OuR CrAzY LiTtLe LiFe...

AmAzInG...

2010-05-11T10:31:00.005-06:00

I remember you were laughing, we were so in love, we were so in love

and the band played songs that we had never heard, but we danced anyway...

We never understood the words, but we sang ohhh

lalalalalala... and We Danced Anyway...

As I sat and watched a video of a young lady trying to sing this song, to keep from crying, as her sister shaved her head I was overcome with emotion.

Little Tiffanie, is fighting the fight of her life and in all of that she finds beauty and laughter... I have so much to learn.

She has a cancer that attacks the muscles. I'd love to pretend that I remember what it was called, or could pronounce it, but I can't.

I know Tiff through my sister and her kids. She used to dance at the same studio they did. She was one of the "big kids" at the studio. At least that is how I thought of her when Hanna and Morgan were 8 and 6. I loved to watch my nieces perform, and I loved when we got the chance to see Tiffanie and Lindsey dance. They were just amazing. Tiff was just a little ball of energy on stage you couldn't help but notice and love her.

I think you all know how I feel about cancer. It terrifies and angers me. It's funny how you view things once you're a Mom. You put yourself into the Mom position and try to imagine watching your child go through such a horrible ordeal. It's heart wrenching really.

Then you see this sweet girl,( she's 21 and not technically a little girl anymore) and it rips your heart right out. She has a wisdom in her eyes that I'm sure comes with all she's been through.

This is her second fight with this cancer. She was diagnosed the first time when she was just 6 months old. She fought hard, and not only recovered she became strong. Muscular cancer didn't stop her from becoming an AMAZING dancer. I learned last night she was the president of the "Rebellettes" cheer squad at Dixie college. She was teaching dance, and had gone with a group to China to teach dance over there. 20 years later that cancer is back, and trying it's best to break her. But she's not just giving up, she is truly amazing.

Tiff brings happiness to everyone around her.

I can personally attest to that. She doesn't know me. I was just another one of the adults at the dance performances, but she brought me happiness. Even in just a simple way. Being able to watch her dance and perform, brought a smile to my face.

Watching her last night brought tears to my eyes. She's still just as beautiful, even sans her gorgeous hair. Even skinny and somewhat frail, she smiles just as bright. Her legs are both casted now, apparently her calf muscles have taken quite a beating. She was still up and around and hugging friends and laughing. She is the model of hope and faith.

My point to all my ramblings is how you never know how you affect people. Last night I was privileged enough to sit with 800 people who know and love Tiffanie. 800 people showed up to show their love and support for her! She has touched so many lives. I have no idea how many people were family or her BFF's, or were like me and knew her as a friend of a friend. But everyone there has been touched by Miss Tiffanie.

Everyone there paid to get in, and paid for "Dancers against Cancer" shirts, and went through and bid on donated items, all to help Tiff. And, we were all happy to do so. Close to every dance studio in the County turned out to perform, So You Think You Can Dance finalists came to perform, Odyssey Dance from Salt Lake was there, "Afterglow" was there and performed songs for Tiff. It was an all out amazing experience.

I got to again, watch my beautiful nieces perform, (now they are the "big kids" at the studio). They are amazing little dancers too, I never get tired of watching them dance.

I can say with most confidence, there wasn't a dry eye in the place when Tiffanie got up at the end to give her very heartfelt Thanks for the love and support.

I am so grateful for this little girl, and that I had a chance to witness the precious display last night. I'm so grateful that I got to take my girls, and spend the evening with them & their cousins & my sister.

Good Luck Tiffanie, we are all truly praying for you!

AnOtHeR UpDaTe...

2010-04-27T16:33:00.002-06:00

Another update on my Mom for the family...

So, Robin went back to work yesterday. It was a very long day, and she was exhausted when she got home. But, she made it through okay. She's getting a ride with a lady from work for this first week, which I was glad to hear!

I guess when she filled out the roll in her class the aide had to come back into the classroom to ask what she had written.

Her writing is much better than it was, but still not great.

Around her condo she doesn't tend to get dizzy, but it was a different matter at school. She was dizzy while trying to walk through campus and tried to stay close to something to hold onto. She still feels the vertigo is a problem. We are hoping it goes away completely and soon.

She said she felt like her speech was okay during class. After school (when she tired) her speech was slurred, and she had trouble finding the words she wanted a few times.

I try to not let that freak me out, but it's not easy. ;)

Considering her stroke was only a few weeks ago, I think she's doing great!

On the bright side, her laundry is all caught up, her house is spotless, and her fridge is stocked... THANKS SO MUCH AUNT PAULINE!

I don't know what we would have done without you! You definitely made life a ton easier for Kari and I these last few weeks! I just found out that Aunt Pauline was on her way out of town again just as she got home.... So thanks even more for sacrificing your time at home to get ready for your next trip!

WeLL cRaP...

2010-04-21T15:21:00.002-06:00

So I had a few funnies, I wanted to post on here. Ya know, my kids doing crazy things, Sammy losing a tooth, Oh and Scotty and his new "going green" lawn mower. (it's one of those old motor~less push mowers) But alas, the camera with pictures of these funny things was lost at the zoo today.

Well, Crap!

Trying to Think Straight...

2010-04-12T14:49:00.003-06:00

I'm just posting on here because it's a central location for the family...

My Mom is home. Aunt Pauline is there with her.

She's doing better everyday.

She did have a minor stroke.

They did go ahead and send her home from the hospital because there was nothing more they could do for her. Dr. Corry also felt it was better to get her home around her own things so she could start to "rehab". The Vertigo seems to be there still, but she is getting more steady on her feet.

The problem I see is that she thinks she's okay and walking straight, when in reality she's tipping over. She hasn't had a fall yet, we stay pretty close by. (Even when she says she's fine and pushes us away.) Actually she doesn't push me away because she knows I'm even more stubborn than she is! Thankfully Pauline is with her and I doubt she will give in either. ;)

She seems to be eating better and keeping food down, so that is a HUGE improvement from a week ago. The CT scan and the MRI from last week were both fairly normal. Dr. Corry just said the CT scan showed some signs of her age. She didn't find that amusing. He thinks they will run another MRI again in a week to see what they find then.

She has found that writing is a bit of a problem. She has already started to practice and I'm sure it will come back soon.

Thanks to everyone for all the prayers, they mean alot!

And for all the visits.

I'll try and keep you posted here. Call anytime if you have questions.

Eating Healthy...

2010-03-24T17:42:00.005-06:00

I LOVE to cook. I love to read new cookbooks, love trying new food, love making new food. Oh, and I LOVE to watch food network, and tend to get obsessed with some of their shows.

Due to the fact that I am still holding extra weight from too long ago to admit... (and Brookies pregnancy didn't help). I need to drop some stinkin' weight. And my love for food isn't helping my big butt disease. Unfortunately my work out routine isn't cuttin' it either. So, enter my new favorite cookbooks...

The Biggest Loser Family Cookbook, and the Clean Eating magazine. I heart them!

Very Yummy and good for you meals!

Woo Hoo!

I will be sharing these fabulous recipes with you on my recipe blog... at

http://bigfatmommyrecipes.blogspot.com/

Happy Eating kids!

I just posted my new favorite Fish Tacos recipe. It was delish!

Mommy Time Out...

2010-03-02T22:19:00.002-07:00

So, I have clearly become a total and complete slacker. I know this is no shock to any of you. I love to blog, I love the people I have met because of my blog. I am out of things to say...

Okay so that last statement isn't true. It's NEVER been true. :) But, I have felt as if I have lost control of my kids, and I don't really care for the raving lunatic I have become.

So, I have taken a break. I have read at least 10 books since the Christmas break. A few were fabulous, and some not so. I have worked out, (not as much as I should) but still worked out. I've played mindless games on facebook, which I'm embarrassed to say I enjoy. :) I have hung out with my kids and husband as much as possible. I have tried a number of new fun recipes, which is one of my favorite things to do. I have played nurse maid to sick kids, and then been sick myself. In fact the last time my husband came home from a trip we were all laying around in the living room, sleeping bags and all. Everyone was feeling under the weather so we took a few days off to watch movies, eat soup, and cough on each other.

I am ready for Spring, and to enter the "outter world" again. Hibernation is hopefully over...

I hEaRt ChArLeStOn...

2010-01-19T22:33:00.002-07:00

The Jail... it just happens to be voted "The Most Haunted Building in Charleston"

Considering how "haunted" the city is suppose to be, that's saying something!

I just couldn't get enough of the gorgeous historic homes!

They were so amazing!

We got to go on a Ghost Tour of the city.

It was so much fun, we visited a few graveyards, and heard some spooky stories.

I just loved the city. I am far from a "city girl" but Charleston is intoxicating. I have completely fallen in love with the city. The history just seemed to suck you in. It was so amazing! I would so love to go back, again and again.

Great Vacation, thanks Scotty and thanks Norm and Laurel! It was so great!

OvEr the RiVeR and ThRu the WoOds....

2010-01-13T09:14:00.002-07:00

I'm not sure why my stinkin' pictures ALWAYS post out of order! I even double checked,

and still when I posted they went crazy. Crap!

To GrAnDmA & GrAnDpA's hOuSe We gO...

The day after we got to Seneca, Grandpa, Daddy, and Sam went to Atlanta

to pick up Auntie Katie from the airport.

So, Grandma and I took the girls to see Santa.

Brookie was so funny she ran right up to Santa and hugged him. Then, it was as if she went into a coma, because she wouldn't even look at him for the rest of the visit.

The best part was that Avery (who is 8) still doesn't like Santa. When she was little she had a nervous breakdown when we went to see him. EVERY YEAR!

So, now that she's a "big girl" she pretends to like him... ya know until she's staring him in the face and then she won't have anything to do with him.

I had to talk her into sitting by Savannah in the picture. She's hilarious!

We were looking for something to keep the kids from dying of boredom at the mall. Thank goodness there was this cute little train riding thru it.

I thought the older girls wouldn't be too happy about having to ride the baby train with their baby sister. I think they secretly loved it too!

This was one amazing mall!

We spent a good part of the day here, and didn't see a half of it.

And, of course because my pictures posted funky...

this is Miss Brookie on the plane. She was a fun bundle of energy THAT DIDN'T

DOZE OFF ONCE! Yep not once from Utah to South Carolina!

She's lucky she's cute!!

We had so much fun in South Carolina, and the little we saw of Georgia was fabulous too!

So much to post... and so little time!

2010-01-11T20:43:00.002-07:00

I have SO much to post!

December flew by in a flash... I'm still not sure where the whole month went!

Now here we are into a new month and a new year...

But first I need to post all the fun stuff we've been up to.

We went sight seeing around Seneca, South Carolina. Gorgeous!

