"I knew he'd come!"

Like any good parent of young children (maybe parents of older children do this too?) we use Santa's coming as the ultimate threat for good behavior. For example, "If you keep hitting your brother Santa's not coming..." or the ever popular, "If you can't do what we ask the first time we ask, then Santa's not coming..." the list goes on and on. I guess it got overused because poor Brayden woke up this morning ran into the living room and saw presents and said, "I knew he'd come!" and I was thinking, "Wow, did we really instill that much doubt?"

This is the first year that we have had Christmas in our house all by ourselves. It has been a lot of fun to establish our own traditions (although they are basically a mix of mine growing up and Ryan's growing up). One big plus has been not having to haul all of our gifts for each other, just to turn around and haul them back. We are planning to head to Salt Lake tomorrow though (with a quick pit-stop in Boise) and join in the family festivities, assuming weather doesn't get the best of us.

Lastly, for those of you who are feeling cheated because you didn't receive a Christmas card from us (it's ok to admit it...) please feel peace in the fact that NO ONE received a Christmas card from us. It all started about a month and several photo shoots ago, and the kids were just so awful to try and get a good photo of, I just decided to forget about this year. They were pretty good last night though in their Christmas jammies (well, as good as I could possibly hope for at this point), so just consider the picture below our Christmas card for the year.

We send our love to each and every one of you. Thank you for being such a wonderful part of our lives - even if it may only be through the blogosphere. May the spirit of the Lord be with you in the coming year. Merry Christmas!!!!

Happy Anniversary!

I didn't realize it has been so long since I have posted! As I'm sure with many of you, things have just been so crazy-busy at our house I haven't hardly even turned my computer on the last little while. However, today is mine and Ryan's 6 year anniversary so I thought I would do a little celebration post by trying to come up with 50 things about Ryan. This list took quite of brain-power to compile, so, for those of you who don't know Ryan very well, enjoy learning a bit more about the man I call my husband.

1. Ryan was born and raised in the Salt Lake valley in Utah.
2. Ryan is now 29 years old.
3. He was 2^nd of 6 kids and is surrounded by sisters.
4. When his mom was expecting #5 he told her if it was a girl to not bother bringing the baby home.
5. As a little kid, he used to have a cabbage patch doll named Bancroft Sampson. This has been something I tease him about relentlessly.
6. He also used to play with a Ken doll. I’ve met his old Ken doll and I was a bit reassured when he was missing one leg.
7. Ryan LOVES the outdoors. He goes backpacking in the Uinta mountains yearly with his dad and brothers.
8. In the summer he is always planning some mountain biking or hiking day trip for us.
9. He also loves horses and hopes to own a couple someday.
10. He is an Eagle scout.
11. This DOES NOT mean he is a nerd…he is however very resourceful. J
12. Ryan served an LDS Mission in Brazil and still enjoys speaking Portugese when the opportunity presents itself.
13. Ryan is a great dad – he loves having two little boys to play with and teach to play sports and ride bikes.
14. This includes playing football in the house, which, as you can imagine, I am just thrilled about. (please note the sarcasm)
15. He is a softie when it comes to his daughter…he calls her “princess” and “little dolly.”
16. He loves to read.
17. He is a WWII buff. I swear he has read every non-fiction WWII book out there, and if he hasn’t read it yet I’m sure it’s in the pile of books on his nightstand.
18. He is a music and movie aficionado. He has the most eclectic taste in both music and movies of anyone I have ever met.
19. He is always up-to-date with current events.
20. He watches NBC Nightly News religiously.
21. If he had the time, he would read The Wall Street Journal from cover to cover everyday.
22. He’s a night-owl and can function at his peak on 6 hours of sleep.
23. He is extremely competitive.
24. He works hard.
25. Ryan is hilarious! He has this incredibly funny, sarcastic sense of humor that can always crack me.
26. This is a side of Ryan that not too many people outside his tight circle of friends know.
27. Ryan is extremely loyal. Once a friend, always a friend.
28. He’s had the same best friend since high school.
29. Ryan is quite reserved in social situations.
30. He is content sitting back and listening to others.
31. He is the laid-back parent in our household.
32. He is addicted to slickdeals.net, and other such deal websites.
33. He is thorough and always follows through.
34. Ryan is a bit of a “neat freak.” He is always re-organizing his stuff – dresser and nightstand drawers included.
35. This also includes his car. It is always spotless.
36. He wants to trade his spotless Honda Accord for a spotless BMW 5 series someday.
37. Ryan appreciates a clean and well-kept home.
38. He also notices and comments when this actually happens.
39. He loves football. Watching, playing – you-name-it. He loves football!
40. He loves exercise in the form of athletics, but has a hard time working out at the gym.
41. Despite his lack of athletic opportunities and sporadic gym visits, Ryan has been the same size since his freshman year in college.
42. He is a great gift-giver.
43. He is also a great gift-receiver – he is always surprised and pleased by any gifts.
44. He is a “hot sleeper.” It could be freezing cold in the house and he would sleep with no covers and be sweating.
45. Ryan loves candy, but he’s not much of a chocolate person.
46. He could eat an entire movie size box of Mike N’ Ike’s in one sitting – easy.
47. Ryan’s favorite food is steak and lobster…together.
48. His favorite restaurant is El Gaucho in Portland.
49. Ryan makes THE BEST scrambled eggs. He doesn’t really do anything special per se, but they are so yummy and fluffy!

