... like that would matter to a 3 year old that is terrified of spiders. Just man up and go to sleep!! The following was recounted to me by a patient loving wife trying to teach me something. After I left the room, Sophia began to sing softly "Follow the Prophet" over and over again. You see, mommy had taugh Sophia to sing a hymn when she was really scared... Susi called Sophia to the bed and brushed away her fears and rocked her to sleep. It was at this point that I realized that I needed to change my approach a little bit to putting the kids to sleep. I get so wrapped up in making sure they are sleeping, I stop listening to them and ignoring what they are telling me. When I do listen to the, hold them, read them stories and am patient with them, they go to sleep wonderfully. The Hammer realized that he needed to drop the tough guy act and just love the kiddies at bed time. makes a huge differnence. Anyway, that's about enough...

Update!

2009-10-13T09:34:00.001-07:00

I just know all of you were waiting anxiously for another post about my diet so here it goes. I've lost 17 lbs. so far. The diet is hard! But I think the hardest thing has been my cravings! I'm not hungry but, I'm always craving stuff I can't have. Making food for the family is hard too. I have to sit at the dinner table and watch them eat the delicious meals I prepare for them, and stare at my pitiful plate of chicken and vegetables. When all I really want to do is steal food off their plate and stuff my face.
But, I have to remind myself that the end result will be well worth it. Right? Please say "yes". Nothing taste as good as skinny feels. At least thats what they say. But I'm not too discouraged. I've lost 13 inches of my body. And trying on clothes is actually a little more fun. I'm liking what I see in the mirror.
So on to the next 17 lbs. Wish me luck!

Dieting

2009-09-12T11:09:00.000-07:00

So I started a new diet. I hate dieting, but I hate being over weight more. I have done almost everything out there except for surgery, and nothing seems to work. I did Jenny Craig for about 3 months, but found that I was always hungry, and it was really too expensive. I have worked out here and there and found little to no success losing weight. Don't get me wrong, working out made me feel better, but it was really hard to work out and not really see any results as far as losing any weight. I tried Weight Watchers with Spencer and had little success, but while I was losing maybe a pound a week, he was losing 5.
After about 3 months of dieting, I had lost 8 while he had lost 22. Then for Christmas one year, Spencer gave me 12 sessions with a personal trainer for a present. Believe it or not, I was extremely happy to receive such a gift. I was put on a strict 1200 calorie diet, and worked out 2 hours a day 5-6 days a week for a whole 3 months. And in those 3 months I lost 1 pound! Yes, you read correctly, 1 pound! Again I felt discouraged. But, I didn't give up. I tried another new diet. This time it was L.A. weight loss. My mother-in-law did it, and had great success. I for sure thought that this would finally work. I tried it for 3 months and I didn't even lose a pound. Talk about taking a razor to my wrists. OK, I would never do that, but needless to say I cried alot. I went to my Dr. and asked if there was some drug I could take, to make me less hungry. She politely said in a round about way that I need to stop being lazy, and even though I was mildly obese, to get off my fat a** and work out and follow a strict diet. UUGGGHHHH!!! Was she not listening to me when I told her in detail that I had been on a strict diet and was working out daily. Anyway, she made an appointment for me to get some blood work done, to make sure I didn't have a thyroid problem. So I'm like "YAY", maybe that's my problem. But, no it wasn't. My test results came back normal. So, I gave up. What was the point of eating chalk and working out all the time and not seeing any results? I had missed my double chocolate cake with milk chocolate frosting. Not to mention, brownies, bagels with cream cheese, $200 dollar cookies, french fries, blueberry muffins, and diet Pepsi.
So I made up my mind that my body liked to be FAT! And that I was going to have to go through this life PLUMP!( to say the least) I was never going to be able to go shopping and look in the mirror and be happy to see my "mildly obese" self looking back at me. So I started my new diet. It was "eat whatever I want" diet. My mind was made up. I was just going to have to live with what I looked like and be happy. So I did. And it was fun while it lasted, and then one day, while on vacation, my sister-in-law mentioned this new diet her friend was doing. She had lost 60 pounds in 4 months. And you didn't have to work out! So I said "sign me up!" OK,I didn't sign up right then and there, I did some research,and found that the diet could actually work. Or maybe I just hoped it would because I had tried so many other things. So for our 14th anniversary, Spencer surprised me with the diet program. I was a little scared and hesitant to try it, because, this diet is like no other diet I have ever been on. And you have to give yourself a shot 6 days out of the week. But I figured I tried everything else already, what would it hurt to try this one. I've been on it for 6 days now and have lost 6 POUNDS!!!!! I can't hardly believe it! I have worked out and dieted and not lost nearly as much as I have on this diet.