The girls and I got to see Santa at the Mall of Georgia.

Avery built a fabulous snowman in our front yard... in the dark!

Savannah turned 11!! And, her crazy Mom took her and her stinky friends

to the movies. She picked the Princess and the Frog for her

Birthday Movie. Yes, she's 11! I love her!

After a crazy Birthday her Mom was lame and just bought a cake.

But we did all love it.

So, busy busy December... we did also happen to Celebrate Christmas.

More to come, I'm still unpacking and getting laundry under control.

What to do...

2009-12-17T22:15:00.002-07:00

These are my stinky kids. Aren't they cute?

Yeah, well looks can be deceiving...

They are particularly stinky lately. What to do?

Do you ever wonder as a Mom, if you're doing things right? How to teach them? How to show them how to become responsible, and respectful? Do you ever wonder if the whole generation is incapable of respect? How to handle yourself, when things don't go according to plan? Do you ever wonder those things, or is it just me?

Lately I have had a harder time with these questions. Or more importantly, the answers to these questions.

During this time of year, I get so excited to watch cozy Christmas movies with just the tree lights on. I plan on all the fun season friendly treats I'm going to make, and what cute neighbor gifts I can have the kids deliver. I love to drive around and look at all the beautifully decorated homes. I love even more to drive around and mock the tacky decorations! I like to plan out the fun Holiday Season activities with the kids.

This has not been one of those years. I couldn't find the Christmas Spirit if I was hit over the head with it.

I officially have the naughty kids in the neighborhood. I have also officially won my spot in the crazy White Trash Mom hall of fame. I had to chase a kid across my neighbors lawn/snow bank, to grab him by his coat and drag him home. My kids have a medical condition... their ears block out the sound of my voice and they CANNOT LISTEN to me. Cannot listen to their Mom... nope not at all. I have officially turned into a nag, I have to repeat myself, and repeat myself, and repeat.... and repeat. In fact I've decided I get more results when I have conversations with the wall.

Lately however, the blatant disregard for my opinions and requests is NOTHING compared to what those stinkers have been throwing at me. And I mean literally throwing at me!

So in light of the events that have transpired in the Alger home, I AM NOT IN THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT. I'm not feeling it. I'm feeling like I have rotten kids, and I have failed as a Mom. How exactly do you bake cookies and listen to Christmas music when you just want your kids to be in bed asleep so there are no more knock down drag out fights that you have to physically break up? How do you teach your kids about the real meaning of The Season, when there is NO peace in the home? No really I'm asking...

So, what do I do? How do I be a good Mom. Right now, I honestly have NO idea. I never had any illusions about being a great Mom. I knew I wasn't, but I thought I could at least handle my kids. I don't put up with crap. I really don't, so why do they act as if they were living in a lawless half way house before showing up on my doorstep?

Okay really, I need some guidance here. Since it's not really kosher to beat them into submission, I'm out of ideas.

Help, from MommyGrinch...

Oh and Merry Christmas

Averys Big Day!

2009-12-17T00:09:00.003-07:00

Miss Avery Lyn had her Special Day November 29th.

She was so precious (if only that lasted)

Congrats Avery we love you tons!

Oh CRAP!

2009-12-09T23:50:00.003-07:00

Yes... This is my Brookie.

Yes.... we have had ANOTHER broken limb in our home!

Yes... I DID make her wait overnight before I took her in!

Yes... Once again, I SUCK and have officially WON the

Mother of the Year award!

She is alright now, and her hot pink cast is now in the trash. We are even done with the splint. Thank Goodness. She's still a little timid about her arm, and she is now using her left hand more than her right. She's always used her right hand more, but now she might just be a lefty like her big brother Sammy!

Now I know there is only a few weeks left in this year, but it would be REALLY nice if we could go the rest of this year with NO MORE broken freaking bones. Oh, and my Christmas wish is to learn how to decide it's time to go to the ER, instead of waiting until 4 am before I decide I should have taken the still crying kid in about 12 hours before!

Crap!

2009-12-03T16:07:00.002-07:00

Holy Cow is it seriously December already?

I have been such a slacker, I apologize... I'll work on a couple posts for ya, I know you're all waiting on the edge of your seats!

Grandpa Woody & Grandparents Day!

2009-10-24T13:59:00.003-06:00

Averys 2nd grade class had Grandparents day, and we were lucky enough to have Grandpa Woody come. The program was so cute, and Grandpa is the best! It's so fun to see how much he loves being with his Great Grandkids.

He went to Averys classroom and saw her desk and had some cookies with her after the performance. Grandpa Woody we love you!

2009-10-07T12:50:00.001-06:00

A Few New Recipes to Check Out... Enjoy!

bigfatmommyrecipes.blogspot.com

"school" pictures

2009-10-06T12:11:00.004-06:00

Miss Attitude...
The 5th Grader...
The Sassy 8 year old...
The Boy...

All my little Stinkers...

(thanks Cecily! :) )

Color Me Mine, Birthday

2009-09-29T23:07:00.002-06:00

Miss Avery and Shannia at color me mine for Averys Birthday!

How perfect is that? It was so much fun, and their projects turned out adorable!!

Happy Birthday Avery!!!

2009-09-24T13:54:00.003-06:00

My little Artist Avery is Eight!! Holy Cow! She had a lovely birthday full of all her favorites! Her daddy took her and her friend Shannia to Color Me Mine and she got to paint her own piece of pottery. (photo to follow shortly) Shannia gave her a huge tackle box full of art supplies! Heaven!

On Little Miss Averys big day she conned me into a trip to the mall, where she got an array of makeup from her Grandma Robin, and Lime Green Chuck Taylors from her Mommy and Daddy! Not to mention 84 pieces of gel pen bliss her Daddy found for her. I would say she had a great day!

Happy Birthday my little princess. I don't know where the last 8 years have gone. Really, where?

One last Hurrah before school started...

2009-09-07T12:06:00.002-06:00

We took the kids to St. George for a few days before school started. We swam in the hotel pool, which was the big hit! Went to a few St. George "hot spots", like Jacob Hamblins home, and Brigham Youngs winter home. The kids weren't so sure it was exciting but we went all the same. We also took them to the historical Tabernacle and the BEST part.... we ate at In n Out! Oh yeah baby!! It was a fantastic way to get ready for school. We actually drove straight from St. George to the school for the "meet and greet" with their teachers the day before school started. We got home set out school supplies and first day of school outfits and here we are 3 1/2 weeks into school. Geez... it's already flown by! right?

DrOp Off IsSuEs, aGaIn!

2009-09-01T23:42:00.007-06:00

Okay well it really wouldn't be me if I allowed the car pool situation to pass my by without unleashing me views onto you... my lovely "blog family" :)

So... new school year. New drop off / pick up lane at the elementary school. Oy...

It's a whopping 3 weeks into school and I'm already plotting the deaths of many of the carpool, suv'ers at the drop off! I HATE the drop off situation, I'm using the word hate... about morning drop off!! It's going to be a very LONG school year!

This year we do not have kindergarten, so we have sidestepped that landmine. phew... Although we have now moved onto the "big kid" side of the school and I dare say it might be worse! There are TWO lanes for drop off. TWO! Of course you don't want to actually drop kids off in the second lane because they would have to cross in front of cars to get to the school. So, it would be safe to say that the first lane if for drop off, and the second lane if for PULLING OUT OF DROP OFF AND LEAVING WHEN YOU'RE DONE! Well, that is a complicated task to pull off I guess. So instead people pull up into the first lane... drop off their kids... pull SO close to the car in front of them they can't pull out of line. So they wait, and of course the car in front is on her PHONE, and it's not the perfect spot to drop off her kids so she's sitting and waiting as well. And before you know it... everyone is WAITING and no one is actually dropping kids off anymore, and no one is getting out of the way either!!
And this is even better... then there will be a 3 or 4 car space and the next car has decided to let their kids out at the end of the line, and NO ONE has decided it's a good idea to go around that car and pull into the empty spaces!!
Seriously, it's NOT ROCKET SCIENCE HERE!!
Riddle me this Batman... Why does carpool drop off have to be so painful? And heres another question for the masses... when 75% of the Prom Queens I mean Moms are not even dressed yet WHO IN THE WORLD ARE THEY ALL TALKING TO ON THEIR CELL PHONES?!

Okay I'm done! well... for now... it is of course only the first month of school.
Heaven help us all...

BaCk To ScHoOl... already?

2009-08-24T17:19:00.004-06:00

Savannah and her backpack from preschool, and yes she IS using it for 5th grade. She thinks she's hilarious! (I think she's pretty funny too!)

I really just can't believe it's back to school already! I mean REALLY, where did the summer go? I'm in mourning over the loss of our Summer... it was a good summer and it will be missed... sniff.

Anyhow, the kids started school. Yay!

Sammy was a little nervous about 1st grade, but he did just fine. And, don't worry we already suffered the first tragedy... he lost his Lightning McQueen lunch box on the first day! Yes I said the FIRST DAY... so at least we have that out of the way, right?

Avery is my little hero. She walked right in and sat down and started organizing her school supplies into her desk. Love her! She has a new girl in her class this year and the little girls Mom asked if she could introduce her to Avery because she looked like she was good and settled. Avery and Sydney are cute little friends already, and sit by each other in class. It couldn't be more perfect.

Savannah is the big kid, and I have to say I'M NOT READY!

She is hilarious, and she is in fact toting that Princess backpack to the 5th grade. She even made me get her princess folders too. And she laughed at how funny she was the whole time she packed her bag for school. Goof ball! She wasn't so sure about her teacher, because her BFF wasn't in her class. So far it looks like she's going to love her class and her teacher... so all is well... phew!

So tonight I'm toasting my diet coke to School. WeeHoo!

Cast On... Cast Off...

2009-08-14T14:29:00.002-06:00

Avery FINALLY doesn't have a cast anymore! phew....

After a couple attempts the x-rays finally said it was healed!

Thank Goodness!!

She was a good sport, even though it wasn't too hard. The cast was waterproof and she was allowed to swim in it. She still is my daughter, and on nights it was really wet she would get out the blow dryer and dry it off before bed. (I love her)

She kept saying she was afraid it would smell like a foot like Sammys did! (hee hee I wonder where she heard that!)

But it's off now, all is well ~ and we are getting ready for school to start...

Where did the summer go?

The Splash Park...

2009-08-09T22:27:00.002-06:00

We have had so much fun at our new little splash park! It has all the fun fountains and a great fake little river thing, ya know that the kids won't get swept away in.

We love it!! Woo Hoo!!

I especially love letting Brookie run free until she completely collapses when we get home. (top picture) Nothing is better than that!!

Happy Summer, I'm not ready for it to be over!

Summer...

