The Young Family

Little Logan's faces

2011-05-03T18:56:00.000-07:00

Logan's nice face.

Logan's scared face.

The cheesiest face EVER!!!

Bedtime magic

2011-05-03T18:41:00.000-07:00

I make some pretty awesome potstickers. And not because they are tasty (even though they are) they are AWESOME because they put children to sleep!!!

They other kids are watchin Ninja Warrior in the background if you were wondering what that was.

My sweetheart Kevin

2011-04-25T16:27:00.000-07:00

This is a post for myself to remind me that my little boy can really be a sweet kid. Cause sometimes he is so contrary!

Ryan(7) and Kevin(5) were playing at our park and some (or one) children started bullying another kid. Nothing physical but lots of name calling and excluding him. Ryan stayed out of it but Kevin joined in with the other kids. They came home from the park and told me about it.

We talked about how the boy must have felt being called mean names. Ryan said he knew he felt sad by his face and because he was standing all by himself. Then we talked about being good neighbors and standing up for others. I thought that was the end of it since the boys wandered out of the room.

But 2 minutes later Kevin comes back in the room with tears running down his face. He tells me that he feels so sad for Kai and for what he did to him. And he wants to go to his house and tell him he's sorry. We walk over and Kevin apologizes to this kid who is almost double his age, then gives him his stretchy necklace thingy too to make up for it. It was pretty touching to have this 9 year put his arm about my 5 year old and say thanks.

Kevin walked home with me and said his heart felt happy. I'd like to claim this for my parenting skills but Kevin just had some of this stuff preloaded.

Ryan compared the whole thing to Nephi's brothers. How Lemuel chose to following Lamen in murmuring against Nephi and Lehi instead of sticking up for Nephi. haha k, I might claim that.

Birds and the Bees...and the Rats

2010-01-11T09:56:00.000-08:00

We got 2 girl rats for Christmas this year and have really enjoyed them more than I expected. While we were out shopping at the pet store we were comparing all the different rodents (hamsters, gerbils, rats) and talking about their behaviors and personalities. The assistent then mentioned they were selling females at their store and if we wanted males they were available at a store across town.

So my next question was "Is there a difference between the males and females?" MEANING OF COURSE is there a difference in personalities or behaviors! Like is one gender more aggresive etc.

Her response: "Well, yes, the males have tiny testicles. But they are fuzzy so that's ok."

Jeff couldn't stop lauging.

Count Your Blessings...

2010-01-05T18:21:00.001-08:00

My wash day was on Monday and I just looked at the laundry. On Tuesday I sorted it into piles on our bedroom floor. On Wednesday I let Brenna and Kevin romp through it all and scatter it all around the room. On Wednesday afternoon Brenna comes into our room and throws up all over. I scoop up the clothes and put them in the wash. Sure thankful for not doing laundry on time so I didn't have to spend hours scrubbing the carpet.

We made it!

2009-06-28T21:19:00.000-07:00

It's been a full 7 days and we made it without anyone getting the flu! Wahoo! We stayed away from church today just in case. Also the bishop did close nursery so we'll see what happens next week. I'm just so glad. I know that this fall our chances of getting it are pretty high but I'm hoping that Logan will be older if and when. I now really understand the "cold and flu season" with school age kids. YUCK

We've been exposed...

2009-06-25T15:33:00.001-07:00

I just found out yesterday that Brenna's nursery teacher has the swine flu! Brenna and I were both around her for 2 hours so I'm really worried that we might have caught it. So far we are symtome free but we still have 3 days left of the incubating 7. Kevin has a cough that I keep telling myself he had BEFORE Sunday. =) I know that it's really just a hyped up case of the flu but I still am nervous since Logan is only 4 months old.
Our bishop is cancelling nursery this Sunday and I've heard that some of the wards in our area have been totally cancelled. Crazy!

Nap time again

2009-06-19T14:37:00.000-07:00

So Brenna has been going through a phase, and hallelujah it WAS A PHASE, and it's finally over. She is back to sleeping again! She wasn't napping, was rising early (for me that's before 7), and struggled going to sleep at night. I think a large part of it was that she's now in a toddler bed and can get out of bed and play and move around. I think after 2 weeks of free for all she's FINALLY bored of the same toys and just relax and conk out.

Logan's doing great. After 5 days of crankiness especially at night I finally gave him some rice cereal. My poor baby was starving. Now he's back to his happy self and I'm not so sore from feeding every hour. auuuggh

For my roommies...

2009-04-14T11:57:00.000-07:00

I've been putting together the Joy School books that the children have been working on. They have pages with favorite colors, self portraits, family pictures, etc. I just realized that 2 kids have birthdays on the 7th and 2 are on the 27th! So they are all odd and end in 7!! (no, not in the same month or that would be too weird)

When living with my 5 roommates in collage we had 3 birthdays on the 23 and 2 on the 13. But Loralee had to ruin it and be on the 7th. haha still love ya, Lolo! But at least we were all odd numbers!

Moving around

2009-03-27T14:42:00.001-07:00

Here's the same pic as the first one in the post below but I moved us around. I think I like it better this way so Logan is closer to me and not so far down. Go ahead and let me know which version you like better.

Logan at 1 month

2009-03-27T12:04:00.001-07:00

I love my children, I hate a can of Pam OR the day Kevin almost died

2009-03-12T12:43:00.001-07:00

It was 4 pm and I was feeding Logan upstairs on my bed when Kevin and Ryan came in with very wet looking hands. I asked what it was and Ryan said that Kevin was playing with the Pam spray!

I ran downstairs and was met by the super-shiny, hair-greased-down, non-stick Brenna. Kevin had completely sprayed her down! As I stepped onto the tile floor (which covers most of the downstairs) I realized I was sliding around. After closer inspection I saw the entire tile floor was covered with a fine, greasy mist. I peeked around the corner, past the kitchen and into the living room where I saw that our new leather couch had a very shiny appearance and the base speaker was in matching apparel. Ryan also informed me that Kevin gave the CARPET (YES CARPET) a nice spray down too!

Ok, so I know I should have love and patience and understanding but I just lost it. I was exhausted from being up all night with Logan, it was near the end of a hard day and I had a disaster to clean up. It was so bad I didn't even know where to start.

I stood in the middle of that greasy floor and yelled. I yelled at Kevin for making the mess, I yelled at Ryan for watching him make the mess, and I yelled at Brenna for being messy (Yes, not very rational I know). Then I just bawled. I think that scared the kids the most and Kevin started crying. I called Jeff and told him that I needed help or he might be a kid short when he came home that night. Jeff and his mom Julie came over right away to help. Jeff took the kids upstairs to bathe them and Julie tackled the floors and furniture. I was sent upstairs to hold Logan.

I had the carpets cleaned the next morning because you could see shiny footprints on the tile floor everytime someone walked across the carpet and back.

I have no idea why Kevin did that. He's really not a mess maker. At least I can laugh about it now. Brenna sure did look funny with her greased-down hair and mega shiny face. Just not funny at the time since I was in no mood to pull out the camera and take a picture.

Logan R

2009-02-26T12:19:00.001-08:00

You've probably wondered what the R stands for

Nothing!!

Actually it does but his legal name is Logan R Young. Yes, just the initial. My Aunt Shirley has just the letter A for her middle name and that's what gave me the idea.

Logan's maternal grandfather is Roger, his paternal grandfather is Randy and his daddy is Randy. (Yes, in case you didn't know - Jeff's first name IS Randy) So I thought to honer 3 great men in his life we'd not try to choose and just use the initial R. It's something he'll love or hate later but I thought it was fun and different to do it that way. (It's actually kind of Ciara's idea).

