UNGUREN'S

Updated

2012-12-28T13:42:00.004-08:00

Starting now, our blog is moving. This blog will still be here, but we are starting a new blog because I ran out of space for pictures...and uploading to Picasa is annoying...and it makes me not want to blog. The new blog is: Unguren2.blogspot.com

Write it down, take notes, visit us over there...that is...if you still want to see what kind of mayhem we are causing.

Advent

2012-12-06T10:26:00.000-08:00

The advent calender started on December 1st.

Blake and I were really excited. We had planned out a bunch of things to do with our kids and we felt like we were really on top of it this year.

Well, there is nothing like a bunch of kids to spoil everything....or at least make it really hard to have fun.

This year we thought it would be fun to start out with the festival of trees.

Truthfully it was one of the few activities that we had planned that was going to cost money. Our friends the Wheeler's go every year and they say that their kids enjoy it so we thought "What the heck! Let's go together."

The gist of the whole thing is that they have people that make gingerbread houses, wreaths, quilts, and trees and they auction them off to raise money for Primary Children's Hospital.

A lot of the trees are dedicated to someone that has died, so they are all individual and unique.

This tree was made out of Mountain Dew cans.

Fun right?

I mean look at this gingerbread house that is shaped like Rapunzel's castle.

Let's just say that about 5 minutes into it our kids began to ask when we were leaving.

Then Gavin started to complain that his legs were tired...and he didn't stop complaining...for an hour or more.

With Canon and Penny we improvised with some fancy stroller usage, but in the end we ended up leaving and going home to have PB&J sandwiches in lieu of having dinner with the Wheelers.

It was a major bust.

Not only did the kids not appreciate the trees but they also didn't even find the humor in a statue that was creepy but supposed to be beautiful.

Blake and I contemplated calling off the advent altogether.

But what can I say? We are hard core.

Some other things we did:

We had Santa pictures taken and afterwards we had a little chocolate treat.

That seemed like it was well received...up until Penny had to sit on Santa's lap.

She was appeased with a giant ice cube afterwards though.

The kids painted their own ornaments.

Surprisingly no complaints.

Except for when we took Penny's paint away.

Sometimes life does imitate art.

The kids also cut out snowflakes with Blake one night.

You figure that nothing could go wrong with snowflakes.

You would be wrong.

So so wrong.

Laney was upset about how her snowflake had turned out.

That is until the next day when she realized that the "L", that she was so upset about the night before, made a "heart"...then all the sudden her snowflake was great.

Last night we played a Gingerbread boy game.

No complaints.

It truly was like a holiday miracle.

Plus, I won.

Blake came in last...so I have bragging rights.

Penny was in it more for the coloring and popcorn.

Now all of our gingerbread boys hang on the fridge.

To the kids they symbolize our time together...

but to me they are mostly like a tongue sticking out at Blake.

Winner winner chicken dinner.

On Board

2012-12-04T14:19:00.000-08:00

I feel like I can adapt to a lot of things.

I am pretty open about styles, and think that there are a lot of things that I can "get on board" with.

These shoes are not one of them.

I just don't understand the appeal of having ones feet look like they belong on Frankenstein.

But if they tickle your fancy...well than all the power to you.

You can even go for silver with fur too.

I won't judge. No seriously...I won't.

You kind of loose the opportunity to judge when you have worn something within the last month that was pulled out of a dumpster.

Funny story:

My friend April and I were at an estate sale. The lady having the estate sale had thrown away a bunch of vintage clothing. We looked in the dumpster and found a whole box of clothes.

This shirt came to live with me.

The End.

Another thing that I can get on board with is having an old steamer trunk for our boys room.

Granted it is large, but it is dual purpose.

The kids can use it as a coffin/hiding space, and they can also put their toys in it and not have the option to dump the whole thing out.

Can I get an amen?

One of my friends Wendy is in the hospital.

She had to have a bone marrow transplant, which started out with a heavy round of Chemo.

To do something nice, a lot of the kids in the neighborhood made hearts to go all over her door.

Gavin made this one.

At first I thought that it was so so sweet then I laughed.

Take another look. That lady in the bed is Wendy. That scribble below the bed? Her hair.

If I could start a conga line for my kids art I would.

When they make me look so pretty, how could I not?

Now, I am going to break it down for you.

I can not get on board with animals dressed as people.

Alright so I was going for stealthy but all I ended up with was a picture of Gavin.

Check out the guy behind.

His dog was in a dress..waiting in line...to see Santa.

