Chip's Crew

I'm in Charge

2009-08-07T00:34:00.000-06:00

Cowgirl Jada

This little rascal turned 3. I can't believe that she is 3 already and is going to start preschool in about 1 month. Although she will continually remind you that she is a "big girl", she is anything but big. For her three year check up she topped the scale at a whopping 25 lbs. We see it as a good sign that she is now moved up into the 3% for her weight!!!

As we have been talking about her birthday coming up she had only 2 requests: a pink heart birthday and a mommy grey seal present. Easy enough...if it could only stay that easy for years to come!!!

She was so excited to wake up to hearts and more hearts. Of course the first present of the day was a stuffed "mommy grey seal." I don't know where this little girl comes up with these crazy requests, but her requests are hard to resist. I was putting a movie on for the girls after breakfast. Of course Mia was trying to negotiate to get the movie she wanted and I had to tell them that since it was Jada's birthday that she was "in charge". That was my first big mistake of the day. For the rest of the day Jada kept telling everyone that she was IN CHARGE.

She loved her pink heart cake. I loved an easy request.

When we gave her some options of what she wanted to do that night for her birthday she choose to go to the farm and ride horses. The little farm at Thanksgiving Point is perfect. She got to go on a tractor ride, ride the horses 4 times, feed the goats, pet a baby horse and a baby cow and brush the llama. A perfect birthday outing for this little animal lover.

She loved brushing the Llama

We thought the most exciting present we had for her was coming that night. We had researched and found the best little balance bike. My parents came over that night after we got home to give her the bike. Since she will only ride this bike for maybe a year, we decided to get a blue one so we could hand it down to little brother. Well, that was about the worst idea I've had this year. She took one look at this bike and hasn't really looked back since. We keep trying to persuade her to ride it, but she won't. The other day she told me to take it back to the store. Great, maybe next year. Since she was IN CHARGE she would command people through out the day to sing Happy Birthday to her. It was a fun day and I can't believe she is 3. Where did the time go???

Birthdays are Tiring

We love Sprinter

2009-04-27T23:57:00.005-06:00

Only in Utah do we have season called "Sprinter". On the news the other day when the weather man was talking about this weather that is what he called it. I thought it was great. I know most people have major spring fever and are ready for summer, but I am loving this weather. We get the best of both worlds. We can play at the park in the sun in the morning and head up the canyon and ski in the afternoon. Every day that we have woken up to rain I have cheered! It won't be long before we are sweating in the heat so I will take advantage of this changing weather as long as I can. We will take it as long as it continues and for now we will keep pulling from the front and the back of the closet!

Puddle Jumping in the wonderful April rain

Our final ski day of the season. Wish the resorts stayed open a little longer!

Watching the runners in the SLC Maraton. Living right on the route has its advantages. The girls loved cheering and encouraging the runners on.

Enjoying the wonderful spring weather.

Swimming in St. George

Blessing Day

2009-04-16T00:29:00.003-06:00

We finally got around to blessing Miles. It was a great day although we woke up to a huge spring snow storm. Although we were missing a few important family members, it was nice to have almost everyone there. It was a great day and Miles was very cooperative. He looked like a sharp young man all dressed in white!

Now, I thought finding blessing outfits for the girls was hard, but finding one for a boy was an even harder task. Because I did not want to put my boy in an all white tuxedo, we opted for a less conventional option. It worked and the best part is that he will actually be able to wear this one again!!

Overall, it was a great day and an amazing opportunity!

Our 3 Musketeers

All sMILES

2009-04-03T13:31:00.006-06:00

12 weeks ago time could not go fast enough. I had a body that was sore, a baby that wouldn't sleep, kids who couldn't behave and I was stuck in my house. Now, 12 weeks later I can not figure out where the time went. Miles is now 12 weeks, he is sleeping (finally), he is smiling, he is laughing and he is growing super fast. We are loving him so much and I can not believe he is almost 3 months.

Mornings at our house are a little slow. We snuggle with our blankies watch shows and drink milk. Miles fits in perfectly. The only problem is that there isn't room for me in that bed anymore.

Miles loves his new cousin Korver. They are exactly two months apart and Korver will surely pass him up in size in no time. They are closer in age than any of the cousins, so they are going to love growing up together.

4 Weeks Today

2009-02-05T22:50:00.004-07:00

Life with a new born, 2 year old and 5 year old. Feed baby, change diaper, feed two year old, wipe bum, unclog toilet, clean up spilled juice, feed baby, change diaper, get two year old out of the sink, clean up puddles of water off the floor, break up a fight, make lunch, clean up macaroni off the floor, put two year old down for nap, put two year old back down, put two year old down again, feed baby, change diaper, try to take a nap--ya right, try to find lost barbie, go get two year old up from nap and find poo on the floor, clean up poo off the floor, feed baby, change diaper, baby poops and pees on my bed, wash sheets..........and so it goes!!!
I can't believe this guy is already 4 weeks. I think I am finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel...at least today. My sanity changes on a daily basis. Somedays it is good and somedays...not so good. Everyone keeps asking 3 is hard and my answer is just that having a new born is what is hard. I guess because the girls were just super easy babies and good sleepers this one has been the hardest adjustment. Now that he is finally going back to sleep after he eats in the night, I am feeling a little better. Now I just need to figure out how to get him to take naps during the day! At the end of the day, it is all worth it. We love this little guy so much and already can't imagine life with out him.