So now we have:

Ryan Jeff (Jeff for his dad)
Kevin Leith (Leith for my dad's dad)
Brenna (sorry, no middle name for girls. I didn't get one either)
Logan R (for grandfathers,dad)

The first names have no family significance but we found out that Ryan and Kevin are Irish Gaelic so that's where we looked for Brenna's name and Logan's.
Ryan means "little king" which he is
Kevin means "handsome" which I think he is
Brenna means "raven-haired beauty" WHOOPS! She's a strawberry blond
Logan means "little hollow". not sure how that applies.

So there you go, a little history on our kids names.

pics of Logan

2009-02-25T16:31:00.000-08:00

Our new family. Wow, there's no more room on the bed!

Brenna and Logan 18 months and 9 days apart. Yeah, I'm in for a rollercoaster ride with these 2. =) She's ignored Logan for the most part. She does love to bring his binkie to him when he cries.

Mad Logan

Kevin and Logan

Ryan and Logan. Can you tell he's excited to be a big brother again.

Brenna trying to convince us that she's still the baby in the family.

I'm home . . .with baby Logan

2009-02-16T18:29:00.000-08:00

So we had a BOY! I was so shocked!
Logan R Young
born feb 10 at 11:57 pm
weighed 8 lbs 13 oz

More to come tomorrow when Kevin and Ryan are at school.

Still waiting...

2009-02-08T18:31:00.001-08:00

and I thought today would be it. Our wedding anniversary is tomorrow so maybe that'll be the day. Jeff would be so happy. He's always regretted not waiting a week to marry me on Valentine's Day so he could kill 2 birds with 1 stone. And now if I have the baby tomorrow that's what we'll do. haha Birthday party on wedding anniversary, wedding anniversary on Valentines. I don't care if it means I can have a baby tomorrow!

I removed the baby ticker on the right because it was too depressing to see that my baby should already be here.

So let's get the poll going...

2009-02-06T19:34:00.001-08:00

Vote for what you think we are having on the right.

I think it's a girl: this pregnancy feels just like Brenna's. I was more sick with the boys.

Jeff thinks it's a boy: he's pretty sure he saw something on the ultrasound (even though we told the tech to not tell us) and he feels experienced since we've had two boys.

ok, ok, I have to add that I thought I saw something too, so I really will be surprised with what we have.

1 day left

2009-02-06T14:35:00.001-08:00

So despite my supposed apathy I really do want this baby here. The last week is always so hard. Every contraction makes me think "is this it and I get excited?" I went in for a non-stress test yesterday and everything checked out. It watches the baby's heartbeat and my contractions and basically checks that the placenta is still functioning well. Next appointment is set up for Tuesday. Hope I miss it!

Baby updates

2009-01-28T09:33:00.000-08:00

On Monday I had my 38 week checkup. I'm at a 2 which is really good for me. Usually I'm nothing or a 1 right until I go into labor. The doctor wants to induce me on Sunday since I'll be 39 weeks by then and he thinks it'll be easier. But I'm holding out. I don't have a record of going over my due date and I HATED having pitocin with Kevin. It made the whole labor experience really hard and NOT a fun challenge.

Plus I really am in no hurry to have this baby. To prove my point, my water actually leaked a bit an hour after my checkup on Monday and I called the nurse and asked if I could just "ignore" it unless contractions started or I had a major break. haha So here I am still at home with no new changes. Jeff's been calling me the girl who cried wolf. My mom's coming up Thursday so that's when I'll mop the kitchen floor and vacuum and see if that sets me off. Until then, I'm teaching Joy School on Thursday and just puttering around the house with laundry and such.

Getting ready...

2009-01-14T10:30:00.000-08:00

So I overdid it a few days ago with cleaning, shopping, and exercising so of course that night I had lots of contractions. But instead of getting all excited I thought "shoot, I'm not ready yet." This is the first time where I want this baby to wait as long as possible to come. It's probably because I don't' know what we're having but I've been putting off so many things. I finally stocked up on newborn diapers, wipes, and soaps. Got the Christmas tree taken down on Sunday. (this was more because the boys were so sad to have the decorations gone than me being lazy . . . kind of.) Tracked down the infant car seat.

I still have to get some boy/girl hospital outfit and do we even have a name? haha So I scramble to get some things done, then crash and sleep the next day, then repeat. I can't tell if I'm nesting or doing things out of desperation. Anyways, that's what I've been up to lately.

Checking in

2008-12-18T20:57:00.000-08:00

We've had a bit of a rough month with sickness with the stomach flu and lately the nasty cold/cough that's been going around. Nothing too tramatic but I usually read everyone's blogs then crash into bed. I'm almost finished with Christmas shopping (anyone who knows about Utah's weather today: I was out in it and shopping!!) so my mornings should be free again.

Discovery Kingdom

2008-11-20T13:58:00.000-08:00

We had an awesome trip to CA last month and already the kids are begging to go back. I think I'd like to make it an annual tradition. We went to the Discovery Kingdom (Marine World Africa USA as it was called back in the day). Since I was pregnant and the kids are still little we mostly stuck with the animals and the kiddie rides. Our first stop was the tanks of dolphins. A little known secret: take a comb with you and slowly scratch the teeth with your nail against the glass. The dolphins LOVE it and hang around to check it out.

The Shark Tunnel: The boys disappeared and I found them taking another turn on their backs looking up at the sharks. The people around them thought that was definitely the best view!
Brenna added her fair share of finger prints to the glass.
Tiger going after meat in water.

Butterfly Land:
Brenna LOVED this place and was checking out all the butterflies that were overhead. . . so was Grandma. =)

Grandma and Grandpa Thompson with grand kids

Me and Brenna

Kevin is such a ham and was blowing kisses and waving to the crowd. Jeff first tried this ride with the boys but was so heavy the helicopter wouldn't go up! haha so the ride attendant let the boys have another turn without getting in line again. This is called the "I've had it and want to get out of here" face. Brenna was such a trooper since she didn't get to nap this day.

Robin's Wedding

2008-11-20T13:12:00.000-08:00

So here am I in all my pregnant glory with almost 3 months left to go. Within the month people will start wondering if I've past my due date. I went to my friend Robin's wedding here in Orem. She's from my home ward and they'll be living nearby.

Make-a-Wish 1 Mile Run

2008-11-19T13:20:00.000-08:00

They had a mile run at the elementary school for a girl dealing with brain cancer. It was really fun to have the WHOLE family involved!

Uncle TJ playing leap frog with the kids while waiting for the race to start.

We all had numbers, even the kids! Here's Jeff and Brenna showing theirs.

Since I forgot to pack a stroller for Brenna, she had a first class ride on Jeff's shoulders. He ran with her the whole way. What was so funny was that she didn't try to hold on to him and just let her arms bounce and flap during the run. I had to stop looking at them or I would laugh so hard I couldn't run. And of course Brenna sported the serious look the entire run.

Here's our group: Nana,Papa,and their 4 kids with their families. 14 1/2 in all! (Cousin John was there and took our pic)

Me and the girl(s)?? After the run I thought I had put myself in labor. Ryan ran the whole thing and finished 1st in our group and Kevin was a sport and ran/walk/was carried for it.

Halloween Part 1

2008-11-17T12:03:00.000-08:00

We had a Halloween party at Jamie's house (sister-in-law) that was so much fun. Kevin - cowboy, Ryan - pirate, me - black widow, Brenna - cat. Jeff was a scout and actually had to go to scouts that night so missed out on the party.