2009-07-23T17:57:00.002-06:00

Our Summer has been fun filled, crazy wet and wild! Look at my big girl Brookie playing in the slip and slide!
Here is my sweet Precious Brookie, when we had to leave the Strawberry Days carnival. I guess she wasn't ready to go. shucks...

This is little Miss Savannah and her BFF Bethany making Brownies! The brownies were good, well what actually made it to the oven. Most of it ended up in or on their faces!

Family Pics...

2009-07-20T21:27:00.003-06:00

I think they turned out ok...

We need to do some photoshopping, but we have some cute kids! We have some good pictures to choose from. Happy New Family Pictures!

ONE OF MY FAVORITE PLACES!!

2009-07-15T22:40:00.003-06:00

Silver Lake

Cute kids and a picnic at Silver Lake!

The kids went camping with their Daddy and Grandpa last week. They love it so much! Brooke isn't so fun when we're camping so we aren't invited. (I'm not sad about that)

But I went up and had a picnic with the kids and their Grandparents at Silver Lake, while Scott had to get something done for work. It was so gorgeous. It's one of my favorite places! We walked around, ate our sandwiches, taught Brookie how to throw rocks into the lake. It was a great afternoon!

Then after a great dutch oven dinner, when Brooke was completely dirty and completely ready for bed, Grandma and I drove home gave Brooke a tub and put her to bed clean and happy! I'm so happy when I can wash the smell of campfire off of me! I love the smell, while the fire is crackling... but once it's stale I have to wash it off!

Awww... summer!

4th of July & the Splash Park!

2009-07-06T23:28:00.002-06:00

We had a great 4th of July! Obviously I only broke out the camera a couple times the whole day! Oopsy, I'm a GREAT Mom!

Anyhow... We had a fun 4th of July! I love the 4th, it's one of my favorite days! I love seeing the flags flying and everyone wearing red, white, and blue. It's a fantastic day!

We started the morning off nice and lazy by sleeping in. Then I made red, white, and blue pancakes. (I'm trying to redeem myself for breaking my kids. Maybe when CPS investigates they'll have a few happy memories. :) ) Then we went to my sister in laws house and had a great meal (of course), and took the kids to the little splash park. Brookie was in heaven! We tried to make homemade icecream, played dominoes, watched fireworks. It was the perfect day!

Happy 4th of July Kids!

Oh DeAr...

2009-06-23T18:23:00.003-06:00

So, the pictures posted out of order again!!! Crapper!!

Well, as you can see last night was quite the night! Miss Avery Lyn fractured her arm! Yes you read that right, she FRACTURED HER FREAKING ARM!! The poor little baby girl. She was riding her sisters evil rip stick and fell, and snap there went the arm. In fact I was standing right next to her... It was one of those "hey Mom, look what I can do" moments. Only when I looked she biffed and I heard a nasty noise I don't ever want to hear again. I don't know if ya'll are fans of Harry Potter, but in the second one I believe there is a scene when Harry breaks his arm and they "repair" it but it turns to rubber. Well, that's similar to what Averys arm looked like when I picked her up off the driveway to take her inside. Good times!

I put her on the couch thinking I would wait out the night (much like I unknowingly did with Sammy) so I could take her to our doctors office in the morning. By the time I got her settled, and found some ice, there was a nice bump on her forearm. Crap! In case I hadn't mentioned it before Miss Avery Lyn is a little on the dramatic side, and you couldn't even get within a few feet of her without her having a nervous breakdown. So I just didn't know if it was her dramatic flare coming through or it really hurt THAT bad. Within about 15 minutes, that bump was pretty nasty AND in the same spot as Sammys break. Off to the ER we go...

A few short HOURS later we found out she has a buckle fracture. She is currently in a splint and sling and the doctor will tell us next week if she will need the full hard cast.

And to answer your next question, Yes I am waiting for CPS to show up on my doorstep! And my damn Mother of The Year Award STILL hasn't gotten here! It must be lost in the mail!

OH and just to top off the night, or I guess the morning. When we got home first thing this morning the dishwasher decided to bubble up and leak all over the place. (I had a 10 year old little helper who is so sweet and cleaned up while we were gone, she just put dish soap in the dishwasher instead of dishwasher soap) it was a fun couple hours of rinsing and redoing to get it to stop spitting bubbles all over the house! Really, it's like a day in the life of a looney bin!

Tonight I'm toasting my Diet Coke to poor Miss Avery Lyn!

OnE oF tHoSe DaYs...

2009-06-15T18:58:00.004-06:00

Today just seemed like a good day for a Birthday Cake.

(candles and all)

Some days it's just necessary...

Happy Monday

a TWO year old!!!!

2009-06-12T21:36:00.006-06:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BIG GIRL!

Brookie is 2! She is a big girl now! Or so she thinks.

She likes to run after the big kids, and is convinced she is as big as they are. Miss Brookie is an outside girl, she wants to be out there ALL day! No matter the weather or what we are doing. She wants to be "outsyeee"! So for her birthday she got some fun outside toys and an adorable tricycle! Weehoo!

She also got some of the cutest little outfits ever! (thanks everyone)

She's a fun little strong willed baby and we just love her!

Happy Birthday Baby Brookie!

This is for you Janel...

2009-06-02T16:31:00.003-06:00

There is OF COURSE a back story here! This picture was taken with my phone, this lovely lady was grocery shopping. In her skin tight black dress pants and leopard print heels. (I mean that's how I grocery shop!)

Okay lets start at the begining...

I went out walking that morning. I go along the trail up here with my friend Carol every morning. It's pretty far and up alot of hills. In short it pretty much kicks my butt every day! So that particular morning my friend couldn't go with me, so I had to go it alone. I got this BRILLIANT idea to jog part of it, ya know cuz I was in a hurry. Whatever, I start jogging. I did pretty well, even made it over a few of the hills. Then I hit one hill in particular and I didn't think Brookie, the jogging stoller, and my butt were all going to make it up! Funny thing is, that wasn't even the worst hill. I was in some serious trouble! I won't go into all of it, but I finally hauled myself home. Even though I was SURE I was going to need a tow. By the time I made it to the top of the last hill, (which is my neighborhood) I was sweating through all my clothes, and must have looked like I had one foot in the grave. Of course right then Carol was getting home from picking up her kids from school and pulled up behind me and thought I was half dead. We talked for a minute while I tried to catch my breath. Just then my other neighbor Missy called to say that her daughter Morgan (who is in Sammys class) had thrown up in school and had to be picked up early. So I needed to pick Sammy up from school. That's fine, no problem until I close the phone and look at the time and I'm LATE! So, still sweaty and nasty I ran to the school and of course had to run into the office to get Sammy because I was late! Suck!

In the meantime, I have talked to my neighbor Missy again. And poor little Morgan was very sick, and now Missy and her husband had it too. I told her I would run into Walmart to grab her some Sprite and Saltines. Here comes the leopard print heels lady... And please keep in mind the pretty picture of myself I have painted for you! It wasn't pretty, and I have had NO time to even splash water on my face let alone shower! So I am in nasty fat mom work out clothes, completely still covered in sweat, my hair is frizzy and spilling out from under my hat. I march into Walmart like the proud White Trash Mama that I am, only to run into that lady by the sour cream. She was wearing a tight black shirt, her tight black dress pants, of course topped off with her leopard print heels. Her hair and makeup were done up perfect, and she was talking on her cell phone. So I HAD to take a picture just to capture the crazy differences between me and the other moms around here! Yikes!

I didn't realize WALMART was semi-formal attire required! Holy hell, it's like Prom at the PreSchool pick up!

Well CLEARLY it's broken...

2009-05-17T22:46:00.001-06:00

That's what the doc said 2 seconds after looking at Sammys poor little bent and broken arm.

Don't worry though, BEFORE THE DOCTORS appointment, I sent him to school and told him he was fine! Yep, I'm waiting for my Mother of the Year award... I hear it's coming any day now.

No really, it's on it's way.

It obviously hasn't slowed him down any!

He actually broke it at his Aunties house. He fell off a fence and landed on a rock. So when his Auntie dropped him off that night he had it wrapped up in an ace bandage looking all bulky and crazy, (he wrapped it all by himself). The next morning he said it hurt and, me being the fantastic Mom that I am, I told him to get dressed we were late for school. (I know I rock) About an hour into school he called crying and horribly upset, he couldn't hold the crayon to color. So I ran down to school to pick him up. As he was getting into the car he was jumping around being his normal crazy self, and I thought that little crap just snowed me! When we got home he sat on the couch to watch a show and I got a good look at his arm. YUCK, it looked like a bent spaghetti noodle! Ewwww..... I tried to check it out at different angle without freaking him out, and yep it was definitely not right! It looked like a white twizzler! Oh my hell, how did I miss that?

No, the story isn't over...

We get an appointment and run down the hill to the doctor. Just as we were called back Sammy announces that he had to go potty. We get back into the exam room, and I take him next door to use the restroom. He said he was fine, so I went back to the exam room to answer the nurses questions. The nurse gets done with the paperwork, and Sammy still isn't done. I go to the door and knock, and he says he's fine and he's going. So, I head back to the room. The doctor then comes in, I answer all his questions, still no Sammy. Yes, I went back to the door to knock and Sammy said he was hurrying. So I head back to the doctor and asked him a few things about prescription refills, we talked about the weather, no Sammy. Oh my hell it's been 15 minutes what is he doing? I go back to the door only to hear a very sad little, "Mom I need help." So I have to get into the bathroom to see what the problem is, only to find the poor little guys shorts slipped off his legs when he climbed up, and he couldn't get dressed by himself. Holy crap, I suck, he was trying so hard to get dressed and he couldn't use his bent little mangled arm. Yes, I know I suck.

We FINALLY make it to the exam room, and the doctor says... "Well clearly it's broken." Within the first 5 seconds of looking at Sammy. Yes again, clearly I suck.

So, we did all the x~rays. He was splinted for a few days before he got the hard cast. He picked a lovely shade of bright red for his cast and now he has a real live weapon attached to his arm! Only 4 to 6 weeks to go!

Sorry Sammy you have a lame-o Mommy!

2009-05-07T17:57:00.001-06:00

2009-05-07T17:54:00.001-06:00

Here are some more pictures from the Tulip Festival. The collage didn't post as large as I would have hoped, so here they are again. It was freezing, and we narrowly escaped a rain storm, but it was SO worth it! I just love Thanksgiving Point, and the Tulip Festival is a must! Flowers just make me smile, I love spring and the flowers it brings. Happy Spring!

TuLiP FeStIvAl

2009-05-06T22:42:00.003-06:00

I love flowers! They make me happy! Nothing is better than pictures of my beautiful kids, in the beautiful flowers. We had a great time at the Tulip Festival! Even in the cold and rain, it was just a great day!!