Miles is Mr. Serious

I am lucky to have two great helpers. I can totally trust Mia to watch him while I get stuff done. (Like clean up poo off the floor.)

I love a sleeping baby!! He is already spoiled and will only sleep on a feather pillow.

We love a good storm. Thanks Dad for helping us build a snowman!!

Our Walk for Miles

2009-01-20T21:49:00.007-07:00

Well, once again I am a little late in posting, but better late than never. Well as most of you have heard, sweet Miles was born on January 8th. After 4 short hours of labor and 2 pushes he was born at 3:23 in the afternoon. He weighed 7 lbs and 2 oz and was 20 inches long. Everything went well and we are happy to finally have him here.

His first two nights home he didn't sleep one wink and I was ready to go back to being pregnant again. We have finally figured out how to get a little sleep, so we are ready to keep him. He has been a really good baby so far and we think he is pretty dang cute.

The girls love him and just can't figure out why they can't carry him around. Mia would hold him all day if she could. Jada of course has had some memorable comments. The first thing she said when she saw him was, "That baby looks like a cricket." Yes, a cricket. I couldn't figure out where in the world she came up with that, but then my mom remembered a movie the girls had watched at her house. Can you see the resemblence? After Jada watched his first bath at the hospital she couldn't stop saying, "That baby has a stick on his bum." I'm not sure whether she was referring to the clamp on the cord or whether she was referring to his different anatomy.

Life is good and we are lucky to have such great family, friends and neighbors who have taken such good care of all of us. I forgot how much work a new born is and I could not have survived this far with out all the help and support from Chip. He is the best and these kids are lucky to have such a great Dad.

Lesser of Two Evils

2008-12-12T15:35:00.003-07:00

I had to ask myself for a long time--What would be worse: potty training a stubborn, crazy toddler at 8 months pregnant, or trying to do it with a newborn. I was going to tackle this terrible job 2 months ago, but of course things just kept coming up. This last week I finally had a week where I didn't have to be anywhere, so I decided to go with the first option and give it a try. Mia was fairly easy to potty train, so I figured that if I applied the same method this time it would work out just perfect. WRONG!! What I didn't take into account, was that Jada has about 100 times more energy than Mia, that she is a little bit more stubborn, and that chasing her naked body around our house would be a little harder than it was to chase Mia around our small apartment. I didn't ask myself once during the process "Why in the heck am I doing this?" I asked myself that about every 5 minutes. It turns out that a child has to actually hold still to even try to go potty and if a 2 year old decides they want to hold it, they can hold it for at least 12 hours. It didn't matter how many juice boxes I gave her or how much soda I offered her--she would just hold it. Needless to say--last week was the longest week of my life and there where quite a few tears shed on both sides, but it is over. This week we have moved on to using the potty every hour and trying to see how many public restrooms we can see. I thought we were making great progress until we dropped her off at a friends' house last night and she took advantage of finding a nice quiet corner where she could do her business--in her pants. Soooo, we still have some work to do on the #2s, but we are getting there.

I have officially decided that potty training is by far the worst and hardest job of parenting yet. Since I am terribly lacking in the patience category, it is/was a real struggle for me. I know we have a long way to go still, but things are looking better. Hopefully by the time this baby gets here we can have it somewhat mastered!!!! (ya right!!!)

Finishing Summer with a BANG!!!

2008-09-24T09:49:00.001-06:00

Bullet Points

We had our ultrasound and found out we are having a BOY!!

We went on some fun adventures

Mia learned how to waterski

School started (bitter sweet)

Well, I don't really have a good excuse for not posting anything this summer, except that I am lazy and I would rather sit on the couch than sit at my computer. I wish I could say that I was off on grand adventures and enjoying every moment of the summer with my kids, but that is not exactly true. It was really nice when I had my laptap and I could sit on the couch and waste time on the computer, but my laptap has seen better days and Chip is usually on his. Anyway, now that summer is over, it is time for a routine again. This means school is starting, I am going back to the gym, I am going to clean my house, I am going to try to be a nice mom, I am going to try and wash the clothes, fold them, and put them away in the same day, and I might shower before noon. I know these are pretty lofty goals and might not be achievable, but at least it is something to strive for.

Despite our many days spent in our pajamas, hiding out inside, and avoiding the heat we had a fun summer. While I spent the summer getting out of shape, Chip spent most of his days on his bike. He finished off the summer with two century rides that would have killed me in the first 10 miles. I am proud of him and glad he is committed to his health!

Yes, we are having a boy this time around. I know I never formally announced that I was even pregnant, but oh well. I am a slacker blogger and will probably never get around to adding a growing baby ticker on my blog, so don't be disappointed. When the ultrasound tech showed us the picture and said, "There it is, what do you think?" I could not believe it. I had mentally prepared myself for another girl for so long, I was in shock. I made him recheck about 5 times and kept asking him if he was sure. He finally just said, "Unless that thing falls off, this baby is coming out a boy." Mia is so excited to have a baby brother and I don't think I have ever seen a bigger smile on Chip's face. I still have 4 more long months of frequent trips to the bathroom, a sore back, and wearing support hose, but it will all be worth it when we get to hold that little guy!!