Happy Halloween! Part 2

2008-11-17T11:55:00.001-08:00

Here's Brenna in my cat costume. Face paint compliments of Ryan.

Here's Brenna with "her" stash. Just don't tell her it's mostly her brothers' candy.

Ryan and Kevin didn't want to wear their costumes on Halloween. Kevin went for last years Rooster and Ryan was into a scary vampire/stuntman. Did anyone else have problems keeping their kids in the same costumes?

Dr. Seuss play

2008-11-17T11:45:00.001-08:00

Nana took the grandkids to see Seusical the Musical. Very fun and we had front row seats which gave Kevin a great view. We had celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving over at the Bitters where Kevin had his fingers smashed in a door. During intermission one of the stage hands threw out a few clovers into the audience and Kevin got one. He was so excited and forgot about his smashed hand and slept with it that night.

Did you all know that the clover that Horton the elephant holds has the tiny city Whoville on it? Sure, but did you know that it is one and the same Whoville with the GRINCH? I had never put those two places together! (Horton Hears a Who and Grinch Who Stole Christmas for those who need a refresher)

More Costco Tales...

2008-11-16T10:41:00.000-08:00

I was at Costco last Saturday with Ryan. I always end my shopping spree there with "Ok, gotta get outta here before I buy anything else."

Then at the checkout we saw a man in his 40's with a loading cart FILLED with food. 9 cases of tomatos, 6 boxes of cereals, sugers, flours, oils, 4 cases of olives, etc. I pointed him out to Ryan and asked why he thought he had so much food. (I was expecting a nice little conversation on food storage or such.)

Ryan replies: "Oh he didn't get out of Costco fast enough."

On a side note, some other guy teased the man about his food asking if he had some insider info about the second coming. To which the man replied VERY seriously, "No, I just have a very large family." I then thought of my friend Glory and her family of 13 kids and what their grocery trips must have been like. =)

Out to Cali

2008-10-16T19:36:00.000-07:00

Yay, we are doing a short trip back home before things get too hectic with the Holidays. I'll post lots of pics when we get back. Have a great weekend and wish us luck on the 12 hour drive with 3 kids!!!

New camera from.....Costco

2008-10-13T11:52:00.001-07:00

Like where else would we ever buy anything, right? Here's some pics of us trying it out right in Costco while we eat some lunch.

SYTYCD

2008-10-13T11:46:00.000-07:00

Also known as "So You Think You Can Dance" Our small claim to fame is that Chelsea Hightower is not only from Utah but also our ward!! Jeff was her Sunday school teacher and likes to think he taught her everything about dance. =) We were so proud that she made it as far as she did in the competition.
We had a girls night out plus Kyle =) and went to the show in SLC. We were on the floor with pretty good seats. But, man, I must be getting old cause the music was too loud for me!

Friends Forever

2008-10-13T11:43:00.000-07:00

Here's a pic of me, Roxy and Ciara (my sis) at Roxy's baby shower. We've known Roxy and her family our whole life back to when we were growing up in CA. Our moms were friends even before they got married!
Roxy is pregnant with triplets and due Dec 23! Merry Christmas to them!

Happy .... Halo?

2008-10-13T11:37:00.000-07:00

Kevin and I were shopping at Costco in between conference session (bad idea by the way, everyone was there) and saw this guy. He was no employee since he was tagging along with his wife and a shopping cart. Kevin was so excited that I got him to pose for a picture.

The really funny thing was watching all the MEN checking the costume out.

Just when you think the messes are done ...

2008-10-06T13:15:00.000-07:00

Ryan has done really well and not gotten into things for a LONG time. I thought we were past all the crazy messes when I found this.
He said that he just wanted to see if he could take it all down. I guess I needed to reorganize the panty. I wouldn't tell him this, but I was really impressed that he pulled the glass platters down from the TOP shelf without breaking anything. Hopefully Ryan just needed one last hurrah as a 5 year old. =)

Hand-Me-Downs

2008-10-02T22:12:00.000-07:00

Here's Brenna in a darling hat and sweater combo that I WORE AT HER AGE!!
It was freezing outside at a cousin's birthday party but I squeeked a smile out of her. Now I just need a picture of me in this outfit, Mom, and we can do some comparing. =)

Why no dessert

2008-10-02T21:19:00.000-07:00

To finish up the story of my bad little boys: see here

I like to think of myself as a dessert moderate. Sure, little Ryan had no idea what a doughnut was at the age of 4. When he had one at a party he referred to them as "tasty bagels." But we are at least no stranger to ice cream and the occasional cookies or cake. While we do not have dessert every night, it graces our counter quite often. I feel (hope) that if my kids are around treats with moderation it will not be such an obsession with them later.

So you can imagine my surprise when one afternoon I notice Ryan's cheek is smeared with something chocolaty. When confronted he pointed to the side of the couch. There between the wall and the couch (of course the perfect little hiding spot) are not one but TWO melted creamies! The chocolate was half gone and still in a somewhat solid state while the ORANGE creamie was a nice little melted pool of food coloring and sugar.

As I pulled back the couch to get in a better angle to attack the mess, I discovered the treasure trove of all troves. There is a nice little run-way along the back of our couch and wall that is perfect size for 2 little boys. I was aware that they would play back there but had no idea of the vastness of their shenanigans.

When what to my wondering eyes did appear but the remains, nay, the evidence of naughtiness. There were no less than the wrappers of 12 creamies, 6 string cheeses, a few pudding cups, and fruit snack wrappers!!!! Besides the garbage there was ice cream and pudding splattered on the carpet, back of the couch and the wall. I was shocked that my boys could be so sneaky, so devious, so quiet! And then I realized ... the box of creamies HAD emptied more quickly than normal, and the boys HAD been picking at their meals, and they HAD been spending more time behind the couch lately.

While I might have spoken a bit hastily the words "No dessert for a MONTH" came out. I was so upset that they had 1. taken food in the living room 2. sneaked food without permission and 3. made such a huge mess all over the carpet. Later I felt bad about the month comment but knew I had to stick to my guns after sentencing them, or I'd get wheedled down to a day. I consoled myself that it wouldn't be too bad for them since the holidays were a ways a way. And then 3 days later it was Brenna's b-day. =( Hence the frozen Yoplaits for the celebration while the rest of us had cake and ice cream.

Yes, I think the punishment was a bit strong, especially for their age. And it was hard when we went to Sunday dinners at the grandparents and all the other cousins got dessert. But the asking lessened considerably after the first week. And now when I make my check behind the couch (which is much more often now) Ryan is quick to assure me that there is nothing back there cause he doesn't want "to miss dessert for that long ever again!" And Kevin nods his head. Sure made the impression!

Ultrasound

2008-09-27T18:46:00.000-07:00

I've had a lot of questions about this and yes we've had it last week. We told the technician that we didn't want to find out what we were having. But Jeff and I feel pretty seasoned after 3 other ultrasounds and might have seen something ...
So "officially" we don't know what we are having, but Jeff is pretty sure it's a boy and I"m still holding out for a girl.
The importatnt thing is that the baby is healthy and has all the required parts. It's always such a miracle to me to have a healthy baby when there are so many parts growing and forming.

Happy Birthday, Brenna - 1 year!

2008-09-27T18:31:00.000-07:00

August 1 (she was born on her due date)
Brenna was far from shy or dainty when it was cake time. She was in it with both hands and loving it. Grandma Bitter made her a doll cake from angel food. I made an ice cream carmel dessert for the grownups. After the parties for the boys (see below) I took it easy for her party.