And saving the best for last…..

50. Ryan is a wonderful husband. He treats me like gold and always asks, “What can I do to make you happy?”

So, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY RYAN! I LOVE YOU!

All in a day's work

I wish I could say that today was markedly different than most days at my house, but truth be known, today was so typical. I had a neighbor woman in her 70's ask me what I do all day at home. There was no malice, I really believe she was curious to know what exactly I do all day. "Aren't you terribly bored?" she asks. "No," I reply, "Not bored at all." This led me to think about exactly what I do all day so I thought I'd keep track. I tried to pick a random day when I didn't necessarily have anything special to do. So, as I'm sure we all sometimes have days like this, I am leaving this completely un-edited. Enjoy this lengthy summary of my day:

5:45am - Ryan leaves to catch an early flight at the airport. Seconds later I hear Brayden scream from his bed, "Daddy! You didn't say goodbye!" I sprint to his room, swing the door open, and drag Brayden out before he wakes Landon. Brayden, obviously traumatized by my sense of urgency and Ryan's departure, cries all the way down the hall to my room.

6:30am - After a lovely 45 minutes of Brayden mauling me in bed while I try to get a couple more minutes of sleep, I hear Charlotte. Oh my sweet teething baby. Ever since those darn teeth started coming in she thinks she's allowed a 6:30 milk call. I'm not amused.

7:00am - Landon wakes up, goes into the bathroom and announces that he has wet his bed. I begin thinking that if I was going to have to deal with a child wetting the bed I should have at least been able to sleep until 7. Sheets and clothes go into the laundry and showers follow. Yes, showers plural because if one boy gets a shower, suddenly the other boy must have one too. After all, we like to be fair at my house.

8:00am - Breakfast - FINALLY! I am absolutely starving! Although instead of opting for my favorite sugar cereal (because come on - it was just one of those mornings) I decide I would rather have a peaceful breakfast of cereal equality with my boys rather than one filled with cries of, "I want that cereal too!"

8:50am - I am doing a babysitting swap with a friend and she should be here in 10 minutes. Do I have time for a shower? I decide "yes" and actually get 10 minutes to myself to shower while Charlotte naps and the boys quietly read. I peak into the playroom to see Brayden "reading" to Landon. Maybe this will be an ok day after all???

9:00am - 12:00p - Friends arrive and the boys are distracted momentarily from teasing each other relentlessly. We play games, run "the lap" around my couches, color and draw, and play with play-doh. I change laundry and try to fold what's already clean. Thinking I can escape for a few minutes to make some phone calls, I dial, only to hear children screaming at the top of their lungs behind a closed door. Trouble. Tackle football is going on behind closed doors and the older boys are telling Landon he's too little. To prove them wrong he hauls off and full on drops Brayden to the ground and pins him WWF style. Of course the other boy joins in...thus, the screaming.

12:00p - I sneak mini candy bar after mini candy bar (oh blessed sugar rush) while I make noodles and peas for the kids. Lunch turns out to be a success, although it gives the kids way more energy than I realized it would...repeat above.

1:00p - Is it really naptime?! I get all 3 kids down for bed (ahhhhh) only to have Landon consistently get out of bed and go to the bathroom a million times. After all, in his little genius brain he can't get in trouble if he's just going to the bathroom, right? I knew letting him sleep in a "big-boy-bed" was a bad idea. I try to fold laundry and pick up the house between bouts of telling Landon to "Get back in bed!" Charlotte's up, we feed, and play. Oh I love laughing, giggling, baby playtime.