Hey, if you wanna stand in line and take a picture with Santa and your pet...all the power to you. But please...please...don't start to talk about how you are worried because your dog is yawning and you are really nervous that your dog may fall asleep before their fancy picture.

Or...

You may catch me rolling my eyes as I try to control my 4 yawning kids from tearing down Santa's whole establishment.

Speaking of Santa and animals...

Laney is positive that she is getting a bunny for Christmas. We have gone past the "I hope I get a bunny..." and into "When my bunny is here..."

I will be the first to tell you that animals...well...they aren't really my thing.

But they used to be. I used to love them. I actually had a pet bunny which is where I am sure that Laney got the idea.

Originally when she started to say that she wanted a bunny I told her that I had a nice bunny, but that my sister Ramonah had a mean bunny. It was so mean that it would hiss and bite you.

Laney was not swayed.

She just said that if her bunny was mean that we could put it outside.

Canon said that if it was mean we could put it outside and not feed it, then it would die.

Canon.

Always coming up with evil options to things.

Anywho...

Then I got to thinking. I loved having pets growing up, and my kids should have the same option too.

So....

coming to live with us on Christmas morning...

our new pet.

Blake and I originally thought that Laney would be distraught that Santa had not in fact brought her a bunny then I came up with a fool proof plan:

Write a note from Santa saying all of the bunnies were mean this year so, he brought us a cat instead.

Then give Laney one of these bunnies to appease the last little bit of disappointment...if there is any.

So evidently I am on board with pets now. Just not dressing them up.

Because how could you resist that creepy/can't stop staring at it face?

It truly is a face only a mother could love.

I seriously don't know what she was doing.

No really.

No idea.

3 Minutes

2012-11-29T13:03:00.000-08:00

*Thanks all! I am uploading my pictures to Photobucket. That seemed to help.*

Cereal boxes everywhere.

Our mornings always look like this.

Everyone seems to think that they need their own box.

Sometimes two.

They also like the cereal with sugar.

Except for Laney who seems the most sensible and will choose plain Cheerios or Mini Wheats the majority of the time.

Canon likes to hoard all of the boxes when all of the kids are done.

Then snacks on them leisurely.

Then the sugar kicks in and he goes through the 6 steps of a sugar high.

High: getting shaky.

Ninja like speed.

Elation.

Woot woot.

Rage.

Normal.

Then he has a couple more bites and we start again.

A wide range of emotions can happen in just a few minutes.

S.O.S

2012-11-27T15:19:00.001-08:00

My blog says that I am out of room for pictures. Quite frankly a blog with out pictures is just a bunch of words. So...has anyone had this problem. Is there a way to get around it or am I tough out of luck and have to buy storage space for my blog?

Mild

2012-11-14T08:15:00.000-08:00

When you end up talking about how October has been mild so far, you got to know that at some point mother nature is going to show you who's boss.

Personally I think she went a little overboard.

During the middle of the first day we had 9".

I would have been fine with it stopping there.

The problem is, is that when it snows the kids want to go outside.

Do you know how big of a production it is to get 4 kids dressed in their snow gear?

Only to have them remove it 4 minutes later because they got snow down the back of their neck.

4 wet boots, 4 wet coats, 4 wet gloves...it adds up.

Laney was die hard though.

Girlfriend could make a snow angel like it was nobody's business.

Laney tried to convince Penny that snow angels were all the rage...

she should have tried harder.

Penny didn't go out from under the covered patio...

but she was ready for the snow.

It was just going to have to come to her.

Hike Before the Storm

2012-11-12T15:12:00.001-08:00

When we tell the kids that we are going hiking to find pine cones, you would be surprised at the cheers that are received.

You would think that they have never been on a hike before.

That they don't know what a hike is...

Perhaps it is because hikes become more like impromptu photo ops.

Maybe that is why Laney is making that face.

I am going to give her the benefit of the doubt.

Because, quite frankly, I can't think of any other reason to make that face but sheer confusion.

Ask them to make a silly face and they are on board.

Ask them to look at the camera and smile...and let's face it...you might as well have asked them if they wanted to scrub toilets...because eye contact is being strictly avoided.

Sometimes there is the element of surprise and you catch them.

Looking...and smiling.

Just to make our kids laugh we like to try and take self portraits. Nothing is funnier then watching their Dad balance the camera on the pine cone bucket and then race back and sit down real fast all the while smiling and trying to make it look "natural".