Our last hurrah for the summer was a fun trip with some friends to Island Park, Idaho. (Thanks Olsens!) We spent a few days hanging out by the lake and exploring West Yellowstone. Mia was brave enough to try waterskiing and thanks to an awesome driver and the best training ski she LOVED it. She kept wanting to go again and again. Jada spent about 3 hours straight throwing rocks in the the lake and then finally passed out in my arms. (of course I had already tried to get her to take a nap in the pack and play, but after she climbed out 17 times I gave up)

Now school is back in session and although that means Chip had to go back too, we are loving life. There is a reason why kids enter school/preschool at the age of 4. Mia and I have not been able to give each other what we needed lately (to put it nicely), so school 4 mornings a week has been a life saver for all of us. She loves school and is already telling me which kids are nice and which boys are mean. The bitter part of school is that Chip is gone 2 nights a week now, but the end is in sight, finally! December will not come soon enough!!!!

First Kiss

2008-09-17T23:08:00.004-06:00

Well, Mia had her first kiss the other day. Oh know! After school the other day Mia had a play group with Grace and Wyatt. Poor Wyatt is the odd man out, and apparantly got stuck playing the prince for both Mia and Grace. That night at dinner, Chip was asking Mia how her day was and she was telling him how she got to play at Grace's house.

Chip: What did you guys do?

Mia: We played Sleeping Beauty.

Chip: Did Wyatt like playing that game?

Mia: Ya, he was the prince, and he even kissed me. (Somewhat shy and embarrassed.)

Chip: (Rather surprised) He did?!?! On your cheek.

Mia: (Still shy, but proud!) No, right here (pointing to her lips)!!!

Me: Well, did he kiss Grace too?

Mia: No, just me.

Wyatt is a pretty tough kid and doesn't like to show a whole lot of lovey emotion, so I have no idea how she convinced him to do that. When we broke this news to Wyatt's parents, they asked him about it. He just blew it off and told his Dad it was only because they were pretending and then called his dad a name. Boys and girls are so different it is amazing. We often wonder if we should be worried about these two because they really love each other. I guess we should just let them take advantage of their friendship for as long as it lasts, because it won't be long before they both think the other one has "coodies"!

As for Jada...she washed her own mouth out with soap today. Mia and I were downstairs putting some toys away before bed and I could here Jada upstairs coughing. I went upstairs and she met me at the top of the stairs with a disgusted look on her face. I asked her if she ate something and she just said "tasty". That is what she says whenever she tastes something really gross (like when I wash her hands with Purell and then she trys to suck on them.) As soon as I went to pick her up I could smell the peach hand soap from the bathroom on her breath. I asked her if she ate soap and she said yes. I guess she learned her lesson!!!

Jada Had a Birthday!

2008-09-10T08:52:00.003-06:00

Well, Jada is finally two. Her birthday was actually a month ago, but I am obviously a slacker blogger and am just now getting around to posting an update! We had a great party with family and Jada loved her lady bug cake. We definitely did not need any more toys in this house, but Jada's birthday could not go unnoticed. Her favorite toys were her toy fire engine and her pink tea set. I guess with a two year old we can now expect more and more words, more tantrums, more defiance and a lot more fun.
Jada is already following in her sister's footsteps. She already loves the color pink, loves and can name all the princessess, and is talking up a storm. Between these two girls there is never a silent or a dull moment.

Happy Birthday Jada!!!

Why We Love Summer!

2008-07-29T21:45:00.009-06:00

Lazy Days of Summer

The Swimming Pool

Backyard BBQ's

Fun Holidays with Friends and Family

The Annual Family Trip to Sun Valley
=
Lot's of Fun with Cousins

Latest and Greatest

2008-06-17T21:23:00.008-06:00

Mia's Latest Accomplishments

graduation from 3 year preschool

danced in a fabulous dance recital

learned how to load the dish washer

learned how to work the DVD player all by herself

finished season 3 of soccer with 0 goals (but a lot of dancing!)

Jada's Latest Accomplishments

learned how to climb in and out of her crib--great!!

now has to sleep in a "crib tent"--wow!!

learned how to take her clothes off

got her first real hair cut

Latest Phrases and Words

"Oh my Gosh"

"Ewwe Gross"

"Back out" right before she spits food out she doesn't like

agigator=alligator

cocodile=crocodile

hacocopper=helicopter

Maama Noanne=Grandma Joanne

"shoes oss"=shoes on/off

Just Do It!!

2008-05-17T22:52:00.000-06:00

I just bought my first guitar and I am pretty excited about it. I have wanted to learn how to play the guitar forever. I had mentioned to Chip that I wanted a guitar for my birthday and he totally surprised me on my birthday with a guitar and lessons. Of course we wasn't too sure of my commitment level so he just got me a rental guitar and the lessons so that I could try it and see if I really wanted to commit. It has been four months now and I am loving it. It is much harder than I thought it would be, but I like the challenge and it is really nice to do something for me every now and then. It is so nice to put the kids to bed and then pull out the guitar and do my practicing. Although I don't get to practice every day like I should--it is nice when I do. Since I earned some extra money last month I decided to spend it all in one place and buy my own guitar. I turned in my rental last week and am loving my new purchase. I am writing this to urge all of my friends and family to decide today and do something for yourself. It is really easy to get in bed at night and realize that you did not do one thing for yourself (maybe you didn't even get a shower in). I know that is life as a mother and a wife, but sometimes you need to find something that you really enjoy and just do it!