3:00p - Everyone is awake and I realize I'm down to the last quarter of my day. 4 more hours until bedtime. The home stretch. I realize we could go to the bank and the post office and do drive-thru for both. I'll put a book on CD on in the car and the boys will stay occupied and maybe I can have some peace and quiet. I hurry to get my stuff in the car, everyone gets packed in, and a mile down the road, you're never going to believe who has to go to the bathroom...Landon. So bad in fact that he's going to pee in his carseat. "Please no!" I plead with him. We get to the bank and I decide that surely they have a bathroom my son could use. I pull everyone out of the car and into the bank only to find out they don't have a public bathroom. The woman I ask looks at me like I'm crazy and as I look at us, I realize I would probably think the same thing. In my haste to get out the door, I didn't realize that Brayden was wearing shorts (he had changed during naptime), rain boots, and his winter coat and Landon has noodle sauce on his face from lunch and serious bed hair. I am no better, sporting my black workout pants and brown leather shoes (remember, I thought we were doing drive-thru) and no makeup. Charlotte looks fabulous though in her cute faux-fur coat and definitely doesn't fit in with our little group. I decide to stay in the bank and finish my transaction and while I stand in line the boys run around terrorizing the bank. I "quietly" yell at my children to stay by me and hope the tellers at Wells Fargo will be able to find wherever the boys placed the handfuls of deposit and withdrawl slips they had in their hands. I finish my transaction and ask another woman if there is PLEASE a bathroom my son could use. She says ok, but it's in a "top secret" place so he will have to go by himself as I'm not allowed. "Of course he can go by himself" I hear myself say and silently pray - HARD - that he doesn't get preoccupied with the multiple toilet paper rolls and cool powerful toilets. She takes him back and I wait what seems like an eternity before he finally emerges. He did it! All by himself! Good boy Landon! Maybe all of that practicing during naptime is helping you...

5:00p - Dinner is thankfully un-eventful (leftovers will do that to you) and I bribe the boys with "Christmas Eve on Sesame Street" if they can get their pj's on and get ready for bed. This way I can get dinner cleaned up before bedtime. That would be wonderful. My little plan works - at least for Brayden - and I eventually end up saving Charlotte's life at the hands of Landon, dishes aside for now. I knew it was too good to be true to have the kitchen cleaned up before bedtime. I make some phone calls trying to locate a babysitter for a couple of hours tomorrow thinking I could sneak in a trip to the gym. My efforts fail. The sheets get back on the beds (again, equality - if I'm washing one set, I might as well change all the beds - it'd been a full week after all...) and Landon and Charlotte get ready for bed.

7:00p - The movie ends, we sing songs, say prayers. 2 down, 1 to go. I rock and talk and cuddle with my precious girl. Bedtime. AHHHHHHHH. The day is done, well, except for the cleaning up part, which for tonight, may just have to wait until tomorrow. :)

O Christmas Tree

Our tree is up! I never realized how hard it was to decorate a Christmas tree with so much "help." In years past Ryan and I have always decorated the tree after the kiddos are in bed, but last night for family night we decided that we would decorate the tree as a family. Besides the fact that I yelled, "No! Not that ornament! That's fragile!" about 100 times and we had to keep Charlotte from chewing on the branches of the tree, we had a great time together. So great a time that maybe next year we''ll have to have 2 trees - one for the kid's ornaments and one for my "fragile" ornaments. :)

One of my favorite things about decorating the Christmas tree is all of the nostalgia of the various ornaments we have. So, I thought I would share some of my favorites:

I have a bunch of these angel ornaments that came from my wedding reception. We were married at Christmastime (which means there is an anniversary coming up....) and these angel ornaments were decorations on the tables. They were meant to be taken by those in attendance, but many people didn't take them. I think about the day our little eternal family started every time I hang one of these angels on the tree.

These Santa Clause ornaments are some of the most gorgeous ornaments I have ever seen. They are hand carved and the detail is so exact. There are 12 different designs. These are made by Tony Rigby - a man in my parent's ward - and are just a side hobby that he does. 

This ornament is from our trip back east last Christmas. We left the boys with Ryan's parents and went to Boston to visit our good friends and see Boston and then to New York and Times Square for New Years Eve. It was a wonderful break from normal life and the crowd on New Years Eve was unbelievable and so much fun!

This last ornament is my newest ornament sent from Boston by our good friends Jodi and Jesse Aldous. They remembered that we try to collect a new ornament each year and sent this to us. This ornament will forever be a beautiful reminder of the friendships that we have and the wonderful associations we are so blessed to have.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

The last 5 days have been one WILD ride! I have decided for ease, I will break it down into 3 different categories: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.

The Good

• We decided last-minute to join my family for Thanksgiving.
  