The kids did manage to get some hiking in.

But at this point we had ruined them and Gavin was under the impression that if you get on any rock that it is important that you stop and pose.

Collecting rocks was more up Penny's alley then hiking.

Only problem is, you put a lot of rocks in a little kids pocket and it makes it that much harder to walk.

She didn't seem to catch the correlation.

I am always happy when my kids feel independent and aren't afraid to try new things.

However, I can't in good conscience approve this message:

Two little kids sitting safely on a rock smiling?

That is more my speed.

Politics A La Unguren

2012-11-09T09:55:00.000-08:00

I am not going to talk politics because I just won't. But you know who will talk politics with you?

He learned about the election in school.

So he told us all about it.

Some gems?

We voted today in our class. I voted for Romney. He won. There were 18 of us that liked him and 10 liked the other guy.

"Gavin, Obama could win."

When you are president then you get to be president for 4 years. Then you have to run another lap and you get to be president again. Obama is running another lap. Mom? Who did you vote for?

I didn't vote. I wasn't registered, but Dad voted.

You didn't vote?!

Shamed by a 7 year old. Feels good.

Independent

2012-11-08T09:02:00.001-08:00

I find nothing wrong with walking to the beat of your own drum.

If your drums beat says walk around in PJ's and a back pack...rock it.

Sometimes the beat is Rapunzel.

I can dig it.

I would like to say that we encourage independence.

Even if that independence is portrayed with goggles for everyday wear.

No need to hide behind a bush.

Own it.

Generally I would say that wearing pajamas in the middle of the day would be considered only "half dressed" or the "pajamafication of America"....but if you are insistent...then I am a sucker...and will probably let you have your way.

Because if your Mom chooses to wear some 70's high waisted pants...then what harm is there in pajama bottoms?

Like I said. Walk to your own beat. Boom boom.

Even if it embarrasses those around you.

Which, it probably will.

Done

2012-11-06T08:24:00.000-08:00

Soccer has ended for both of our boys.

I am sure that they are missing it, but I am not missing spending 3 hours at the Holladay Lions Rec center every Saturday.

Canon did so much better this go around.

He only sometimes missed the ball.

At least he was running after the ball...that is...when he wasn't running after his shadow.

Oh, how I wish I was lying about that.

He learned some of the rules...

And then chose to play as close to breaking them as possible.

He did a better job at playing and paying attention....

Until he lost interest.

Am I A Man? Or Am I A Muppet?

2012-10-31T09:08:00.000-07:00

Halloween was fun, as always.

I know for some Halloween is not their favorite holiday, and I get it...kinda. But...I think it is fun to dress up. It is the one time out of the year that you can dress up and be someone else and no one is going to try to commit you to the psych ward...although if they did you must really have a rocking costume.

Plus, for kids, I think this is probably the top holiday next to Christmas. A bunch of strangers give them candy, and they get to play dress up...AT SCHOOL.

On Halloween everyone seems to be pretty laid back.

I like it.

So...I like to spread my Halloween Holiday Cheer.

The kids loved their costumes this year, especially Canon. I am not sure if it was the the round belly and material wedgie he had...or the little skinny legs...or the fact that everyone thought he made the cutest Kermit? Whatever it was he loved his costume the most, and wore it for the most amount of time.

For him it must be easy being green.

Since I am sure someone will ask...All of the costumes were made by me with the exception of Blake's clothes, my clothes, and Gavin's shirt.

Party and Pumpkins

2012-10-30T09:30:00.000-07:00

We had our annual Halloween party that we co-host with our friends the Wheelers.

This year I was a little less "co-host"...and a lot more "just another person at the party."

April did a really good job with her Blood Bar.

We also had a cake walk that the kids really enjoyed.

And we got to guess the amount of candy in the jars.

We also voted on costumes.

The trophies for the costume contest came together well...not by me of course.

Canon brought the "best kid costume" one home...

Well...half of it anyways. He broke it before we even made it home.

Not terribly shocking.

We also managed to do my absolute least favorite thing...

carve pumpkins.

All the kids managed to get in on it.

Penny may have been a little over excited.

Maybe I am just stating the obvious.

But somehow along the way Blake ended up taking pictures and I ended up cleaning out the pumpkins.

I think I was ripped off.

Don't believe me? Look at my disgust riddled face.

We normally let the kids draw a picture on the pumpkin and then we carve it the way that they draw it.

It makes for some interesting pumpkins.

Here they are in all of their lighted grandeur.

