Funny Things My Kids Have Said

I hope you all had a happy and safe New Year's Eve. We did. Tavis and I were talking last night and we decided that the only really good thing that happened in 2008 was having Harley. The rest of the year can kiss our...well let's just hope 2009 is much better.
OK, for a long time I've thought I need to jot down the funny things my kids say or I'll forget them. Until now, I didn't really have a place to put 'em. I know, I could get a journal, but...snore! So, here's couple stories for your reading enjoyment. You're welcome.

When Avery was 4 she would come in my room every morning (I was single at the time) (that has nothing to do with this story, just thought I'd throw that in there.) and ask me to fix her a waffle.

So one morning she came in and got in bed with me (maybe the single part applies here. No? Huh. OK.) and says, "mama? Will you fix me a..." and I interrupted her and whispered in her ear, "fix me a waffle?"

She said, "I can't fix you a waffle!"

Me: "Why not?"

Avery: "Because. I'm a baby girl (that's what I call her..."baby girl") and you're a grown-up. You have the BIG eyes and REAL glasses and you dwive (she still can't say her "r's"). And I'm a goowl (how do you type "girl" with the "w" sound?) and I cwy a lot so, I'm a baby girl".

Moving on a couple of months:

When Tavis and I were dating he lived in a cabin at Sundance. It's absolutely beautiful there and was an awesome place to fall in love. I lived in Tooele (for those of you who're not from Utah...Vodka Mom, Jen, that's about 35 miles west of SLC and is pronounced to-ILL-ah. It's Native American. Yeah.) and he was working in Logan (that's like...a lot of miles north of Salt Lake and Sundance is where Robert Redford has his resort) so we'd meet each other on the weekends at his cabin and have little, mini vacays. It was awesome! So the first time I introduced my kids to Tavis, we went to the cabin for the weekend. It was in October. Tavis taught Hayden how to fish. We did a "haunted train ride" on the Heber Creeper. We roasted marshmallows on the deck. It was way fun.

So Saturday morning, Tavis and I were downstairs and the kids were upstairs. We could hear them start to wake up and talk a little and all of a sudden..."SQUIRREL!!!!!!!!! ....thud, thud, thud, thud, thud". Have you ever seen National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation? At the end when Clark has a squirrel on his back and his dad yells, "squirrel!!"? That's what it sounded like. Then footsteps running to the glass sliding door that led out to the deck. My city-slicker son was seeing a squirrel for the first time up close and personal. It was one of the funniest things we've ever heard. (Side note: my kids really are city kids. On our way up the canyon Avery was literally scared of the trees. Literally.)

OK, moving on:

When Tavis and I got married we each had a queen-sized bed. We put mine in Avery's room and put Tav's in our room. As time went by Tavis decided that he hated our mattress and liked Avery's better. He wanted to switch mattresses. So one morning Avery came and got in bed with me (not single now. Did you pick up on that?) and said, "why is your bed more comfortable than mine?"

I said, "dad actually likes your bed better. He wants to switch our beds."

Avery said so sweetly, and innocently and EMPHATICALLY, "I'm not sleeping with Tavis!!!".

One more:

When I was pregnant with Harley I was trying to explain to my kids how big the baby was, what he looked like, etc. I worked in an x-ray department at a hospital for a couple of years and I'd seen many a fetus on ultrasound and I knew what each stage of development looked like. So I was telling the kids that the baby was about the size of a gummy bear and that it actually looked a lot like a gummy bear. With little arm buds and leg buds.

Avery: "You should swallow a gummy bear. Like don't chew it. And when it gets into your tummy the baby will be all 'Hiiiiiiii. Wanna be friends?' And then the baby would be say, 'hey! Hey you! Why won't you talk to me?'"

Actually, the story of when I told the kids I was pregnant is kind of a cute story. What? You're bored with stories about my kids? Tough.

Tavis was out of town when I found out I was pregnant. I like to take the kids to dinner when he's gone because he doesn't like to eat out and I don't like to cook. On our way to the restaurant I asked the kids if they thought 9 months was a long time or a short time. "Long time". School had just started like 3 or 4 weeks earlier so I asked them if they thought the end of the school year (as I was due May 30th) was a long time away or a short time. "Long time." So I decided to forget telling them for a "long time". We went to the kids' favorite place to eat. A Chinese buffet because they can get 25 refills on their egg-drop soup. And have some sweet and sour chicken, too. At the end of our meal we got our fortune cookies. Mine and Hayden's were lame. But Avery's said, "A short stranger will soon come into your life with blessings to share". Huh. I asked the kids if babies were short or tall. "Short."

Me: "I'm having one."

Kids: "Having what?"

Me: "A baby."

Hayden: "Are you serious? Are you? You are? Are you serious?"

Avery (who was already sitting next to me): "I wanna talk to it." (lays her head on my tummy) "Hi baby. How are you?"

Seriously, it was one of the sweetest moments I've ever had with my older babies. Being pregnant while having two older kids was really fun. They were so interested in what baby was doing. They went with us for the ultrasound when we found out the gender. I could tell it was a boy (either because I'd seen so many ultrasounds or because...y'know...it was that obvious...or both) before the doctor even told us it was a boy. Hayden was so excited. Tavis and Avery both cried. Same reason. Different emotions. She was PIS**D!!! But not to worry. She loves her baby brother soooo much!

Thanks for reading to the end. My kids have pretty dang awesome senses of humor so I'm sure there will be more to amuse you (and by "you" I mean "me").

Well That Was Fun

Christmas is over. Kind of a relief to have it behind us. We did really well. We had a great time at the party at my mom's. We fondued our steaks. Ate a TON of food. Did the cousin gift exchange. Did the sibling gift exchange. (thanks again, Jill and Kev! They spoiled us.) Opened our gifts from my parents. Had just a really enjoyable time.

Until...