• We got to spend Thanksgiving with my family - all siblings and parents, along with some extended family. It was the first time we have all been together in 18 months.
• Thanksgiving dinner - YUM!! My mom sure knows how to throw a party! Not to mention the leftover pie and turkey sandwiches later on.
• We had the best drive to Boise we have ever had with the kids.
• I had a girl's night out with my sister and sisters-in-law and saw the movie Enchanted (not usually my type of movie, but I loved it!)
• My sister-in-law Jessica and I went to the early bird mall opening at 1am on Thanksgiving night. It was AWESOME! It was estimated that there were 20,000 people there and it was so fun standing out in the freezing cold waiting for the doors to open. For a couple of hours I felt like a kid again - and that feeling was priceless! Not to mention I got some killer deals, which of course I love.
• We were blessed with a furnace repairman late Sunday night (see "The Ugly" below for why we needed him in the first place)

This was the crowd at the front gates of the mall at 1 am. Doesn't it look fun?!

The Bad

• We had to drive to Boise.
• Since we had Thanksgiving away, I have no leftovers at my house!
• I was so distracted that I hardly got any pictures of the trip.
• I have done more loads of laundry in the last 2 days than I knew possible. (Again, after reading "The Ugly" you will know why)

The Ugly

• My niece had the stomach flu.
• The flu was VERY contagious.
• Friday night Landon started running a fever and I almost had a panic attack (I'm not kidding) that he was going to have another seizure. Thankfully he started throwing up and the fever went away. I have never been so thankful for puke.
• 95% of the members of my family got the stomach flu, so there wasn't a whole lot of partying going on - unless a pajama party counts.
  
• We got home Sunday night and our house was 45 degrees. The furnace had stopped working while we were gone.
• After getting the furnace fixed, we got the kids ready for bed and Charlotte started throwing up.
• Hours later, Brayden started throwing up.

So, that was my Thanksgiving weekend in a nutshell. So very fun, and so very not-fun all at the same time. I am definitely in "recovery" mode trying to get things back to normal and also completely sanitize the house. I can say, above all, it is a Thanksgiving weekend we won't soon forget! :) Here are a couple of pics I actually did take...

Charlotte and her cutie-pie cousin Addie


I tried to lay off on the no-candy rule with my kids over the holiday. This is Landon after he ate his entire See's chocolate turkey in one sitting! Look how happy he is!


A little father-son cuddling...Ryan and Brayden sacked out on the couch taking a nap.


My sister Natalie and Charlotte - aren't they gorgeous?!!

My OTHER Life

I have realized that most of my posts are about my kids. Which is quite fitting seeing as though that is what I spend 99.5% of my life doing and dealing with. However, the other .5%, I actually do have a life (well, depending on what your definition of "having a life" is...) I find though that however much of a "life" I have without my children, the two tend to always intersect. Take last night...

My friend Amy has been wanting me to help her make some hair bows for her darling daughters to match their Holiday outfits. Being in a desperate situation (as she wanted them for church today) I planned on going to her house last night to help her. I had to run some errands first (to pick up the last bits of my children's holiday outfits...notice the intersection) and so she and I decided to meet at our local outdoor mall, do a little shopping, then make hair bows. Well, 1 store turned into 5 stores and we found ourselves running from store to store (this was for us now!) before each one closed. At one point in our stop at Macy's we were carrying so many clothes and laughing so hard, we could hardly walk. Who knew shopping without children and with a girlfriend could be so intoxicating?! So, before we knew it, it was 10pm and we had yet to make hair bows.

Now, what does a good mother who needs hair bows do in this situation? Improvise! We headed to McDonalds, ordered enough sugar to keep us awake for a while, and literally sat in the largest booth McDonalds had with bins of ribbon and flowers and other supplies. Now, I had originally planned on making bows at Amy's house so I didn't bring some necessary supplies like scissors and a hot glue gun. Although the Manager at McDonalds was not able to furnish a hot glue gun and electrical outlet, he was able to provide some scissors. It was so fun and so hilarious to look around at all of the teenage boys in McDonalds at 11:oo at night glancing over with looks as if to say, "What are those old ladies doing in that booth?!" We really wanted to get a picture of us and our set-up at McDonalds, but unfortunately neither of us had our cameras. Thankfully we were able to pump out the necessary bows and we had a great time!

Also, I have been tagged by my cousin Jenny and I am supposed to do 3 things about myself and 3 things I'm thankful for. Since I already did 6 things about myself (see earlier post) I thought I would just do 3 things I am thankful for in keeping with the spirit of Thanksgiving this week (WARNING - THIS MAY GET SAPPY):

1. Ryan! I know I talk about how thankful I am for my kids, but I'm not always so vocal about my feelings for Ryan, even though they are there. I am so thankful for Ryan every day of my life. He is so kind and thoughtful and loving and hard working and a wonderful husband and father - not to mention the fact that he is SMOKIN' hot! I could not ask for anything more than what Ryan is. I love him!