Canon didn't want to draw on his pumpkin this year but he did have very specific instructions on how he wanted it to look. It went something like this:

I want this mouth (pointing to some chevron patterned tape) with one tooth and I want his eyes to have one tooth in them too. Make him angry.

Voila.

One-toothed-chevroned-mouthed-one-toothed-eye-angry-pumpkin.

Penny's (the one in the middle) was abstract.

Laney's was of course a princess, with some mighty fine blinkers.

Gavin's was "scared because he has a scar on his head."

We mean business here...

Scars are no laughing matter.

October

2012-10-29T08:58:00.002-07:00

October turned out to be a very busy month.

While I realize that every month is busy...it seemed that October had it out for me.

In the interest of trying to make sure I got everything covered, here are a couple of tidbits that got missed along the way.

1. Blake went to a FEMA training for a long weekend. It wasn't too bad for me. Although trying to get Canon to his soccer game at 9:30, Laney to ballet at 10:15, and Gavin to his soccer game at 10:30 proved to be mildly challenging.

2. The kids had "Crazy Hat Day" at school. It wasn't super crazy for us. We just opened up the old Halloween costume buckets and viola...instant hats.

Even though Canon doesn't go to school with Laney and Gavin he couldn't help in wanting to participate.

3. Canon loves to eat cereal. Just not at breakfast. He likes to get it out of the cupboard later in the day as a snack. Sometimes he puts some in his pockets "for later." It is especially entertaining when he is snacking on Cookie Crisp, from his pocket, during church. Lately I have been finding boxes in the oddest spots such as: between the ottomans in the living room, in Blake's closet upstairs, down stairs in the family room behind the lamp and a personal favorite of mine...2 boxes of Mini Wheats in the upstairs bathroom.

4. Canon has also made a habit of helping himself to other things in the cupboard. One day he finished off 3 BOXES of fruit snacks by himself. Then the next day he had 3 suckers. We are working on it.

5. Grandma Dana sent us this card in the mail for Halloween. The kids loved it. Every time Penny would walk by it on the fridge she would say "Scary. Gama Dana. Not scary."

6. The kids also did their Red Ribbon week this last week at school. They had, a luau day which was the only day I managed to get a picture. Not that this picture is anything to write home about. This is what happens when Blake takes the good camera to work and all I can find is our camera, that our kids mess with...and now can't figure out how to get it off of sepia.

Laney's coconut bra was made by yours truly. I thought she would think it was great...I had made it out of real coconut shells after all...she hated it.

7. Gavin discovered a talent. We are so proud.

It Is a Rough Place

2012-10-23T12:55:00.000-07:00

Bathing at our house is serious business.

You could get attacked by a shark.

So you need to make sure you have your protective eye wear.

Other strategies for eluding danger include:

A tongue out to aid in the thinking process

or lying in the water trying to blend in

all the while chanting "Be the water."

Just know...that there are people that aren't afraid to splash you.

And you most likely will end up with water in your eyes.

But anything is better then the threat of getting sprayed.

Except for maybe someone peeing in the bath.

There really is nothing worse.

Except drinking said bath water.

That is worse.

And I am sure it happens.

At our house.

Frequently.

Mad As A Hatter

2012-10-22T12:12:00.001-07:00

Laney turned 6 on October 14th. To say that I am late posting this would be an understatement of epic proportions.

I do have an excuse though.

Her party wasn't until this last Saturday.

But we did celebrate on her actual birthday with balloons...

made to look like Mickey Mouse ears.

Laney also requested homemade donuts.

We made the classic cinnamon and sugar.

Then we stepped it up a little, and made maple ones too.

The maple were a hit.

Her birthday was on Sunday so we didn't open presents until later in the day.

And she was obviously super stoked about her pencils, crayons, and markers that she got.

Then on Monday she got to have her birthday cereal.

Plain ole Cheerios.

That's what she picked.

Then this last Saturday is when the real fun began.

We decided on an Alice in Wonderland theme and she got to have a Mad Hatters tea party.

Laney picked out all the teacups and saucers by herself.

I also made little Alice aprons for all of the girls.

I think they were all feeling very fancy with their hot chocolate in tea cups.

I also let them decorate their own cookies.

Some people...Canon...decorated their cookie with careless abandon.

Some others...Laney...were meticulous.

Making sure their sprinkles were placed in such a way to make them into flowers.

Then I had the brilliant idea to let the kids play croquet.

I thought they would enjoy it.

