Happy Birthday Owen!

My nephew Owen turned 7 yesterday!  The year he was born 3 grandchildren were added to our family.  My 2 sisters and I were all pregnant at the same time.  Kristy had Owen in March, Farrah had Matthew in October and I had Addy in November.  I love you Owen and I hope you had a fabulous Birthday!

Click here if you can't see the video.

Two Of A Kind, Peas In A Pod, Like Mother Like Daughter

Just a little while ago I was telling Emily she needed to go get ready for bed.  She said, "Hold on."  

At the exact same time I started singing, "Hold on to the night..."

And she started singing, "Hold on to me as we go..."

Why Yesterday Was The Most OZsome Day Of The Year

So, we've had 3 feet of snow in our yard since before Christmas.  Don't be fooled by the above picture.  It was not as pretty as all that.  Well, it was pretty.  PRETTY DANG COLD THAT IS!  It was a very very very long very very very cold winter.  That is why I was so amazed last week when in two days ALL of that eternal snow was melted.  We have had the most lovely weather the last few days.

Pair that with the fact that my dear husband, which I still claim to be the hardest working man alive, has been working 20 hour days for the last 2 weeks.  Every day.  There was one day last week when he went 48 hours with 2 hours of sleep.  And they weren't even 2 consecutive hours.  One was from 5-6AM  and the other was from 5-6PM.  The rest of that time was spent doing back breaking labor.  The kids and I have hardly seen him at all in the last two weeks.  

So when Steve announced that he would not have to work yesterday, AND the snow was all melted AND the weather was fabulous, well, you couldn't ask for a better combination.

We all went to see the new Oz movie and we took Aubrey's friend Grace with us.  I must say, I wasn't a big fan of the movie - what I saw of it, that is.  I saw the whole beginning and the whole end which was plenty enough for me.  I kept trying to keep myself awake and after a while I was like, this dang movie is so boring, why am I torturing myself.  That's when I gave in a succumbed to peaceful movie theater slumber.  Once I gave up the fight to stay awake it really annoyed me that Addy woke me up every 5 minutes.  But I found it very easy to slip right back into my rest.  I found out that Emily also fell asleep.  And outta her seat.    This is what I have to say about that movie.  Don't waste your money.  And could they possibly have had any more boobage in a PG Disney movie?  Probably, but then I don't think they would have been able to call it PG.

After the movie we returned home and built a fire in the fire pit and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows.  This is one of our most favorite ways to entertain, because we are just so classy that way.  If you have been a guest in our home in the summer months, you probably dined upon such delicacies by the fire side.  It wasn't summer yesterday, but after a winter like ours, it sure felt like it!

Then my children brought out their arsenal and we were joined by a whole gaggle of neighborhood children.  Zac got really mad at me for taking a picture of him with Addy's pink BB gun.  (Don't worry, Steve took this as a great chance to teach all the kids about safety, and proper permission was obtained by all their parents)

I LOVE our neighborhood.  I LOVE all those kids pictured above.  And I LOVED our day yesterday.  I spent the majority of it reclining in my chair watching Steve and the kids and enjoying the sunshine upon my shoulders.  It made me happy.  

That evening Steve and I were able to go see our friend Spencer bless his new baby.  I didn't take a picture but here is a picture taken just last week at Zac's Eagle Court of Honor with Steve and some of his former scouts turned grown ups.  We were lucky enough to get a double dose of Burgoyne this week with the Court of Honor and the blessing.

Then after we left the baby blessing, I made the old man take me to my new favorite joint.  Dickey's.  HELLO!  I had no idea such a place existed in the state of Utah.  Steve took me there for the first time last month and I have been craving it ever since.  So as we were getting ready to leave for the baby blessing last night I told him, "I fully intend on making you take me to eat at Dickey's after the blessing."  To which he replied by looking down at his suit and tie and giving me the look that after 17 1/2 years of marriage I know meant, "No way in heck am I goin' to eat BBQ dressed like some schmuck in a suit."  To which I verbally replied, "You ARE taking me there, so suck it up and deal with it."  

It's the fried okra.  It's like kryptonite to my native Texan blood.  I still vividly remember the first time I was needing a fix.  I had been living in Utah for about a month.  I was lonely and homesick.  I needed some comfort.  So I drove through a "chicken" joint and when the girl came over the speaker asking if she could take my order, I ordered the only thing that could speak comfort to my soul at that moment (Because I already knew I couldn't get Bluebell ice cream in Utah).  Fried okra.  "What?"  "Fried okra."  She had never heard of such a thing.  I was so confused I was reeling.  You call this place a chicken joint?  How in the world do you eat chicken without a side of fried okra?  Seriously?  Well, 21 years later...

