Monday Morning Musings - Droid. Droid. Droid. Droid.

Man.  I am SO behind in the post department again.  Life is so busy at this moment.  Good busy, but busy nonetheless.



So about a month or so ago Sugar Daddy surprised me with a trip to the phone store to replace my phone that I dropped one too many times.  And that's how it's done ladies.  Drop the phone repeatedly until it is on its last leg, then get a trip to the phone store and talk him into upgrading you to a smart phone.  Really, I never felt like I NEEDED a smart phone, but I don't think I could do without it now.  I love it.  Except the ringtone.  It's a little annoying.  It is a Droid Bionic phone and it only came with Droid ringtones.  So when my phone rings it just says, "Droid.  Droid.  Droid.  Droid."  I haven't had a chance to have Zac mess with it and find me a new ringtone.  Like I said, life's been busy.

One thing I LOVE about my new phone is my ability to speak texts.  I can just say what I want the phone to type, and it types it.  It saves me a lot of finger work and I can send texts while I am making dinner or folding laundry without missing a beat.  Sometimes it doesn't understand some of the words I say.  And apparently I have a pretty perverted phone.  Like majorly perverted.  If it misunderstands me, it doesn't just misunderstand a little.  Whoo!  I have caught some pretty nasty texts that I have almost sent to people.  And Addy has learned how to speak a text to it.  So before I had to worry about her sending texts to people that said "I love you", thinking that was inappropriate.  Now I have to worry about her sending way worse texts than that.  I caught her the other day when she was voice composing a text to my mom and about had a heart attack.  Glad I caught that one before it was sent.

A few weeks ago Emily had to go get her shots to register for Jr. High.  Oh that poor girl.  You would have thought they shot her in the arm with a gun rather than a needle.  And for about a week after she was still crying that it hurt.  Constantly.  That was a fun week.  I had to keep reminding her that she wasn't the first person in the world ever to get a shot in her arm.

Addy is collecting money to buy herself an ipad.  She is "almost" there as she has managed to collect over $14.  How does a 5 year old go about collecting over $14?  Well, every time my mom comes over she goes out to her van and begs for all her spare change.  In the last two weeks she has made me a million Mother's Day pictures.  She gives them to me and when I tell her how much I love it she says, "Well, if you want to keep it you have to pay me a dollar for it".  I tell her I don't have a dollar to give her and she says, "OK, you don't have to give me a dollar, you can give me two dollars".  I tell her I don't have two dollars.  Then she gives me one of her dollars that she has and says, "Here, put one of your dollars with mine and pay me two dollars."  Just so you know, I never pay her for her art work and she always lets me keep it anyway.  The bulk of her "earnings" came on Saturday when she received $10 for her injuries.  I will get to that story in another post.  Just beware around Addy.  She is pretty determined to buy herself an ipad, and I kinda think she just might make it.

Zac now has what I call a Bionic Mouth.  We went to the orthodontist on Friday and they put a device in that will move his jaw forward.  It really does makes him look a bit bionicish.

So apparently I am the worst mom ever because I wouldn't let my two oldest kids go see the midnight premiere of Avengers.  ON A SCHOOL NIGHT.  They kept telling me all their friends were going and they kept begging me to let them.  I kept telling them that there was no way ALL of their friends were going to see it that night and I told them that they could go see it as soon as school got out the next day.  Well, it would seem that ALL of their friends did go see it on Thursday night.  Oh well, they were able to go with a few friends, and Steve, who was much happier to accompany them at 3 in the afternoon instead of midnight.

Every time I do laundry I am reminded of the difference between boys and girls.  I don't even think my girls realize that their jeans have pockets.  Zac on the other hand could survive for at least 72 hours in the wilderness just on all the stuff he collects in his pockets on a daily basis.  And it doesn't matter how many times I tell him to empty out his pockets before he takes his jeans off.  So I have to check every pocket in his jeans before I wash them.  He always has some pretty interesting stuff in there. 

Aubrey has been about to lose a tooth for nigh over a week now.  That child.  I want so much to get my hands in there and twist and yank that sucker out.  But she won't let me.  Instead she whimpers around the house saying she can't eat anything but ice cream because the cold is the only thing that feels good on her teeth.  That lasts until we have something really good that she wants to eat again and the pain is magically gone until she is finished eating.  I would try to yank it out in her sleep, but I tried that last time she had a week long loose tooth and I almost lost my whole hand.  She chomped down in her sleep and I could not get her to let go for anything.  I sure hope it comes out today...