Alll in a Day's Work

2008-05-06T23:40:00.005-06:00

When Jada was a baby I knew it could only get worse. She was literally the best baby ever--she never cried, she slept through the night at 5 weeks, she wanted to eat when I wanted to feed her, and she was always happy. I thought, I was in for it with my next kid, but I had no idea that Jada was going to pull a switch move on me. Don't get me wrong she is still the sweetest thing, but she definitely has a mischievous side. If there is some way to cause trouble, she will find it.

Well, the last couple of days have been full of those moments... Yesterday I had put Jada down for her nap. She had been in there about a half hour and was still making noise so I decided to go check on her and see what sort of mischief she was up to. When I first walked in everything seemed normal. She was standing up in her bed sucking on her fingers. Typical!! As I walked over to her she pulled her fingers out of her mouth and pointed at her hand and said "Guck (yuck)." As I looked a little closer, there, smeared all over both of her hands and all over her face and tummy was poo. Sick! And remember when I walked in the room she was sucking on her fingers. I know that many of you have experienced similar experiences and have children smear poo on things in your house, not fun. That is gross, but what is even grosser is that Jada put it in her mouth. I wouldn't even be surprised if she actually ate a piece. She has been known in the past to eat dog and cat food without batting an eye, so I wouldn't put it past her to have tasted what she pulled out of her diaper. Sorry, I know this is gross, but I am still recovering.

At KFC that night while I was filling up our drinks, the worker was complaining about how people make such a mess and don't clean up after themselves. I was agreeing with him 100%. I take my drinks over to our table and Mia goes to pick hers up and spills the whole thing along with half of her nuggets all over Jada and the floor. That guy was probably looking at me thinking, "now you". Of course I didn't want him to clean up after us, so there I was mopping the floor of KFC on my hands and knees. Why do I try to take my kids out to eat by myself anyway?

Later that night Mia fell of a horse. Then she fell and scraped her knee. Luckily she was more worried about her scrape on her knee than falling off the horse! I finally got my kids in bed at 10:30 and collapsed on the couch knowing that it would start all over again today!!!!

When I got Jada out of her bed this morning I literally asked her "What do you have in store for me today?" She of course just smiled her mischievous smile that I love. Well it was barely 10:30 am and I had already caught her in the act of sticking a key in the electrical outlet. I thought I was safe because I put outlet covers on all the outlets that are not being used, but Jada is smart enough to just unplug the lamp and then plug in her keys. Ten minutes later she found and Advil in my sister's purse and put that in her mouth. Luckily my sister saw her with something in her mouth and fished it out or I would have been in trouble.

Oh the joys of taking care of these girls. I am just glad they add so much excitement into my life. I am not complaining, just sharing with all the rest of the moms out there who experience these same types of things daily. Kids will be kids and I try to not let it get to me. I am just glad that I get to share in these experiences with them everyday and I don't have to just hear about them later. However, I would have gladly let someone else clean up the poo mess!!!

Princess Heaven

2008-05-01T22:04:00.002-06:00

Yes, we did it! We finally took the girls to Disneyland. After much debate about where to go for our family trip this year we decided to bite the bullet and go to Disneyland. We had such a fun time and you could say that Mia was in heaven. After two days in the parks we headed over to the beach for a couple of days. It was the perfect trip, but a little exhausting.

Highlights

Meeting every single princess and getting thier autograph and picture.
Seeing Jada run to Mickey Mouse and give him a hug. She has slept with "Mouse" every night since.
Hearing Mia ask Belle if she found "true love's kiss." Belle' was practically speachless and Mia was so excited to find out the Belle knew Giselle. We could not stop laughing.
The princess dinner!! Worth every penny.
Spending hours in the giant Disney store and only spending $30!
Spending the day at the beach and seeing the kids have a blast.
Dad not having to work or study! Some nights he didn't even turn on his computer.
Pina Coladas at the pool.

What We Couldn't Have Lived Without
Fishy Crackers and Chex Mix
The jogger. We love it and it made the perfect bed for Jada during the day!
The princess dinner.
Spending two days at the beach AFTER Disneyland.
Park Hopper passes.
A fridge in our hotel room.
Frozen bananas at the beach.

Overall we had a great time. I think Mia was the perfect age for this trip. She still believes everything and was amazed at everything. The parades were fun and so were all the shows. I would highly recommend the Alladin and Playhouse Disney shows in the CA Adventure. The girls both loved them. Jada was a pretty good travel companion most of the time and she was a good sport. As long as she was strapped in the jogger she was fine, but if you let her out she would have taken off running and not stopped. We had a great trip and made lots of memories.

Here are some of our pictures. I am warning you there are a lot!

Good Bye Winter

2008-04-14T08:03:00.003-06:00

The end of winter is always bitter sweet for me. I am happy to see the tulips coming up and know that warmer weather is approaching, but I am also sad to see winter go! Winter always ends with regrets of not enjoying it enough. This year I only got up to ski 1 time for myself. I did get up a number of times with Mia so the season was not a waste! Most of the resorts are closing this week, so Mia and I decided we would try to get in one last day!! We had a blast and she is really starting to get it! We actually made three runs today, which is good for us. She is still trying to learn how to turn, instead of going straight down, but she is getting better.

Although I am sad to see winter ending, I am excited for the longer days and the warmer weather. My tulips are already blooming (even though the darn deer ate half of them), and we have already been to the park 2 times this week. There is nothing better than seasons!! Hopefully we have a good long spring this year before it gets too hot.