PSF : Avery and going her own way...

2009-04-24T14:31:00.004-06:00

Avery is a silly sort. She is a sweetheart, loving, emotional, artist. She can very easily get worked up about, what I think, are little problems, that do not even merit a second thought let alone tears. She is our little Avery.
I've noticed something about her lately. She likes to go her own way. In most things, as the Mom, this can become frustrating. But, I have been enjoying watching her carve her own path.
~
I drive the carpool to school in the morning. Averys big sister and the older girl we carpool are both "big kids" as far as elementary school goes. I mean they are big 4th and 5th graders, while Avery is just a puny little 1st grader.
~
Well, every morning the "big girls" cut through the kindergarten playground to the back of the school. Every morning Avery asks the girls to walk around the front of the school with her. And, as you can guess every morning the big girls whine about how their way is a "short cut" and Avery should just go with them. And, every morning Avery shrugs, turns around to the front of the school and... goes her own way.
She's not sad about it. She just walks her cute little 7 year old walk, swinging her lunchbox, smiling at the other kids walking up to the school, happy to be starting her day. Whether the "big girls" are with her or not.
~
I love her! I hope she stays confident and happy!
~
I'm glad that she likes to go her own way!

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

WiCkEd!!

2009-04-21T22:21:00.001-06:00

We had such a GREAT time at Wicked! I was lucky enough to get to take my girls with me!

It was beautiful! The girls loved it too!

We got to go with some aunts, uncles, cousins, my sister and brother in law, my sister in law, and my mom. It was just a perfect day! Thanks Auntie Maren, your "connection" made it possible.

Wicked... there are no words. It was fantastic!

The 4th Grade Program

2009-03-30T14:11:00.003-06:00

So, I'm behind as usual.

A couple weeks ago Savannah performed in her schools 4th Grade Program. It was so cute! They all did such a great job!

Savannah played a Spanish Explorer. She was fantastic! They sang the cutest songs, and acted out the settlers coming to this area. Too cute!

Way to go Savannah! The top picture is Savannah and her cute friend Emma. Cute girls. I'm becoming aware that this "cute" stage is quickly coming to an end. They are starting to get old enough that they won't be so willing to participate in these cute little programs, and be so adorable. I'm glad we have it on video...

(sorry the pictures are so horrible. My camera didn't want to take pics so far away from the stage.)

What can I say?

2009-03-19T15:48:00.003-06:00

Here is my precious little sweet baby girl Brookie.

Doesn't she just look like a princess?

Yikes, I have met my match!!

"She has dramatic flair!"

2009-03-06T21:45:00.005-07:00

That is what Averys teacher said after her fantastic performance as the TROLL in Three Billy Goats Gruff.

She does indeed have dramatic flair!

Her cute little 1st grade class performed a Readers Theater for the parents last week. It was so adorable! She had the BEST Troll voice I've ever heard, it was fantastic!

Her favorite part was of course decorating the set, and making her own Troll nametag. I just love that little stinker!

I had to put this picture in too. She had to wear Purple and Green because the troll in the book was purple and green. She's so much fun in her nutty little way!!

The Dude is 6!

2009-03-03T00:03:00.004-07:00

Happy Birthday!

(I don't know why every now and then these pictures post out of order!)Sammy and his new Frog Webkins!
Yep you read that right, it's a snuggie! Like the one on the lame commercials! I swear Sammy asked for this! He thinks that commercial is hilarious, and requested a Snuggie for his birthday! So thanks to Auntie Katie, Sammy got his wish! He is so excited!

Enjoying a slice of Chuck E Cheeses Pizza!

Sammy in his new Birthday outfit from Grandma and Grandpa. (thanks!)
He was on his way to school to pass out his Birthday Goodie Bags, yes he did pick out the Carrot shaped Goodie Bag too!

At the begining of HIS day, about to eat his Birthday Pancakes!

I can't seem to wrap my head around the fact that Sammy is turning into a big kid! It seems like only yesterday he was toddling around in a diaper with a binkie in his mouth. If it were up to me, I'd still be buying him onesies and pants with snaps through the legs. He has to remind me all the time that he's BIG. Duh Mom!

Where has the time gone?

Sammy is such a fun kid, he keeps me laughing all the time. He likes to try out his karate "turn kicks" almost constantly. His sisters are always getting pounced on by his ninja like moves. He loves his baby sister Brooke and tends to forget that she's still too little to properly fight. He has made the mistake of handing her a weapon only to get it thrown at him. He is always on the move, and is a bit of a Monkey!

I'm so glad I get to be his Mommy.

Happy Birthday Dude, Love you tons!

4th Grade Field Trip! Woo Hoo!!

2009-02-26T15:10:00.005-07:00

Here is Savannah and her partner in crime Bethany.

Liberty Bell inside the Capital.

2009-02-26T14:55:00.004-07:00

This is my group outside the Captial. They were really good, of course we had the best group!

We did a scavenger hunt through the Pioneer Museum, and they had lots of fun trying to hunt down all the clues.

That was until they found the stuffed two headed lamb, and the HAIR wreath. I guess the Pioneers really didn't waste anything! Yikes! I didn't take a picture of the great hair wreath because I'm trying to get the image from my head!

Baby & her Blankie!!

2009-02-12T22:13:00.003-07:00

This is my Brookie... she LOVES her blankie!
She has to have it with her and when she is tired she has to rub the edges on her nose. She loves to snuggle her blankie and rub it on her nose as she's dozing off.
She is so cute, I just love her!
I couldn't resist taking pictures of her, she is so funny!

Let the Games Begin...

2009-01-27T13:38:00.003-07:00

Here is our Princess Savannah...
Like I'm sure you already know, she plays soccer.
Well it's Futsal season now, woo hoo!

She had her first game last Friday. They didn't win, but had a lot of fun.

It's VERY different playing on the indoor court, and her team had a harder time with it than they thought. The girls were sliding all over the place, and kicking it into the walls. They are hilarious, and always fun to watch!

Go Strikers!!

Crazy Brookie...

2009-01-21T11:20:00.004-07:00

This little Princess of Destruction is part of the reason I haven't blogged lately!
And, I don't know if you can tell but there is a basket of clean folded laundry in the picture too. Yes, she DID get the cheez its in there and manage to crunch them nicely into the CLEAN CLOTHES! Nothin' like washing the same load twice and vacuuming up crushed cheese crackers out of the carpet!
She's lucky she is so damn cute!!

Christmas Sweaters...

2009-01-09T16:10:00.002-07:00

Thank You Grandma & Grandpa!

We LOVE our cute sweaters!!!

A Happy Birthday & A BAD Mommy!!

2009-01-09T15:36:00.003-07:00

Happy Overdue Birthday Savannah!

I can't believe how fast the years have gone, just 10 short years ago we were starting out on this crazy parenthood adventure. We were nervous and so excited and somehow we were blessed with our little Princess.

Happy Birthday and sorry I'm such a bad Mommy and it took me so long to post about it!

Christmas Card Pics....

2008-12-17T23:36:00.003-07:00

What the crap?
This is a favorite!

Getting better...

What's a Mom to do?

It's a good thing they are so stinkin' cute!!

I think we did get a few good ones, don't worry we took 327!

Literally, 327 pictures on my disc!

A couple good ones, lots of fun!!

Merry Christmas!!

THREE PIGGY OPERA

2008-12-16T08:55:00.002-07:00

My pictures posted out of order again. Oops!Pilgrim Sammy at his Thanksgiving Feast!

Theres nothin' better than kindergarten!

The cute kindergarten class put on The Three Piggy Opera for us!

It was the cutest thing I have ever seen! Sammy even sang a little bit, which is crazy!

He was the cutest Piggy ever!

He even got to stand in the Piggy Choir with his best little bud Morgan.

They were so cute together!!

He made his own costume too, I know you're shocked!

Seriously he is so cute!

What the CRAP?!

2008-12-10T18:09:00.005-07:00

Okay, so I know it 's the Holiday Season and I should be feeling all warm and fuzzy with all the festivities. However, anyone who knows me; knows it's not easy for me to feel like that. Since I'm already being a little on the Grinchy side, I thought I'd just let everyone know what was on my mind!!

I H.A.T.E. the kindergarten pick up & drop off! I know you're all shocked and amazed that I have something raunchy and negative to say, but I can hold it in NO longer!!! Holy hell, it's like all the kindergarten moms (of course except me!) have LOST THEIR DAMN EVER LOVING MINDS!!! **Okay Wendi I know you're there too tell me if it's like this for the PM session...

Our kindergarten drop off/pick up area is not ideal. It's not very large, and it curves around actual parking spots. So, you would think people would use their heads. But alas, you would be wrong! The area in the actual drop off curve can hold probably 8 to 10 cars. IF, they pull all the way forward to leave room for others. (I'm sure you realize now that THEY DO NOT do this!) The "sweet spot" is in the smack dab center of the curve. So as you can probably guess lovely Moms in mini vans and SUV's PARK right there! Yes I said PARK! They park their cars in the middle of the area, and even tend to GET OUT to run into the classes to grab kids. And, it's never just one kid, NO NO don't be silly, it's the lady who is running car pool for about 8 kids. Then she runs out and has to strap them all into their booster seats and find the perfect location to store their backpacks full of very fragile construction paper on the 30 second drive home!

The main problem is, that they are rude and inconsiderate. But, really it's that if you don't see that the car is unmanned before you make the little turn in behind them, you're stuck! So, you are STUCK behind overly cautious must have been a flight attendant in her former life and is safely stowing away kindergarten carry ons for 15 minutes, while a HUGE line of cars in forming behind you and a perfectly good empty stretch of pick up area is sitting EMPTY! WHY DO THEY NOT PULL ALL THE WAY UP? WHY? Here is another question for the masses, WHY DO THEY FEEL THE DROP OFF/PICK UP ZONE IS A PARKING ZONE? If you're getting out, which isn't necessary because the teacher aides bring the little stinkers out to you, but if you need to get out PARK IN A PARKING ZONE FOR THE LOVE OF PETE!!

Okay I'm done. Well until I make the trip tomorrow and gold mini van is PARKED THERE AGAIN! She is of course right in front of the black suburban who BOTH think they are too good for the sign that reads; LOADING ZONE ONLY, NO PARKING!!!!

**Deep Cleansing Breath....

** I only wish the above picture gave it justice but of course while trying to be sneaky in taking the picture it had cleared out and now looks like there is all the space in the world. Trust me there isn't!

Is it Spidey?

2008-12-02T19:09:00.003-07:00

Nope, it's just Scott. He was my hero, and put up our Christmas Lights! Woo Hoo!! All ready for Christmas. Well as far as the decorations are concerned! The rest, well maybe I'll get to it.