I just read over this and I don't think the kryptonite metaphor and my needing a fix of Texas goodness really go together.  I mean, kryptonite isn't something Superman craved fortnightly.  It doesn't work, but I'm leaving it.  Because I'm tired.  And it's easier to type this explanation than to come up with a better way to say it and then have to go back and change it.  

Just know that yesterday really was the most perfect day of 2013 thus far.  And just know that after all the lovely weather last week, it was freezing cold today.  I am not happy about this.

OK, so I just did a spell check and read over the whole thing.  I've changed my mind.  I do think kryptonite works.  It's my weakness.  It was Superman's weakness.  I knew there was a reason why I left it before.  It's really not my weakness, weakness.  I mean, before last month I can't even tell you how many years it has been since I've had it.  I mean, a weakness is something you deal with much more frequently.  Although now that I know it is easily accessible...it could be moved up the weakness ladder.  Oh, good golly miss molly, shut up and go to bed already.  Enough of your excessive rambling  on about nothing!

Flashback/Flashforward Friday - Cub Scout To Eagle Scout

Flashback: June 2007

Zac the Cub Scout

Flashforward: March 2013

Zac the Eagle Scout

Go Foot, I Mean Fish

One day last month Addy had her friend Naomi over.  I was in the other room and I could hear them playing Go Fish.  When I walked into the room they were in, this is what I found.  Two silly girls, playing go fish with their feet.  Crazy girls.  I have  no idea where they get it from...

How A Teenage Boy Redecorates A House

                          

One night last month when Steve and I were out on a date, Zac did a little redecorating.  We came home to find our family picture that hangs in our entry like this.

And our computer screen was changed to this funky astronaut creature.

And he was also in these picture frames.  I don't know why, but I died laughing when I walked into my bedroom and saw this.  When I laugh hard, I laugh with a silent laugh.  It runs in my family.  My children have picked up this family trait as well.  Whenever one of us is doing the silent belly laugh, we can't help but join in.  So when I started the silent laugh, Zac did as well.  And Steve just stared at us both like we were crazy.  And rightfully so.

And don't forget this one.

I'm pretty sure all the pictures have all been rectified.  Although the computer screen keeps getting changed back.  Zac and Em now have an ongoing computer screen changing battle.  And those pictures in the black frames that are in my room.  I'm thinkin' those are still like that.  Zac, why don't you be a dear and fix those.  Please.

Monday Morning Musings - How I Almost Peed My Pants

I sit here typing this with dry pants on.  But it almost wasn't so.  I was tucking girls in bed earlier.  I had just left Addy's room and then made my way down the hall to Aubrey's room.  I sat on her bed and chatted it up with her for a bit.  Then I went about singing her her most requested bedtime song.  I got this much out, "A you're Adorable, B you're so Beautiful, C you're a Cutie full of Charm"  when all of a sudden something under the bed grabbed my ankles and screamed.  Which made me jump off the bed screaming (my throat is still sore from it and it was like 4 hours ago).  Turns out it was Emily, hiding beneath the bed waiting to scare the living daylights outta me.  It worked.  I would like to note, as mentioned at the start of this paragraph, that the daylights were the only thing scared out of me.  I am however getting up there in age and who can say what will happen next time?

I was just glad Emily was in a better mood at that point.  Oh, because that wasn't always the case as far as today was concerned.  Right about the time everyone got home from school, daylight savings time hit us and it hit us hard.  I found myself wishing it was bedtime because I was ready to hit the sack, jack.  Then the breakdowns started.  First it was Addy.  Ohhhhh yeah...She screamed and cried uncontrollably and inconsolably for about 15 minutes.  Later, Emily fell asleep on the couch.  She woke up and we were all upstairs.  She started freaking out asking why she wasn't at school.  I told her it was because everyone was so tired, I decided to let them all take the day off from school and sleep in.  She started freaking out pretty majorly.  You see, she has perfect attendance this year and would not even let me pick her up early from school a few weeks ago when she was sick. I got my phone out to record it because it was pretty funny at first.  But then...it wasn't so funny anymore.  And it lasted for a really long time.  Even after I explained to her that it was 7:45 on Monday night and she had only been asleep on the couch for an hour.