More Marriage Talk

2008-03-18T01:27:00.000-06:00

The other day I was snuggling with Mia on the couch and she was looking at my wedding ring. She was telling me how pretty it was and then proceded to tell me what she wanted her wedding ring to look like. Serious! What other 4 year old is designing their wedding ring? I don't know where this girl came from.

Today she was playing on the floor with some of her princesses and she said:

Mia: Mom are the princesses at Disney Land real or are they just costumes?

Me: I think they are real.

Mia: Hum, I think they are just costumes, cause they look different. (Mind you, we have not been to Disney Land, so she must have just seen commercials.)

Mia: I hope someday I can be a real princess. Mom, you are a real princess cause you got married.

Me: Oh really?

Mia: (Thinking.) Actually Mom, you're not a real princess cause princesses fall in love ALL DAY with the prince, and dad goes to work all day.

Who new I was that close to being a real princess. Maybe I should tell Chip he needs to quit his job so he can stay home and "fall in love with me all day" so I can be a princess. I don't know what to do with her.

I did it!

2008-03-12T14:55:00.002-06:00

Well I actually did it last night. I voted for American Idol. Does this make me a true American now or does it make me a true fad follower?? I have never really been much of an American Idol fan and sometimes was actually annoyed at all the hype about AI. I have watched it here and there when there was nothing else to watch, but this season it is different. Maybe it was the writers strike that turned me into a follower or maybe it is because this season there really are some really talented people. I gave up last season when some of the people that really sucked kept staying on week after week, but this season it seems different. All the people that I didn't love are gone and most of the ones left really are good. I won't tell how many times I voted last night, but I did vote for more than two people.
Chip was in the other room studying and he heard me dial. I was caught!! I was slightly embarrassed when he was laughing, but oh well--I am embracing it now!!! When I was watching it will Mia she said "Mom, when I sing on TV someday will Dad get to be there?" Watch out AI, Mia is already getting ready!!
Go American Idol!! Can't wait for the results tonight. I hope I did not vote in vain!

Underwear Snatcher

2008-02-21T01:14:00.004-07:00

This little girl is crazy. Everyone told me that I was in for it with my next child since Mia was so easy, but I didn't believe them. I really thought Mia was a good kid because I had taught her to be. Laugh--HA HA! Jada is sure sweet but she is crazy busy. She will climb anything, empty everything, rip anything and stir the toilet water anytime she sees the door open. Her newest trick is turning on the sink in the bathroom and then emptying all the drawers into the sink of running water. She has also developed a fascination with Mia's underwear. I moved them down into a bin where Mia can reach them, so this also means that Jada can reach them too. Bless her heart, she thinks they are hats. This is what I walked in on one night when we were getting ready for bed!!

From this to this!!

2008-02-21T00:17:00.005-07:00

This...

to this... Notice the dear that have decided to make our yard their home...

they better not eat my tulips again

As you can see, we recently returned from a week long cruise to the Caribbean. I am still having a hard time adjusting to reality, but it was worth it. Thanks to our great friends who are "DO'ERS" all 10 of us were able to plan this trip kid free. We had a ton of fun and made lots of fun memories. Cruising is a great way to travel with a group like this. We experienced some great firsts...karaoke, parasailing, endless food and pina coladas, and sea sickness. Since I had all this time on my hand I gave into my friends' urging me to read Twilight and was soon hooked. Of course I got home from the trip with mountains of laundry and two sweet girls who wanted to spend time with their mommy, and all I could do for two days was read. Now I am having cruise withdrawals and Twilight withdrawals. Not a good combination, but I am getting through it. Actually coming back to the snow is a help. I got myself and Mia up to the slopes and skiied for the first time this year!! Love it. I have to say that although I love the beach and the sunshine, I would never trade it for the mountains.

Plumbing Woes

2008-01-15T00:03:00.000-07:00

Last week we had some drain problems in our kitchen sink. We were doing the dishes one night and all of a sudden the disposal started backing up. Since I like to think I am a self-made handyman I pushed Spencer aside and started unscrewing pipes underneath. This had happened to me once before and I had managed to fix it all on my own so I guess that is were I got my ego boost to think that I could handle any plumbing problem that came my way! Ya right! Two days later, one trip to the plumbing store, two doses of a potentially fatal sulfuric acid, a house that smelled like rotten eggs, and 3 attempts at snaking the dang thing, Spencer finally told me he was calling the plumber. Can you believe that he didn't have faith in my plumbing skills?
The plumber came the next day and I gave him a play-by-play of what I had done so far. He had a super snake and gave it a go. He couldn't get any farther than me at snaking it so he had to go down stairs and open up the pipe. Thanks to me he had to wear a garbage bag to protect himself from the acid, and I had to clean it up off of my laundry room floor. It took him about 1 hour and the drains were all running great again!
The best part of the whole experience was Mia's involvement. In the beginning she had great faith in my skills as a plumber. She kept opening her door (when she was supposed to be in bed) and asking "Did you fix the pipe yet mom?" That was the first thing she said when she woke up the next day and asked me that every few hours for the next day and a half. When the plumber was here she wanted to watch him the whole time. When he was downstairs working with the acid filled pipes Mia said "Mom I think that plumber is handsome." Who is this girl? She has never said that about anyone before and here she is saying it about our plumber who is probably 35 or 40? After I told her that he had fixed our pipe she went on to say, "Mom, I think the plumber is smarter than you."
Moral of the Story:
If you want your kids to still think you are the smartest kid in the world and that you know everything--Call the plumber!!
If you can't fix it in 10 minutes--Call the plumber!!