Notice my darling boys with their delicious . . . yogurt??? Yes, they were not allowed to have any dessert for a few weeks; not even for the party. Gasp!! But that is another story...

Pirate Party

2008-09-27T18:13:00.001-07:00

Ryan really wanted a pirate birthday party and I had seen a great cake on Christy's website that gave me some ideas. We had a treasure hunt, a gold coin search, face painting, and they made their pirate hats. It was more work than I have ever put into a party but it was so fun to see the kids get excited.
Plus I'm am pretty proud of my cakes. I know they don't touch yours, Loralee, but they're about as fancy as they'll get for me

I used Charleston Chews for the fish in the water and rolos,whoppers, and chews on the ships. Notice the 5 candles in the "oars" and the blue happy birthday wrapping paper for the water? Grandma Bitter picked that out.

Pirate Brenna with a little feather

Captain Ryan

Happy Birthday, Ryan - 5!!

2008-09-27T18:06:00.000-07:00

OK, so you're seeing the trend. =) May 29 Here is Ryan, bright and early on his birthday morning. We've decided to start the tradition of breakfast in bed with a small gift on their birthdays. (Kevin missed out this year since we hadn't started it yet, whoops, but he was oblivious to it.) Ryan was really surprised since we had never done that before. I just love this kid!

Happy Birthday Kevin - 3!

2008-09-27T17:59:00.000-07:00

Ok so his birthday was April 27 but I finally got the pictures off our now dead camera so I thought I better start updating.

We had a "Cars" themed party since it was Kevin's favorite movie. He was a cutie and had a great time. I love that his smiles are still so genuine! I've started attempting to actually make the cakes so that's been interesting. hehe

Nighttime surprise!

2008-09-21T21:44:00.000-07:00

I had sat down and was looking over all of your blogs and loving 'em. In walks Ryan. It's almost 11 and I'm used to the kids waking up at night and they always seem drawn to use the bathroom with the light on. Hence my room/bathroom was the target. He walks by and I think nothing more. Then I realize that the sound of peeing was very loud. Jeff is on the other computer and gets my attention. We look over at Ryan and instead of making it into our commode room he had pulled out the bottom drawer in our bathroom and was peeing in it!! And boy did he go! Jeff and I were laughing so hard that I didn't get to Ryan before he finished.
Poor Ryan was still asleep and quite confused so I just sent him back to bed and cleaned up. Luckily the bottom drawer was filled with bottles and items that rinse off. haha

One more story on Ryan. We've talked about gravity and planets in the past. We've also talked about listening to the promptings of the Holy Ghost. Yes, 2 very distinct topics.

Ryan says "Mom, how do we get the things from Jesus?"

Me: "What things?"

Ryan: "The things that Jesus wants us to know and has the Holy Ghost tell us."

Me: "Oh yeah, when the Holy Ghost is whispering to us?"

Ryan: "Yeah. Oh I know, He uses gravity! The things he needs to tell us can fall down to us with gravity."

haha I just love how he tries to put things together

Why does unpacking take so long!

2008-07-22T13:45:00.000-07:00

So, we've back over 2 weeks now and i'm still not all unpacked. The garage has boxes everywhere, mostly filled with stuff that I think "where did I have this before and do I really have to bring it back in." My mom's been up here for a few weeks and she's helped play with the kids while I try to finish. She left today wondering if anything really got done. Everyday we clean out 10 boxes and the next morning I pulled in 10 more.

We finally got an awning put over out back yard which has been nice for the kids. It was too hot before because it's all cemented and just cooked anyone outside. We were borrowing a shed from Jeff's parents that we kept in the back but emptied that out so the kids would have more room to play. So now we have Christmas, Halloween, and camping all over the family room and I really wonder how I'm going to get the house back in order.

And to top it all off, I get to deal with morning sickness. Yes, you heard right. Our fun, little, SURPRISE is due Feb 7 2009.
You know it's bad when you go in for your first 10 week exam and the nurse is just laughing at you when you have a 5 year old, a 3 year old, and a 10 month old. So I will officially be one of THOSE moms with kids 18 months apart. I now know why Heavenly Father sent me an easy baby like Brenna, or I would be in danger of losing my mind. Course, I just need to wait for her to be 18 months and then we'll see how easy she stays. hahah ahahahahahahaha ok, get it under control.

We moved back

2008-07-10T13:12:00.001-07:00

After 5 months of lots of looks but no offers on our house, we've decided to move back home. We did the big move this weekend and I'm still trying to unpack my kitchen. It's always nice to be home but we are grateful to Grandma and Grandpa Bitter for sharing their home with us. Maybe we'll try again next year. ha The plus side is that my house is TOTALLY cleaned and de-junked and I'm being careful about what I bring back in the house.

Rest of the Thompson Trip

2008-06-12T12:16:00.001-07:00

Doing puzzles with Grandma

Ryan loved listening to the crickets and frogs with Grandpa. He's been doing this with Grandpa since he was two and remembers it each time.

My mom had these ceramic frogs all over the house and Kevin spent an afternoon gathering them for a reunion. My mom was great about it and let him play in the pot. They looked so funny.

Kevin loved Mandi their new dog. When he looks at the pictures of her he calls her "Handy Mandy" from the Nick Jr cartoon. haha

Bonfire:
Growing up we always had bonfires during the spring to take care of fallen trees and pruned limbs. It was fun to have my kids share in that. They loved the marshmellows and gathering pinecones. Brenna wasn't too sure at first but was happy later.

Dump truck:
The boys found the dumptruck and had fun climbing all over it. I swear we've had this truck FOREVER. My mom always wanted my sister and I to sing that song "It's so Cozy to Ride in Dump truck" in that truck and record it. But we procrastinated and then we were too old to be cute. So now, we'll try with the next generation. Now if only I could find the lyrics...

My dad put Ryan to work watering.

Birthday party for my dad's 65!! We had all the brothers and sisters come from around. My mom did a balancing match/fork trick. Yummy food and great company!

Long Car Trips

2008-04-12T10:48:00.000-07:00

We have had a few long CA trips this year - visiting my parents and Disneyland. Jeff set up the entertainment system for the kids so the pull down screen in the middle will play movies off the moded xbox. He set speakers up in back too so we, the grownups, could listen to our own music up front instead of listening to 8 hrs of Disney shows.

This is Kevin's reaction as I turned "Cars" on for him to watch. I was cracking up and luckily grabbed a shot.

Here is Kevin's version of headphones. It's one of the speakers Jeff had anchored under the headrest.

Happy 65, Dad!!

2008-04-10T14:24:00.000-07:00

Sorry, I've been gone again. We spent a week down in CA with my parents for my dad's 65th birthday bash. It was fun being with all the family again and all of my dad's family came.
Ryan wanted to eat one of those frosting balloons so bad!

Looking great! Mom and Dad

We're off to Snowbird for the weekend so I'll have to play catch up when I get back. Hope you're all doing great!

Disneyland - Day 1

2008-03-16T12:13:00.000-07:00

(There'll be a lot of detail for me so just skip if you want)

We had a busy weekend around March 6. We drove down to Disneyland and stayed in the Carousel Inn. I'd recommend it. It's right across the entrance to the park. We splurged a bit and got a suite and now I don't know how I'll ever go back to a single room. It was so nice having the boys in their own room at night. Usually we all have to "shut down" to help the kids go to sleep and then we have to whisper and keep the TV really low. But here, I put the boys down in their room and we could actually keep the lights on in our room!