2. The gospel! At it's most base level, I am thankful for the knowledge I have that we have a loving Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ who watches over us always. I am thankful for that every morning I wake up and every night when I go to sleep.

I will end this post with something less serious or sappy, but something I am definitely thankful for!!

3. Tivo! How did people watch TV before Tivo? I think it's definitely one of the greatest inventions ever and I am thankful for Tivo everyday. :)

Love that face....

Occasionally I will snap a picture that captures the essence of one of my kids. This picture definitely captures the essence of Charlotte. She is SO MUCH FUN! She thinks that everyone and everything is so funny and she has this contagious little belly laugh that just makes me giggle. So, I couldn't help but share this photo!

Also, I appreciate everyone's concern regarding Landon. He is doing better - today is no fever day one! - and now we will just be swearing off nursery at church and any other "petri-dish" environments for the rest of the winter. :) The one thing that this whole experience has taught me (that I swear to remember this time!) is the incredible stewardship that we as mothers have been given. My heart is definitely swelling with gratefulness and appreciation for my children today.

Febrile Seizures

It has been a long 24+ hrs. at the White house. Yesterday afternoon Landon had a febrile seizure - also known as "fever" seizures. This is the second time Landon has had a febrile seizure, but somehow it was no less scary. I found Landon in his bed during naptime seizing and immediately called 911. I also took his temperature. It was 105.2. My friend Karli ran over and grabbed Brayden and Charlotte (thank you Karli!) and Landon and I were taken in the ambulance to the hospital. By the time we got there Landon had somewhat calmed down, but was still very out of it. He also had a hard time re-gaining muscle control after the seizure and seemed to have a temporary paralysis of his limbs. This of course worried the doctors (and us!) and so Landon was given a battery of tests to try and find the cause of the fever. A cause was never totally pinpointed - although they did find a little fluid in his lungs and are treating him with a blanket antibiotic. We were released late last night and Landon has continued to get better as the day has worn on thanks in part to the fact that he's hopped up on Tylenol and Motrin.

As in most of our family situations, there was some humor to the whole episode. It was time for the nurse to take Landon's temperature (rectally of course!) Landon had already had his rectal temperature taken 3 times previous and had not been too keen on it. At this point he was alert enough to know what was going on and as the nurse spread his legs he yelled, "Stop bothering me!" It was hilarious. That's my little Landon-man - always sticking up for himself. We really knew Landon had returned when we got home from the hospital. Ryan tried to help Landon out of his carseat and Landon said, "No! I do it!" Ryan looked at me and said, "He's baaaack." Funny how a phrase that drives me nuts most days was music to my ears.

Although I hope that none of you ever need this information, I have complied a brief list of factoids and things to do should your child ever have a febrile seizure:

• 1 in every 25 children have febrile seizures
• Febrile seizures occur in children ages 6 months to 6 years
• Children rarely develop their first febrile seizure before 6 months or after 3 years
  
• 33% of children who have had 1 seizure will have additional seizures
• Most seizures happen within the first day of the fever
  
• If your child is seizing, DO NOT put anything in their mouth
• Call 911 immediately
• Lie your child on the floor and gently turn him/her on their side

This picture is not from today, but I love it because it is how I always think of Landon - my little wild man.

"Mom, look what I can do!"

That is a phrase that I heard twice this week, once each from Brayden and Landon.

The first was yesterday from Landon. He and Brayden were playing outside and I heard "Mom, look what I can do!" and found Landon atop our play structure. Thankfully he didn't try to get himself down, but now it looks like there is officially one more thing to put my list of things to Landon-proof.

The second time came from Brayden this afternoon. I was in the kitchen and heard "Mom, look what I can do!" and looked out to see Brayden riding his bike sans training wheels! His training wheels broke about a month ago and Brayden has been begging us to teach him to ride, but life gets busy and it got put on the back-burner until recently. He and I have practiced some, but Ryan must have the golden touch because after mere minutes with Ryan he was riding like a pro...you know, one of those amateur pros. :)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Happy Halloween! We finally decided that Brayden and Landon would be Dash and Violet for Halloween. Actually, we thought they could both be Dash, but Brayden insisted that only he was Dash and Landon was Violet. Landon seemed content with that - even though we told him multiple times that Violet is a girl. They have been roll-playing for about a week now, only getting ready for bed and other various tasks if called Dash or Violet. Even Landon corrects me.

Me: Landon, get ready for bed.
Landon: My name is biolet (aka Violet)
Me: Ok Biolet, go get ready for bed.
Landon: Ok, Elastigirl.

Oh yeah, I failed to mention that in the process Ryan and I have become Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl. I could definitely make a case for Ryan being Mr. Incredible, but me? Elastigirl? I can hardly touch my toes! But I digress...