Hayden unleashed a fury that could rival an over-tired two year-old. See, every year my mom goes to these "conferences". She works for the Church in the workers' comp. department. They send her and her friend/co-worker/co-hort/trouble-making-buddy, Cheryl to these conferences. Some years it's in Vegas. Some years in Chicago. Well she comes home a TON of loot. Seriously, she packs an EXTRA suitcase just to bring home all of her goods. These goods include pens (by the millions), playing cards, cute t-shirts shrink-wrapped to the shape of pigs, whips, chains, whistles, yo-yo's (OK, so I made the last few up but you get the idea). So she puts these goods in grab-bags for the grand kids. This year she separated them and put names on the bags. (usually they just take a bag and get what they get) So Hayden got his bag and FREAKED OUT. He got some playing cards in the shape of band-aids or something. Well, I couldn't really tell by the way he was screeching at the top of his voice, "does anyone want these STUPID cards?!?" but I don't think he was thrilled with what he got. He had already been fired up about the fact that he'd lost the foam little toucan my mom gave him earlier in the day. And by "fired up" I mean more FREAKING OUT. Sometimes I think he might be bipolar. He's already been diagnosed with ADHD. (Don't judge me. I KNOW it's waaaaay over-diagnosed but when we took him to the doctor to have him checked out the doctor went on to say that the protocol is to send home a form for us to fill out and for his teachers to fill out. Bring the form back in two weeks. And go from there as far as treatment. Well, after spending 30 minutes with my, then, 6-year-old Hayden, he said he was going to skip all that and get him immediately on some meds.) He took his pills faithfully all through 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade. But by the end of last year he was really skinny. (skinnier than he already was. He's always been skinny and flexible and wild and crazy.) He was 8 yrs old and weighed 55 lbs. His doctor told us that if he didn't gain weight he'd have to take him off the pills. That wasn't an option at the time so we fattened him up by feeding him prescribed milk shakes and Ramen. When summer came he was soooo sick of being "bored" because of the way the pills made him feel that we took him off of them. They really do make him into a zombie. He's not the same funny, sillly, goofy Hayden. This year he has refused to take them again. He's doing alright in school so we're not pushing it. However, we have noticed an increase in his anger. He's so quick to snap! Holy crap...I have digressed...A LOT! So, back to the party. He'd gotten a cool t-shirt from my parents that he LOVED. A nerf dart gun and Star Wars toy from Kennedy (aka, Jason and Ali) that he also LOVED and was sooooo happy! He kept saying how much he loved that gun and he insisted on putting the t-shirt on immediately and anything Star Wars will certainly make him giddy.

And then the grab-bags. Yikes.

So we spent the drive home telling him that we hoped Santa was too busy delivering presents to have noticed the abominable display he'd just put on. He fell asleep not long after we left my mom's which could have had a little to do with said display. We dropped him and Avery off at their dad's and went home. (The next day when Scott brought them home he said that Hayden told him he was surprised he got anything because he really had been kinda naughty this past year. Looks like Santa's a big softy. Either that or he really, really loves this kid. Or both.)

Christmas morning at our house was pretty dang quiet. Harley gave about zero craps about all his present. Singular. And true to all kids his age and just older than him, he mostly liked the packaging. One of these pix is of him eating the wrapping paper off the gift from grandma and grandpa Powers.

Tavis and I were able to exchange gifts and colds. He was really generous with both. He's a giver. What else can I say? Only when he gives, he does it ten-fold! I got the stuffy nose that he had but I also got a side of REALLY sore throat and cough. So, yay me!

He gave me a spa package and a tanning pass and some ear buds for my cell phone and a coat that's too small and a hoodie that's too small. K, we've been together for 3 1/2 yrs now. WHEN is he going to learn that even on my skinniest day I'm not a medium? Last year I was pregnant and he got me maternity clothes. A very, very nice gesture. Seriously. But he got me size medium because, and I quote, "the larges looked HUGE!!!". Really? 'Cause I'm an XL. Right on!

Anyway, I wanted to exchange the hoodie for a bigger one 'cause I really do like it but they didn't have my GIANT size so I decided to get the money and have him take me to dinner. (An activity that I love and may have something to do with my XL-ness.) Does that make sense? I got a shirt that doesn't fit because I'm too big for it (never mind that I really am a large when I'm skinny) and I exchange it for FOOD?!? I have issues.

K, well, I started this post two days ago and it's getting really long so I'm gonna upload those darling pix you're all DYING for and post this sucker before it turns into a freaking novel.

Hope you all have a happy and a healthy (and safe) New Year!

This is Harley eating his wrapping paper.

Christmas morning.Avery and Harley on Christmas Day.

This is one of about a zillion pictures I took of these three. Seriously. This is the best one I got. Naughties.


Two babies. One first Christmas.

Sucky Things

Alternate title: "Who Needs Friends Anyway?" or "My Husband is Bipolar"

There are two sucky things in this post. The first is me. I got a starter for some Amish Friendship Bread from my friend, Laurel. I've gotten these in the past and have never seen it through to the end. It's the kind that you have to mash the bag for several days. Then add some ingredients to it. Then mash some more and on the tenth day, you bake it. It also creates 4 new starters. You keep one for yourself and give the rest to your friends. So I thought, "what a great idea! I'll bake this into little loafs and give them to my neighbors and give them a starter, too." So I did the mashing and baking and covering with tin foil and writing on the "to and from" things...and that's as far as I got. I did all this on Tuesday. It's now Saturday almost Sunday. I'm afraid that if I gave it to my neighbors now it'll be stale and I'll be embarrassed so I'll just leave them piled up on my counter, instead. Ya, I suck. I also have a LOT of starters if anyone wants one! I decided to try out one of the loafs. This bread is so dang yummy! If someone gives you a starter be sure to see it through to the end. Oh, and I recommend you LOOK at all the ingredients in the recipe and make sure you have them all in your house BEFORE you start the 10th day things. That way you won't have to make TWO trips to the store and ONE trip to your neighbor's house to get all of them. Not that that happened to me. I'm just sayin'.