It was an epic fail. It lasted all of 5 minutes.

It could have been the fact that the mallets were the same size as them, or that their hand eye coordination is not quite up to snuff.

So...we painted fingernails instead and then opened presents.

She loved them all.

Especially the make-up...cringe...that she got.

Then we had the cake.

The kids were mostly interested in eating the little tea cups on the top. By the time that I had cut the cake the kids took two bites and were done.

Not that I hold that against them. After all they had just consumed: hot chocolate, marshmallows sprinkles, frosting, more sprinkles and some fondant tea cups.

For their parting gift they got the teacups that they had used with some candy and nail polish inside.

Now we just have to get rid of the rest of the Cheshire cat cake that is sitting on our counter smiling at us. Any takers?

Spooky

2012-10-12T12:25:00.000-07:00

It may be one of my favorite holidays...well besides, Christmas...and Easter...

No matter.

I think I love Halloween because of the decorations. But also because of the costumes, and the candy, and the weather...

Anyways.

The decorations are up at our house.

I got these new doll heads this year. I like them because they are creepy.

I really like them because the kids don't know that they are creepy.

They just keep asking why there are so many "babies" on the mirror.

These bottles are new this year too.

I found them at an estate sale.

I was going to clean them and then I realized that dirt is good.

For Halloween at least.

So I got bottles plus dust, it was a good purchase.

I also thought it would be fun to have a skeleton hang out in our fireplace this year.

Ya know...drinking himself to death.

I would also like to point out that the dollar store is a good place to find Halloween gems.

I found the black gauze that is hanging above our mantle there. I also found these little tombstones that are surprisingly heavy.

Thanks dollar store.

One thing I thought I would never say.

Jackie fixed up this picture for me that I found on Pinterest. So one trip to Costco and a little black spray paint later and it is happily...er...eerily hanging on our wall.

Wanna know what else I made?

Eeep.

I love it so.

Sure it is a little odd.

It is kind of like a cat with no hair.

Creepy but mesmerizing all at once.

It is like you can't look away.

OK. You can look away.

But just so you know...

the plant will be looking at you.

*anyone that can name what movie a plant like this was in will be my best friend. Game on.

Kicking It

2012-10-04T08:28:00.000-07:00

At the end of last basketball season Gavin said that he wanted to do soccer instead of playing basketball again.

I was a little worried for him. He had been playing basketball and was improving. Switching would mean that he would have to learn a new sport and that there would be a lot of kids that had played a lot longer then him.

No matter. I put my worries aside and signed him up.

Because he is older the game is a lot more structured than...let's say...Canon's soccer games, that are a free for all.

Let me tell you something about Gavin. He is pretty obedient.

On the soccer field, I am sure that is a coach's dream.

He picked it up right away.

He knows the rules, and where he is suppose to be when he plays a certain position.

One thing we might want to work on?

Maybe, being a little more discreet when someone is losing.

It's like he can't help but gloat.

My question is...What happens when they score 6 goals?

For the other kids, it seems like Gavin's soccer games are a time of reflection.

Of really calming down and

taking in their surroundings.

A time to meditate.

A time to relax.

A time to just let all of their energy go...

and to focus on what is important in their lives.

The important things like improving model poses....

trying to improve your kicks, so you actually kick the ball...

and most of all...

making sure that you always have the upper hand.

A Little Bit Country

2012-09-27T09:19:00.000-07:00

Canon shares a birthday with our good friends the Wheeler's daughter.

Say that five times fast. Or try to understand it.

Well, since they share a birthday, for the last two years we have done something together.

Never mind the fact that their daughter is 11 and Canon is 4. They don't seem to mind.

Last year we went bowling. This year...although Canon was insistent on bowling at first...we went to April's sister's husband's parent's farm.

See what I did there? Confused, huh?!

It was in Fillmore.

I could make a slightly inappropriate joke about Fillmore...I will refrain.

April's sister's husband is named Jordan. I will now refer to the farm as Jordan's. Capeesh?

Jordan's parents evidently own this farm and do something called Apple fest every year. We didn't go to apple fest but, it is a big deal in Fillmore.

Hence the big wagon that all our kids were climbing all over like little monkeys.

No big farm is complete with out a zip line.

Laney was the first one from our family to say she wanted to go.

First, you have to climb the tower. The little kids are in harnesses and are roped into someone at the top.

That someone just happened to be Bryan.

Blake went with Laney to take pictures.

But..when Laney got to the top...let's just say she wasn't so confident...