We had a great time decorating pumpkins with some fun plastic faces (thanks mom!) and trick-or-treating tonight. We topped the night off with a carnival at the church and the boys scored more candy than they could possibly eat in an entire year. Which means, once again, I'll probably have to step up as a mother and do something I just despise....eat candy. Darn. :)

Good Ol' Fashioned Family Fun

Taking advantage of what we believed to be one of the last nice weekends, we headed out to the beach yesterday. We spent the day building sand castles, flying kites, and having good ol' fashioned family fun. It was an unbelievably gorgeous day and great to have the time to spend together.

Another mouth to feed...

In the last week Charlotte has really taken a liking to food. I have been reluctant to feed her because - let's be honest - it's just one more thing to do, but because she was acting so interested I finally caved. I have never had a child like rice cereal so much - it is hilarious to watch her eat. For such a little person, she can seriously pack it down. I'm glad to know I got my genetics in there somewhere. :) Now that I have given her rice cereal, she wants to eat everything she sees anyone else eating. This apple is the perfect example...

It's the Great Pumpkin...Patch

Today was a gorgeous day! It has been raining non-stop here for roughly the last week, so today's weather was a wonderful surprise. To celebrate the fabulous sun, we took a trip to the pumpkin patch. One of our favorites in town is Lakeview Farms. There is a little boat ride over to the pumpkin field and then a little train ride back to the main shop. Mix boats, trains, and pumpkins and my boys are sure to have a great time!

I've been tagged!

So, I've been "tagged" by a couple of different people in the last couple of months and have never lived up to my side of the bargain so I decided to choose the easiest of the questionaires and submit my answers. That having been said, I spent a pathetic amount of time just trying to come up with 6 things about me that didn't involve one of my children. Enjoy learning a little more about me and count yourself tagged!

1. I love to read. I seem to always be reading a book of some kind. Ryan is also a big reader and often times he will come home with a new book or buy one online and I steal it and read it before he can even get his hands on it. The downside to this love of reading is the fact that once I start a book it consumes me. I can't accomplish anything until the book is read. Last Friday Ryan and I went out on a date and we ended up at Barnes and Noble sitting in between aisles near the back of the store reading. I read Jenny McCarthy's new book on autism "Loving through Autism" in one sitting. My newest book? "Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling. A cultural biography of Mormonism's founder" I'm only 60 pages in, but so far so good.

2. Another love of my life is that of exercise. If there is any ailment in my life, the surest cure is always exercise. In my first trimester when was pregnant with Charlotte I was so sick and the only thing that would help was going to the gym. The hour I would spend on the elliptical machine was the only hour of the day I didn't feel like I wanted to die. There is nothing like the adrenaline of a long workout after a long stressful day with the kids. I am definitely a cardio junkie and Ryan can attest to the fact that without my "fix" I'm definitely not the same person.

3. I really enjoy doing projects. I never really stick with one thing long enough to become an expert, but I like to dabble in just about anything. A couple of years ago I was really into knitting hats, through having my kiddos I got into baby blankets, and Charlotte has led me into a whole new of world of "girly" crafts like bows and bracelets. As of late I have developed a strong interest in photoshop and graphic design and can spend countless hours tinkering around.

4. I am addicted to chocolate. I also really love to bake and the two pair together nicely. :) My sister and I share this wonderful addiction that I believe we inherited (genetically, of course!) from my mom. My sister and I are always talking about yummy desserts we have made and then proceeded to eat all by ourselves. Ryan used to actually get a genuine sense of awe that I could polish off an entire 9x13 of brownies...now it's just routine.

5. I love the smell of skunk. I am not joking! I don't quite know what it is about the smell, but I love it! I always take a big inhalation whenever the smell comes my way.

6. I am a "deal" fanatic - especially when it comes to kid stuff. Most of you have probably received countless emails from me telling you about this deal or that deal. I routinely check www.slickdeals.net and get a serious rush from getting babyGap at Walmart prices. I figure since my children cost me about a million dollars a month in clothing, diapers, food, you-name-it, I might as well get a little "deal rush" in the process.

Gap Casting Call

I saw ads for the annual Gap casting call a week ago, but was just reminded by my sister-in-law to get a photo submitted. I know the chances are about 1 in 1 zillion, but it was fun to get my camera out and focus on getting a good picture out of the kiddos. My biggest challenge came from the boys - especially Landon - to NOT smile. Most times you want your kids to smile, but my boys (again, especially Landon) have been so lucky as to inherit my wonderful ability to completely close my eyes when they smile big - which is what they think a smile is - HUGE. Eventually it all worked out and I am happy with the results.

Cinderella (the princess!) for a day...

