April's going's on's

Holy cow!!! where does time go? I don't think it flies, it just totally avoids me.

So, onto a lot of mini posts!

Easter: We had a good one. The kids loved trying to find their baskets, poor girl #1 had to really hunt for hers. I even gave her the best of all hints, and she still didn't get it. She's older, that's why she has to look harder. Girl #2 found hers in the oven. She laughed and thought that was the silliest place in the world for it. Boy #1 and Boy#2 had it easy this year, but me thinks that boy #1 had help. When we dyed Easter eggs a few days before, we had some brown eggs to use. I got to color those eggs and they turned out fabulous! The colors were richer and darker, just gorgeous eggs to be hidden. It was some good fun for Stephen and the kids. We visited with family and had a great time.

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Soccer: Soccer started at the first of this month. All my kids have been having a blast and rockin' the field. I love it. Girl#1's first game, she scored the first goal and then they kept playin' their hearts out for another one. They didn't win, but Wow! they worked hard and it was a very entertaining game. The others that she's had have also been very entertaining. The teams have been well matched and they all work so hard it's awesome to watch. She works hard and wants to keep playing. Girl #2 is coached by Stephen. They have been doing very well. If the whole team makes it to practice, they usually win the next game. Just goes to show that teamwork starts with practice. I'm proud of Girl #2 for the hard work she is putting in. Boy #1 is coached by me. I'm so proud of Boy #1 and his team. They work together, they put their all into each quarter they get to play, they are playing like they should, that's all there is to say about it. I'm very, very proud of them.

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I started running at the first of the month again. I'm so syked to do the races coming up. I love to run and have missed it so much. Stephen has been going with me in the mornings 'cuz of how little miles I could do in the beginning. Last Thursday, we got up to 4 miles with some hills. It was awesome! Friday was a hill-ey 3 miler and Saturday, oh Saturday. Oh.My.Goodness! I met my friend Lisa in So. Ogden at O'Dark-thirty. We went for a 4 mile run. We were in South Ogden. Many of you know the area and only see the main roads, not the neighborhood. Oh. Ouch. The neighborhood we went in had some very wonderfully hard hills to run. I had to walk several times (sorry Lisa,) but had a wonderful day the rest of the day. I was sore. Almost immediately, but overall I felt great! In this pic, this is what I saw by the time I was home. So beautiful and welcoming. I love running. I haven't had a chance to go again, but another Thursday morning run will be just what I need. It is 5 miles with Lisa. So excited.

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New Couches!!!!!!! I have never, in all my 12+ years of marriage, owned new couches. We had some hand-me-downs that were probably as old as I am. They have served their purpose and have been disposed of. We are getting the home ready to sell and Stephen decided that new furniture, carpet, and paint will make it easier to sell. I'm so excited. The bathroom on the downstairs floor is finished, so onto the kitchen for new paint and flooring. The living (front) room will also get new paint and flooring. We have been storing things away to help us have some more room. I'm so happy! We will hopefully have the paint and new flooring done before the end of May. Woot! Woot! we should have done this years ago!!!! Oh yeah, I also got a new camera with the couches. Love my hubby!

2 Days and 8 Years ago....

Okay, so I'm running a little late on posts lately, no big deal! right? Well as long as no one really cares and that I make sure to post it's okay.

2 Days and 8 Years ago, this little cutie entered our life. Girl #2. She is adorable isn't she? I know you can't see it, but she has a. TON. of hair! She came out with long black hair that stood straight up. Oh she is so much fun. She has made the absolutely wonderful decision to be baptized and become a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Stephen and I are so proud of her, so is her older sister. She loves to play soccer, play the piano, play with her friends, cousins, and her siblings. I do believe she would rather dance ballet or any other dance, rather than play soccer, but for now we'll just have to deal. I think she'd be really good at dance, maybe Aunt T can help her a little.
She LOVES anything that has to do with art. She LOVES to write, color, trace, paint, draw, and write notes to her parents. She will use anything and everything she can find, crayons, markers, colored pencils, paint, chalk, and pens or pencils. She will color on anything: walls, sidewalks, papers from school, important papers, scraps, notepads, color pads, the computer art pages, she'll make books and write stories in them. She will make cards for friends and family. She loves to create!

She received a bead kit for Christmas from a cousin and she can't wait to make her next bead creation. She makes bracelets and necklaces, she will try to make other accessories. She loves it.