What a trooper! He hates getting on the roof! Thanks Scott!!

Are you all ready? Did it sneak up on everyone else, or is that just me? Yikes!!

Tagged by Kami...

2008-11-24T16:18:00.005-07:00

8 Shows I Watch:

1.Survivor
2. Top Chef
3. Project Runway
4. CSI
5. Greys Anatomy
6. CSI ~ New York
7. The Office
8. Seinfeld reruns

8 Things that happened yesterday:

1. Went to Church
2. Made BBQ Chicken Sandwiches for Dinner
3. Changed Brookies diaper
4. Drank a Diet Coke
5. Changed Brookies diaper
6. Had another Diet Coke
7. Put kids to bed
8. Had another Diet Coke

8 Places I like to Eat!:

1. The Happy Sumo
2. The Mandarin
3. At Home
4. Kneaders
5. Outback
6. Olive Garden
7. The Mandarin
8. The Mandarin

8 Things I Look Forward to:

1. Christmas
2. Sundays
3. Tuesday GNO!
4. Thanksgiving Dinner YUM!
5. DisneyLand trip with the Family
6. Bedtime
7. Hawaii Trip for me & the husband
8. Bedtime

8 Things on my Wish List:

1. Healthy Family
2. Safe Family
3. Clean House
4. Clean Car
5. Cell phone that works all the time
6. New Camera
7. Healthy Family
8. Clean House

8 People to Tag!:

1. Ut mom of 5
2. Carol
3. Janel
4. Kari Lu
5. SuperCool Hot Mama
6. San Jose Emily
7. Matchbox Mom
8. Are you Serious

*Okay kids, sorry most of my answers are repetitive. I'm boring I guess! Hope you can play along!!

ThE SiStErS...

2008-11-20T16:47:00.006-07:00

There is nothing so sweet as sisters!

(well when they aren't trying to rip each others faces off, that is)

It was so cute.

I had just gotten kids ready for bed, and I wasn't all that enthusiastic about "take home reader" time. I sat down on the couch with Sammy, ready to wade thru some kindergarten reading at the end of another long day, and this was the scene in front of me.

There really is something very special about sisters!

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

A RUT...

2008-11-14T21:57:00.004-07:00

So, my friends do you ever feel like you're in a rut? A big huge rut, that is impossible to climb out of. Well, I do. In fact I've felt trapped by this damn rut for months now. I feel like I clean up the same messes in the same rooms. Yell the same things at my cute/stinky kids. Repeat the same instructions over and over and over until I'm pretty sure I am in fact talking to the wall. Buy the same groceries for the same meals. Drive the same carpools. Then fall into bed where I don't actually sleep (because I'm psychotic), so I can climb out of bed a couple hours later to start all over again. So, that is me in a nutshell, I'm a lunatic & I keep thinking that something is wrong with me! So what do we do when the Mom is a little on the crazy side? We make a huge tent in the living room and have a sleepover! Woo Hoo! It's amazing how cool these kids are and how a few old sheets tied to kitchen chairs makes for a GREAT time! Score!

Yep those are their little legs under our cool dinosaur tent. We watched a few movies, ate popcorn and chocolate milk. Nothing could be better!

* I guess this rut, is just being a Mommy and I don't always do my best to remember it. But I wouldn't change this for anything! In fact when I do sit back and think about things I realize just how fast it's all flying by! So I'm changing my tune, bring on the rut!!

( Just a little side note, look at the little sneaky baby. Should I be frightened? Well, I am!)

**Tonight I am toasting my Diet Coke to my RUT! Thanks to my kids for reminding me that it's a good thing!! And, for reminding me to be a little more Pollyanna about things!!

(that's for you Cec!)

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

The Fan...

2008-11-07T13:59:00.004-07:00

This is the FAN!

~

This is the FANS favorite place in this world. It doesn't matter what game it is as long as he gets to be there with his Daddy.
~
This is the FAN, all tuckered out after the perfect day.
~

(**is it okay, that he roots for both red AND blue? I know, gasp!)
~
He is truly a FAN!!

~

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

WordFUL Wednesday...

2008-11-05T12:41:00.004-07:00

I'd like to introduce you to Mr. & Mrs. John Adams.

My cute neighbors had the BEST costumes for Halloween! They watched the showtime series on the Adams and felt inspired. Carol even made the costumes herself! I know, I felt more inadequate than usual. So Cute, she is amazing!!

This is my first time playing along with wordFUL Wednesday, enjoy! For more WordFUL Wednesday participants check out Angies Circus...

Presenting... STINKER~BELL

2008-11-02T11:51:00.003-07:00

Here is our Tinkerbell or as we call her Stinkerbell!

As you can obviously see, she's the cutest Stinkerbell around!

All the kids chomping at the bit to get Trick or Treating!

We had tons of fun Trick or Treating this year, it was basically just a big party. I met up at the end of the street with my friend Carol and her cute kids, and we hooked up around the block with some other friends and their kids. It was tons of fun. Even getting rained on didn't damper anyones spirits.

It was a very fun night!

FaMiLy NiGhT & SpOoKy PaRtiEs...

2008-10-30T19:48:00.006-06:00

Avery and her Super Dooper Smily Jack-O-Lantern,

Is it just me, or is there a resemblance?

Little Auntie Katie was helping Avery get hers all done. What a nice Auntie!

Here is our Professional Girl Baseball Player! She's a cutie!

Sammy the Shadow Ninja
~

The Cutest Cat in the Hat, EVER!

(gotta love old dance costumes!)

Keep going...

2008-10-30T19:39:00.007-06:00

Here is Sammy with him Bat that hangs upside down

Spooky...

Savannah with her witch holding a jack-o-lantern

~
Weiner Sammy attempting to get his hands slimy. He wasn't impressed when it was time to clean the guts out of the pumpkin!

~
Cute Avery Lyn & Little Aunt Katie

We have had quite the Halloween filled week, or two weeks! We have had 6 Halloween birthday parties! Crazy! But it's SO nice to get some extra wear out of the kids costumes. And, they are just so cute!

We had family night the other night and carved pumpkins. Which is code for the parents carve pumpkins and the kids make requests that the lame parents can't deliver. But it was fun all the same!

Hope you all have a great Halloween.....

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

CaTcH Up!

2008-10-28T13:45:00.004-06:00

For our fall break, we took the kids to the zoo. Woo Hoo!!!

Here are all the stinkers...

We're just missing the Minnesota Boys, and the set would have been complete!

Wow, we have a lot of kids!!

~
It was the perfect day for the zoo, not too hot, etc...

We met up with the cousins and had a horribly disgusting lunch, and walked it off on all the hills! It is a very hilly zoo, btw! Anyhow, it was a Family Fun Day!

Wee Hoo (as Sammy would say)

Cute kids & a fun Fall Break! The Mom & the Dad even got a night away! Thanks Grandma!

I'm sure I have a ton more catch up, but there is a start...

I'm off to watch the Twilight trailer again! sigh*

Aunt Jan... Congrats!

2008-10-27T13:59:00.004-06:00

Okay Blogger just went wacky tacky on me, so the pictures didn't come up in order! Or, the more likely option... I'm a schmo, take your pick.
Anyhow Aunt Jan got hitched a couple weeks ago, and I wanted to post her cute pictures and say Congrats!

I'm also not at ALL jealous that they honeymooned in Cancun! NOT AT ALL!! :)

~ Here is Scott with cute Grandpa Woody. What a great picture, we just love Grandpa Woody!

Awww.. the girls! Kylee, Katie, and Aubrey. Cute!

( Told you it posted the pictures in the wrong order!)

The happy couple!

Aunt Jan and Doug saying I Do! Congrats you two crazy kids, we wish you all the best!

Oh Crap, I'm SO excited!!!

2008-10-23T17:55:00.000-06:00

Twilight HD Exclusive Trailer

Snap out of it!!!!!

2008-10-22T01:11:00.003-06:00

Okay, so I suck! I suck with a capital UCK! Sorry!

This is my Brookie right now... Her not happy!
This is when she's happy, when I'm laying down with her, or sitting on the floor with her.
Then this is what happens whey I DARE walk out of the room! Yikes!!!

She's so cute, but not a happy baby these days! She's getting FOUR teeth, all at once and she has a serious case of the miserables!

Which means Mommy has a huge case of the miserables!

The poor sweet little sad baby girl!

She's lucky she's cute, and I'm lucky I haven't figured out how to put the straight jacket on myself!

I need to SNAP out of it!!!

Sorry, but for what it's worth... I'm BACK!

ThE cRaZiNeSs CoNtiNuEs.....

2008-10-08T21:13:00.002-06:00

So, due to lack of sleep & lack of brain function, I'm escaping to my happy place...

Awww ~ even if it's just me rocking in the fetal posititon in the corner, I'll pretend it's Maui.

Sigh...

Soccer, Soccer and MORE Soccer...

2008-09-27T00:43:00.002-06:00

Soccer, this is our life right now...
We do soccer 5 days a week! This is Sammys adorable team, they crack me up!
My little Savannah even has NIGHT games!

This is serious business!!

Awww... She's cute!

At the start of Savannah's season, we had a team meeting for all the parents. We were gathered together to receive the "low down" for the league. It's a competition league, and our team happens to be full of "newbies". So, we were told not to be surprised if our team didn't win ONE single game ALL season. I guess this is very common for the new teams, it takes time to learn to mesh together. Figure out positions for everyone. Break in the new coaches...

Um yeah, they have only LOST ONE GAME!!!! Hello, they freaking ROCK!! Yes, I am a proud parent who makes a complete schmo of myself at every game by screaming the ENTIRE time! (except when I am lost in deep conversation with my cute friend Christine, shhhh don't tell Savannah)

I couldn't be prouder! She's a stud and I LOVE to watch my kids get better at something. I felt the same when she was doing dance, (even though I know next to nothing about dance, I just loved to see her get confident, and improve!) Proud moments for me, she's amazing!

Then there is my Sammy... He is a stud muffin! That kid scores numerous goals every game, and has no problem stealing the ball from his team mate to better his own stats! He keeps me laughing the entire game, I don't think I will ever get tired of watching him run around like a loon after that ball. He's so funny!

**I never thought the day would come, but yes I am a soccer Mom. Yikes!

Tonight I'm toasting my Diet Coke to my soccer kids and coming around about being the "team Mom"!

Go Strikers...

Happy Birthday!!!

2008-09-22T13:17:00.003-06:00

Miss Avery is 7!!

Here she is with her traditional Birthday Pancakes! Woo Hoo for Birthdays!

As you can see she was VERY EXCITED about her Birthday! She kept calling it a "celebration"! She is so funny, she thought the celebration should go on for days and days. It was all about Avery, as it should be! Happy Birthday Avery!