So, the reason for this post, is to keep myself accountable for staying on this diet and if I know that other people know about my diet program, they could keep me on track. In the past I have done diets and worked out and not told anyone (except for Spencer) because I didn't want to feel like a failure. And I didn't want people to say that I couldn't finish what I started. So if you see me diving for a Snickers bar at Rosaures, tackle me down and slap be back to reality.

(FYI Before and after pictures will be posted after the after pictures are ready.) So stay tuned.

And I want to give a little shout out to my hubby, for loving me just the way I am. Unconditionally fat or skinny. Always telling me that I'm sexy and beautiful, lying to me when I ask him if I look fat, and giving me encouragement when I need it. Thanks Babe! I love you!

9/11

2009-09-11T16:18:00.000-07:00

It has been 8 years since the September 11 attacks, and I can clearly remember where I was, and what I was doing. There are moments in my life when confronted about,I have no idea what happened. I draw a blank. Spencer will ask me all the time of things we have done or if I remember this or that. Again I draw a BLANK.
But I could tell you everything about that day. How I woke up in the early morning, with a daily ritual of turning on the t.v. and watching Good Morning America. Brianna was only 3 and Kaden was 2. They were busy playing with their toys in their room. I remember sitting in my bed under the covers. It was gloomy outside,and a little chilly, unusual for San Diego. On the t.v. they were talking about the twin towers and how a plane had just crashed into the first tower. I was shocked to say the least. I was mesmerized and couldn't believe what I was hearing and witnessing. Then out of nowhere a second plane came flying in and strikes the second tower. I felt my heart pounding out of my chest and I was paralyzed. Then I started to cry.

I felt extreme saddness for all those who lost their lives. The images of people jumping to their death, the smoke bellowing from the windows, people running from the site, and people running to the site.

I called Spencer and told him what had happened. We were both in shock.

Eight years later and I still have to choke down tears. May we always remember the sacrifices that were made to save lives on that day. And the sacrifices that have been made since keeping us save. We are so grateful to be living in a country where we are still free and grateful to those who keep us free.

School Time!

2009-08-31T17:19:00.000-07:00

I don't know about those of you who read my blog, but the 1st day of school is the most exciting day of the year. It almost ranks up there with Christmas morning. Don't get me wrong, I love my kids! And I would do anything for them. As long as I'm not breaking any laws. But, when I drop them off for school, I sing Hallelujah
all the way home. Does that make me a bad mom? Please say "no" and tell me it's normal.
Brianna had a "great" 1st day of middle school. I went to pick her up and and the first thing she said was " I want to do that again!" She even got asked out. She didn't exactly know who asked her out, because the boy who wanted to be her boyfriend,made his friend ask her for him. She said "no". On the second day, it happened again. Only it was a different boy. And he too, made one of his friends ask for him. According to Brianna it's now the "in" thing for your friends to ask out whoever you want to go out with. I told her she was way too young, and she couldn't have a boyfriend until she was at least 20. Of course, her response was with a look of disgust, and she then reminded me that I was married by the time I was 19.
Kaden had to miss the 1st day of school, because he had the flu the day before. Poor kid! While Brianna, was getting all her supplies ready, and picking out her outfit, Kaden was puking in the bathroom. He was really bummed. He roamed the apartment, giving me the run down of what he would be doing if he was at school at 9,10,11,12,etc... Needless to say, he was really excited to start the next day! When I went to pick him up, I went to hold his hand to cross the cross walk, and he very quickly and decisively pulled his hand away. My little boy (because that is how I still see him) is now to COOL to hold my hand. What's next? Will he be to cool to give me a hug? A kiss on the cheek? I started to tease him and said I was going to walk him into his class and give him a hug and kiss and tell him I love him at the top of my lungs for everyone to see and hear. He didn't like that one bit. My little boy isn't so little anymore.
The 1st week of school went really fast. The kids have enjoyed going back and were really excited to see all there friends again. And I have enjoyed my semi-quiet time with the girlies. Only two more years and I will be all alone. What am I going to do with all that time?