She has a particular bond with two of her aunts, Aunt Susie Q and Aunt T. She loves all her family members, but there is just something about these two that she just connects with, maybe it's because they are or can be very girlie. Very. But they also are very active and eat healthy so not a bad role model, huh?

She is extremely helpful around the house and at church and school. Her teachers all have wonderful and great things to say about her. She works hard in school and is always trying. Well, we actually won't let her give up on anything, some thing we've been trying to teach all our children. So, yeah, she is always trying and doing. She came to us with an innate sense of modeling. Ever since she was young, she has always posed for pictures, and she does it just right. The hip jutted out, the foot in the right spot, the hand and arm just right. I mean just look at these two pictures and you'll completely understand. Oh, my, isn't she so cute.

Can I tell you she is also dramatic!

I don't know how many of you have seen her when she has a small meltdown, but it is dramatic in every sense of the word. The other day, we visited with my cousin at her home. We believe she has Lotus tree in her backyard. If you've ever seen a Lotus tree, you know how long and skinny their thorns are on the branches. Well, unfortunately, Girl #2 found one with her foot. She was wearing good tennis shoes. I swear it. The thorn went right through her shoe and into the part of her foot between the toes and the ball of her foot. She was crying (understandably) and begging for help. She told us she "needs new shoes IMMEDIATELY!" It was Sunday, we weren't going to buy her new shoes that day, but I took her to get new ones the next. The weird thing was, there wasn't a hole showing where the thorn entered her shoe. I couldn't see a thing! This is just one example of her being dramatic. It happens all the time. Whenever she gets blamed for something or she doesn't want to do something. "Why do I have to do (Girl #1) work all.the.time!?" a direct quote. I swear.

We love her. We are so thankful for her influence and her usual good nature. She is truly a very wonderful girl and I'm so very, very happy that she is mine. She is cute, funny, lovable and loving, helpful, wonderful, sometimes trying my patience, lovely, gray-hair making, usually good natured, happy, sometimes cuddly, sharing, a wonderful little/big sister, teasing, smiling little girl. I love her. She makes me proud.

1 Year ago, Monday.

One year ago Monday we had a clogged toilet. It was Sunday, we weren't sure what we were going to do. Stephen took the toilet off the floor and we found someone-boy #1- had flushed about half a box of diaper wipes down the toilet. I don't think it was all a once, but they just kinda caught and it built up. Well, we decided that since our toilet was off and we'd have to go to Home Depot to get a new sealant ring for the toilet, we also decided to take the old, yucky, the-"gray"water-seeped-underneath, linoleum off the cement floor. We had to remove all the floor boards and the moulding around the door. We did it that very night. We didn't go to the store, don't you all worry, we didn't really do any work at all. Stephen did patch up some holes, one of which Jake made. Apparently, if you're a puppy that's potty training, you don't like be locked in the bathroom that much. You get very bored.

Fast forward to the following Friday night and Saturday morning. Stephen didn't attend any of the soccer games in the a.m. because he had put the new linoleum, that our good friends had given us, the night before. He then put the new sealant ring on and was able to get the toilet on before we celebrated girl #2's birthday with her friends. BTW, only one-ONE, friend showed up. Oh well, she and her mom got to go roller skating with us. It was a blast!

Fast Forward to Saturday the 20Th, 2010.

Stephen put the moulding around the door, put the floor boards up, had already finished any mudding that needed to be done, and he and girl #1 put the first coat of paint on. I was delirious with joy! It was getting done! Finally! I finished painting the walls on Monday, pulled off the tape and I painted all the moulding and floor boards Tuesday a.m and p.m. I also decided that the ceiling needed new paint, so we taped it some paper so I wouldn't get the new walls with white and I went at the ceiling that night. I decided it needed another coat of paint, so Wednesday morning, I painted it again.

On Tuesday while the floor boards were drying in between paint jobs, I took a re-finisher liquid, applied it to super fine (0000) steel wool, and refinished the wooden cabinet. It looks wonderful. It still shows the scratches and dents, but hey, at least they are all the same shade. (That was my favorite part.) Wednesday night we pulled off all the tape and paper from the walls and floor. I looks wonderful. I love it. I could just sit in there for a long time. It feels nice to have it finally-F.I.N.A.L.L.Y.-finished. After one year.And a couple of days.

Next step- store a ton of our stuff somewhere by the end of next week, so I can start ripping out the carpet! I'm so gonna love it. Really, I am.