Our first ride was the Storybook Canal. Jeez, it was such a long wait! I was worried that all the rides would be like that but it was the only long wait for the day. Here we are going into Monstro's mouth. The boys are in the striped blue shirts and I'm the red. Brenna and Jeff waited since she was asleep in her stroller.

Next we did the teacups. There was NO WAIT at all. Wahoo! The boys really liked it. Notice that we are in a greenish cup because of Ryan.

We are in jail at Toon Town.

This was the boys' first roller coaster in Toon Town. I couldn't find Ryan in the picture until Jeff pointed him out in the FIRST car. My baby isn't old enough to ride by himself is he?!?! Jeff and Kevin are in the 3rd car. Ryan loved the coaster and and soon as he found out there was a grownup roller coaster (Big Thunder Mountain) he was begging for it.

Ryan was very interested in the map and was trying to direct us.

Ryan was NOT interested in meeting Mickey Mouse. He ran and hid and I had to pick him up and hold him for the group picture. Kevin, on the other hand, was thrilled to meet him and I tried to hold him back in line for our turn. He compromised by standing 3 feet away from Mickey and asking repeatedly "Is it our turn? Is it our turn?" Then high-fives and hugs for Mickey.

Here's what Brenna did all day.

The Dumbo ride was a big hit. Kevin with Jeff and me with the other 2. Don't miss our green Dumbo.

Luckily the boys watch The Sword and the Stone on the drive down so they knew exactly what this sword was. I love how Ryan's face was turning red from trying so hard.

We did all the original dark rides. Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland were our favs and definitely had a happier tone than the other rides. It was so funny to me in Snow White (I think) where the whole ride was dark and about all the evil things and then at the end of the ride, written on the WALL was "they lived happily ever after." Like an afterthought. Too funny.

We ended that day watching the Parade of Dreams. Great end to the day but boy were we beat. And of course the boys were excited for the next day and had a hard time going to sleep.

Disneyland - Day 2

2008-03-15T23:52:00.000-07:00

Jeff's parents and brother and sister met us on the 2nd day. It was so nice to have extra hands to help with the kids.

Everyone rode Splash Mountain first while I stayed with Brenna and Kevin. Then Trisha took Kevin on the Winnie the Pooh ride, Julie stayed with Brenna, and I rode with Ryan again. He loved it and told me it was scary but he would help me not be scared. We sat in the back and while everyone got wet I was SOAKED!! From halfway down my shirt to my socks. I ended up changing later since it was too chilly being wet.

Here's Ryan waiting in line to see Winnie the Pooh. Notice how happy Ryan is to be AWAY from the characters? Notice how sad Kevin is to be AWAY and waiting his turn?

Yay, finally made it. I love how Kevin puts his hands in his pockets and just chills. Once again, I had to hold Ryan for the group picture. I didn't even try to make him see Tigger.

Here's 2 of our great helpers: Trish and TJ with Brenna.

Most of our group on the Jungle Cruise.

The Pirates ride was really fun - they've added a bunch of things from the movie. This was the one ride that scared Kevin. I wouldn't have even noticed but he had his hand on my thigh and I got a sharp pinch from him gripping so hard during one of the waterfalls.

Here's a pic of our strollers. Ryan was good about walking until the end of the day (see last picture).

Thanks to Trisha who really helped make the kids' day. She was great about taking them on rides their size.

Here's us while we're waiting for the Electrical Parade. This is one of the few pictures I got of Randy, Jeff's dad. I dont' know how he eludes the camera so well.

Snow White is such a love/hate thing for me. The movie is only ok for me and I have a hard time with her voice. It drives me crazy. But I think out of all the princesses, her gown is my favorite. It is so distinct to me. When you see someone wearing it (ie a little girl), you know right away who she is. Whereas with some of the others (Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella) it's not quite as clear.

While I was ready for yet another day of Disney Magic, the kids were more than done. I think Brenna's face says it all:

Day at the park.

2008-03-15T21:07:00.000-07:00

We met at the park with Stacy and her kids. It was so nice to get the kids out with the weather getting warmer. I don't remember what Brenna was upset about. Stacy was great about remembering her camera and took some pics for us. Thanks Stacy!!

More Still...

2008-03-10T20:09:00.000-07:00

by the way, these posts go out to my dear friend Loralee who has been worried that I've dropped off the planet. Love ya girl!!

Grandma Bitter (the ones we are staying with) is always so cute to find "projects" for the kids to do. Here she's pulled out her typewriter and letting the boys "work."

Tongue out when concentrating.
Kevin's always looking for a way to push the limits of things and how they work. Yes, Kevin, now they are all stuck.
Kevin and Brenna.
Brenna loves to sit in this chair and watch the boys play outside through the large window.

More Pics by Ryan

2008-03-10T19:44:00.001-07:00

I posed for the first shot but then forgot he still had the camera. Here's a taste of what he did since I KNOW you don't want to see all 40 of them. =)

Visit with "White Grandma"

2008-03-04T19:55:00.000-08:00

Ryan has so many Grandma's (5 right now) that he's resorted to coming up with unique names to remember some of them. "White Grandma" is my mom's mom. I love the look Brenna is giving her. By the way, what do you have your kids call your grandparents? I tried having them do the "great-grandparent" thing but it's such a mouth full for the kids.

Christmas Outfit

2008-03-02T19:39:00.000-08:00

Yes, this is way late. Here's Brenna in the outfit my mom got her. It came with a cute red head band but alas her noggin is so big the band was leaving marks in her hair, I mean head.

Crazy grapefruit

2008-03-01T19:27:00.000-08:00

Kind of a funny post, I know. But all of these seeds came from ONE grapefruit!! I have eaten many grapefruit in my life and never had more than 5-7 seeds. They just kept coming out!

Brenna

2008-02-21T19:34:00.000-08:00

Here is Brenna 6 1/2 months. And Ryan had the camera. Not too bad. Poor thing still has no hair.

Adding some expression...

2008-02-18T20:00:00.000-08:00

I know many of you out there may cry "Baby Torture" but thought I'd still share. I'm not used to the whole blondish eyebrow thing. Both boys have the darker eyebrows. Ciara came over and soon the eyeliner was out. I was laughing so hard the right eyebrow is much messier. It sure made her expressions stand out. =)

Gotta Get Back in the Groove

2008-02-17T20:13:00.000-08:00

but I have a really good excuse for not updating... we've moved! I'm still a bit in shock about the whole thing.
We've been talking about moving for over a year now, but of course nothing's happened. Last Sunday Jeff says, hey, let's just move out, then we'll sell the place. So 4 days later we were outta there.

We've moved in with Jeff's grandparents (not the ones in Orem, now the other ones in south Orem). Our hope is now that we're out, we'll get on the ball with packing, cleaning and then selling the place. If you're wondering how we moved without packing, it's quite simple. Throw lots of clothes and bathroom supplies and a few toys in the trunk and *WAHLAH* instint move. The basement is already furnished so we're leaving all our big furniture in our house.

The plan this week is so pack and dejunk the house. The following week, DEEP CLEAN. This was a main point for moving out for me. It would be my luck to have the carpets cleaned and then have the boys spill something the next day. This way the boys don't have to wear biohazard suits and live off of plain spaghetti noodles and water for the next few months.

Wish me luck and if you're looking to buy a townhome... =)

"Marriage" Tag

2008-02-16T20:51:00.000-08:00

My cousin, Ruby, tagged me it. To be completed about Jeff•

What is his name? Randy Jeff Young, named after his dad. So all three generations have RJ initials: Randy Jay, Randy Jeff, Ryan Jeff

How long have you been together? 7 years, 1 week, 1 day

How long did you date? started dating in July. Serious dating first week school started (never missed a day after that), engaged unofficially in October, officially asked me at Sly Park back home day after Thanksgiving, married February 9.