My lists of 8's

2009-08-04T23:11:00.000-07:00

Ok,ok, I guess I will give the WHOLE 3 people who read my blog something to read. Thanks Charity for giving me something to do @ 11:30 at night. I've had a lot of time on my hands lately. But that's for another blog later.

So here it goes.

8 Things I Did Yesterday

1. Took all 4 kids to the Dentist.
2. Made roast beef sandwiches for me and Spencer. ( I tried to make food for the kids, but they wanted to do it themselves. So NO, I didn't forget to feed my kids.)
3. Went swimming with the kids @ the Smarts home. ( Super Cool family in our ward who we all absolutely love. Thanks for letting us enjoy your pool!!)
4. Waited for Spencer to get back from his interview in Tri-Cities.
5. Went to my Moms house to eat very yummy flautas.
6. Cleaned the apartment.
7. Gave Spencer medical attention. ( he burned his hand, arm and face with boiling water. All because he was trying to help me in the kitchen. I know I married a keeper.)
8. Stayed up way to late to watch a stupid movie.

8 Favorite shows.

1. The Young and the Restless ( I know, I know, dumb, and it is such a housewife thing to do. But I'm addicted.)

2. So You Think You Can Dance ( Love this show!)

3. The Bachlorette ( Another stupid show, but ADDICTED)

4. Lost

5. Heroes (Wish it was ON!!!)

6. Dancing with the Stars

7. Greys Anatomy

8. Ugly Betty

8 Favorite Restaurants

1. New Thai ( You have to try the Orange Beef, melts in your mouth)
2. Red Robin and the bottomless fries! Yum!
3. Mongolian Grill ( I could probably eat there everyday.)
4. Xochmilco ( Finding good authentic Mexican food is hard and this one is soo good!)
5. Outback
6. Wing n Things ( only in Southern Cali, and I couldn't get enough of it. Making my mouth water just thinking about it!)
7. Chipotle ( shredded pork tacos rock!)
8. In n Out ( another Cali fast food restaurant, that I love. Especially the protein burger, and animal fries. )

Just a shout out to Girls Night Out, and all my wonderful and beautiful peeps who come and are willing to try new and fun restaurants. With out you guys life would definitely be boring.

8 Things I Look Forward To

1. Kids going back to school.( I love my kids to pieces, but living in this very small and cozy apt. is claustrophobic. The older kids going to school would help alleviate the situation.)

2. Shopping at Target (I have missed MY store!)

3. Shopping @ Costco ( I know this sounds funny, but since Spencer lost his job we haven't been able to shop at these 2 stores. And I'm so looking forward to goin back.)

4. Playing the piano (ever since I was little, I have always wanted to learn. I think I'm ready now. Anyone know of some piano teachers?)

5. Going back to school ( I'm still trying to decide what it is I want to do. Anyone have any suggestions?)

6. Losing weight. ( this has been a never ending story with me. I just love food to much. If only someone could come up with a pill (not to suppress your appetite) but a pill to make the food taste bad, then maybe, just maybe I could be a size 5 again. oh the joy!)

7. Take my family on a cruise. Now wouldn't that be nice!

8. Learn how to sew.( Always wanted to learn. So I can make my girlies cute dresses. How fun would that be?!!)

8 People I Tag

1. Jana, ( Because I know you will do it.At least I hope you will:)

2. Saimi ( Thanks for always commenting on my blog. I know at least one person reads it. And I thought you would have fun with this.)

3. Mary ( Take some time off from packing and make us laugh. You are so funny. you need to write a book!)

4. Destiny ( if you haven't already had you baby)

5. MaryAnn ( Because you know there is probably a good chance we could be in-laws in the distant future :) And I need to know what restaraunt to take to you to.

6. Christy ( Just because I love you)

7. Lindsay

8. Ashley Y. ( I would love to get to know you better.)

Families are Forever

2009-07-23T23:12:00.000-07:00

On our way to the Daw Reunion, we decided it would be fun to spend a day in Salt Lake and walk around Temple Square. We had planned to go to The Church History Museum and the Visitors Center, but didn't make it because after watching the film Joseph Smith the Prophet, the little girlies got tired. So I didn't get to see everything I would have liked to have seen. But,being there with my family made me so grateful for the blessing of Temples. And the opportunity we all have to be Families Forever. I couldn't imagine not having my family any less than for eternity. I am truly grateful for my family. And knowing we will be togehter forever is an amazing blessing.