The other sucky thing is the suckers we made tonight. The reason I say my husband is bipolar is because the man runs hot and cold. I honestly have a hard time keeping up. He's either wiggin' out because the kids' TV is one micro-decibel too loud or he's Johnny Let's Make Suckers Even Though I HATE To Be Sticky. Seriously, though, the kids had so much fun making those suckers! I've never made hard candy or suckers. I guess it's something Tav did quite a bit as a kid. It was a lot of fun. Look at the steam!

So we're gonna go to church tomorrow. We haven't been to our ward since Harley was blessed in July. We have to go see the Christmas program, though, right? It's been a pretty fun weekend. The kids are usually with their dad on the weekends but he went to the Las Vegas Bowl so we got to have them stay home. Hayden went with Tavis to Heber this morning to watch Dalton race his motorcycle. He pitched a HUGE, FAT FIT about going because he wanted to stay home and be lazy. I made him go, though because I knew he'd have a good time and Tavis really wanted him to go with him. Sometimes you have to force your kids to do things, right? The first thing he said to me when he walked in the door was, "thanks for making me go. It was so much fun." Well, DUH!!! Sometimes I think he's biologically related to Tavis. He does the same thing. He biotches and moans about doing SOOOOO many things and ends up having a good time. Always. Why can't they just be nice about it in the first place and save me a ton of irritation?

Dalton took 5th place, by the way. It was his first race ever so to take 5th is really good! He got a trophy. And not one of those trophies that everyone gets. YAY!

Hope you're all having a good holiday season. I love Christmas. I hate winter and Christmas is the only good thing to look forward to. Well, that and my birthday in February :)

We also went to dinner tonight with most of my family. We went for Mexican food and Madi put Harley on the cow (I think) pinata. It was seriously, so freakin' funny! That's Trae and London ducking out of the way. Love those kids so much!

Texting: My Favorite Pastime

I got this idea from green jello. It's a really cute blog, you should check it out.

So I figure since I spend a RIDICULOUS amount of time texting, I'd share some of those convos. You're welcome.

Sunday, December 15, 2008
Convo with DeNae:

Me: Jake's gift has been sent. They said it would be there before Christmas. No one told ME Cmas was on the 25th this yr! It's gift-wrapped.

DeNae: You just be-booped me during the Sacrament. I'll watch for the gift.

Me: BAAAA! That's funny! Ever heard of "vibrate mode"?

DeNae: Yes. You just buzzed my belly.

A few minutes later...

DeNae: It's a good thing the Church is true. This idiotic youth speaker is giving a talk on the Christmas Shoes. I have to kill myself now.

Me: And now you are dead.

What's with the youth of today? Doesn't anyone have their dads write their talks anymore? I'm 32 and I don't think I've ever written my own talk!

Harley Update

So we were supposed to have Harley's blood drawn by the end of last week but things kept coming up and it became clear that neither Tavis nor I were really convinced he needed it done. So I called his doctor this week and asked if we could change his diet (switch from rice cereal to oatmeal and cut way back on the bananas) and exercise his legs and neck more. And to be honest, we never even tried to have him sit up on his own. He's so content to roll all over the room or just sit on our laps that it never occurred to us to have him sit. Well, guess what?? He CAN do it! He holds himself up with his hands so he wouldn't be able to, say, hold a toy and sit at the same time, but he really can sit. Of course he topples over after about ten seconds. Progress, right? What do they call that? OH! BABY STEPS!



Anyway, we asked if we did all those things would it be OK if we waited til his 9 month appointment to see if he's stronger. She said they really would like to have it tested but that it would be fine if we waited a couple of months. It's not like we don't want to be pro-active with our child's health. We're willing to do whatever is necessary for him. And if she was insistent that we get it done, we'd for sure do it. But because my other two kids didn't stand on their legs til they were a year old and were always super cuddly and have turned out just fine, (developmentally, that is) we feel like we can do other things first. Even if it's just for a little while. She said that if he misses any more "milestones" (which, for the record, I think "milestones" are things a group of doctors got together and decided were good ways to make parents feel badly about themselves and their kids) then we should get him in and checked sooner.



So, we got him an exer-saucer and we're going to get him one of those "Bumble" things for him to sit in and we've already changed his diet (which has worked out quite well) (and by "quite well" I mean he's having diapers that are in NO WAY full of constipation). And now we wait. It was too hard for us to justify putting him through such a traumatic ordeal. Or us, for that matter. I know he wouldn't remember it but we would and I don't know of any parent who wants to subject their baby to painful testing if it's not absolutely necessary.



This is my perfectly normal baby being perfectly normal and perfect in his new toy.


P.S. He's perfect.



Unrelated note:
One year ago today my very dear friend, Courtney, had a bone marrow transplant. She has had an incredibly hard year. She's a wife and a mother of four. I love her tons and I want to tell everyone (all two of you) who reads this that she's amazing and she's awesome and earlier this week she was declared to be in REMISSION!!

I Really Don't Have a Good Title For This Post....

....it's just some way cute pictures of Harley.

I Know These Types of Posts are a Snore But...

...for the purpose of chronicling Harley's life I have to do it. He had his 6 month appointment yesterday and here are his stats:

Length: 28"-----> 95%
Weight: 16 lbs 13 oz -----> 25%
Head: 44 cm -----> 75%

So he's still long and lean and apparently growing into his "Stubbs" head. The doctor was a little concerned that's he's weaker than he should be because he doesn't put weight on his legs very often (neither did Hayden and Avery) and his head lags a little when you pull him up to sitting and he doesn't sit at all. He just folds in half. That combined with the fact that he gets constipated so easily and frequently suggests that there might be something wrong with his thyroid. So he has to have his blood drawn. That's right. Drawn. Not just a little heel stick. Full on needle in the arm, several viles later, drawn. I'm completely beside myself about this. I was a total wreck when I had to take him in to get his heel poked when he was 5 days old. (the fact that I was 5 days post-partum may have had something to do with the COMPLETE meltdown I had at the hospital lab) I'm making Tavis go with me. I told him he was either going to have to do it for me or go with because I can't do it alone. I would like to change his diet a little and exercise him more and see where he is at 9 months, but Tavis thinks we should do it now.