So Blake strapped on a harness to go down with her.

Meanwhile we waited...

looking like a Gap Jean ad.

Penny was happy to wait...

"That's better."

I wish I had a picture of them coming down.

I don't.

Picture this...

Laney white as a ghost...shaking...looking like she was either going to vomit or pass out....Blake smiling.

I asked Laney if she liked it when she was done and she started to bawl.

How I talked Gavin into going...I am not quite sure.

Granted, when we got to the top he had a minor meltdown.

Not that I blame him. When you are up there, it feels very high.

Then I simply lied, and told him the only way down was on the zip line.

Solid parenting skills.

But he did it. Or should I say...we did it.

Me? Smiling. Him? Looking like he is trying to smile.

Now I bring you a public service announcement:

Harnesses are NOT flattering.

Consider yourself warned.

You're welcome.

Blake decided to try the zip line on his own. He did some fancy stunts. And by fancy I mean the spread eagle

and the cannon ball.

In a shocking turn of events Laney said that she wanted to go on the zip line again.

I think it was due to the fact that Blake looked like he was having such a good time.

Not only did she say she wanted to go again but she also said she wanted to go by herself.

I told her I would go with her just in case...

Down she came....

solo.

Some people may mistake this face as a look of pure fright.

Until you add the word "Weeeee" then it makes perfect sense.

You can add the word "weee" to this one too.

We repeatedly heard "my turn" from Penny.

So we took her on a shirtless stationary zip line ride.

At some point during the day we had decided to go all sorts of white trash and removed Penny's and Canon's shirts....

Riddle me this...

You don't eat cotton candy shirtless?

If you haven't you aint living.

Or at least you aren't living in Fillmore.

Fillmore...the land of all things farm related.

Like tractor rides.

Where you can ride a tractor shirtless.

It is accepted.

Dare I say encouraged.

Wanna know what else you can do shirtless?

Sit on gigantic tires drinking generic Gatorade.

Ride horses....while crying...

The sky's the limit.

While our other kids weren't getting their country on by being shirtless, they did embrace the country life.

Laney loved it.

All the kids did.

They probably liked the zip line...or the cotton candy...or tandem horse riding...or the swings...the most.

Or maybe it was being shirtless.

You know what they say...When in Rome..er..Fillmore.

Monday

2012-09-25T14:20:00.000-07:00

Four.

Canon is four.

Not four feet tall or four pounds, but four years old.

In true Canon fashion we started the day with a head first dive into balloons that were not very deep.

He didn't cry. He didn't even complain. He just picked up his balloons and got excited in the fact that they were "tiny".

Having his birthday on a Monday kind of threw us off our game.

We did not plan accordingly and forgot to pick up some birthday cereal for him.

He expressed his disappointment in us.

So I hopped in the car and I drove him to pick out his cereal.

He had a hard time choosing but peanut butter, chocolate, and sugar won out.

Before the kids left for school we let him open his present.

Drum roll on the top of the present...

We got him a boat with a shark and some little men.

He was just excited for "how strong" he was to hold it above his head.

Without fail our kids almost always pick Red Robin for their birthday dinner.

I am not sure if it is the balloons, the food, or the unending ranch...whatever it is Red Robin has got it.

Know what else Red Robin has?

According to Canon, as he was hugging the Statue of Liberty:

"I am just giving a love to Jesus."

Red Robin has a statue of Jesus.

Makes perfect sense.

He is spunky.

He is reckless.

He has funny cowlicks in the front of his hair,

and a funny accent on occasion.

He is four.

He is mine.

He makes me proud to be his Mom.
Almost all of the time.

Newbies

2012-09-17T10:37:00.001-07:00

Blake and I have been married for 10 years.

Whoo hoo, you say? We should be applauded. Well, thank you.

But that is not the point.

When we got married we bought a vacuum. I am pretty sure it was expensive for it's time. Looking back I am not sure what it had to offer that other vacuums didn't but I am sure it was good. Perhaps, extra vacuum bags?

Also, not the point.

The point is our vacuum died.

Moment of silence.

I have been hesitating to buy a new one. I am not sure if it is the fact that I know we like our vacuum...or that others are expensive..and quite frankly I can think of A LOT of other things I would rather spend our money on....or that I want a Dyson...which cost mucho dinero...and our carpet is not that fab...and it is only in the downstairs...

Anyway, it has been dead/dying for close to a month.