G-ma's House

2009-07-23T22:46:00.001-07:00

How we love to go to G-ma's, let me count the ways.

1. she's and awesome cook!

2. we get absolutely spoiled whenever we visit.

3. she takes us shopping

4. she lets us take naps while she babysits the kids.

5. she's fun to be with.

6. we love her cookies.

7. she lets us use her hot tub as a swimming pool.

8. she lets us eat all her junk food, and drink her endless supply of soda.

9. she gives GREAT hugs.

10. and just because we LOVE her SO MUCH!

We had so much fun visiting G-ma Daw! We can't wait to do it again next year. We love you G-ma!!!

Following Orders

2009-06-18T02:40:00.000-07:00

As a parent, we all share the frustration of dissobedient children. We love them no matter what, but we always wish they would listen just a little better. For those of you who need that little shot in the arm, that assurance that there is light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to child training, I've just the balm that will sooth your tormented soul. Kaden is an interesting boy, always has been. He's about as mellow as the day is long. Even when his sisters are blowing our ear drums out with screams, his voice is barely audible. I really don't think I've ever heard him yell. Screaming is a different story all together, he used to go into histarics at the sight of flies... I digress. Point being, the kid is about as easy as they come. Nearly always does what you ask, rarely ever complains. On one particular May evening, Kaden had had quite a full day and even stayed up a bit past his bed time. So, as some 5 yr olds do, he just crashed on the couch in his dirty smelly clothes (underware included). For Susi, this was intolerable ( I honestly didn't really care, clothes are clothes..). So she rattled him awake and ordered him to the bathroom to change and of course put on a clean fresh pair of undies. Kaden dutifully arose and headed to the bathroom to take care of business. It was only about 5 minutes later that we realized that it shouldn't take quite this long to get changed and to bed, so I went to check on the poor chap only to find that he'd still not changed into his proper undies and was in fact curled up on the floor. I riled the poor kid and told him to get his clean skivvies on immediately and go to bed. His room was off the family room and I recall hearing him stumble into bed, but didn't bother to inspect his atire (to see if the kid and dressed properly for bed). Well, curiousity got the best of me and I decided to see for my self if the boy had done as he was told. Upon seeing him in his bed, my heart brimmed with pride as I saw that my son had done PRECICELY what he was told. Sure enough, he had put the fesh undies on.... his head. I suppose that's what I get for not being specific.

Fun with Dad

2009-06-09T21:45:00.000-07:00

When we lived in California, Kaden and Spencer made a Dinosaur cake for cub scouts. All the Dads and boys had to make the cake all by themselves with no help from mom. Let me tell you, I had a very hard time with that rule. I had to bite my tongue on several occasions. But I'm glad I did. The boys had a blast making the "bones" out of cookie dough and I think the cake turned out GREAT. We had fun at pack meeting,and saw some pretty awesome cakes. Although, there were some that made me question if moms did help just a little. Each of the boys received a certificate and we had fun trying all the yummy cakes at the end.

Happy 3rd Birthday Emily!

2009-06-08T16:34:00.000-07:00

I know I'm about 3 weeks late, but I wanted to share with everyone my babies 3rd birthday. It's hard to believe she's three. Time really does go by fast. We spent the day at Toys R Us where she picked out her present ( thanks Grandma Daw and Grandpa Lynn). It wasnt a hard choice, she knew exactly what she wanted. A baby and accessories. We love you baby girl! Happy Birthday BBJ!

Superior Housewife, Yes I am!

2009-06-06T22:32:00.000-07:00

As a 1930s wife, I am
Superior

Take the test!

So I found this test on one of my friends blog and I thought it would be fun to find out what kind of housewife I would be in 1930. Obviously I'm awesome. What else is there to say.

Stressed Out

2009-05-05T16:12:00.000-07:00

So these past coule of week haven't been the best. I've never been so stressed out. Hence no new posts. To make a very long story short, Spencer decided that working down here in California, wasn't his best decision. So we are moving back to Yakima. We can't move back to our house, because we rented it out for a year. We don't really want to kick out the renters of our other rental, because they are excellent renters. So we are moving in with my Mom. Who only has 2 yes 2 bedrooms (Sooo not looking forward to that)! Anyways, we have no job, and no house. Crazy, I know, but really there is no other option. I've done all my crying, now I just laugh. And of course eat(not good). I find that when I'm stressed, I eat. And eat I did, have, and probably will for a while. On a good note, I'm so happy to be going back to Yakima ( never thought I would say that). I have missed ALL my good friends, and am looking forward to seeing them again. And of course I've missed my family. Yakima or Bust!