  

To Me, Zac Efron Will Always Be A Boy With A Basketball Trying To Get His Head In The Game

Last Wednesday, April 25th,  was my dear friend April's Birthday.  Lori and I (the 2 responsible ones in this gang) had way too much going on that night to take her out.  So instead we took her out for froyo that afternoon.  We picked April up and then picked Gimpy up (Allison is still in a cast and on crutches-when she isn't on her awesome scooter-from our little skate night incident) and made our way to our local Frozen Yogurt joint.  It wouldn't be a true gang meeting if  the police weren't involved, so we made a quick call (using speed dial of course) to dispatch to alert them to the scary homeless looking man walking through the hood.  After we got our cop fix, we were on our way.

April kept trying to talk Lori and I into going to a movie with her and Al.  At one point she challenged me to an arm wrestling match.  The conversation went like this. *(at least this is how I remember it)

April: Yo.  We arm wrestle.  You win, you don't have to go to the movie.  I win, you have to go.

Me: Yeah, I'm not gonna arm wrestle you.  After that time you took me down in Relief Society and I found out how freakishly strong your skinny little self is.

Allison: Oh yes!  Your fight in Relief Society!

Lori: What?!?  You were fighting in Relief Society???  Why?

April: I wanted to show everyone who the real leader of this gang is.

Allison: You were flexing your Alpha muscles.

Me: I'm still not arm wrestling you.  And I'm not going to the movie.

April and Allison: But Zac Efron...blah blah blah...he's so hot...blah blah blah...(and many other things women of their age should not be saying about an eternal high school student)

Somehow they were able to convince Lori and I into ditching our responsibilities for the evening.  The two of them went to dinner, the two of us went home to attend to things so we could leave later for the movie. At some point in the evening, I texted them and told them I was changing into my pajamas and taking out my contacts and I hoped they didn't mind being seen in public with me like that.  So here I am all nasty and dressed in pajamas and Lori comes to pick me up.  Now, I was just with this woman a few hours before and I saw how she was dressed.  When she picked me up she had not only tied this cute scarf around her neck, but she had also changed into heels.  I can't say for sure or not, but she might have added the earrings as well.  Oh well, she was cuter in the movie, but I was much more comfortable.

OK, I still don't even know what this movie was called, but it sucked.   Big time.  We sat down in the theater and the movie started and Allison leaned over and asked me if I had read the book.  I knew nothing about this movie and asked her what book.  She said it was made from a Nicholas Sparks book.  SAY WHAT???  (insert the sound of a needle scratching across a record and then everything goes silent)  I could not believe they had talked me into going to see, of all things, a Nicholas Sparks movie.  Gag. me. with. a. spoon.  Please.   Anyhoo.  It was awful.  Bad acting.  Overly predictable plot.  (I mean no offence to any N.S. fans who might be reading this, so please don't take any.  It's just not my cup of tea.  And I don't even drink tea!)  I am sure we annoyed the heck out of all the other people in the theater.  In fact, I hope they all asked for their money back.  Not because the movie sucked, but because we were so loud and annoying while we were making fun of it.  I just have to say, I am a good friend.  Two nights before this I went belly dancing with a friend for her birthday, and then I sat through this whole movie with another friend for her birthday.

After the movie was over we were in the parking lot talking and I of course wanted to take a picture because that is just what I do.  We took a couple and they turned out bad so I took one more and we were looking at it and I thought it was a good picture.  But April grabbed the camera out of my hands and said she was going to delete the picture because she looked bad in it.  So then a wrestling match ensued in the dark parking lot in the middle of the night between 4 middle aged women, one of whom was in a cast and on crutches.  I was yelling at April to give me the camera back before she breaks it because it is brand new and because people break my cameras about every 6 months and my 6 months with that camera weren't up yet.  She was yelling that she wasn't going to give it back until she deleted the picture because she knew it would end up on facebook.  Lori was yelling saying that if it did end up on facebook, it wouldn't be the worst picture of her that ended up there.  And Allison was yelling that April was going to break her other ankle.  Finally we were able to take a picture that the queen birthday girl approved.  It was a fun night, and just like I was glad my friend Alicia talked me into going belly dancing with her, I was glad April talked me into seeing a Nicholas Sparks movie with her.  A gal couldn't ask for better friends.  (ahhh...that was almost just as sappy as a Sparks book)

PS: I AM the leader of P8!

The Night I Went Belly Dancing

OK, so I just got home from belly dancing. 

What?  Yeah, you heard me right. 