What we love about Christmas

2008-01-02T21:14:00.000-07:00

FYI...Unless you want to know about our whole December don't read this post. I only wrote it for fun documentation purposes.

Christmas came and went in a flash. It is hard to believe that it is already the new year and I haven't updated this blog for over a month. Between Mia's birthday, shopping and getting ready for Christmas and all the fun parties we have kept quite busy. We always have fun in December and try to take advantage of all the fun.
Getting the mail everyday and opening up all of your fun Christmas cards was a highlight everyday. I love to see all the different and creative styles that everyone comes up with. Our favorite card this year was the Nielsons!! It wouldn't be Christmas if we didn't make the annual trip to see Santa. Too bad Cottonwood Mall was closed this year so we had to go wait in line at Fashion. Of course Jada cried, but Mia just ate up. When we were leaving the mall Mia asked "Where do you think Santa parked his sleigh?" Our annual trip to the Christmas tree lot turned out successful. When we got our tree home it actually fit perfectly this year. Last year (and the year before) when we got our tree home it was about 2 feet too tall and 4 feet too big around. Despite many malfunctiong Christmas lights, we had fun decorating it too. It was fun to see Mia really start to understand the true meaning of Christmas. After watching her cartoon nativity movie she came upstairs with scarf on her head and one of her dolls and said "Look at my baby, his name is Jesus." Then she instructed me saying "Mom now you're supposed to say 'I know this child.'" She loved being a wiseman in primary and really enjoyed giving a gift to Baby Jesus. Jada's favorite thing of course was to destroy any decoration she could get her hands on. Although our tree started out pretty balenced it ended up naked until about waste up. We had some fun Christmas parties this year that were all fun, thanks to all our great family and friends. Thanks to all our fun friends, family, neighbors and work that hosted and entertained us this year--Bingo, Bowling, White Elephants, Chip and Dale, The Diamond Way, Sub for Santa, Crazy Magician, Silent Football, and Z$--Memories we will never forget!
Christmas Day this year was the best yet. Early that morning (around 2 am) I was sitting on the couch aranging some presents when i heard some faint sleigh bells--no joke! I thought I was losing my mind when I thought the Christmas lights were making that noise until I looked out the window and saw a man running down the middle of the street in a Santa hat shaking the bells. I could not believe my eyes, not to mention that it was dumping snow. Mia loved everything about the whole day. She could not believe it in the morning that Rudolph actually ate half of the carrot that she left him and that Santa ate all of the cookies. Santa listend when Mia told him, and everyone else that asked, that she wanted Dora Mermaid for Christmas. She was so excited to open up the last present to find her. We are already on the second doll that has broken, but oh well. Jada was sick on Christmas Eve and kept us up half of the night, but when she saw her car when she woke up she didn't care about anything else. She didn't even want to drink her bottle and threw a tantrum when we had to get her out to get dressed. Spencer surprised me with some really thoughtful, unexpected gifts, but the highlight of the day was watching the girls excitement as they opened their gifts. Thanks to our wonderful parents for the great presents and wonderful hospitality. We loved spending the day with our siblings and the girls of course can't get enough their cousins. I can't end without mentioning all the great Snow Storms. We just couldn't get enough of the snow and hope we have more and more storms the rest of the winter. We had a wonderful Christmas season and now we are looking forward to a great New Year.

Our Favorite Pics!

2008-01-02T20:33:00.000-07:00

Christmas Eve

Mia with Dora and Jada loving her Car

2008-01-02T20:20:00.000-07:00

We love the snow!

Mia had a Birthday!!

2007-12-22T22:43:00.000-07:00

Our sweet Mia had a birthday! I can't believe that I have a four year old. We had a great day and she is excited to tell me everyday that she can do new tasks by herself because she is four. "Mom, I can brush my teeth all by my self because I am four." "Mom, I can reach this light all by myself because I am four." Maybe she can learn to flush the toilet all by herself so that her sweet sister doesn't keep playing with soggy toilet paper. Hum... We were lucky enough to get dad to take the day off to spend the whole day with her. She loved it. The day started out by her opening all her fun "big girl presents." Since she is four she got a brand new 2 wheeler. I stayed up until 2 in the morning the night before her birthday putting together her beautiful sparkly purple bike. She was really excited about it, but the first thing she said when she was sitting on it was "I just wish my bike was pink." Great, purple is her second favorite color so I thought I was safe, but of course. Lucky for us since there is 2 feet of snow outside she gets to ride her big bike all around our living room for the next 3 months. Since she got to be completely in charge of the whole day I told her she could wear what ever she wanted. I bet you can guess what she said..."Pink shirt, pink pants, and pink socks." Too bad she doesn't have any pink pants anymore so she had to settle for pink tights. She got to drink a smoothly for lunch, then we went and saw Enchanted at the "movie feater", and she got mac and cheese and a sundae for dinner. At the end of the day she said "this was the best birthday ever!"

Party at Grandma Joanne's. More dress ups--Yay!

Party at Grandma Lu's.