My Mom ROCKS!

2009-03-31T18:23:00.000-07:00

I love my Mom. She rocks on so many levels. I really had a lot fun when she came down to visit. It wasn't long enough. But we made the best of it. I appreciate her more, now that I'm a mother too. She really is the best. What else can I say, but that I miss her everyday, now that I'm far away. I miss going over to her home, and her spoiling my family with love and of course yummy food. Now I look forward to
her phone call everyday. She truly is one of my best friends. Love you MOM!

Freakin Scary!

2009-03-31T17:38:00.000-07:00

"You FREAKIN scared me Daddy!" was what Sophie said to Spencer when he walked by her with this spider. It "FREAKIN" scared me too. Let me start from the beginning. My mother-in-law was coming to visit, so of course, everything had to be cleaned. That's just the way I am. I guess it really doesn't matter who comes, EVERYTHING needs to be cleaned. I'm anal, I know. But, she was coming and everything was cleaned including the garage. I was moving boxes, and bent down to grab a box, when i noticed something in the corner of my eye. When we first moved in we thought we had mice in the garage, so Spencer put out mouse traps. The sticky kind. So as I was picking up a box, I saw this spider stuck in the trap. I thought, "Wow that's an ugly looking spider. So glad it's there and not under this box." I turned my head and started to lift the box from the ground, when a spider twice as big as the one in the trap scurried away. Ok, maybe it was the same size but it looked huge. Anyway, it FREAKIN scared me so I screamed and ran the other way. Meanwhile, Sophie is sitting 10 feet away playing on a box, when I hear a blood curdling scream from her. She apparently saw the spider too(by the way Sophie is deathly scared of spiders) and started to scream and cry at the same time. I yell to Brianna to get Spencer, he runs out thinking something horrible had happened. I tell him a spider as big as my fist is over by the boxes, and if he could please kill it. He finds it,and kills it, and all is well. He then grabs the spider stuck in the trap, looks at it and walks towards Sophie. Not to scare her, just to look at it in better light. He comes back (empty handed) and that's when Sophie says "You FREAKIN scared me daddy." We both just laugh. Needless to say, I was scared to pick up any more boxes. And Sophie decided it was safer to play in the house.

Oceanside Beach

2009-03-25T11:36:00.001-07:00

Are you jealous? One of the many luxuries of living in Southern California is the great weather! While everyone is still wearing jackets and sweaters, we are wearing swimsuits, flip flops, and going to the beach. We had a blast playing in the water, making sand castles, searching for sea shells, and burying each other in the sand. No doubt we'll be during this a lot in the summer, especially since it has been known to reach 115 degrees where we live. There is now better thing than going to the beach with family. At least that's what Kaden says. So come and visit! We would love to have any family and friends to hang out with!

Egg Drop

2009-03-25T10:28:00.000-07:00

This year, Kaden got the chance to make a vessel for his egg drop project. He went with the space ship theme. He had fun making it,and I had fun throwing it against to the house to make sure the egg wouldn't break. Unfortunately his "space ship" wasn't so lucky when he had to test it at school. Considering he told me about this project 1 day before it was due, I think he did a great job. Now we just have to work on his Venus project.

Hide and Seek

2009-03-21T08:43:00.000-07:00

Family Home Evening is so much fun now that we can spend it with Jr. and Trica. I'm not saying it wasn't fun before, it's just now more interesting. I love being able to get together, have dinner, a lesson, a game, and of course yummy dessert. This past FHE we had fun hiding the little kids in unusual places. Sophie got to hide in the trash can. She did so good being quiet and still. Kaden was having a hard time finding her. He actually found her on accident. He went to throw something in the trash and she said "hey". To funny.

Sleepover!

2009-03-02T13:09:00.000-08:00

Since we live so close to Jr. & Trica, it's easy to let the kids sleep over. Sophie got an invitation, and was so excited, she packed her bags. All of her bags. She came into our room and said "I'm ready!" Of course I had to take a picture.

A day at the park...and a bit more

2009-02-28T22:06:00.000-08:00

Well, it's about time I get off of my laurels and start contributing to our family blog. I've been a spectacular dissapointment up till now.