B-E-L-L-Y-D-A-N-C-I-N-G 

You gotta problem with that?  I don't blame you if you do.  Dancing is not something my belly should be doing.  However, it does it almost any time I move.  My friend Alicia turns a special age this week, and for this special birthday, she wanted to take a belly dancing class.  With all her friends.  Dang it.  I tried coming up with all sorts of excuses of why I couldn't possibly go, but she stood her ground and wouldn't let me tell he no.  So I went.  Belly dancing.  How many times do you think I can say that in this one post?  Belly dancing.  Belly dancing.  Belly dancing.  We had SO MUCH FUN!  I love this neighborhood I live in and I love all these girls that live in it with me.  Thanks Alicia for shoving us all out of our comfort zones and making us enjoy your birthday with you.

As a side note, Alicia and I have a special bond that goes back several generations and across state lines.  Click here for the whole scoop on that story.

The funny thing is, before the class started I said this was the one and only time I would ever go belly dancing.  Now I'm not so sure....

Monday Morning Musings - In Pictures

I'm so glad that we were able to put that green tarp back up on our chimney last week and reclaim our position as the whitest trash in the hood. Back in December when we had that bad windstorm, it blew the cap off the chimney and we had this tarp up for months until we got the new cap put on. Well guess what??? The new one leaks. We had a lot of rain the week before last and Steve and Addy and I were sitting in the kitchen eating lunch one rainy day and we could hear water dripping. Yeah. So we cleaned it up and strategically placed water catching containers downstairs by the fireplace and upstairs in the guest room and also up in the attic. Then Steve and Zac and I got up on the roof in the rain and put that gorgeous green tarp back up. Yeah, so the next day, the ceiling in the guest room fell in. While all three of the girls were sound asleep in there. I wasn't home because I was at a scrapbook retreat with some friends, but from what I hear, it was quite the frightening thing to wake up to. So now our guest room ceiling has a big hole in it and the room is full of insulation. Like I said, white trash. And proud of it.

Last Sunday we were all about to walk out the door for church and Addy decided to throw up. So I stayed home with her (she was fine and didn't throw up anymore after that initial time). While we were home she got annoyed with my singing so she decided to do something about it. This is how they found me when everyone walked in the door from church.

Steve said something about how we should put a pencil mustache on Addy and it would perfect the scene. The next thing we knew she came in with her own version of a pencil mustache.

Yay! We have lived in a virtual fish bowl for the last 3 1/2 years. Usually it isn't too much of a problem (except for that one time I was in the shower and the dude came to spray the outside of the house for bugs) since we don't have any neighbors. Although we did have an incident which made us think that a little privacy might not be such a bad thang. So after a mega shopping trip and several different styles of curtains being hung in this room simultaneously for about a month (I wish I had a picture of that because it would just add to the white trash opinion you already have of us), and then another shopping trip and some major hemming by my mother, we finally have some privacy in our kitchen/family room. We also have curtains in our bedroom and bathroom, so sorry Mister Pest Control Man. My showers are now mine and mine alone.

Soccer season has started. This year we have 3 girlies playing soccer. All on the same night. At the same time. At 3 different locations. So I have named my mother and sister "Soccer Grandma" and "Soccer Aunt". They came over last week (our first game night) and helped me get dinner ready, kids fed, soccer gear located and donned, and girls to the appropriate place at the appropriate times. Steve met us at a game on the way home from work and helped in the transport. It came off without a hitch and we had representation at all 3 games. The girls did a great job and Addy made her first goal!It would seem appropriate that all 3 of my girls jerseys have the same number, which just happens to be my favorite number.

Never a dull moment in our neck of the woods. Never a dull moment. The fire station has started doing weekly water drills on our street. They show up en masse once a week and spend several hours spraying water into an empty field. I just hope they save some of that water for a real emergency. Because we do live in a desert. And there are a lot of dry fields surrounding my house.On Saturday, Em and I just happened by my mothers house and saw that her neighbor was giving away their sandbox. This is something I have wanted to have for a while, but have never bought. So we snatched that puppy up and went straight to the store to buy sand. The girls have hardly left the sandbox since.

One of our many beautiful sunsets we had last week.

Flashback/Flashforward Friday - Easter

Flashback: Easter 2004

Flashforward: Easter 2012

The day before Easter Sunday we went to our city's Easter Egg Hunt. The girls all got a

free kids meal coupon to Famous Dave's, so we went there for lunch after the hunt.

That night, my mom, Lauren, Sam and Teresa

came to our house for dinner and to color eggs.

The Easter Bunny came and decorated our game room with these AWESOME

Book of Mormon hero posters. You can find them by clicking here.

The kids getting ready to hunt eggs. Zac,

who is working on his Eagle Scout, always practices safety first.