So, boo. Other than that, not a whole lot to report. I totally can't get into the spirit of Christmas. Not sure why. Probably because we're more strapped for money this year than we have been in the past. Maybe it's because it hasn't snowed. I hate the snow but it does kind of help bring in the holiday spirit. Yes. I think that's the reason. No snow.

Wanna Laugh Your Butt Off?

.....go here. Be sure to read both "chapters".

Goodbye to Our Little...Very Little Friend

Almost two years ago we bought a Yorkie from the doctor I used to work for in Tooele. She was the cutest Yorkie we'd ever seen. Tav's dad and step-mom raise and breed Yorkies so we knew a little about them. We knew she was an extremely valuable dog. She was so little and had the teddy-bear face. She was a little princess from the word "go".

She had her first little of puppies the following August. Two girls and a boy. I had to deliver one of the girls myself because she was breech. The little boy was really tiny and weaker than the girls. Especially one of them. I kept "Mister" alive because his sisters would not allow him to get anything to eat. Ten days later, he died. One of his sisters started showing some of the same signs he had so we took her to the vet in the hopes that she would not suffer the same fate. The next morning, "Pretty" died. So that left us with one puppy. Fluffy. We decided to keep Fluffy after we got very attached to her. So these two little girls have been a lot of fun. And a lot of not so much fun. They don't potty train easily. They bark and yap at every little thing. But they're cute, y'know? So we put up with their (literal) crap. Sophi still strutted around the house like a princess and eventually she became very reliable at the potty thing. She preferred Tavis over anyone else. She stayed super little and beautiful. Anyone that ever saw her fell in love with her. She was the "poster child" for Yorkies.

She went into heat about two weeks ago. Like we always do, we sent her to Vernal to get pregnant by Tav's parents' male Yorkie. My mother-in-law called a couple days after she got there to tell me thought Sophi wasn't feeling well. On Sunday she called again to tell us she was bleeding from her rectum and that she would take her to the vet in the morning if she didn't get better. A few hours later she called to tell us she'd taken Sophi in and he said she had an ulcer. That it's very common among Yorkies because they're so small and high strung. It was probably stressed-induced. He pumped her full of anti-inflammitories and fluids. And we waited. This morning we were told that Sophi didn't make it through the night.

It's really sad! Yes, she was a pain a lot of the time. But we really loved her. Now I feel guilty for cussing her. A lot. Yes, I wanted to be rid of her. But certainly not like this! I wanted to give her to someone who would love her. I just didn't like the idea of her (and Fluffy) running around the house and peeing on the floor that my baby would soon be crawling on. Now that she's gone, I'm all sad!

So anyway. That's my little tribute to Sophi Sue. We really are going to miss her. She was such a pretty little princess.

Sophi Sue 03/06/06-11/24/08

Oh, PS...

...Harley grew his first tooth! I just found it this morning. Proving, once again, that he is the SMARTEST baby EVER!!! My sister will tell you it's because I took him to see Twilight and now he's becoming a vampire...works for me!

The Last Six Months...With a Little Man

Today our little Harley is six months old. It amazes me that half a year has gone by already. (why can't 6 months of pregnancy go by as fast?) He has brought so much joy and excitement and a few little changes to our lives.

• I'm a little chunkier.


• A little less put together (I didn't know it was possible but apparently it is).


• A little more on edge at times.


• A little less rested.


• I have a little more laundry. Both in quantity as well as size.


• I'm a little less patient with Tavis.


• I'm a little more patient with my kids.


• I'm a little depressed.


• I go out a little less.


• I've been to Wal-Mart a little less (yay).


• I've been to Babies R Us a little more (yay).


• We have a little less money.


• Because I want to buy him a little of everything.


• Because he looks adorable in every little thing.


• It's warmed up a lot and now cooled off a little.


• There are little socks, little diapers, little clothes, little toys, little bottles, little finger-nail clippers, little brushes, little spoons, little jars of food scattered throughout my little house.


• My little dog is loving her new little human to play with.


• Our hearts got a little bigger to make room for this little angel.

Some things are not so little:

• His smile.


• His blue, blue eyes.


• His beautiful mop of blond hair.


• His personality.


• He, himself, is not as little as he was 6 months ago.


• In fact, he started out "not so little" as babies go...8 lbs 15 oz.


• The amount of love we have for this little boy is absolutely, positively not little.

In the last six months he has grown to be extremely SMART!

• He went from "laying like a slug" (A Christmas Story) to rolling over from his front to his back and now from his back to his front (on 11/16/08).


• He went from smiling in his sleep to flashing the most brilliant, huge, genuine smile all the time. Even in the middle of a bawling fit (rare) he'll smile at you.


• He went from waking up three or more times in the night to sleeping an average of 12 hours per night and taking a regular nap during the day.


• He laughs. Which is the best sound I've heard in...well...7 years when his big sister did it for the first time.


• He reaches for things. (and then straight to his mouth)


• He eats solid foods.


• He gets "plugged up" from those solid foods.


• He brings his dad and me together in times of less-than-wedded-bliss (*gasp*) just by doing something adorable which makes us "coo" all over him and forget why we were irritated in the first place.


• He says "bwa bwa".


• He blows bubbles.


• He lays on your lap and cranks his head back to look at you.


• He sucks his thumb.


• He loves to be sung to.


• He still sleeps in our room.


• He loves his brothers and sister.


• He loves "his" puppy, Fluffy.


• He loves his bath.

During the first couple of months of his life he was a true joy. We thoroughly enjoyed him. I wouldn't have describe it as "fun", though. Now, after six months, he is So. Much. Fun.