It was just me and the kids for the most part today. We fulfilled our weekly ritual of eating waffles this morning. After that, Susi went to a bachelorette party with Trica. I'm not sure why, but she left with like 50 one dollar bills. Whatever could they have been for.... hhmmm...

Anyway, after she left I got the kids ready to go over to Jr's house to hang out. Before we left, I had to fix Brianna's bike tire, the air stem was in crooked. So, in order to remedy this non-conformance, I inflated and deflated the tire and tried to move it. During one of the reinflations, I noticed that the side wall of the tire had popped out. It barely had time to register in my head when a heard a deafening gun shot sound. After my "Stop-Drop-and-Roll" routine, I came to the realization that I had over-inflated Brianna's tire. This had the net effect of causing, well, a mini-explosion. One that sounded remarkably like a gun shot. So, feeling lucky that I escaped that near death experience, I continued on w/ the kids to Jr's house. We took the kids to the park and had a heck of alot of fun playing ball and watching the kids.

After we got done at the park, we went back to Jr's house. He made some keeler carne asada and I dug for change in all the cars so could go buy us some soda's. After lunch, it was mandatory nap time for all the kids. No questions asked. And what do dad's do when their kids are sleeping? There is only one right answer to that if you are a true dad ( I don't want want to hear any of you sissy's say "Do honey Do's"). You exercise your fatherly right and take a Saturday afternoon nap. I managed to sleep pretty well despite Jr sawing logs.

Potty trained!!

2009-02-28T20:25:00.000-08:00

I don't know why I waited so long to potty train Emily. I thought she wasn't ready. But it was me who wasn't ready. I was afraid that I would be stuck in the house for a week setting the timer every 20minutes, changing wet and poopie undies, and cleaning the carpet because she didn't make it to the bathroom, and the thought of that just depressed me. Also, she's my baby. This just meant that she's leaving the baby stage and going on to the toddler stage. Which saddens me, since she is our last. But then I remember it isn't as bad as I thought it would be. It never really is. All the other kids did great. So I prayed Emily would be the same. And she did. It only took her a couple times to catch on and it was the BEST DAY EVER when she did. Plus, the incentive of gummy bears works wonders. No more wet or poopie diapers!!! Now it's big girl undies for my baby. What a glorious day!

Happy Birthday Kaden!

2009-02-27T09:31:00.000-08:00

I can't believe your nine! It seems it was only yesterday, that I was holding you in my arms. Rocking you to sleep. Hugging and kissing you all over, just because. Staring at you chubby little cheeks, and wishing I could have that moment forever. You were such a good baby. You never cried. Not even when you were hungry or tired. Maybe because I was always holding and loving on you. You were content to play by yourself. But if Brianna wanted to join you, it didn't bother you. You found happiness playing in the dirt, coloring, sitting in your elmo chair watching t.v., chewing gum, playing with cars,and taking bubble baths was your favorite. I loved every growing moment with you. Especially now that you are our only boy. I can hardly get mad at you, and I rarely say no to you. I cherish the nightly hug and good night. I never want that to end! Even when your a teenager I hope you will come into the bedroom and remind me that you love me.
I'm looking forward to more silly faces, smart and funny come backs, not so funny jokes, wonderful artistic drawings, puppy dog eyes, the sound of your contagious laugh, the way you say "Oookaay" whenever we ask you to do something, and your gummy smile. I love you Buddy! You have truly been a blessing in our lives, and I'm so glad your a part of it.
Love you more than the stars in the sky!
Mom

Uncle Jr. thought it would be funny to shove a cupcake in his face. He didn' appreciate it, but we did. It was a great Kodak moment.

For the longest time Kaden was terrified of Chuck E. He would scream bloody murder and run the other way. The other people that were there would look at us as if we were beating our child. I was afraid someone was going to report us to CPS. So whenever we went we had to make sure Chuck E. was not in view of Kaden or else all hell would break lose. One time, we were so desperate, Spencer requested for Chuck E. not to come out at all while we were there. And he didn't. I think they remembered us from our previous visits, and decided not to take any chances. Thanks Chuck E. Cheeses! But, he eventually grew out of it, and now we just tease him until he gets frustrated, makes a funny face, and says "MOM, DAD!"