When I picked Brayden up from preschool this afternoon he was holding a shiny star on the end of a long white stick which he informed me was his magic wand. Then he told me that Cinderella's godmother didn't have a star on the end of her magic wand and proceeded to rip his star off (It's a little troubling to me that Brayden somehow identifies with Cinderella's godmother, but that is another story...)

As soon has his magic wand transformation was complete, Brayden assumed the role of fairy godmother, turned Landon into the "Mean mom", Charlotte into the "wicked sister", and me into Cinderella. Not the scrubbing floors, doing laundry, making breakfast, "Sing sweet nightingale" Cinderella, the "I just got a new dress and am heading to the castle" Cinderella. I know that because he kept saying "bippity-boppity-bo." :) I tried to get out of character when we got home, but Brayden insisted that I was Cinderella (the princess - not to be mistaken with my daily role of Cinderella - aka Mom). So, I took it as a sign from the cosmos that I must take the afternoon off from chores and anything relating to it. After all, you know Cinderella didn't do chores once she moved into the castle with the Prince.

Plus, my Prince (aka Ryan) has promised me a night off tonight since he has been gone so much lately - and will be again next week - so I'm off to continue being princess Cinderella while I can before the clock strikes midnight.

The Jumperoo is back in business

There are a couple of baby items that I love, and my jumperoo is one of them! We got the jumperoo for Brayden when he was a baby and he had so much fun jumping around. Then, when Landon came along, he was ridiculous in that thing! Landon would jump and laugh for hours - it was hilarious to watch. Last night I decided that even though Charlotte is still my *little teeny tiny* baby, she was probably old enough to enjoy jumping around and sure enough I was right. For any of you who have ever considered buying a jumperoo, I highly recommend it as a "must-have."

You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours

Not only has Ryan been gone the last 3 days, but it has also been POURING rain. So, my "outdoor" boys have been forced into the confines of the house and the results haven't been pretty. In order to avoid a total meltdown (from me of course) we went for a little outing after naptime today to Safari Sams. We met my friend Nicole and her 2 kids there and after 90 minutes of running, climbing, and jumping, everyone (especially me) was starving. Nicole and I debated if we should attempt a restaurant and decided to make a go of it. All went well and the whole outing turned out to be just what we needed. When we left the restaurant (which was about 30 minutes from my house) it was 7:00 and all 3 kids were pretty tired. By the time we got home Charlotte had fallen asleep and I was eager to rush her to bed, lest she woke up and thought she had just had a little nap. I told the boys to go to the bathroom (which is across the hall from Charlotte's room) and get ready for bed while I fed Charlotte and got her in bed. I sat down in the rocking chair to feed Charlotte and no sooner do I hear the following conversation:

Landon: Move Brayden, I need to go poop!

Brayden: Hold on! I'm going poop!

Landon: Oh, ok.

Brayden: Ok I'm done, but I have to wait for mommy to wipe my bum.

Landon: But I have to go poop!

Brayden: Well Landon, mommy is putting Charlotte to bed and I can't go in there.

Landon: I'll wipe your bum.

Brayden: Um....ok.

toilet paper roll rolling, toilet paper ripped off, SILENCE...

Brayden: Thanks Landon!

Landon: Now move. I need to go poop!

Brayden: Hey Landon - I'm going to go get my pajamas on, but call me when you're done and I'll wipe your bum.

Landon: Oh, ok. Thanks Brayden.

By the time I finished with Charlotte, the boys had in fact "scratched each other's backs." I have been thankful so many times since Charlotte's birth that Brayden and Landon have each other, but none more so than tonight...

I love Thursday nights!

So tonight is my favorite TV night of the week and really the only night that I actually sit down and just watch TV. Survivor China, The Office, and Grey's Anatomy are all tonight! If it weren't for Tivo I would actually have to make a choice as to which shows I would watch (gasp!) but thankfully I get the full line up!

Survivor's season premier was on last week and started out kinda slow, but I've already got my favorite: James, the grave digger. He seems cool and laid back and holy moly have you ever seen muscles like that?! Ryan and I have been watching Survivor together since we started dating 7 years ago, so it's a fun little bonding thing too. With Survivor on, a bowl of ice cream, and a little cuddling on the couch, we've got ourselves a mini-date night. :)

The Office is another show that Ryan and I watch together and there is an iron-clad rule that I am not "allowed" to watch The Office by myself if he is out of town...which I follow most of the time. hehe. I have been waiting for Jim and Pam to get together for 2 seasons now and I **hope** it happens this season. And Dwight, who doesn't love Dwight?! Sheer hilarity. If nothing else, The Office is always a good laugh.