This is his "birth day". He was hooked up to IV's because they had a hard time keeping his blood sugar levels up. His dad will tell you it's because he was taken off the powdered raspberry-filled donut diet cold turkey. He had to be put on IV antibiotics just in case he had an infection. He wasn't able to be in my room with me the entire time we were at the hospital. He had to be in the special care nursery. Look at the bruise on his right hand where they poked him. His little feet had about 10 tiny cuts on them from all the times they checked his glucose levels :(


This is Harley today. And that is his favorite toy.

Happy half-birthday, Harley! We sure do love you little man!

BYU or Utah??

This is the first of two posts today. Last night we went to my parents' house to watch the football game with them and Jason and Alison and kids. Harley had been in his red football outfit earlier in the day but then he gagged on his fruit and completely wiped out his clothes so we put him in the next best color for the game. (Tavis and I really don't have a favorite when it comes to these two teams. If I HAD to choose I guess it would be Utah because I like the color red better than blue.)

So because Harley was in his blue and Kennedy was in her red we had to take their pictures together. These babies are so much fun. They're great toys!

Yay for BFF's!!!

Last night Tavis and I and the kids met my friends, Heidi (husband, Jason and their 3 kids) and Jacki (husband, Ryan and they left their kids at home because they (Ryan and Jacki) suck) for dinner at Joe's Crab Shack. I saw Heidi about 6 weeks ago but before that it was probably 12 or 13 years ago. And I think Jacki and I agreed that it was when our now seven-year-olds were babies that we last saw each other.

It was so much fun! It's really weird to think that we were kids together and now we're the parents. Avery and Eliza (Heidi's daughter, 6) were playing together and somehow they bonked heads/faces. According to Avery they were just walking and they bonked. Well, Eliza ended up with a real nice shiner and Avery was shiner-ish but mostly red and puffy so I'm guessing they weren't just "walking along". After many, many tears they ate their dinners and all the kids went back to playing in the play place. Avery and Eliza were BFF's by the time we left.

I know I already said this but it was so much fun! I heart those girls!

Jacki, Heidi, me

Avery and Eliza...post "walking and bonking". (Note Avery's red, right cheek and Eliza's left cheek/eye bruise) Such cute girls!!!

Ummm...kaaay...

So I just got home from seeing Twilight. It was really good. Not great. My biggest fear (ya, that's right...I FEARED) was that Edward wasn't going to be as H-O-T in the movie as he is in my brain. Mostly because I never thought Cedric Diggory was all that cute. However, he did live up to his hottness. So that was a relief. I just felt like the movie was choppy and kind of all over the place. I know they can't stick right, exactly to the book's storyline, but I wish they would have made it an hour longer and gone into more detail. I just felt like they tried to cram way too much into two hours. Besides, TRUE Edward fans would not have minded ONE LITTLE BIT if it went on for another hour.
Just wanna thank my friend Kristin for thinking of me when she got the opp to get tickets! I for sure want to see it again.
Oh, and PS...Harley was, of course, PERFECT during the movie.

100 Things...Revised

OK, my sisters reminded me of a few things that I've actually done and Tavis reminded me of one thing that I said I'd done but it turns out I haven't.

I've visited Idaho, which is where my dad's family is from. And I've been to Spring City, UT. which is where my mom's family is from. I was thinking more along the lines of Denmark, etc. Also, I've met Vincent D'Onofrio ( Mystic Pizza, Men in Black, The Break-Up, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent).

I thought I tried caviar on our cruise but it turns out it was escargot (sp?) (snails). Now that I remember that caviar is the fish egg thing, I'm pretty sure I won't be trying it.

K, so that's it. Now I don't feel like a big, fat liar. Just big and fat.

100 Things

I have to preface this by saying that I "stole" it from my friend Jacki's blog. My answers are in RED.
100 Things to Do--48 out of 100...Things I've done and Been to
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo (d0es karaoke count?)
11. Bungee jumped (are you freakin' kidding me??)
12. Visited Paris (Talouse, France not Paris)
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping (lame, huh?)
27. Run a Marathon (5k)
28. Ridden in a gondola
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (Oh, how I miss the first 2 years Tavis and I were together!)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing (I went rockclimbing but I didn't actually rock climb. The guys we were with did, though!)
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching (One of the funnes things I've EVER done!!! In Cabo with Jason and Alison.)
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma (I tried. They won't let me.)
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy (Cabbage Patch Doll)
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone (Both collar bones BEFORE I was even born! OK, well it was WHILE I was being born, but ya...)
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible (& Book of Mormon)
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating eewww...
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life (I worked at a hospital and a Dr.'s office so maybe I had a hand in saving someone?)
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous (Jeff Hornacek)
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

Now I tag LAUREL!!!

Holy Cow This is so Cool!! Hayden Will LOVE This!

OK, go to this blog and look at the youtube thing she has on there. It's so dang cool! Even if you're not a Star Wars fan you can still appreciate it. I can't wait to show it to Hayden because he LOVES all the shows that are mentioned.

Reasons We're "Scre..." In a Bad Way...

...according to my children:

• There will now be mandatory summer school.
• There will be two hours added to the school day and while we're still on the subject of school...
• It will now be held on Saturdays. (So far I'm failing to see any problems.)
• Barack Obama is going to blow up Japan.
• He's going to kill babies. (I'm guessing this has something to do with "pro-choice" stance of Democrats)
• He was adopted by aliens.
• He's going to paint the white house black.
• He's going to enslave all the white people.

Seriously, where do they come up with all this? I would just like to clarify, again, that the opinions expressed here are those of my children and not necessarily those of the author. I needed to get them down before I forgot how crazy they are!

Politics. Seven-year-old-style

So Avery came home today with a sticker on her shirt saying "I voted". I asked her who she voted for.
She said, "I don't remember his name."
I said, "John McCain?"
She said, "no. Not him"
I said, "Barack (sp? Is it bad that I'm really not sure how to spell his name??) Obama?"
She said, "is that the one with the little bit of brown skin?"
"Yes."
"Ya. That's who I voted for. Only me and one other kid voted for him."

Why am I not surprise that she voted AGAINST the grain? Freakin' love that girl!