Plus I have been making stuff for my Etsy site, so our carpet in the office/craft room was a disaster. I even went so far as to borrow my friends vacuum at one point. Truly a low point.

Then Blake gave me a little push. Woot.com had a vacuum for cheap, and we bought it.

It is no Dyson, but it works really good. It also has a retractable cord that is oh so fancy, and the lazy person in me loves that feature.

One more addition to our downstairs that is not the little girl in the skirt and pajama top?

A new rug.

Which kind of negates some of the reasons I bought a new vacuum because it covers up the not so pretty carpet.

But now I can vacuum my carpet with a vacuum that actually works, and it was cheap for such a big rug, and I got free shipping.

Which means both were a necessity. They compliment each other...and other such nonsense to justify my purchases...

I am thinking about painting the outside of my frames navy blue, or should I just leave them white? Thoughts?

What-Nots

2012-09-12T12:46:00.001-07:00

I have been keeping track. One of our kids spills their milk at least once a day. Which gives new meaning to the phrase "there is no use crying over spilt milk." Those guys...the phrase inventors...don't know what they are talking about. Either that or they have never had to clean up milk. Every. Single. Day.

Penny has been asking every day to have her nails painted. It is cute. Also cute, and nail related...the conversation between Laney and Canon that went something like this: "Canon, mom just painted my nails. Do you think they are golden or silver? I will give you 5 guesses."

Canon in preschool has turned out to be a great bargaining tool. Mostly Canon doesn't care what happens to him. Now all of the sudden when I threaten that he can't go to preschool he listens. If I had known that was going to work I would have in listed him in preschool years ago. Never mind the fact he wasn't old enough.
I want them to bring back Birthday Oreos. They were delicious and gone too quickly. I am thinking of starting a petition...only I am not really that gung ho. So while I say I am going to start a petition I am mostly blowing smoke in the hopes that someone thinks it's a good idea and starts it instead.

I love this face.

Almost as much as this one.

Gavin lost another tooth. I tried to remain calm about it...and I kind of succeeded up until the moment that Blake needed help with some floss...around Gavin's tooth...and I was holding it in place...Then Gavin said we had to stop because "he didn't want me to scream or pass out." Such a sensitive boy. Concerned about his mom's weird phobias.

I am so glad the tooth is out now. He ended up loosing it while brushing his teeth. Go figure. Which is good because it was sticking straight out and starting to turn a weird grey dead color. No exaggeration.

I found this beaut at an estate sale. Paid $5 for it. I thought of all the things I could use it for. I sanded it, painted it, got new hinges, put a top coat on it, and found a place for it inside. Now my only problem is that I don't know what to put in it. At first my options were endless. We do not have a lot of storage space. But I don't want to fill it with things, and wish that I had used the space differently. So instead it sits empty. Makes perfect sense to me.

It's Settled.

2012-09-10T14:47:00.001-07:00

My dad says I am a slacker. I would tend to agree.

Posts have been a little sparse around here.

The kids are back in school.

They all started on different days over the course of 2 weeks.

Gavin was first.

He is in the second grade now...so it is old hat.

Look at him. Too cool for...school? Err...pictures?

Laney started Kindergarten a week later.

She was super excited.

To go to school or just to wear her new clothes, I am not sure.

Canon could not wait for Preschool.

Literally.

He asked everyday.

So when I told him the day had come...

Say what?!

Super stoked.

Penny has been a little confused by the whole thing.

When we bought new clothes for the kids Penny kept asking "Where my school shoes at?"

And she also refers to random people as "her teacher".

I mostly just agree with her.

Perhaps I am leading my child astray, but trust me when I say there is nothing worse than fighting with a two year old that doesn't get tired of saying "Ya huh."

So Long Ago Now That It's Almost Silly...

2012-09-10T14:31:00.002-07:00

The final day in Washington was spent doing what I love to do. Going to Seattle. We boarded a ferry, and off we went.

It was April's first time.

Me? Seasoned vet.

I do have to say one thing about Seattle. You never know what kinds of crazy people you will see.

This guy was carting his bird around on his shoulder. Sure he was walking around with a strut loving the attention. All the while with a bird turd on the back of his shirt.

When April and I were on the ferry a strange lady walked by us and then back tracked. She stopped right in front of April and I and said, "Hi. I just wrote a book. Here is my card. It's for lovers."

What can I say. April and I make a very nice couple.

We went to Ivars.

Delicious.

Once again...I am fairly sure Jackie wanted to take a seagull home.

We saw the gum wall at Post Alley.