I had seen Grey's Anatomy a couple of times the first season, but really got hooked last summer when my sister was staying with me for a month. Ryan was working in Seattle at the time (he'd come home on the weekends) so Natalie and I basically spent our evenings baking something yummy (can you say Heavenly Hash Brownies and Lemon Bars?) and watching TV. We saw an episode of Grey's Anatomy and were hooked! The Season 1 DVDs came out and we must have watched the whole season in a week. I have never been into any other medical shows, but I love Grey's Anatomy. The show started to lose a little steam towards the end last season (or so I thought...) so I will be curious to see what this season brings!

Well, that's all for now - I need to go watch TV! Happy Watching!

My little Skeletons

I am so tired tonight! I'm not exactly sure what I did today that was so taxing (if my house could talk it would tell you that I definitely didn't clean today...) but I'm just dying. Thankfully I had one remaining peanut butter cup in the freezer that should help me finish out the night. :)

I came out from getting the kiddos to bed and saw pitch black - and it's only 7:30! When did it start getting dark so early? So, speaking of kiddos to bed...I got these jammies from Gymboree a couple of weeks ago and I just love them!

The skeleton bones are glow-in-the-dark which I think is just fun. Charlotte's even have a pink sparkley heart over her heart. I also like that the 3 kids are all matching. :) I match Brayden and Landon for quite a few things still, but I haven't ever had anything for Charlotte to join in the party. It's also fun because when I see their jammies I think about Halloween coming up here soon which I am excited about. We still haven't decided what the boys are going to be for Halloween(any suggestions?!) and Charlotte is going to be an angel...which she really doesn't need a costume for. :) She is definitely my little angel, even when she's wearing skeleton bones.

Into the Wild

Not only is that the title of a book by Jon Krakauer that I started reading, it is also what we ventured to do yesterday! It was a gorgeous fall day yesterday so we decided to go hiking. We chose Hagg Lake as our location, packed a picnic lunch, loaded the kids up, and off we went. We were all so excited to get there and then we pulled up to the ranger station and realized that we didn't have cash (and they don't accept anything plastic) to pay for the park entrance fee! So, much to the boys' dismay we turned around to find the nearest ATM...which wasn't that near. :) However, we finally made it to the trails and had a wonderful time hiking through the trees and sitting on the edge of the lake skipping and throwing rocks.

There is just something magical about being out in nature and I know my kids feel the same way. Even Charlotte was wide-eyed at the scenery. It was a wonderful family outing and makes me sad that the rains will begin to descend upon the Northwest soon!

The Freak Show has arrived

In other parts of the country it may not be unusual to see a family with 3 kids under the age of 4, but in Portland, Oregon you are more likely to see a couple with 3 dogs than 3 kids -much less 3 little kids. Keeping that in mind, I have had some very interested social experiences with my children in public. Tonight was just another one for the books.

Tonight was Ryan's first basketball game in the CPA League that he plays in every year. Most times we are unable to go to the games because they are later in the evening and my kiddies are already in bed. Although my gut instinct was to say "no" to the game tonight (for fear of misbehavior on my boys' part), I decided that since the game was earlier than usual it would be fun. We walked into The Hoop (a local basketball gym) and immediately I was filled with nostalgia of my basketball playing days and became excited to watch Ryan's upcoming game. We sat down on the "bleachers" - basically just 3 risers on the sideline - and I was pleased to see 3 other wives of players on Ryan's team - 2 with children. The boys sat down quietly on the bleachers and the women and I all pleasantly chatted, introduced ourselves and our children, and I began thinking, "Maybe my gut instinct was wrong, maybe my boys will be great!" And as soon as that thought crossed my mind, my biggest fear came true: Brayden and Landon's alter-egos - Thing 1 and Thing 2 - emerged. Suddenly my boys were jumping down the bleachers, running up and down the sidelines, going onto the court, yelling "I want to shoot the ball", and the bathroom, OH the bathroom! You'd have thought Mickey Mouse himself was in that darn bathroom with as often as they needed to go. And then I began to feel it: the stares. The oh-my-gosh-how-and-why-do-you-ever-go-out-in-public stares and I realized that those 3 women I had met 30 minutes earlier were now painting a very different picture of me and my children. Not nice and polite. Wild and crazy. Double wild and double crazy.

Thankfully, the game eventually ended and we high-tailed it outta there. Safe and sound in the car with the kids all locked up in their car seats I looked into the rear view mirror at their little faces and realized it's kind of fun to be wild and crazy - I enjoy the spunk and zest that my boys have for life and being a part of the Freak Show just comes with the territory.

My future b-baller - he looks so innocent :)

Here is Charlotte - sitting quietly, happy as can be, enjoying her crazy brothers and the game!