Our early morning photo shoot

Our photographers who were kind enough to come over before church to take pictures

That afternoon we went to my mom's house for lunch

We also made a stop at the cemetery

Flashback/Flashforward Friday - Crusader Arch

Flashback: Moab 2006

Zac, Aubrey, Allyson & Emily

Flashforward: Moab 2012

Aubrey, Emily, Addy, Allyson Zac

Flashback: Moab 2006

Emily & Aubrey

Flashforward: Moab 2012

Addy

Dream Beneath a Desert Sky - Moab: Spring Break 2012

Steve brought the ATV's out of winter storage at his shop a few weeks ago and now they are filling up my garage. Ever since he brought them home, our entire family has been itching to go to Moab. We wanted to go for Spring Break which is this week but Steve is just too busy with work to get away. Last Wednesday afternoon we were talking about how much we wanted to go and Steve said he could probably get away for the weekend if we left the next day, which was Thursday. So Wednesday afternoon we decided to go camping. The next day. We had a lot to get done. And that is an understatement. We worked hard to get ready and checked the kids out of school early on Thursday and headed south.

Having lunch at our campsite

I have decided that we can no longer take 2 trucks to Moab when we go (one to pull the trailer with the ATV's and one to pull the pop up trailer) because gas is just way too expensive. Plus I hate driving long distances (and short distances) and pulling a trailer just adds so much to the fun. So no 2 trucks=no pop up trailer to sleep in. Our tent was destroyed several years ago when we were camping in a pretty major wind storm. So Wednesday night Steve and I went out and bought a tent. The kids were excited to do "real camping". We were sad to find out that they closed our normal camping spot off to campers so we had to find a new one. This one was right on the edge of a cliff. Literally. About 1 inch from the rear right corner of the tent is a drop off. But it was nice and we were all alone.

Emily was able to test out her new wheeler her dad bought her for her Birthday.

These sand dunes were just down the road from where we were camped.

We had fun riding around in them.

The kids had more fun playing in the sand than they did riding in it.

They kept running and jumping off the edge of a big steep dune.
They also used it as a slide

We had so much fun here until these teenagers came in their jeeps and started riding around. Two of them were in the little car and they rode their car right up the side of this hill the kids are playing on and right down the other side which was pretty much a vertical wall. Yeah. They lost half of their car in the hill. We watched them hike back up and pull pieces of the car out of the sand. Then we decided it was time to move on.

We rode a trail that went up behind our camp.

At one point Aubrey took her helmet off and had such a great case of helmet hair.

I thought she resembled someone from an 80's hair band.

The next morning Steve and Zac woke up and made breakfast.

Then we set off for Arches National Park for a hike. We went on a hike to some Arches we had never been to before. It was a pretty long hard hike over some rough terrain in spots, but Addy did a great job. She kept up with us and never complained or had to be carried once. We saw Landscape Arch which is the arch in the first picture on this post.

We found this small mini arch along the trail.

I can't remember what this arch is called, but it was quite lovely.

Navajo Arch. I think this might be my favorite arch. It is awesome. It leads into this pretty little cave that is open to the sky on one end. Is so so peaceful and beautiful inside.

After climbing up through the opening in the top of the cave at Navajo Arch,

you end up here where you can see forever:

The kids wouldn't let us leave the park without a stop at Crusade arch. I don't know what it is really called so I suggested calling it "Indiana Arch" since it is in the opening scenes of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. But my family thought "Crusade Arch" was better so that is what we call it now.

Aubrey climbing around Crusade Arch

Addy by Crusade Arch

The next day we loaded up for another long ride.

But first we had to make our usual stop at the Rock Shop.

No trip to Moab would be complete without a stop at the Rock Shop.

We started the ride and about 5 minutes in we encountered our first obstacle. A steep hill with a rock ledge at the top. Steve and Aubrey went up first. I was looking down at my camera to take a picture of them when they were at the top. Then I looked up a few seconds later to see their wheeler sideways. I was a little freaked out. Looks like my camera caught them right as they were about to flip.

This is what Steve doesn't understand (well, really he does, and it is a neat story). They were going up the steep hill and when they got to the rock ledge, his wheeler flipped up and they were sitting straight up balancing on the back end of the wheeler at the base of the ledge. The wheeler should have flipped backwards and they should have gone tumbling head over heels back down the hill. But instead their wheeler somehow landed on its side on top of the ledge without any serious injuries. We are so thankful for the angels that were watching over us.

It was a fun and beautiful ride (aside from the first 5 minutes of it)

and it was a great way to end our trip.