It's Like Christmas Morning

So I found a new blog and I'm way past excited about it. She's only done one post but she really sounds like she's going to be good! So go read it!

PS I promise, promise, promise it's not me. Trust me. I'm not this clever!

I'm going to learn how to link one of these days but until I get it figured out I'll give you the addy:

thebackorderedlife dot blogspot dot com

K, run along and read it.
OMG!!! I think I figured it out!!!

Happy Halloween!!! I guess..

OK, can I just say that I really understand the benefits of "trunk or treating". You get to accomplish an entire evening of trick-or-treating in a matter of 10 minutes, YAY! But seriously, where's the fun? Aren't our children lazy enough? Now all they have to do is walk around a parking lot or half of a street and call it good. Meanwhile, the people who DON'T live on that street or who DON'T go to church are sitting at home waiting for cute little trick-or-treaters to come...and they don't. Whatever happened to the good old days when we started trick-or-treating on our way home from school and didn't stop until all the lights on the street were off? We used pillow cases and we FILLED THEM UP! We RAN from house to house and we held out our bags and waited for the people to give us the candy. We didn't stick our fat little hands in the candy bowl and take 3 or 5 or 12 pieces of candy! Oh, but before all of this we said, you know, TRICK-OR-TREAT!

I hate trunk or treating. I think it should be banned. I'm about to go outside and turn off my cute pumpkin lights and give all the trunk or treaters the finger...well at least their parents.

On a less cynical, grumpy note...today was really fun. I think my kids go to one of the last schools that lets the kids dress up and do the time-honored tradition of the costume parade. I LOVE IT! Those kids are so dang cute! Some parents are just waaaay past clever. My poor kids had to wear store-bought costumes...which they looked ADORABLE in! My camera's battery is dead and I left the charger at Kim's :( (frown because I didn't get any pictures of Hayden and Avery in their costumes and frown because I want another girls weekend!) But Alison and I had the babies' pictures done this week so I'll post them.

I really, really, really love Halloween! I'm just buggin' because we didn't get any trick-or-treaters that weren't our friends. So, "thank you" to the Anderson's and to Kristin for bringing your cute littles over to trick-or-treat. And to everyone else, we have a TON of candy left if you're interested!
Kennedy is a spider and Harley is a bat.

P.S. Feel free to comment. Seriously. I feel like a big fat loser when nobody comments, so...you know...COMMENT!!! It's easy. Just register. Not difficult.

Some Cute Pix

Last night was Avery's first piano recital. She did so good! She wasn't nervous at all. I get nervous playing the piano in front of anyone! She's just got tons of confidence and I hope she never loses that. Yesterday I fed Harley some rice cereal. He was doing pretty good, I thought. It's hard for them to figure out how the spoon works and the texture and taste of the food is weird but he seemed to like it pretty good. It was a little difficult to feed him, though because he was too distracted by big brother, Dalton. Look how cute they are looking at each other!

And finally, here's a picture of Harley in his "bat" costume. He's gonna be so cute when he goes trick or treating! lol He gets his pix done with Kennedy on Tuesday. She's being a spider. How much cuteness can there possibly be in one place???

Where Does the Time Go?

Yesterday Harley was 5 months old. Our niece, Kennedy, was 3 weeks and a day. It amazes me how fast they grow. I remember Harley being 3 weeks old like it was yesterday. And now he's rolling over and laughing and sleeping all night and taking regular naps and eating solid food. Just 5 months ago he was brand new! And as if 5 months doesn't go by fast enough I look at Hayden and Avery and think, "where did the last 9+ years go?" It's not fair that I only have Hayden's lifetime again to have him as my "little boy". Nine more years and he'll be all grown up. And Avery will be right behind him. We, as moms, are getting ripped off! Why do kids grow up so fast? And why don't we always take the time to enjoy it? Because we forget how fast the time goes, that's why.

So anyway, here are some way cute pictures of Harley getting his first bath at home and getting a bath today. He's almost grown out of his tub! Crazy how fast the time goes!

PS HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!!

I'm Gonna Lose It!!!

As Newman from "Seinfeld" once said about postal workers going, as they say, postal..."because the mail never stops". Well I'm about to go "laundral"!!! I do laundry all day, every day and it NEVER stops!!! Seriously, why do my kids and husband (and me, I guess) have to wear clothes EVERY day? And on top of that, they want them to be CLEAN?! I'm not Wonder-Woman. I can't do everything! Is it not enough that I feed them every day? Sometimes even more than once a day? Nooooo, they want clean undies, too! I can't do it, people. If I had unlimited money and could hire someone to do menial tasks for me it would definitely be laundry. OK, and vacuuming and dishes and toilets, too. But other than that, I can handle it.

So other than hating laundry I did my treadmill again today. I went twice as far in less time than yesterday. YAY ME!!! And I only had THREE pieces of pizza for dinner. Again...baby steps...don't judge me!!!


I guess I can't have a post without saying how cute and sweet and adorable Harley is. Oh ya...Hayden and Avery are cute, too. JK!!! Avery has a spelling test tomorrow and for the first time this year I'm convinced she'll get 100%. Spelling is not so much her strength. Give her a math worksheet, though, and she'll whiz right through it. Hayden seems to be just the opposite. He spells and reads like CRAZY!! He's struggled in the past with math and has gotten it in his head that he's not good at math but truth be told...he IS good at math. He just needs to calm down and focus and he gets it every time.

Alright forget it...