How old is he? 29

Who said I love you first? Jeff, I totally made him say it first!

Who is taller? Jeff, it's hard to not be taller than 5' 2''.

Who sings better? I sing a lot better than Jeff but he has a really good ear for music in general.

Who is smarter? I'm a much better student and very booksmart, but Jeff's CRAZY SMART with anything tech and he's all about reading up and learning things.

Whose temper is worse? hmmm tought one. Neigher of us really have a temper so things go pretty smooth and we let things blow off.

Who does the laundry? I do.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Totally depends where the door is. Before we moved I was on the right. Now the door is closer to the left so that's where I am. Jeff puts me there so the kids will get to me first. haha

Who pays the bills? I usually do, Jeff helps remind me.

Who mows the lawn? We take turns.

Who does the dishes? I do, even though Jeff swears that I don't. Not that he thinks that he does them, just that he thinks NO ONE does them. I really hate the dishes.

Who cooks dinner? I do, but Jeff's the grilling king. It's hard going out for steak anymore when I know Jeff's are just as good or better. He has this awesome technique of searing them on the grill and finishing them off in the oven.

Who drives when you are together? Jeff. I'm not a very good driver. I've never been in an accident, I just have no sense of direction. We got me a navigation system and I can still get lost!

Who is more stubborn? JEFF!

Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? I am because I hate all the contention. When Ciara and I were little I was always the first (even when it wasn't true) so we could start playing together again.

Who kissed who first? He kissed me on the lawn of the chapel by the Provo Temple. Earlier that night while driving, he leaned in to change the radio station and I MAJOR JERKED AWAY cause I thought he was going to kiss me. Not that I didn't want him to, I was just really wired. I was so embarrassed.

Who proposed? He did.

Who is more sensitive? OH MY GOSH, can I say that I cry when watching Charlott's Web and those IHC commericals about having a baby blah blah blah. I cried when we sold our WRX and I'm betting a few tears will come when we sell our first home *sniff sniff* I am such a sop. You look at me wrong and I'm in tears, and then I'm apologizing and saying it's my fault. haha For the record, I have never seen Jeff cry. I always bug him by asking if he'll cry when I die. Aren't I great? =)

Who has more friends? I do, but that's cause I count you as a friend 3 minutes after I meet you.

Who wears the pants in the family? Jeff, but he tries to make me wear them once in a while.

Now I tag Stacy!

Cozumel, Mexico

2008-01-24T14:05:00.000-08:00

K, I've put this off long enough. This post will be a work in progress till I track down all the photos I want. But enough of you are waiting so here you go....

The adventures of our trip actually started the night before: on New Years Eve. Grandma and Grandpa Young had left their passports in Yuma, AZ and didn't realize it until that evening! Normally it wouldn't have been a problem and they would have had them FedEx-ed to Texas the next day. But FedEx had closed early for New Years Eve. They decided to have some close friends from Yuma drive 3 hrs to Phoenix and bring the passports to the South West Ticket Counter and meet Randy (Jeff's dad) there. The crazy thing about the situation is that Jeff's grandparents are usually the most prepared, on time people I know. So of course this would happen to them.

Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Group 1 (Jeff's parents, grandparents and sister's family) had a 6 am flight!! Jamie, Jeff's sister, lives down in Spanish Fork, so their whole family was up at 3 am!

Group 2 (us, and Trisha and TJ) had a slightly more comfortable flight at 8:30 am. Of course, we were all split up with me in the VERY BACK row with BOTH kids and the baby and Jeff more up front in an exit row so he couldn't take Brenna. Luckily after some seat swapping, I ended up in TJ's seat with Brenna and Jeff had the boys in the back. Good flight after that move.

We got into Dallas and spent the rest of the day there. Texas was a nice and CHILLY 50 degrees so no swimming and we spent the day in our hotel. Randy on the other hand was dealing with air ports for the day. After they landed in Texas he was off on another flight to AZ. And of course the couple wasn't there at the ticket counter. After waiting a few hours and missing his original flight back to us, he barely got through security and grabbed the last flight back to Dallas. Turns out the couple WAS there but thought they'd be more creative. They made a sign and walked as close as they could to the terminal they thought was Randy's and waited. When they couldn't find him they drove back 3 HOURS to Yuma and THEN called us. Oh, they never did go to the South West ticket counter. Long story short, passports were FedEx ed the next day to Dallas and the grandparents met us in Mexico the day after.

Wednesday, January 2, 2008
WINDY in Mexico! Cold, cloudy and some drizzles. We got there in the early afternoon and enjoyed the scenery while the wind blew. We mostly stayed in our room that day. Since the boys could only stand so much Spanish on the TV, back to the Care Bears on the PSP.

Thursday, January 3
Ryan got such a kick from watching Disney in Spanish. He just laughed and laughed when Little Einsteins came on and he tried to sing along. Jeff was liking the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse song better since they said something like "it's here" instead of "hot dog" over and over.

Friday, Jan 4
We needed to get OUT! So we went to lunch at Senior Frogs. I pulled out my baby carrier but I need to do some more tweakin' with it. It felt like Brenna was going to tumble out. Here's a clip from our camera (not the best quality) of the cousins on the swing/chairs at Senior Frogs. Kevin was shaking to the music while Ryan, Hallie and Jake liked to swing. It was SO LOUD inside from the music!! Plus there were some girls who walked around blowing their whistles constantly.

That night we did our first night dive!! I was pretty nervous since it was my first dive in a few years and a new type. It wasn't my favorite type but Jeff said it made him feel like a Navy SEAL: glow stick on your back, flashlight in one hand, jumping into pitch black water... I just kept looking around for something to grap me. Julie and Trisha stayed back to watch our kids. THANKS!! Here's a clip from our night dive. It's kind of eerie and makes me think of UFO's or something. The red blinking light is our dive guide and you'll just have to guess who's behind each of the green lights. Staying with your dive buddy was difficult since you're not supposed to shine your light directly on some one's face. I lost Jeff a bunch that night. Be prepared for lots of blackness in the clip. =)

Saturday, Jan 5
We got up early and did 2 more dives. It was a lot easier to relax in the water when you see people. Saw a nurse shark, sea turtle, and lots of fish. The reefs weren't as nice as when we were here in 2004. The hurricane covered up a lot with sand.

Sunday, Jan 6

A dress we got for Brenna at the "mall." It was my first bartering experience.

The view from our room. You can't see it very well, but there was an ugly field right next to the resort and we had a great view. =) Ryan loved watching the cranes.

A typical Mexican breakfast, right? Kevin sure thought so. Thank goodness for Cocoa Puffs, sans milk.

We saw this moth on the outside of our hotel. Ryan wasn't too sure about putting his hand close to it. There was a group of peacocks that Kevin loved to watch. He called them "chicken poxs."

Monday, Jan 7

click the little text box on the left to read the captions.

It was a great vacation in spite of the weather. What an awesome Christmas present! Thanks Mom and Dad Young!!!!! I think we wore the kids out:

Ode to Ryan

2008-01-16T21:12:00.000-08:00

So, I'm tired of my last template and thought I'd do a quick update. If you don't know, Ryan's favorite color is green. It's been his favorite color since he was 3. He came up to me one day and told me that. I thought it was a passing fancy but he's stuck with it. So to make any present really super cool for him, just pick the green version. Clothes, books, soap, jello, toothbrush, you name it. Last summer he told me that he loves looking at nature since it's favorite color. Yeah for grass and trees.