I can't believe that 7 very short years ago we were blessed with Miss Avery Lyn! She is our little emotional artist baby. She has a very infectious laugh, and is our little goof ball! We love her tons and tons!

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

CrAzY!

2008-09-18T13:42:00.002-06:00

We have had quite the crazy little week, to go with our crazy little life! We've had birthdays, soccer games, soccer practices, play dates, school projects, a few shopping trips, carpools to drive, golf dates for the husband, and a BYU game and a U of U game to gear up for on Saturday!

See, crazy little week. Unforunately it's pretty normal around here for things to be crazy, I wouldn't know what to do with myself if it was dull!

Hope ya'll are having a great week too!

~Pictures to come shortly of all my craziness...

Thankful...

2008-09-11T10:26:00.004-06:00

I often don't know what to say, I'm not a writer and have no idea where to begin. I've even been known to stumble over my words when talking to someone in person. I'm far from eloquent...

I just couldn't let today pass without saying something. I'm so grateful for my sweet little family. I'm so grateful for a husband who works so hard to keep us going. I'm so grateful for the Men & Women who risk their lives daily to keep us all safe. I'm grateful to live in this beautiful Country.

So, on the anniversary of such a horrible day in our nations history, I'm grateful that it will forever be a reminder to me, to not take things for granted...

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

OuR LiTtlE DrUnKeN SaiLoR...

2008-09-04T10:25:00.002-06:00

Brookie has decided to WALK!!

She woke up on Monday morning and decided to give it a try! Woo Hoo!

Even though I was quite relieved to know that I wouldn't have to carry her into kindergarten, I'm not sure I'm ready for this milestone! I realized very quickly that I have yet to babyproof. Yikes! She is officially into everything, and luckily she's still slower than I am. We'll see how long that last!

She is a little weeble wobble drunken sailor. In the last few days she has gotten so many head injuries, we'll see how bruised her little forehead can get before she can walk a straight line!

Yay for Brookie!

Photo Story Friday (on Saturday) & Avery's Tooth...

2008-08-30T12:59:00.005-06:00

Here is my little Avery. She is almost 7, and pretty much a big kid and can do most anything a big kid can do. One thing she can NOT do is lose teeth! About 6 months or so ago we went to the Dentist and he pulled her bottom front two teeth. The big ones were coming in and pushing the baby teeth out. When the Dentist pulled them out he was quite surprised to see that the roots had not broken down one little bit. Those stinkin' things NEVER would have come out on their own! Yikes.

So, as you can see in the above picture her front top tooth is loose. It's actually loose on it's own and has escalated to "snaggletooth" status! It's far from the cutest thing I've ever seen!

The problem is Avery WILL NOT let ANYONE near her mouth. So forget about pulling out the hideous thing!

Well that was before Maddie came along...

Just to back track. That stupid tooth had been loose since last May. So, in the hopes that Avery would let me rip that nasty thing from her mouth I told her that she couldn't go to school until it was out. (obviously that did not work!)

So, the other day I was baking like a mad woman for a neighborhood block party, when I hear this crazy hysterical laughing coming from the basement. Then the laughing started to spread to more than one crazy girl, and then it was clear the hysteria was running up the basement stairs towards me.

When I turned around this is what I saw... Avery with a huge HOLE in her mouth where the nasty snaggletooth, used to reside. And Savannah and her friend Maddie looking quite pleased with themselves!

As it turns out, my precious Avery was trying to BITE Maddie. (I know, she's a gem) and Maddie put her hand up to block Avery and her stinkin' trap... when Avery started spitting, until she found her tooth in her hand!

Woo Hoo!

Yay, for Avery and her craziness and for Maddie for FINALLY knocking that nasty snagletooth out of Averys mouth!

*Now we just need to work on NOT biting our friends. hmm... How do I teach that little life lesson?

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Last Camping Trip & Avery the Photographer...

2008-08-27T22:53:00.003-06:00

Avery's toes...

Avery's Brother...

Avery's Daddy & Sister...

Avery's Monkey brother & part of Daddy...

Some scenery that caught her eye...

Avery has decided her new favorite thing to do is to steal my camera and take pictures. Lots of pictures! Of everything and anything she can think of. I often find that the card in my camera is full and it's FULL of crazy pictures Avery has taken! She's hilarious, and a pretty okay photographer. This is from their last camping trip, Daddy let her document the trip for him. She did a good job and I had fun looking through her pictures. She's so cute! My favorite is the picture of her toes! (and I HATE feet, but hers are cute even all covered in DIRT!) She's a cutie and thought these were great pictures!

Thanks Avery for capturing the trip for me!

First Day of Kindergarten!

2008-08-26T09:44:00.004-06:00

Sammy started Kindergarten! Woo Hoo!

He was so cute!! What a little stud muffin! He was a little shy when we first got to his classroom, until he saw that he was sitting at a table with his cute little friend Morgan. That helped a little. He still wasn't too sure about the whole thing, until his teacher gave him his own big name tag to wear around his neck. He thought it was cool. While he was busy, I ran out the door & he did GREAT! Yay for Kindergarten! Woo Hoo!

He's just such a big kid now *sniff* Cute little guy!

WoRdLeSs WeDnEsDaY...

2008-08-20T10:46:00.001-06:00

"I DON'T WANNA BE A PIRATE!!!!"

First Day of School!!! Woo Hoo!!!

2008-08-18T22:35:00.002-06:00

First Day of School!

Savannah and Avery started school today! Woo Hoo!

They were up extra early this morning, they were so excited! (So was the Mom!!)

The girls looked so cute all ready for their big day, Brooke had to get in on the action too! Woo Hoo! We went to Costco with only 2 kids, and after Sams Kindergarten assessment I even went to get a Diet Coke with only 1 kid!! Holy Crap, how insane is that?

Sammy starts next week! I love school!!

Photo Story Friday ~ Mama Mia!

2008-08-15T23:55:00.006-06:00

~So, last week or so I had a good friend text message me and say she needed a Girls Night Out. Well, as luck would have it, so did I!! We quickly agreed that she HAD to see the movie Mama Mia! I had already seen it, loved it and KNEW I had to go see it again! Not only did I have to see it again, but I HAD to see it again with Cecily!

~For the most part, Cecily brings out the "7th grade girl laugh until I snort~LOUDLY" in me. (That was just a side note.)

~I don't know if you have seen the movie, or if you loved or hated it. I just know that I LOVED it! What was great about it, was fantastically great. What was awful about it, was fantastically awful!

~Well, I will spare you the minute to minute replay of the hilarity. But it was beyond funny and with Cecily there I can't remember laughing that hard since Jr. High! We laughed right out LOUD, and I mean LOUD! We laughed until we couldn't see through the tears, we laughed until people were staring at us! And, then we laughed some more. We danced in our seats, we sang along with the music, and then we laughed some more... We made COMPLETE fools of ourselves, and loved every minute of it!

~I loved it, I mean LOVED LOVED it!! I will truly be so sad when it's no longer in the theaters and not yet out on DVD! I will never be able to watch it, or listen to the soundtrack again without thinking about the complete schmo I made of myself that night with my great friend! It was beyond fun and exactly what I needed!!

I can honestly say that was the BEST Girls Night Out ever! Thanks Cecily! When can we go again?

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Is Summer Over Already?!

2008-08-13T23:14:00.003-06:00

So, it's go to the school and find out your new teacher, time! Woo Hoo! We love this day, it's so exciting for the kids (and the Mom)! It's so fun to find out what teachers they all have and what friends are in their classes. Yay for find out teacher day!!

Here are the stinky kids pointing to their names on the list.

Score for school starting!

It was SO exciting for Sammy, since it was his FIRST time! Woo Hoo for Kindergarten! He got a teacher who is new to the school, so we don't know much about her. I'm sure she will be a great teacher & when Sammy decides not to be shy anymore, he'll love her. (and if the stars align correctly she will feel the same for him)

Miss Avery is very happy to be going to school ALL day like a big kid! She was so happy to find her name on the list with a couple of her friends. Her little friend MaKenna is in her class. She also got a great teacher, it should be a fun year!
Savannah is starting to get a little beyond the excited age. She informed me that she loves the first week of school and then it's boooorrring! What a stink, I remember feeling the same way! She was very happy to find that a few of her very good friends are in her class again. It will be a great year for her too as far as friends go. We'll see how she does with the pesky business of teachers and school work.

So, is everyone else getting ready for back to school? Are you all happy with the teachers your kids have gotten? Are you counting down the days, or drying your tears?

I'm still sort of mixed. I'm really going to enjoy getting back into a routine & getting back to the gym with only one kid. At the same time... the thought of a schedule is giving me hives...

Highland Parade!

2008-08-11T23:49:00.002-06:00

My neice Hanna was in the local parade & we all went to see her cheer! Here are all the little kids waiting for the parade to get started. We met up with my sister and her kids and Grandma Robin. It was a fun morning!

Savannah, Ryanne, Sammy, Emmie, and Avery.

My Cute Neice Ryanne and Brookie! Brooke always has so much fun with all the kids, they all love her so much! She is going to be spoiled rotten, by everyone!!

All the local busniesses were there passing out their info. Sammy was so excited when a martial arts studio offered to let the kids chop a piece of wood in half. He was a little shy at first, but then decided he wanted to. He thought the "ninjas" were SO beyond cool!

The kids waving at some pretty horses. They were pretty excited, mainly to get the candy everyone was throwing! Woo Hoo for free candy!

And there is my girl Hanna! She is so cute & it's her first year as a cheer leader. She did great in the parade. She is a natural little dancer & cheer leader. We just love our Hanna Bannana!

Go Knights!

WoRdLeSs WeDnEsDaY

2008-08-06T14:19:00.000-06:00

Change in Plans...

2008-08-01T16:37:00.007-06:00

Well, I was going to post a Photo Story Friday, but then had a change in plans...

This is for you Linds! "I've got a Feva, and the only cure is MORE COW BELL!!"

Thanks for letting me know I'm not the only dork (I mean incredibly cool / with it person) out there! This is BY FAR my favorite T-Shirt & I get the weirdest looks when I wear it! But don't you worry, I still wear it with pride!

*Happy Anniversary Scotty! Love you!

*oh & new recipe on Recipe Blog! Enjoy!

CaMpInG

2008-07-29T10:16:00.003-06:00

Camping in American Fork Canyon.

It has been SO much fun to take the kids camping. Brooke and I are only invited up for the first evening. So we go up and have dinner and smores and we leave. (much to the relief of all of us) Scott and the kids go up and stay for a few days each time. Grandma Alger was even there for one trip, and she loved the foil dinners!

They have had so much fun!!

The kids tell me each time that their favorite part is going up to Silver Lake and roasting marshmallows over the fire.