...I can't get the video to upload on this blog or on youtube so you'll just have to take my word for it. That he rolls and that he's ADORABLE! He slept for a long time today and I wonder if he's getting sick or teeth. I don't want him to do either but of course I'll take teeth over being sick. Or maybe he just thinks that being off the charts for his height isn't tall enough. Either way, I don't think he feels very good today :(
So I started exercising today. (Thanks to my BFF from high school, Heidi. She's given me the inspiration I need!!!) I went a mile on my treadmill in twenty minutes. Yay me! Then I proceeded to eat french fries and red vines and ice cream/cake for dinner. Baby steps, right? I'm firmly resolved to get in shape. I absolutely hate the way I look and feel right now. I used to think I was the FINEST thing ever. I was confident in walking into a room full of people and KNOW I was the cutest one there. Whether I was or not...I felt like I was. Now I don't have that self confidence and I want it back. So my goal is to get in shape this winter. The time is going to go by anyway. I might as well not get mired down in depression like I do every winter. Come next spring I'm going to have my self confidence back. I'm going to hold my head high again. I'm going to be the "cheerleader" Tavis married. And I'm going to run/walk a 5K with Heidi. Just telling the kids that I went a mile on the treadmill today made my kids want to outdo me. They both got on the treadmill and ran and ran. A lot faster than I did, in fact. (Oh to be 7 again!) I want to be a good example for them. I don't want them to grow up unhealthy. They don't lean toward being overweight now but who knows what their futures hold. I am NOT backing out of this. This is happening!!! Now that I've put it on paper...well computer, it's sooo going to happen!
K, well, that's it I guess. We have a pretty busy weekend ahead. Friday Avery has a piano recital. Sunday they have their primary program. Should be fun.

He is the SMARTEST baby EVER!!!

So Thursday night I put Harley to bed on his tummy (bad, I know but we have a motion sensor under his mattress which helps give us a little peace of mind) and when I got him up Friday morning...he was on his BACK!! (No wise cracks about who he learned that from.) So I got him on video doing it again but it's kind of long (like 2 or 3 minutes) so PLEASE just bear with us. I'll try to edit it to make it shorter but if I can't figure it out (I'm not holding my breath) just watch the whole thing because he's freakin' DARLING!!!!!
OK, so it looks like you're going to have to look at the video on youtube or something.

Girls' Weekend!!!

Oh my heck! We had so much fun! Avery and I and mom and Jill and London got to Cedar City on Friday night and went out for some Mexican food. YUM! Then we just hung out that night. Avery got to have Coke with her dinner because we were on vacay & some rules were going to be ignored. The main reason I don't like the kids to have Coke or Pepsi is because of the caffeine. Plus it's bad for their teeth, etc. So after TWO refills at dinner I cut her off of the Coke. Later that night she proved me right by staying/keeping me up til 1:30 in the morning!!! She read a couple of books to me and then talked my ear off! Needless to say, she had Sprite or water the rest of the weekend.

The next morning she was up bright and early! I slept in a little. We had a mellow morning. We went to an art show at SUU and then went to St. George for lunch and went to a craft store. We were hoping to meet DeNae and her girls for lunch but ended up not being able to hook up. They were on their way to Cedar so it was OK.

When we all got to Cedar that evening we bought our stuff for the stitching project we'd had planned and then went & got a TON of junk food and went back to Kim's to eat and sew. We also took tons of pictures. So fun! That night was so much fun because we were all able to hang out and enjoy each other and laugh. The most important thing we did was make memories. For all of us but especially for our daughters. I love Love LOVE this tradition and I hope we'll always keep it.

That night we all stayed up til about 1:00 am and when Avery and I went to bed she read to me some more so we didn't get to bed any earlier than we did the night before. It was OK, though, because we made more memories.

The next morning Dennis made us a yummy breakfast and we visited some more. DeNae and her girls left first and the rest of us left about an hour later. It was another successful girls' weekend!

We really do miss our sisters-in-law! They are our sisters and we feel their void when they're not with us. I know I speak for all of us when I say I hope they'll join us next year!!!

Thanks again, Kim and Den for hosting all of us! Dennis is such a good sport! I'm so thankful to have sisters. I hope Avery gets to have one but if not, I'll make sure she and I are always close.

Such a Good Week

This week has gone by so fast! The best part of this past week was the arrival of our new little niece, Kennedy! She's absolutely adorable! She arrived on Wednesday, Oct.1st. Weighing in at 6 lbs 7 oz and 19" long. She's so tiny and sweet! Just in case you missed the last post, Harley is almost a full 8 lbs bigger than her and 7" taller! It's amazing how fast they grow. Of course, Harley was still growing on the inside when he was as little as she is.

Congratulations Jason and Alison!!!




Speaking of Harley...he just continues to bring so much joy and happiness to our lives. He's the most good-natured baby ever. I know I've said that a million times but it's TRUE! Lately, he laughs (he likes to see himself in the mirror) and he pulls his feet up to his mouth and he just "tells" the most amazing stories. Hayden and Avery and Dalton still think he's pretty neat. He'll almost always have a laugh for his siblings. And they love to be the one to make him do it. Up until this point he's been really enjoyable and I've loved every second of his life, but now it's turning into real fun. He's so much fun!

Look how cute my boys are!!!




This coming weekend will be the annual Girls' Weekend!! Avery and I are so excited! We're going to Cedar City to do crafts and slumber parties and eat and probably laugh our butts off with the other girls in our family. We were hoping (long shot, I know) that Alison and Kennedy would join us but it looks like Ali's going to milk this whole "I just had a C-section and now I have a new baby" thing so they'll have to wait till next year :)

I'll for sure post pix of the weekend when I get back!!

Baby Update

So Harley had his FOUR MONTH check-up last week. I can't believe how fast the time is going! He's still perfect, of course. Here are his stats:
Height: 26" = +75%
Weight: 14 lbs 5 oz = 25%
Head Circumference: 14 cm = 25%
His doctor says he's long and lean...and perfect!!!
He's losing his hair on the sides of his head but still has a full mop on top. In fact we're thinking he'll need a haircut soon. He's still just sooo sweet. Seriously, I've never been around a more happy, mellow, content baby. Hayden and Avery were really good babies, too, but Harley just hardley ever cries unless he has a real complaint. He's eating rice cereal now and I think it's kind of upsetting tummy a little. He just needs to get used to it.