It'll be fun to show him my blog in the morning.

We're still alive

2008-01-16T15:01:00.001-08:00

I know I've dropped of the face of the earth for a month but I'm back. I'll try to update for the next few days. We had a trip to Mexico that has got quite a story. That'll be the next blog. =)

For Christmas, Nana(Jeff's mom) got all the grandkids darling matching outfits so off to the photographers we went. We went to this new store in the Riverwoods called Portrait Innovations. It's a lot like Kiddie Kandids. You get your pictures same day and they're REALLY kid friendly. I think the pictures turned out even better than the ones I got a month ago.

We went in thinking we were just getting a big group picture but they took so many other cute pictures that of course we had to get them. Here's just a sample of some of the pictures. All the grandkids, Hallie - 5, Ryan - 4, Jake - 3, Kevin - 2, Mason - 1, Brenna - 5 months. Notice all the smiles in the group picture - oh wait. =)

Mom, click on the "view all images" button on the bottom right to see larger images.I love the picture of Kevin all serious. He was not happy that we were back again for pictures and kept giving the ladies there the stare and walking away. But since their cameras are hand-held they just followed him and got that shot.

cough hack ache

2007-12-21T21:04:00.001-08:00

Our whole family has the flu. And by family, yes even Brenna, and no, not Jeff. I don't know how he gets out of these things but he just never gets sick. Ryan started us off with it Sunday morning and Kevin, Brenna, and I followed on Tuesday. Most of the fevers are gone and we're hacking away.

Jeff has left for the weekend with all the guys in the family for Vegas. They are going to see the BYU game. LUCKY!! Actually I'm more jealous that he's not sick. =) So I'm stuck here at home with sick kids and it's makes me really wonder if I want more kids. Yeah, it all seems sunshine and good times when the kids are healthy and obedient, but when sickness come to call (especially when I'm hit with it too) I feel like I have 3 kids too many. haha

Luckily I have some great neighbors and my mother-in-law who do grocery drop-offs and entertain the healthier kids while I grab a nap. I just hope we get better by Tues.
On a happier note, there's a good chance that we'll have snow on Christmas Eve!! I've never had that happen so I'm excited.

Pass the Sprite

2007-12-14T18:48:00.000-08:00

So growing up eggnog has been a fun Christmas treat. Granted my mom always passed on it. The whole idea of it grossed her out.

When I came to Utah I realized they have this weird idea of adding a thinner to it. Good 'ole Sprite. Now I have tried it and it's not bad, the fizz is kind of nice. But you lose a lot on the way it goes down nice and thick and creamy. So in my family we drink it plain.

My poll to you all out there is on the right. How do you take your nog?

Go Cougs!!!

2007-12-04T21:07:00.001-08:00

I finally got some pics of Jeff and me at a BYU game. We got season tickets this year and it was so fun. With the BYU/UofU game being best of course. My voice was hoarse by the end. Kari, Stacy, Loralee, does my shirt bring back memories??? =)

Here Comes Santa ... in a Fire Truck

2007-12-04T20:55:00.001-08:00

Our little town is just so cute. The Monday after Thanksgiving Santa has a quick ride down Main Street in the fire truck with the lights and sirens going. As he gets out of the truck we have a count down and light the city tree. Then Santa meets with the kids and hands out candy canes. How cute is that!!

Annual Christmas Trip

2007-12-04T20:08:00.000-08:00

So every year we go out to dinner and look at Christmas lights with Jeff's family. We've done the Temple Square lights and the drive through ones down in Spanish Fork (my personal favorite since you can stay nice and warm in the car).

This year we had a great surprise. Like our ride!?

It holds 14 so no one else get married or have babies!! Jeff likes this ride for our 12 kids down the road. I love the 5 car seats all next to each other.

We had 6 kids and 8 adults! We stopped and had dinner at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. Delicious!!!!!!! And the kids behave pretty well.

Ryan in green and Kevin in red. The boys were mostly interested in the Christos this year. I love Temple Square but the lights aren't what they used to be so the boys were done pretty fast with being outside. We had a quick stop inside to look at the statue and then left for home.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas!

New Pics

2007-11-30T09:07:00.000-08:00

So I finally braved it, and got the kids in for pictures. You probably can't tell, but Brenna was crying most of the time. She wouldn't smile in the group shot for anything. So we settled for a picture that didn't have a huge scowl. =) The boys were awesome and help up well. Near the end when the photographer was really trying hard to coax a smile out of Brenna, Ryan had a locked smile on his face, and through clenched teeth said, ever so politely, "Just take the picture."

My mother-in-law took the boys for a stroll through the mall so I could work on Brenna's singles. Wouldn't you know, as soon as I got her naked she was happy as a bug. So we'd take her picture in one outfit then I strip her down and let her chill for a minute before dressing her again. That would give me 3 minutes before she'd cloud up. I was so glad when that day was done!

This is the dress that we blessed Brenna in. It's also the dress that I was blessed in. Sweet, huh?

Thanksgiving food

2007-11-28T11:36:00.000-08:00

This is mostly a reminder for me so I remember what foods I made and how much work it was! haha Well, it wasn't that bad. =)

Great-Grandma Helen
Aunt Marta did a great job on the napkins. =)

Here's my clean up crew.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-22T19:59:00.000-08:00

So before I crash for the day, just wanted to wish all of you a Happy Thankgiving and let you all know how grateful I am for your friendships!

I pulled off my first Thanksgiving today for 12 people (yes, I did include Brenna). I had some great help from my mom (thanks, mom, otherwise we would have had a lot of COLD sides). I don't know how people do it without more than one stove or by themselves and keep all the food hot! But nothing burned, it all tasted yummy, and my fridge is bulging from leftovers. Which mean: let's go out to eat tomorrow!

ps good luck to any of you 5 am shoppers and remember: I got here first, saw it first, so hand the toy over! j/k

Leap Frog What?

2007-11-07T21:08:00.000-08:00

I'm looking into getting Ryan a Leap Frog Learning System for Christmas but I'm so confused. There's seams to be a Leap Frog Pad, a Pad Plus, a Pad Writing, a Leapster, etc. Does anyone know anything about these and what would be best for a 4 year old?

Plus I just read on CNN that they are recalling AquaDots! I'm so sad since I had gotten them for Ryan for Christmas. Oh, well, back to Costco.

Say what??!

2007-11-07T18:45:00.000-08:00

So Ryan has come up with a bunch of interesting topics today....

We're driving in the car, when Ryan asks:

"Mom, can I eat people?"

"No!"

"Even if they are a stranger?"

"Of course not!"

"What if someone takes me and Kevin away and we bite him so hard that we accidentally bite him in half. THEN, can we eat him?" (I've told Ryan to scream and bite if someone tries to grab them)

I then proceeded to try to explain how people meat isn't good for us and how we should respect our bodies that Heavenly Father has given us. That led to talking about funerals, since Ryan had to know what we would do with the body once he had bitten it in half. Which in turn led to talking a bit about death and how it wouldn't happen to him or me for a very, very, very, very-times -3000-days-long time. Which then led to this statement:

"Mom, the day before you die, you will die tomorrow."

"Umm, yes."

Birthday Week

2007-10-30T09:54:00.001-07:00

So I had my "birthday week" this week and it was awesome. The birthday week idea is from my sister-in-law Jamie. She is all about stretching the fun out. I wouldn't be surprised if she tried pushing for the "birthday month." Well, I'm now 27 and still feeling like I'm way too young to have a 4 year old and 3 kids. I am just babysitting, right?