MeMoRiEs....

2008-07-25T14:41:00.003-06:00

THIS TAG IS TOTALLY HITTING THE BLOGGING WORLD...CAN'T WAIT TO READ YOUR COMMENTS!

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I have together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember....

2. Next repost these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty cool (and funny) to see the responses. If you leave a memory I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave a memory for you.

~I thought this looked fun, and when I found it on my cute friend Alysons blog it made me laugh just thinking of the memory I had for her. I hope it looks fun to you too & you play along!!

The Wave Pool ~

2008-07-22T10:03:00.003-06:00

Brookie had SO much fun at the local wave pool! We went there a couple times during the family reunion & she couldn't have loved it more!!
Avery is such a goof ball & I can't wait to pull that tooth out!
Stinky Sammy
Brookie was in heaven & we couldn't get her out of the water! She was so funny!!
This is my cute niece Kelsie, she was my little friend that week and we had tons of fun at the wave pool!

We had a lot of fun at the wave pool! This family reunion was way more "back to the basics" I guess you could say. It was more on the simple side with the location and the activities that were available to us. I think the kids had tons of fun & it couldn't have gone better! It was so nice to just hang out and the kids really were just so happy to be there and swim and play together. Tons of fun!!

PSF ~ Sorry Ma'am, but we can't take him anywhere...

2008-07-18T20:48:00.003-06:00

So, Scott went to England for a few weeks in June. He's a bit of a goofball and a class clown type, so I can only imagine him out on the town with his partners in crime. Here is one story he did share with me...

Scott and a few of his friends went sight seeing in England. They hit all the important hot spots including a beautiful awe inspiring Cathedral. While standing in the heart of the cathedral trying to take in all the majesty someone in the group realized they needed to relieve themselves of some excess gas. So thinking they could be stealth the gassy guy promptly chose the "left cheek sneak" approach. While that might be in fact a fabulous approach to relief, it wasn't completely thought out. The main problem being the location in which the "cheek sneak" took place. The guys were in a huge cavernous STONE cathedral. So, instead of being a silent, no one was the wiser, type it ECHOED! Not only did it echo, but it continued to echo throughout the entire building over and over again. Not only was the certain someone little on the embarrassed side, but he quickly realized his friends were not the only ones laughing at him. As he continued to take pictures as if nothing had happened, he heard snickering coming from behind him. Yep, a small group of women tourists were in fact right behind the crazy guys when the incident took place. So, one of the Non-Gassy guys looked over to the group of women and said "Sorry, Ma'am we just can't take him anywhere."

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

FaMiLy ReUnIoN...

2008-07-17T22:28:00.004-06:00

The Norm & Laurel Alger Family
The Grandkids at the Railroad & Mining Museum.

Allie, Tanner (holding Brookie),

Kelsie, McKenna, Logan, Peyton, Mason, Nelson, Sammy, Avery & Savannah

All of us... Wow...

Grandma & Grandpa & all the grandkids...

We had lots of crazy family fun days! Whoo Hoo!! Every other year we do a Family Reunion, it's always tons of fun & tons of work! It's so worth the work. We have SO much fun together!!

This reunion was extra special because it was focused alot on Family History! I think it was great for the kids to learn about their Great Grandparents and hear all the stories. It turned out to be a great week and we all had tons of fun!!

More stories and pictures to follow, I know you can't wait...

Technical Difficulties!!!!

2008-07-11T09:56:00.002-06:00

I can't seem to get Blogger to let me post any pictures! Since I'm such a patient understanding type person this isn't driving me crazy AT ALL!!!! Sorry! We have been up to a lot! We have been to a family reunion, and had tons of fun. We have been camping, and swimming and on and on. I can't wait to post about it all...

NoThIn'

2008-06-24T23:19:00.002-06:00

So, I've got nothin' for ya! Nothing! I have nothing to write about! I know, very VERY seldom am I speechless. I really don't have anything worth writing about...
Summer, that is all we're doing. Running through sprinklers, jumping into kiddie pools, making forts in the basement for sleepovers and latenights...
That is it!
What are you all up to for summer? Tell tell!!

Birthday & Post Cancer Pedicures....

2008-06-21T10:16:00.004-06:00

So, this was taken with my phone and it's obviously not a very good picture. Sorry. On Tuesday of this last week I got to go out to lunch with my sister Lu and my Mom and Shannon. It was tons of fun for a few reasons. One, it was my sisters Birthday! Two, it was my Moms LAST radiation treatment! and Three, we got to catch up and laugh with our friend Shannon. All in all, it was a great day!

One of my favorite parts of the day has to do with this picture. If you can see just behind my sister, is my Mom. She is still wearing her cute little hats, but she does have some hair coming in. Almost enough for a flat top. The funny part about this is, she decided to get a pedicure with us. She is the most tickle-ish person in the WORLD! The poor little tiny Korean lady didn't stand a chance against Robin and her jumping feet. Seriously Kari and I were laughing at her the whole time. Just as she would settle down and take a deep breath, the lady would dare touch her feet again, ya know during her pedicure, and she would jump and pull her foot away. It was hilarious! Seriously, that poor little nail salon lady, I feel for her. Mom, thanks for the laugh it was so stinkin funny to watch! Thanks Kari for giving us all a reason to get together & HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

FUN TAG!

2008-06-17T23:11:00.005-06:00

I was Tagged by my CUTE "childhood, but we just got reacquainted after too many years to mention" Friend JANEL!
Woo Hoo...I know you are all waiting on the edge of your seats so here goes...

Marriage Tag:

How long have you been married: Almost 11 years! WOW, that is a LONG time!! I mean a LONG time!!

How old is your spouse: 33, almost 34!

Who eats more: Um, it totally depends! He eats way more as far as "portions" go, but I tend to "graze" more. So, I'm not sure. He is more of the sweets at night kind of guy though. But, I'm more of the random "lets take a trip to Cold Stone" kind of a girl. So long answer, to basically say it depends...

Who said "I love you" first: Oh, it was totally Me! Scott was scared out of his mind to admit that he LOVED me!

Who is taller: I like to pretend that we are the same height, but I'm actually about 1/2 an inch taller than Scott.

Who sings better: Scott, for SURE!

Who is smarter: ME for SURE!! Okay, just kidding. I'm going to have to go with Scott!

Who controls the TV: Definitely Scott!!

Who's temper is worse: It depends. We both tend to get worked up about different things, so it's hard to say. About little things, probably me. But, when Scott has finally had enough it would be him.

Who does the laundry: ME!!!, Scott is NOT allowed near the laundry! That is one thing that would prove the previous answer. I FREAK when he touches (and messes up) my laundry!

Who does the dishes: Me for the most part. Scott is nice and makes the kids breakfast (other than cold cereal which is all Mommy makes) he does the dishes after his morning projects...

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed: looking from the foot of the bed~I do.

Who cooks dinner: I do, but Scott is a fabulous Cook, when I can get him to cook it's always great stuff! He is usually willing to cook more in the summer when he can barbecue.

Who is more stubborn: Scott ~ hands down!

Who is the first to admit when they are wrong: I don't think either of us admit we're wrong! I mean I can't say I'm wrong when I KNOW I'M RIGHT!!! hee hee

Who's parents do you see the most: My Mom lives right down the street, so definitely her. His parents live in South Carolina, so obviously we don't see them as much as we would like to.

Who has more siblings: We have the same.

Who has more friends: That's hard to say. I'm not sure...

Who wears the pants in the family: Me, duh!

There you have it. My fantastic Marriage Tag! Thanks so much Janel for letting me play along! Love ya tons!!

Okay, now I'm tagging... Janie, Tami, & Cecily!
Come on girls play with me, it's fun...

Our Baby Girl is One ~ PSF

2008-06-13T12:57:00.005-06:00

READY... SET...
GO!
Well we all know Brookie LOVES her some treats. So a huge chunk of her birthday cake all to herself was almost more than she could handle!

So, our Baby Brookie is ONE! I really don't know where the last year has gone. It feels as if it was just yesterday we were leaving the hospital with our sweet new baby, and already our little chubba bubba girl is a year old.

As you can see she completely enjoyed every minute of her Birthday. She loved opening her presents and I don't think I've seen her happier! YUMMMMM Cake!

Happy Birthday Brookie!!

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

WW~ And a Special Kind of STUPID!!!!

2008-06-11T00:20:00.005-06:00

Okay, so it's supposed to be a Wordless Wednesday, but when am I EVER Wordless? I mean really?
So, here you go! A picture to prove just how moronic I am! Since my fabulous friend Cecily spilled the beans. I'll tell ya. I'm an idiot and broke my elbow! I know you can't see the whole thing, but that is what you get when you are trying to take a picture of your own incapacitated arm with only your other arm!
Just in case you weren't completely convinced that I was in fact a doofus of gigantic proportions, I broke the damn thing by falling down the stairs!! It gets better though, I was carrying the vacuum! I mean what else would a "homemaker" be doing that could even result in a broken limb?
I've been trying to come up with some fantastic story of how I broke it! Like... I fell off my Harley, I was bungee jumping & hit the cord, or maybe I smacked the cliff during my base jump. But alas, none of them quite worked. So you get the boring old LAME truth. I'm a dork!
Vacuum, stairs and idiot, does NOT make for a great combination!!
It's been lots of fun to be a Mom with only ONE arm! I'm still working on how to accomplish the little things I need to accomplish! But I'll get there! It's ALL good, just a broken wing and 4 kids. I'm just a little more than out numbered! Yikes! I hope they have mercy on me, or that straight jacket fitting I scheduled for next week will have to be pushed up!
Hope you're all having a Wonderful Wordless Wednesday!

ThE FoRcE iS StRoNg wItH ThIs OnE!

2008-06-10T10:03:00.002-06:00

Sammy is training his baby sister to become a Jedi Knight! This young Padawon is coming along nicely in her training. We are all quite proud! She's the cutest little Jedi ever!!

First Day of Summer~ Photo Story Friday...

2008-06-06T11:52:00.003-06:00

New Summer T * Shirt ~ $7.99

Brand new Denim Shorts ~ $9.99

New Cheap Old Navy Flip Flops ~ $2.50

1 Tube Band-Aid Antiseptic Foam ~ $ 2.49

1 Full Box of Band-Aids ~ $1.99

Tube of Neosporin ~ $4.99

First Day of Summer for a 5 Year Old Little Boy ~ Priceless!

*Sammy had quite the eventful first day of summer! He was pretty beat up by the time the day was over! He finally came in and was covered in scrapes and band-aids and smears of dirt & he looks up at his Dad and says..."Me had the BEST day!"

Happy Photo Story Friday!

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

A Week Later...