San Diego Zoo

2009-02-26T23:05:00.000-08:00

Last year for Spring Break we came down to San Diego and did the whole Disneyland, Wild Animal Park and San Diego Zoo experience. We had bought a season pass for the Zoo, and it was still good when we moved down here. So we decided to go to the zoo last Saturday. We were supposed to leave at 10 in the morning, but didn't get out of the house until 11:30. Which is the story of our lives. A trip that was supposed to take an hour took 2 hours. California traffic is disgusting! I hate it with a passion. I miss the times when I was the only one driving on the road and wasn't stuck behind idiot drivers who are goosenecking just to look at construction on the side of the road. Idiots!Anyways, the long and irritating drive just seems to bring out the worst in me. Every noise and loud talking (mostly sreaming) was driving me close to insanity. Mostly because our DVD player in the Yukon was broken, so there was no distraction for the kids. I really don't know how we lived with out one when we were growing up. The DVD player is my best friend. And that day my best friend was on vacation. But we made it with all the kids still whole. It was a fun day, and we can't wait to do it again.

Sophie was in charge of the map. She decided that she was the tour guide for the day. It was to cute! She was always telling us we were going the right way. And pointing at the map to tell us where we were at.

2009-02-20T19:46:00.000-08:00

I am such a loser! Blogging hasn't come easy for me. Especially when I read all of my friends clever blogs. What is wrong with me? Anyways, I hope to be more consistant and then maybe it will be easier. So hang in there. We really are interesting. I promise!

Not enough room!

2009-01-16T10:46:00.001-08:00

So, we're moving to California. I've been packing for 2 weeks straight. I told myself I was only going to take the necessities. So of course the beds, 1 set of couches, clothes, some toys, all my kitchen stuff, and misc. household items that was needed to function in our new home were packed. I sold 2 sets of couches, piano, dining room table, freezer, 2 dressers, crib, toys, 2 coffee tables, outside toys, t.v., pack in play, and grill. Not including all the stuff I gave away, threw away in the trash, and took to the dump. We rented a 24 ft. truck to take all our stuff down. And when I looked at it, I had to reservations that it would not fit all of our stuff. Considering all that was sold, thrown and given away. Boy, was I wrong! Sad to say there was not enough room. It almost makes me sick to think of all the crap( and yes, most of it is crap) that we have accumulated. So lessons learned from moving, 1. NEVER will I EVER buy a big house again!
2. Don't give yourself 2 weeks to pack a 3250 sq ft. home by yourself! And 3. I NEVER want to move again!!!! Unless a moving company does it for me.

Not a good day.

2009-01-14T08:42:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was not a good day! I woke up not wanting to pack. By body was sore, and just plain tired of trying to be supermom. Sophie went in to have her oral surgery(she couldn't eat anything all day, because her appointment was at 2:30p.m. Whoever scheduled that one is a totally idiot! I'm talking about the receptionist), Kaden came home from school complaining of stomach pain, Emily had a fever so high she was shivering. Found out she had an ear infection too. Brianna also has something wrong with her ear, and called twice from school to come home. All this time I was trying to pack, clean, paint, and take care of Ryann. Yes, I agreed to watch my ex-daycare child. Yesterday was not a GOOD day!

I have the Best Friends EVER!

2009-01-08T22:41:00.000-08:00

Wow, was I surprised when I thought I was going on a little errand with Spencer, to find all my really good friends waiting to surprise me at one of my favorite restaurants. One last dinner with the girls. I had so much fun talking, laughing and hanging out with everyone! I knew moving to California was going to be hard, but tonight made me realize how much I'm reallly going to miss my friends. I am so grateful to have made such wonderful relationships, with such unbelievable group of extraodinary women. I have truly been blessed to have called you friends. Thanks for everything! I will miss you, Mary, Melanie, Christine, Jana, Heather, Saimi, Destiny, Debbie, and Judy! I will always remember Girls Night Out, and how much fun we had. I will miss you all terribly. I love you guys!

TROUBLE

2008-12-12T09:05:00.000-08:00

There is not a day, when Sophia makes us all laugh. She definetly is the comedian in our family. On one particular day, we were all sitting around the table eating dinner, and Emily was pointing to each of us and saying our names. This is how our conversation went:

Mom-what's his name?
Em- Kanen (Kaden)
Mom- what's her name?
Em- Brenna (Brianna)
Mom- what's my name?
Em- Mommy
Mom-what's his name?
Em- Daddy
Mom- what's your name?
Em- Emmany
Mom- what's her name?
Em- Soapy (Sophie)
Sophie- No my name is TROUBLE!
We had to peel Spencer off the floor after that one. If any time we need a good laugh, we just ask Sophie to come and talk to us. And if you talk to her long enough, sooner or later she has got you rolling on the floor.