The last part of the baby update is that we'll be having a NEW baby join our family on Wednesday!!! We've been gearing Harley up for the fact that he's about to take a back seat. Not only is this baby going to be newer than him...it will also be a GIRL which is pretty hard to come by on my side of the family!! Avery the next oldest girl and she's seven. The next oldest girl before her is six years older! Out of 22 (on Wed) grandkids, only 6 of them are girls. So Harley has age and gender going against him!! Seriously, though, we're so excited for little Kennedy's arrival this week :)

Here's my seven

So my friend Laurel said I needed to do this so here it is.

Seven things I'd like to do before I die:
1. Go to Greece.
2. Lose weight
3. Stop worrying about losing weight
4. Take a huge family trip...siblings, parents, etc.
5. Get out of debt
6. Get a food storage
7. Be the best mom, wife, sister, daughter, grandma (one day) EVER!

Seven things I CAN do:
1. Cook...don't tell Tavis.
2. Change a diaper in 10 seconds or less.
3. Send and/or receive more than 100 texts per day.
4. Eat an entire box of raspberry filled powdered donuts in one sitting. But only when I'm pregnant.
5. Have babies the "normal" way...unlike my sisters :)
6. Love unconditionally.
7. Put my foot behind my head as well as do the splits!

Seven things I CANNOT do:
1. Cook every day.
2. Keep my house clean all the time.
3. Worry about numbers 1 & 2.
4. Pee standing up. Except in the Tai Pan parking lot...again only when I'm pregnant and Kim has just tripped over the curb. Still makes me laugh!
5. Play the piano as well as I'd like to...my own fault, I know.
6. Manage my time worth a dang...for example, It's Tav's birthday and he's on his way home and I wanted to have the house looking fantastic when he got here but instead I'm doing this blog.
7. Worry about the things I can't do.

Seven things that attract me to my spouse:
1. He's really funny.
2. He's got amazing blue eyes and so does our son!
3. I love his FULL head of hair.
4. His work ethic.
5. He's an awesome kisser!
6. Love LOVE love his hands.
7. Now that he's a father he's even more attractive. Even though there's not as much time for #5 anymore :(

Seven things I say most often:
1. LOL (I don't say that but I think/text it a million times a day)
2. OMG(osh)
3. Oh Harley! You are so CUTE!
4. I'm working on it!
5. Are you kidding me?
6. Um pretty sure...
7. What do you want to eat? (Mostly to Hayden and Avery)

Seven celebrity crushes:
1. Kevin James (King of Queens, Chuck and Larry. Not cute but way funny which I find more attractive than looks)
2. Derek Jeter
3. Kenny Chesney
4. Garth Brooks
5. Matthew Mc...IDK how to spell his last name.
6. Eva Longoria...lol
7. Harrison Ford

The next was 7 people that should do this but I don't know that many people that blog! Oh great! Tavis is home and I'm still sitting here!!!

First Day of School Pictures

Goodbye to Summer :(

Well a week ago today was the first day of school and therefor, the last day of summer break. Hard to imagine summer is over when it was almost 100 degrees today.
So far the kids are liking school. Hayden has another male teacher, Mr. Johnson. He seems to be pretty cool. He's been in a band and even has a cd out. He's also written a children's book. It hasn't been published, though. Hayden seems to respond better to male teachers so I'm glad he got Mr. Johnson. Avery's teacher is Mrs. Litchford. Hayden didn't have her in 2nd grade but he knew she was nice and that Avery would like her. She really does, too! It's hard to believe Avery is the age Hayden was when we moved to Pleasant Grove.
I thought having to get the kids ready for school at or around the same time Harley was waking up was going to be hard but so far it's been just fine. We discovered there's a school bus stop just down the street from us. Our kids aren't supposed to ride that bus because we live on the wrong side of 500 N. But it's close enough that the kids can walk to the bus stop and walk home and I don't have to load Harley up to take them to school. It's going to be so nice!!
The last month of summer break was pretty uneventful. I went, again, to Cedar City to see Kim. My friend Niki was down there with her mom (who works with Kim) so we all went to dinner. It was really fun. The weekend was nice and relaxed.
Tavis has been working every weekend for as long as I can remember this summer. He's been doing top soil and grading work. It's nice that he's able to earn extra money but I miss spending time together on the weekends. I guess you have to make hay while the sun shines, though. Right? One more month and things will start to slow down...of course there will be October to be getting ready for lol.
I'll post pictures of the kids on their first day of school when I find the card reader that plugs into the computer.
OH!! Btw...Harley is still absolutely adorable. He's getting so big! He went to his 2 month appt (he was closer to 10 wks) and weighed 12.5 lbs and was 24 1/2 inches long. He's in the 75% for height and 25% for weight. And contrary to Stubbs tradition he's only 25% for his head circumference!
He finally sleeps through the night, too! YAY!!!

Harley's Blessing

Today was a special day for our family. Our little Harley was blessed by his grandpa Powers. He was such a good boy! He didn't fuss or anything. He looked so handsome. I know I've said it before but we are so blessed to have this little guy in our home.

This weekend was the Stubbs Family reunion so Tavis's family wasn't able to join us. We had an enjoyable time in Vernal yesterday visiting with Tav's aunts and uncles and cousins. I was hoping everyone could line up on either side of the road so we could parade the newest member of the Stubbs family through the camp :)

Harley also got to meet his great-grandma Ellen. She was really cute with him. She sang to him and talked to him. He smiled at her. It was so nice to see her looking so healthy.

We would like to thank our friends and family for supporting us on this special day for our little Harley. In attendance were: Grandma and Grandpa Powers, Aunt DeNae, Aunt Jill, Uncle Kevin, Uncle Jason, Aunt Alison. Cousins: Cori, Jacob, Kanyon, Trae, Lincoln. Friends: Chance and Niki and Hunter Gledhill, Scott Gygi, Lacey and Gracie Silverio. Standing in the circle were Grandpa Powers, Chance Gledhill, Scott Gygi and Bishop Evans.

We have such an awesome family. We are truly blessed.

PS I know I have two of the same pictures on here but I couldn't figure out how to delete one of them. If anyone knows how to do this please let me know!