Growing Pains

2007-11-21T00:39:00.000-07:00

The other day I was standing in the kitchen and Jada was playing in the dining room. I looked over and she was just walking into the kitchen without holding on to anything. This is the girl who refuses to walk. She took about 10 steps that day but hasn't taken anymore since. When I tried to get her to do it for Dad when he got home she did the typical Jada leg buckle. How can a 15 month old be so dang stubborn???

Jada also reached another major milestone. I took her to her 15 month doctor visit and he finally gave me the go ahead to turn her car seat around. She hasn't yet reached 20 pounds, but she is getting there. Maybe by 18 months. She is excited to be facing forward and be able to see everything that is going on!!

As for Mia--we were eating dinner tonight and she was really enjoying her food. All of a sudden out of the blue she says "If I eat all this dinner it's going to make me flat." No that's not a typo she did said flat. Obviously she has no idea what fat is, but I just can not figure out where in the heck she heard that phrase. I swear I never talk about getting fat so I don't know where she got it. I just ignored it, but it gave me a glimpse into the future. Oh boy!!

Not So Unusual!!!

2007-11-06T16:16:00.000-07:00

We hope everyone had a Happy Halloween! We are sad that it is over since we have been looking forward to it for so long. There will always be next year, and we have already started thinking about our costumes...

The other day I was at the doctor and he was asking me what my kids were going to be for Halloween. When I told him that Mia was going to be a bat he said, "Hum, that's unusual, is she an unusual girl?" My response was "No, she's not so unusual, if she had full control of what she was going to be she would have chosen to be a princess." Since she gets to be a princess everyday we decided to do something different. She looked at a Family Fun magazine at Grandma's and decided a bat would be fun! Of course she wanted to be pink bat, but that wouldn't have been quite the same. She made sure to clarify to everyone that she saw that she was a "nice bat." Jada was a lady bug and she actually really liked her costume!

Fun Cousins!

Scary Teeth!

Words with two meanings

2007-10-11T22:23:00.001-06:00

Tonight at dinner Chip was telling me the story about the school shooting in Ohio. Sweet Mia was sitting at the table with us and since she was actually eating her dinner we were able to have a conversation and didn't really think about her innocent ears overhearing this tragic story. Since I worked with kids at the hospital all the time trying clear up misconceptions of words with two meanings (i.e. stool, shot, flush, dressing, urnine (you're in), CAT, sleep etc.) I should have known better. But we messed up. Chip told me that after this boy shot kids at the school he then shot himself. When I asked Chip if he died he told me he did and then all of a sudden Mia chimed in and said "But Dad, I don't die when I get shots." There went all our therapeutic medical play and doctors office education right out the window. Poor girl, is trying so desperately to understand the world and then we messed it all up.
In order clear up the major misconception so she wouldn't be completely freaked out next time she has to get a shot, we had to give her the whole explanation about guns. When we asked her if she knew what a gun was she said "I have water guns." Who wants to tell their three year old that there are guns other than water guns? I guess this is just a great wake up call for me to remember that little ears hear everything and they can only understand it with their little mentality. I am just glad she said something so we could help her understand.

Modesty on Oprah

2007-10-08T00:07:00.000-06:00

The other day I had Oprah on and Mia woke up from her nap. She always wants to snuggle and is somewhat amuzed by Oprah.

Mia: Mom, look at that beautiful shirt. I've never seen a shirt like that. (Talking about this green shirt on the right.)
Mom: Ya Mia, that is a beautiful shirt. (I was somewhat surprised that she would think that a green shirt is beautiful since it is a "boy color".)
Mia: Mom, I would really like a shirt like that.
Mom: You want a pretty green shirt.
Mia: No Mom, one were both of my shoulders can come out like that.

Here I was for a brief moment thinking that she might be interested in wearing something other than pink, or purple. I guess not, instead she is already interested in wearing off-the-shoulder shirts at the young age of three. What fights do I have to look forward to when she is thirteen?

King Triton has boobs!

2007-09-25T21:44:00.000-06:00

Mia's favorite toys are her collection of princess movie themed action figures. She has all the characters from all her favorite movies and always has to take at least one princess with her everywhere she goes and all around the house. Since Mia has a hard time staying on task at meal time we had to ban any toys from the kitchen. Of course Mia will always try to manipulate the situation by letting us know that "giraffe is not a toy, she is real" or that "Snow White wants to watch me eat." Well the other day at dinner King Triton was "watching her eat." While she was supposed to be eating she was extremely distracted by King Triton's naked body.

Mia: Mom, why doesn't King Triton have on a bra?

Mom: Because, boys don't wear bras.
Mia: Why don't boys wear bras?

Mom: Because boys don't have boobs.
Mia: But Mom, King Triton does have boobs, look (pointing to King Triton sculpted chest).

Mom: King Triton does not have boobs, he just has a strong man chest.

Mia: But Mom look, King Triton does have boobs (pointing more directly at his nipples).

Mom: Mia those aren't boobs those as just his nipples, everyone has nipples.

Mia: (thinking) Oh, King Triton just has nibbles.
Mom: Mia, just eat your dinner.

I'm not sure where the sudden obsession with boobs came from because just two days ago when I was helping her get dressed she said out of the blue "Mom, are my boobs getting bigger?" Sometimes I am not sure where she came from, but at least she always gives me something to laugh about.

The Proposal

2007-09-25T21:40:00.000-06:00

Here is an update on Mia's spouse hunt!