It was gross.

and totally picture worthy.

My dad had a death wish...

We walked through Pike Place.

Played "Where's April?"

Took some up close and too personal shots.

Thought briefly about the too close and too personal.

Saw a lady wearing see through black lace pants and red thong.

Then I tried to convince April that Seattle wasn't full of nut jobs.

I may have succeeded...maybe.

No matter. We had an awesome time.

More Washington

2012-08-29T18:00:00.000-07:00

When we were trying to think of other fun things to do in Washington my Dad made the comment that we should go to the Olympic Game Farm.

So....we did.

I am not a big fan of animals. There I said it.

I used to be.

Not any more.

I don't like them to touch or sniff or lick me.

Not my thing.

But my Dad said it was a fun place to go...and I am inclined to take his recommendations.

The Olympic Game Farm is where they put animals that used to be used in the movies and it used to be run by Disney...or still is...I'm not sure.

You drive around in your car and look at animals.

OK. I can live with that.

There were so many animals.

Yaks.

Peacocks.

Bunnies.

Bears.

Zebras.

Did I mention that you can feed them?

Some animals are more talented then others.

This bear could catch bread in his mouth.

There is also a bear that will wave at you...but he kept avoiding us.

This bear, however, would smile at you.

There were elk.

And buffalo.

and...buffalo snot.

There were also some very pushy elk.

Dare I say...an elk gang?

They would attack cars in threes.

Push there noses in and try to bully you into giving them bread.

April was brave.

Kind of...

Me?

This was just about as brave as I could muster.

Then I saw these little deer and thought "I can feed some animals with out having a minor panic attack."

So, we went for round two.

Mission accomplished.

In my defense we did have one elk charge the car. No lie. Ran straight at the car. Which scared the living daylights out of me.

Jackie on the other hand, loved feeding the animals. I think she may have taken this elk home if there had been some room in the car.

Although I don't care for animals it was so much fun.

I laughed so hard.

I felt like I was just a tween all over again, giggling in the back seat.

On the way home we stopped by some restaurant called Fat Smitty's.

The walls and ceiling are covered with money.

I was obviously with some shady company.

Who has a death wish via germs.

The burger was big.

So big, April and I split it and I still could hardly get my mouth around it.

But it was good...and filling.

Neglected

2012-08-29T09:03:00.000-07:00

It seems as though our blog isn't the only thing being forgotten about these days.

It is not that I have forgotten about it.

I have just put it off.

Kind of like these gargantuan zucchinis.

I try not to over use the word "gargantuan". Although in this instance I think I am being pretty true to the word.

Ummm...so at the beginning of August I went to Washington.

Kind of forgot to mention it.

Didn't forget, per say, just put off.

Not to say that it wasn't lovely...because it totally was. I have just been busy.

Really busy. (I'll explain that later.)

My Dad flew me to Washington to paint some rooms in his house.

One man's laziness is another gals "girls trip".

My friend April must be a keeper because she flew there with me knowing full well that she was going to engage in some slave labor.

We painted, and painted, and painted.

Then we emerged 2 1/2 days later to enjoy some non-painting time.

My Dad arranged for us to go up in Wayne's plane.

I could probably wax long in my love of going up flying with Wayne, but I will shorten it for you.

I love it.

It is like the best roller coaster ride EVER.

Did I mention that it's an acrobatic plane?

Cuz it is.

Word.

It is so awesome...that you are required to wear a parachute while flying.

It's the law.

I may have forgotten to mention to April, until the very end, that the plane was made....by Wayne.

Because it was her first time, he went easy on her.

He flew upside down, stalled the plane and went into a spin, and did something called a hammerhead, plus some other fun stuff that has the ability to make some people throw up...she didn't.

Then, it was my turn.

I have been flying with Wayne 3 or 4 times.

I am hard core.

Meaning...I don't barf and I love the tricks.

Don't believe me?

Check out our take off...

Booyah.

When all was said and done I had done: -3 G's, +4 G's. I think April did: -2 G's, +4 G's. When Wayne told me that I had gotten more G's than April I said something along the childish lines of "I win." He told me it wasn't a competition...then I said..."Yeah. It kind of is."

When we pulled in Wayne made mention of the race cars that burn out at the end of the race....

It was good. Smokey and good.

The next morning we woke up and went skiing.

We told April that we would teach her to get up on one ski.

I would like to say...

we tried.

Then we threw her a second ski and she was good.

I was good due to the influx of Taco Time in my system.