These pictures don't do it justice, you should come visit!

What a good morning!

It's 10 a.m. and my dishes are done, front room cleaned, hair done, I'm dressed, my boy#2 is dressed (has been since 7:30), beds are made-sheets washed and put back on, and my laundry is half done-only one more load to dry. I think I'm havin' one of those days again. It's been a looong time comin', yes, yes it has.
I think it's due to me waking up at O'Dark 30 and working out with the hubby. Nothing really hard on the legs-only 10 squats and almost 5 lunges before the IT Band started in. Lots of upper body and 15 min. of yoga. I think I can get used to doing this for a month until I can run again. Yep, it'll work for me.

Don't forget, in case I don't write until after the 14th, it's daylight savings time. Spring forward. We lose a precious hour. Start practicing now and it'll help you later. Ha ha ha.

Pizza and the family

Isn't it fun to do things home made. Saturday morning, Stephen went with me to get the boys new shoes and then to do the grocery shopping. He hates to shop, but he willingly went. He helped the boys pick out some shoes. They were a little more than I liked and I probably would have made them choose from the cheapest ones available. It's alright. I'm glad he came.

We went to the grocery store. While I'm pushing the cart and looking at the list knowing where I'm going and what I'm doing, he is following and talking with me. It was pretty nice. He saw some pizza dough and said, "we should make pizza some time." I said how 'bout tonight. So we purchased all we would need to make the pizza and finished shopping.

We went to the park and played and generally had a great day. When we got home we set right to work on getting the pizza made and in the oven 'cuz girl#1 has to go babysitting. I didn't get pics of the kids rolling out the dough, but my hubby finished that part. We put on the sauce and the kids did the rest. They put all the toppings we had on the pizza. WOW! that is a lot of stuff. The best part of this is that I didn't stress or freak out about how they were doing it. This was their creation. I'm quite pleased I didn't freak. Oh, but it tasted so good. I loved it. Two slices to fill ya up with some veggies and all. What a great day. We had us a good time.

What month is it again?

Oh, it's March? Already? What do you mean? Time flies when you can't go workout I guess. Oh, I remember one reason March is so important. Three words. Girl.Scout.Cookies. Oh yeah!!! Samoa's and Thin Mints. You know, these are really helping me with my whole weight loss plan. You know the one, the one I can't do for a whole stupid month thanks to my lame leg. I know, every January or February we buy 'em. We pay for 'em in March and eat them that same day! At least, that is how it used to work for me. I could eat one box of Samoa's in 20 minutes. No joke. Yeah, make ya sick right? Well it didn't then, but now, it hurts my stomach to have too much sugar or to be too full. Do you know how many calories are in a serving size of Samoa's? 150 calories. How many cookies do you get to eat? only 2! yes my friends only 2 cookies for that many calories. Do you know how many I ate yesterday? 6 friggin cookies! But that was throughout the whole day. Nice huh!? I was very pleased with myself. I did very well, not the whole box. Wahoo! Yes I'm very pleased with myself learning to control my desire for these cookies. Don't they just look yummy! I know you want some. You should get some. I just know you should. I'm sure you will find girl scouts out in front of grocery stores or on the sidewalk along Riverdale road. Just one is all you need.

Green Eggs and Ham

Last night was Boy #1's first literacy and math night at school. It was a lot of fun! He colored a Dr. Seuss hat red and white, cut it out, then we stapled a strip of paper to fit his head to the hat. He also showed me how to tell time and they made a game with a clock. It was fun. There was a program. A teacher read parts of "Green Eggs and Ham" while the students recited the not-Sam-I-am parts. I didn't have my camera with me, of course, but we enjoyed having Green Eggs, Ham, a roll and hashbrown for dinner. I didn't know if I could stomach it.

The reason being? Stephen and Girl #1 made green eggs and ham once. While I was in my first trimester of pregnancy with both Girl #2 and Boy #1. I couldn't do it. Stephen has even made green and red eggs for Christmas. I still have a hard time seeing them.

I ate my Green Eggs and Ham meal with my son. It wasn't bad if you can seperate your eyes from your fork as your bringing it to your mouth. They tasted okay too. with ketchup. One more way to make them look gross right? Yeah, that's how it goes. After dinner, Stephen and I took Boy #1 for an ice cream cone. It was fun to have a little us and him time.