Mia: Mom, today at school I asked Wyatt if he wanted to marry me when we grow up.
Mom: Hum, what did he say?
Mia: He said YES!...I guess Wyatt does want to be a prince when he grows up....I love Wyatt.

Maybe next week she might get down on one knee and give him a ring (or a crown!)

Dad's Party!

2007-09-24T23:15:00.000-06:00

A couple of weeks ago, my dad turned 70!!! My mom had a big party for him at her house and it was fun seeing all my dad's friends and everyone that was there to celebrate with him. There was a photographer there taking pictures and he got a few awesome pictures of the girls. I thought he took amazing pictures so I thought I would share them.

State Fair Fun

2007-09-16T21:21:00.000-06:00

Well, today is the day that the State Fair ends. For anyone who didn't have the opportunity to attend the fair this year, I am sorry! Because of Spencer's involvement in the fairs we have become somewhat of state fair junkies. Some might think that the fair is only for WT, but that doesn't stop us from having fun! As Mia is getting older she is really starting to enjoy the fair and this year we were able to go 2 times! It's is especially fun when Mia gets to tell people that her dad works at the fair! Just to give you an idea of the fun you missed out on I will give some of the highlights for us: the big yellow slide, corn dogs, fair rides, lots of fun people selling fun junk/stuff, super-size buttons with your pictures on them, pony rides, Little Hands on the Farm, corn on the cob, $1 cold root beer, cows, stinky pigs, goats, sheep, bunnies, snow cones, the biggest pig you've even seen, free samples of advil, free people watching, and good art.

This year I actually decided to get the full fair experience and I actually entered something in it! Last year I decided to make Jada's blessing dress (don't ask me why?). After a little encouragement from my family I decided I would enter it. Lucky for me I got a beautiful white Third Place ribbon. Don't worry, I'm not bragging because from what I could tell, there were only 4 entries in my category, but I will probably frame my shiny white ribbon and hang it on the wall along with the $1 prize money check! My talented mom entered an awesome cross stich and she won a big blue First Place Ribbon. Congrats to her! Here are some pictures of our "Fair Fun!"

Not so little anymore!

2007-09-12T21:28:00.000-06:00

Mia went to her first day of preschool last week. I can't believe that she is old enough to go to school! She was excited to take her back pack and head off. When I walked her into school that day the smell of the school brought back a few memories. Why is it that all schools smell the same? She gets to go to school with her good buddy Wyatt which made it a good easy transition for her. When I asked her after school if she had met any other friends she told me "No, because they were all strangers." Thanks to the Bernstein Bears she is a little too informed on stranger danger. Hopefully she'll get past it and meet some new little friends!!

Stripper in the Family

2007-09-10T23:43:00.000-06:00

Jada is our little free spirit. She puts up a good fight anytime we try to put clothes on her or change her diaper. I used to think the mission was accomplished once we got her fully clothed, but when I went in to get her from her nap the other day, she had proved me wrong. After her first nap...this is what I found. When I went to get her after her second nap, she was sporting only a diaper. I hope this isn't a prediction of behaviors later in life!!!

A day in the life of a princess!

2007-09-04T14:52:00.000-06:00

Last night we were driving home from a BBQ with some friends and Mia out of the blue says,

Mia: Dad, who can I marry?

Dad: Well Mia, who do you want to marry?

Mia: I want to marry you Dad.

Dad: Well Mia, you can't marry me because I am already married to mommy. But, you could marry someone like me.
Mia: But Dad, I just want to marry you.

Dad: You can't marry someone in our family but you could marry Smitty.

Mia: (Thinking) No

Dad: You could marry Josh.

Mia: No Dad, I don't think I can marry someone in my primary.

Dad: Well, you could marry Wyatt, he's a cool kid.
Mia: Ya, I want to marry Wyatt. (Thinking some more...) But Dad, I'm not sure Wyatt wants to be a prince when he grows up.

Apparantly Mia is pretty confindent that she is going to be a princess when she grows up and she knows that she has already tried to get Wyatt to play the part of the prince when he was over playing. He wasn't going for it then and I guess she knows she's not going to be able to convince him the way she can her dad. I guess Wyatt is a better soccer buddy than a prince.

The baby is One!!

2007-09-04T14:41:00.000-06:00

Since yesterday was Jada's 13 month birthday and I neglected to even mention her 1 year birthday--I thought I might post some pics of her party. I can't believe she is already 1! We had a little party with family and Jada loved every crumb of her birthday cake!

Is he a pirate?

2007-08-29T00:17:00.000-06:00

Ever since Mia started watching Peter Pan she has been somewhat fascinated by Pirates. She has an eye patch in her dress up bin and frequently puts it on and gives an "Arr Matey!"
The other day we were at the grocery store standing in line behind an older man (maybe 45-50) who was wearing a red bandana over top his longer gray hair. Mia turned to me and said "Mom, is he a pirate?" Hoping he didn't hear her I just said "No Mia he's not." Of course that answer was not enough, she kept probing--"But Mom, he looks like a pirate." What do you say to that?

What am I doing??

2007-08-17T01:33:00.000-06:00

Well, this is my first blogging experience and I'm not really sure what I'm doing. I enjoy reading so many of my friends' blogs that I thought I might try it out, especially since my attempt at journaling was a failure! I will have to figure this out and add some pics etc! Here are some recent pics of our trip to the Oregon Coast. It was beautiful and we had a blast.