Saturday was great. A day that's pretty tough to top. I had a massage in the morning and a hair cut in the afternoon. Nothing drastic, just a trim and lots of layers added. But I bought my first round brush and after 1 1/2 hours on Sunday trying to recreate the proper look I have to give props to all of you out there that know how to use one. I actually scratched my face with the darn bristles and worn my arm out. My other sister-in-law Trisha has promised to give me lessons.

Then to top off the day, I went to Costco sans kids! Seriously, as a lot of you know, I LOVE COSTCO!!!! If you ever come to our house you'll see that our house is made from Costco. And they have the BEST return policy (that's for you Asialene). So I got to browse the isles without chasing down kids or hearing my sweet hunny asking if "we're done yet." And I got out of there under $100. (My secret fantasy is to go to Costco some day and spend $10,000. Trust me, I could do it.)

Halloween Party

2007-10-24T16:22:00.000-07:00

Roxy threw a surprise birthday party for her hubby, Steve. It was a lot of fun since they rented out a bowling alley. There was yummy chow and games. We were supposed to dress up. I was going to but Jeff said he wasn't. So I just had the kids wear their stuff. Then as we are walking out the door, Jeff grabs his 7-Eleven costume and teases me about not being dressed up. Auuggghhh!!
Me and my sister, Ciara.

Kevin is a rooster and Ryan is an ER doctor. At least they were for about 2 minutes at the party before the costumes came off.

Ryan loves to play doctor so I figured it would be a great investment as a Halloween costume. Here, Brenna is getting her checkup and received a clean bill of health.

When Papa and Daddy are in charge of hair...

2007-10-24T16:13:00.001-07:00

Just in case you didn't catch it in the first picture...

Ta-Dah

2007-10-24T16:09:00.001-07:00

Only 2 months old and already my daughter is trying to get naked. I found her this way one morning. I heard her grunting and talking and then a big shriek. I was pretty impressed since she had her gown on and was burrito wrapped when I last laid her down (around 4 in the morning).

So Serious

2007-10-24T16:07:00.000-07:00

All of these updates go out to my mom. She hasn't seen Brenna in a month now and is agonizing over how much Brenna must be changing.

Intro to technology

2007-10-24T15:55:00.001-07:00

Jeff and I were hanging out in our bed, when we heard some whispers and beeping. Jeff leaned over the bed and saw this cute scene so I quietly got the camera and gave it to him. Guess Ryan thinks Brenna's old enough to learn about the wonders of cell phones.

Tagged!

2007-10-19T19:24:00.000-07:00

I have been tagged by the Lathamites (Dave).

The rules:

A. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning.

B. Each player lists 6 facts/habits about themselves.

C. At the end of the post, the player then tags 6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

1. I have a MAJOR phobia of the toilet. We have a rule in the house, if something falls in the toilet, it WILL be flushed away. I don't care that it's your favorite toy car! I used to deal with this phobia by avoiding the toilet and only cleaning it when I absolutely had to. Now with small children in the house who actually TOUCH the toilet, I deal with it by cleaning them everyday!

2. I love scary movies but I have to iron while I watch them. That way, when things start getting too intense I can focus on a wrinkle. Making the pshhhhh sound with the iron helps distract me too.

3. I hate the sensation of being numb. I'm always afraid that I won't ever get my feeling back. Because of that I'll do anything to avoid getting numbed up including: delivering babies without an epidural and having my teeth drilled on without drugs.

4. I have a crush on Rooney Doodle. 'Nuff said. (Must have small children in house to get this one)

5. I love to eat mayonnaise. And no, I don't mean things with mayonnaise in them. Just mayo straight up....hold the rocks. I've had a thing for mayo since my early days, but now that I'm older and more health conscience, I have to be satisfied with just licking the spoon after I've made a bowl of tuna. ps Miracle Whip is NOT mayonnaise!

6. I'm still afraid of the dark. When Jeff is gone, I try really hard not to think about it since I have to be the grown-up with the kids. But otherwise, I try to make Jeff be the one to turn the lights out. And when I'm turning them off downstairs, I always run up the stairs fast so nothing can grab my legs in the dark.

6 things you may not have know about good ole Al. Enjoy! I now tag: the Masseys, Christy, Roxy, Julie, Ruby, and Alison

My day today...

2007-10-11T15:44:00.000-07:00

No, I didn't do housework, I didn't watch the kids as well as I should have, I didn't buy groceries, or do any other normal day stuff. I got to program today! My brother-in-law is taking programming classes at BYU and needed some help in one of them (CS 235 for those of you in the know). It was pretty fun, in a nerdy way, and nice to know that some of my brain cells are still running. Now it's almost 5 and I have to get dinner and make it look like I did other things today. =)

Happy Birthday to Google!

2007-09-27T11:56:00.000-07:00

K, I'm a total nerd.....but I LOVE to google things. I'm talking about medical questions to party ideas to history. I even googled "how to clean your dishwasher." Granted, I was mega nesting that day when I was pregnant. What's the craziest thing you've ever googled? Anyways, happy 9th birthday to Google!

Pictures at home

2007-09-10T12:45:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to take some singles of Brenna but Kevin had to join the fun. Then Ryan had to get into the action also. I think that Brenna has her eyes opened wide enough for the three of them! She's finally starting to crack some smiles too. Wahoo!
Gotta love that cheesiness!

Super Powers

2007-09-07T12:39:00.001-07:00

Here's the boys wearing their "super power necklaces." (They're the treds off a bulldozer toy) They wear them around their necks, heads, and wrists to give them super strength. I hope the necklaces are manly enough for Jeff.

Ryan started preschool

2007-09-07T12:25:00.000-07:00

Ryan started preschool this year. Definately strange that I have a 4 year old. He was so excited to finally use his Diego backpack. When we were heading out the door Ryan was trying to give me kisses. I kept telling him "No, no, I'm taking you to school. I'm going with you." He looked at me really seriously and said "Yes, but then I'll be gone for super lots of time and you will miss me." Very true.

When I dropped him off and watched him walk into his class I cried and thought how my baby was too little for school and how I wished he would stay home forever. Of course, when it was time to pick him up, I wondered where the time had gone and wished I had more.

Say no to crack

2007-09-06T23:23:00.001-07:00

So are you ready for the funniest story ever?! I'm at the library with Kevin standing in line to check out our books. I suddenly realize that Kevin's not next to me and look around. Lined up against the far wall are a row of computers. Sitting at one of them is a high school girl wearing the lowest low-rise jeans you could imagine. So yes, she is showing off her crack. And looking at that crack with utmost interest is my curious Kevin. He walks right up behind her and dipsticks her!!! That girl shot up off her chair and started tugging her shirt down as hard and as fast as she could. She must have been really embarrassed since she never turned around. And Kevin walks back to me quite pleased with himself. That should teach her. =)

The many adventures of Kevin

2007-09-06T23:01:00.000-07:00

Who knew that being 2 could be so exciting. Kevin WILL get into anything: flour, brown sugar, furniture, cocoa...

Pics of boys

2007-09-06T22:15:00.001-07:00

So for all of you who haven't seen us in a while here's some pics of the boys. These were taken last Thanksgiving so we are way overdue to get new ones, especially since we now have Brenna. I'm just dreading the idea of dragging 3 kids to pictures. Auugghh!!

I finally did it!!

2007-09-06T22:07:00.000-07:00

K, I'm a computer graduate and I didn't even have a blog. What's wrong with that picture. So here I am! (A shout out to Christy for giving me the push I needed)