FYI: It probably isn't a good idea -when you are standing on one side of a locked bathroom door, and your teenage daughter is having a meltdown on the other side of said door- to ask it you can blog about the event.

I have a reader!  Four of them to be exact!  Addy has been reading for a few months now, but lately she has been branching out from her easy beginner books to harder ones.  Tonight she read to me from a real actual book book.  Like she sounded out and read big hard words.  I am so proud of her.

It was a week last week.  Lemmejustellya.  It was crazy.  Steve was working 18-20 hour days.  Every day.  He had the Home Show over the weekend.  I ate, drank and even slept Eagle Court of Honorness.  Not to mention the Birthday party we had last Monday.  Which really seems like it was soooo much longer ago.  I get  to turn around and plan another Birthday party this week.  And we had several other big things going on every single day last week.  Anyway, it has been so busy, busy, busy.  I am so behind in blog posts, it's not even funny.  Honey.  There are posts on my mental post list from like three years ago I still haven't done.  So my goal this week is to post everyday.  EVERYDAY, do you hear me?  We will see how that goes.

So, when I decided to make a video slide show for each member of my family and extended family for their Birthday this year.  I don't think I fully thought that out.  And added up just exactly how many videos I would be making over the course of the year.  And I really didn't think March out very well.  Like the fact that I had  two Birthdays back to back last week.  And I had an Eagle Court of Honor video that I also had to make last week.  And now here I am with 5 more to make in the next few weeks.  It's all good though....It's not like they take hours.  Upon hours.  To make.  Or Anything....

OK, I better go to bed.  It is late.  And I could just keep rambling on forever and ever if I let myself.  Like I said, I have a whole store of posts up in me noggin'.  So...until tomorrow...

Aubrey's 10th Birthday

Aubrey's Birthday video is above.  If you can't see the video, click here.
FYI:  The first song in the video is a song I always used to sing to Aubrey when she was a baby and the last song is her bedtime song of choice every night.

My sweet Aubrey Anna, who has the most awesome birth date of 03/03/03, turned 10 on Sunday.  For her present she wanted to go to Build A Bear.  So on Saturday we headed downtown for the birth of Pandy.  Steve was working but he was able to get away for a little bit and have lunch with us.  Aubrey's lunch of choice?  Panda Express.  I wonder if that had anything to do with her choice of bears?  Here she is making the hard decision:

 Aubrey & Pandy

On Sunday night we had my mom and Lauren and Steve's Aunt Callie and her family over for a Birthday Dinner Celebration.  Aubrey requested Hawaiian Haystacks for dinner and my mom made her the cakeof her choice.

On Monday (yesterday) after school, we had her Birthday party with her friends at Get Air.

After the party while we were waiting for parents, the girls found their way into the babysitting room next door at the sports complex.  They instantly bonded with this "very famous" soccer player from the high school.  They all had to get her autograph.  On their persons.

Then she let them autograph her person.  Happy Birthday Aubrey.

Happy Birthday Roy

Happy Birthday to my native land of Texas.  Happy Birthday to Dr. Seuss.  And most importantly, Happy Birthday to my Father In Law Roy!

If you can't see the video, click here.

Flashback/Flashforward Friday: Typical Friday Night

Flashback: Last Friday Night

Zac and Ethan chair spinning.  They did this for about 20 minutes straight.  Don't miss the video:

Princess Addy and Princess Naomi

Aubrey and Grace playing Just Dance 3.  I believe at this moment in the picture they are doing the moves that go along to "So call me maybe".

Emily after arriving home from her friends Kelsey's house.  She drew a beard on her face with a marker and was calling herself Captain Longstache.

Flashforward: This Friday Night

Earlier tonight Zac and Ethan were outside hitting the snow with baseball bats.  They wouldn't let me take a picture but I snuck this one.  Right now they are in the kitchen with Emerson and Addy cutting stuff and eating mac 'n cheese tacos.  Disgusting.  Ethan tells me he eats everything on taco shells.  Including cereal.

Addy just came home from Naomi's house a little while ago.  Please note she is wearing the same Cinderella dress she was last Friday.  Aubrey and Grace just left here to go to Grace's house.  And Emily is back over at Kelsey's.  Probably bringing Captain Longstache back to life.  Yep.  Typical Friday night around these parts.