Shooters

2008-12-03T14:31:00.000-08:00

This year Kaden had the opportunity to play again with the Shooters basketball team. And it has been so much fun to watch them learn how to play, and love the game they are playing. I find myself being one of those parents who yells way to loud and screams at the top of my lungs when they make a basket. They look so darn cute in their uniforms and warm-ups, that they remind me of a minature High School team. So far his team hasn't won any games, but he says that doesn't matter as long as they are having fun. I am so proud of him and look forward 8 years down the road to when he is in High School playing basketball. And I'm sure I'll still be one of those parents yelling way to loud and screaming at the top of my lungs when they make a basket.

Dad the "Babysitter"

2008-12-03T14:06:00.000-08:00

So, on this particular day, I had to run an errand and left the kids with Spencer. I had asked him to get the kids ready for bed. He assured me everyone would be in bed by the time I got home. So when I got home at 8:00 p.m. this is what I found in our bedroom. Kaden and Sophie STILL in their clothes and not dressed in jammies. Emily dressed in jammies, but had my mascara on her face. Brianna (who isn't in the picture) playing the piano and singing at the top her lungs. The t.v. in the family room on and the T.V. in our bedroom on. Both with the volume up on high. The only person who was asleep in their bed was Spencer. So that is what happens when I ask Dad to "Babysit".

2008-11-19T09:22:00.000-08:00

High School Tag

1. Did you date someone from your school? Yes-too many
2. What kind of car did you drive? A black Honda Accord
3. Did you pass your drivers test on your first try? Yes
4. Were you a party animal? No
5. Were you considered a flirt? Probably
6. Were you in band, orchestra or choir? No
7. Were you a nerd? no
8. Were you on any varsity teams? Softball
9. Did you ever get suspended/expelled? No
10. Can you still sing the fight song? I don't think we had one.
11. Who were your favorite teachers? Mr Cordell
12. Where did you sit for lunch? In the hallway in front of my locker or in the lunch room with Charity.
13. What is you schools full name? Wahluke High School
14. What is your schools mascot and colors? The Warriors /maroon and gray
15. Did you go to homecoming and with who? I went with Kent Zirker I think my Senior Year. I really can't remember the others.
16. If you could go back and do it again would you? No, but I had a lot of fun.
17. What did you remember most about graduation? I was excited and scared, and i remember crying like a baby.
18. Where did you go for senior skip day? we didn't have one, we were threatened by Mrs. Russell we would get into serious trouble if we did.
19. Were you in any clubs? National Honor Society, SAFTYE club, Mecha, and I can't remember the others
20. Have you gained some weight since then? to much to count!
21. Who was you prom date? I didn't go to my Senior Prom
22. Are you planning on going to your 10 year reunion? we didn't even have one, But I hope to go to my 15 year if we have one next year.
23. Did you have a job in high school? I worked at Washington State Migrant Council.

I tag Marianne and Christy.

Miss Sophie the Ballerina

2008-11-14T14:48:00.000-08:00

This year Sophie got to start dance. She was so excited, she could hardly contain herself. 4 hours before class she was dressed and ready with her dance bag hanging over her shoulder. So cute!! She is quickly growing up and before you know it she will be 18 dressed and ready with her bag hanging over her shoulder to leave home. So sad!! We love our "Soapy!"

Halloween

2008-11-14T14:39:00.000-08:00

This year I had a blast dressing the two older kids for Halloween. Brianna looked so beautiful as Cloepatra, and Kaden looked awesome in his mummy costume. Which I thought would be easy, but it took hours to make it fit and look just right. It was well worth it, because he won the Best Kid costume at our ward Trunk or Treat.

WHY?

2008-11-14T14:12:00.000-08:00

Why, whenever we eat any meal, Emily loves to eat with her hands?! You would think now that she is 2 and 1/2 that she would have already mastered the utensil to hand to mouth method. I think she knows that it drives me and Spencer crazy, and that is why she does it. Needless to say after almost every meal, she is stripped and given a bath. OH the joys of motherhood.