2008-06-05T14:33:00.002-06:00

Okay, so I'm late, what else is new? The kids had a great last week of school, it's always tons of fun! We had parties, talent shows, field days, and of course a dance festival! I mean didn't you? It was lots of fun and lots of crazy! Here is my Sammy and his sweet teacher on the last day of school. They had a Circus Day for their last day of school. Fun! I think she was SO happy to say goodbye to this school year! She was a great teacher and we will miss her tons & tons!

The girls were SO adorable for their Dance Festival! Savannah and her class performed the Huki Lau (I'm sure I butchered that spelling, sorry) she was so cute! Her little teacher is young and single and adorable and she did a great job this year with teaching of course and with the dance festival. It was cute! Nothing like a bunch of dancing little 3rd graders!
Avery and her little kindergarten class was just ridiculously adorable! They danced the Macarena! How could it not be cute? They had cute little flower leis on, that they made in class. It was fabulous!

I had to take this picture, just to show you the INSANITY that was the elementary school Dance Festival! Very cute, but VERY crazy to find a seat & then find your kids in the crowd!

Well, we have had a crazy first week of "summer". Lots of fun and LOTS of kids! I hope you've all had a great start to your summer too! Any crazy plans? tell tell!!

~Today I'm toasting my Diet Coke to NO ALARM CLOCKS! (well except, my built in one, Brooke) Woo Hoo for Summer!!!

My First Photo Story Friday & Avery & Brookie...

2008-05-30T13:07:00.003-06:00

When we first moved into our house the kids all started to ask/pester us for a pet. We had a few fish, but that just wasn't going to cut it anymore. The kids wanted a puppy. We put them off as long as we could. Finally we told them, we would talk about it as soon as we fenced in our yard.
Then we got a little surprise...Brooke! So the next time our kids asked when we were going to get a puppy we told them that we were having a baby instead. That seemed to satisfy them. (for a little while)
Many times in the past 11 months I have told them that we got Brooke instead of a Dog, when peppered with those pesky pet questions.
One day while we were sitting on my bed Avery Lyn looked at me very seriously and said, "Mom, I'm SO glad that we got our stinky Brookie instead of a stinky Dog!"
What a sweet big sister Avery! I hope when Brooke is older she knows that we wanted her so much we chose her instead of a puppy! hee hee

**Here is my first Photo Story Friday, I am linking back to Cecily at My Chaos My Bliss Have a great Photo Story Friday!

The Best Forward in a LONG Time!

2008-05-27T14:42:00.002-06:00

My cute friend Lori from Colorado, sent me this the other day. I giggle about it everytime I think about it! I hope you enjoy!
~Curtain Rods : Priceless

She spent the first day packing her belongings into boxes, crates and suitcases.
On the second day, she had the movers come and collect her things.
On the third day, she sat down for the last time at their beautiful dining room table by candle-light, put on some soft background music, and feasted on a pound of shrimp, a jar of caviar, and a bottle of spring-water.
When she had finished, she went into each and every room and deposited a few half-eaten shrimp shells dipped in caviar into the hollow of the curtain rods.
She then cleaned up the kitchen and left.
When the husband returned with his new girlfriend, all was bliss for the first few days. Then slowly, the house began to smell.
They tried everything; cleaning, mopping and airing the place out.
Vents were checked for dead rodents and carpets were steam cleaned. Air fresheners were hung everywhere. Exterminators were brought in to set off gas canisters, during which they had to move out for a few days and in the end they even paid to replace the expensive wool carpeting. Nothing worked.
People stopped coming over to visit. Repairmen refused to work in the house. The maid quit.
Finally, they could not take the stench any longer and decided to move.
A month later, even though they had cut their price in half, they could not find a buyer for their stinky house. Word got out and eventually even the local realtors refused to return their calls. Finally, they had to borrow a huge sum of money from the bank to purchase a new place.
The ex-wife called the man and asked how things were going. He told her the saga of the rotting house. She listened politely and said that she missed her old home terribly and would be willing to reduce her divorce settlement in exchange for getting the house back.
Knowing his ex-wife had no idea how bad the smell was, he agreed on a price that was about 1/10th of what the house had been worth, but only if she were to sign the papers that very day.
She agreed and within the hour his lawyers delivered the paperwork.
A week later the man and his girlfriend stood smiling as they watched the moving company pack everything to take to their new home.........
And to spite the ex-wife, they even took the curtain rods!!!!!!

I LOVE A HAPPY ENDING, DON'T YOU?
CURTAIN RODS---- PRICELESS

CrAp & KiDeRgArTeN CeLeBrAtIoNs!

2008-05-23T09:08:00.005-06:00

The Weather Man has been calling it a "Spring Storm".
I call it a CRUEL TRICK OF NATURE!!!! **sniff**
To brighten my week, Avery had her Kindergarten Celebration yesterday! That is her in the middle in the brown shirt. Her and her cute friend Cassie were holding hands during most of the singing presentation. They were so cute, and they were both a little shy to start off & held hands to reassure each other. Then they warmed up & before we knew it they were shaking their hips with the rest of the class. It was cute!
There is a better picture of the cute girls! They are just adorable too. They have a little friend Mercedes who was scared out of her mind & freaked a little when all eyes were turned on them. As poor Miss Allen tried to coax Mercedes up in front of the class Avery & Cassie scooted apart & said that Mercedes could stand in between them. They are all such sweet kids still! (I wish that lasted!!!) Anyhow, Mercedes said NO thanks & sat with her Mom. But the gesture was so sweet!
Kindergartners are so insanely cute! The program was an hour and twenty minutes long! They are adorable beyond reason, but after the singing was over their sweet & deserving of a medal, teacher did a slide show presentation that lasted WAY too long! Brooke was a disaster before we were done, Sam finally climbed into Brookes stroller & fell asleep. I think poor Miss Allen was in desperate need of this celebration taking up an entire afternoon! This class has been quite the challenge for her. I think if she was 10 years older, she would seriously be considering retirement!

Sum up~ Cute sweet Kindergartners & Damn Mother Nature!

Spring!!!!

2008-05-20T14:31:00.003-06:00

I LOVE spring & the flowers it brings! I know I'm a dork, but flowers make me happy!!! Just seeing them grow & do well makes me smile. I spent most of last weekend planting and it was so fabulous, I loved it!

This is a seperator from Scotts grandparents farm. My Mother in Law had it before they moved to Florida & it became mine. She always had it the prettiest flowers in it. I haven't had the best of luck with it, but I still try every year. I'm convinced one of these years I'll figure it out! I love this old thing, it's my favorite.
We just have a few flower beds. A couple around our front trees, and one long one in front of our front porch. The rest of my flowers have to go in flower pots. I think I have some pretty cool ones. I love them. I love flowers!! I love Spring!! Happy flower planting weather to everyone!

NeW tRiCkS!!

2008-05-13T13:19:00.003-06:00

Brookie has decided to crawl! Woo Hoo! She's not a "late bloomer" she was just wanting to go at her own pace, right? She's only 11 and 1/2 months old! She's finally decided that one of the bigger kids isn't always around to bring her toys, so she was going to have to get them herself. She's hilarious!
I have to say I have been very okay with her being a little on the late side with her milestones. I have no problem keeping her the baby for as long as possible. I did go ahead and ask the doctor if she was a little on the too slow side. He laughed at me, so I guess that means she's okay.
She is so proud of herself, she makes me laugh! Her poor face is also a little mangled. She can at times have a hard time supporting her melon, so she collapses & smashes her face on the floor. It's been a little sad at times. It doesn't help that the first few times she crawled her Mommy & sisters clapped & yelled YAY! It scared the poop out of her & she fell on her face once again. Oops!
She also has another little trick that we all think is the funniest thing ever! She makes the funniest krinkled nose, squinty eyed face. She knows she's the cutest thing ever & she has no problem using that to her advantage! She'll look at us and make this little face and laugh and we all crack up, and that just makes her do it more. She's lots of fun! I wish I could have gotten a better picture, I'll keep trying. She's a cutie patootie & quite the new trickster!

** I have a couple new recipes up on the recipe blog. http://bigfatmommyrecipes.blogspot.com

Hanging out with Sammy & are we in a Monsoon?

2008-05-07T17:31:00.004-06:00

The Sammy!
Sammy is such a Dude! He is so funny! For most of the same reasons I'm ready to wring his neck at the end of day, I love to hang out with him! He makes me laugh! He talks very fast & he's not always easy to understand. Even at 5 he still has his own way of speaking. Which can make the funny things he says even funnier!
He has a best little friend Cole & the two of them are like peas & carrots. They both have that same way of speaking & they are so funny to sit & listen to (when they don't know I'm listening). I keep the pantry stocked with fruit snacks for Sammy & Cole. It's their very favorite snack & I'm the hero Mom when I have their favorite characters in the fruit snack bowl. So, I hear the two boys creeping up the basement stairs, on yet another fruit snack run, when I hear this:
Cole: "Dude, Sam, dude, dude, Sammy, dude, dude, ask your Mom to open the Batman fruit snacks. Dude, dude."
Sammy: "K Dude, I fink (think) we have piderman (Spider Man) them my favorite. K dude, lets ask for them. K dude, K dude?"
Cole: "K dude"
They are such dudes!
Yesterday I took Sammy with me on a very quick trip to vacuum/clean out our nasty dirty car. I was hoping the get the dead body smell out of it, but that has not happened yet. Anyhow, it was a typical errand for us, I had Avery at a birthday party & Savannah at soccer practice & only a few minutes in which to accomplish this errand and make it back to two different locations for the girls. So, I'm doing my famous "hurry up & try to accomplish something completely impossible in the time frame given". Well my little Dude Sammy was on the case!
I pull up next to the high powered vacuum that could suck your leg hairs out by the root, & that kind of power just happens to be necessary to get my nastified car clean. So, I start looking for quarters & picking up diaper bags off the car floor when my little Dude says,
"Hey Mom Me get all the trash & be the garbage boy & you can be the sucker fing (thing) girl." I say, "Um, okay. So you're going to get all the trash & I get to be the vacuum girl?" He looks up at me, (and he's so stinking cute, even all covered in dirt & his hat on backwards) and replies, "Yep, we be a team!"
What a Dude!! Love that kid!
I can honestly say I don't think I've ever been on a better Team!

I know you can't tell, but it's pouring in these pictures!
Okay I know you're all tired of hearing about the weather woes. But, SERIOUSLY!!! It's only raining today, which is a huge relief from the stinking snow we've been having. But it's damn cold out there & windy & not really a spring shower kind of a rain. It's like an October freezing, holy crap kind of a rain! It was also lightening & thundering & really nasty, right when it was pick up from school time. Of course, right?

I love the rain, I really do! I'm just wondering if we are going to have any spring at all? Arghh!!!

Happy Wednesday!