The Allens

Hard work pays off

2011-11-27T21:51:00.000-08:00

I had mostly disappeared from the blogging world. I don't think I so much felt I was too busy, it was more I felt other people were too busy to read blogs anymore (I still do, occassionally). Maybe I should just take up a yearly report being that it has been over a year since I last posted anything. I had a friendly little reminder from a dear friend that the one year mark was quickly approaching and now it has come and gone ALL too quickly. (I actually wrote this the beginning of October...and I was waiting to add pictures before I posted it. What happened to November?!?!)

So the BIG news as of lately has marked quite a change for our family. Talmage got a new job! He is the new Assistant Principal at Escalon High School.

All of the HARD work is finally going to pay off. I am so proud of him. I have been AMAZED at his dedication and job well done to get his administrative credential and work towards his Masters. He is 1 class and a thesis away from his Masters which he would have completed in May but with a new job it will probably be pushed back a semester. It has definitely been a long and busy process. Winter semester (January-May) he had class three nights a week to complete 14 credits. When I was in college, 14 units seemed to be what I aimed for but that was before I was married and had kids. So to complete 14 units while being a husband, father, full time high school teacher, coach, volunteer scouter, stake young men's counselor, AND manage to get a 4.0 (a 4.0 since he started his graduate work, by the way)...I couldn't be more proud. I know it must have been hard but I never heard Talmage complain. There were times that I was tired for him but he would continue to persevere and get the work done. Now a new job. New responsibilites. A new cell phone/smart phone that actually gets service in our house (that was pretty exciting...i'm jealous of the bar code scanner and couponing abilities he has with it...oh well). A new office. A new amount of paperwork. A new look on the discipline of kids...not the fun part. Talmage does well at anything he puts his mind to. He was a FANTASTIC teacher and for that, he will be missed. But I think he will have such a positive influence on the students at EHS. He truly cares about them and wants them to succeed.

I'm so proud of him!

Missionaries and Computers

2010-10-14T14:46:00.000-07:00

I really should take the time to catch up with our lives...that'll be another day. My brother Kevin is serving in the Montana, Billings mission. Their mission is one of the "pilot" missions for incorporating blogs, Mormon.org, and Facebook into their missionary work. He is a great missionary and loves the work. Check out his blog... http://elderkhouse.blogspot.com

I can't keep up

2010-05-12T09:10:00.000-07:00

I had originally planned to make a quick post as to what has been going on in our lives lately, but 3 hours later and after the computer has shut down on me 3 times, here I am finally STARTING to type up a brief summary of the past month or so. Some may remember the computer problems we have had in the past. I have planned on getting a new computer for way over a year now, BUT I can't make a decision. New things keep coming out or I hear people who prefer one computer over another so it changes my almost decisions. And since our computer still works, most of the time, I haven't replaced it yet. I have had the no-brainer thought that if I get a new computer the kids can play on this one all (mostly) they want. The kids keep waiting for us to get a new computer because they are aware of this idea and aware that this computer isn't healthy enough for them to play on it. Soon...hopefully soon.

As far as life goes...we've had a fun and busy past few weeks/month. Who hasn't?! Talmage and Grant both had the same week off for Spring Break (definite perk to being a teacher) so we went to Utah. Talmage's parents have recently moved back to Layton so it was great getting to see them as well as 3 of his brothers and their wives. An added bonus was Talmage's brother Kimball coming out for the weekend also. Kimball lives about an hour and a half away from us and unfortunately we don't see him very often. Glad we could meet up 12 hours away from our homes though! We left after school on Thursday and drove to Reno for the night. It makes it so much nicer to break the trip up and only have 6 1/2 hours to drive the next day. My sister Jenn lives in Orem but they were heading out to Oakdale for Spring Break. We ended up passing each other in Utah close to the Nevada border so we met up at an exit to say hi and take a picture. We were so GLAD to be almost to our destination and felt bad that they had so far to go.

We had so much fun with everyone. It was a weekend of birthdays too. Talmage turned 30 on Saturday!! I feel bad I didn't have a birthday party for him or even make him a cake...well I kinda made a cake about a week before but that doesn't really count. Our little nieces, Taylie and Evelyn, both had their 1st birthdays while we were there. Such cute little girls! It was also great to be there during Conference and Easter. The kids had fun coloring eggs. Talmage and his brothers had fun playing a few games of basketball. I had fun spending time with the girls. How lucky to have more girls in this family now.

Grant had looked so forward to having snow and he got it! When we got there he had enough snow to build a snowman. Talmage was good to go help him build 5 snowmen...actually 3 snowmen and 2 snowgirls. He didn't seem to mind the cold. Neither did Kenzie or Tyler. But we were not prepared for so much playing in the snow. They all had coats but no boots or gloves. The weather was so nice on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday that we thought the snow would all melt and the snow family would too. Monday night we got about 12 inches of snow. Replenished the dwindling amount of snow they had to play with! It didn't last too long though. By Wednesday the kids were jumping on the trampoline with hardly any snow left on the ground because it warmed up so quickly. Warmed up so much that Kenzie decided she didn't need her clothes on anymore. I looked out the window to check on them and was surprised to see Kenzie wearing only her underwear. It wasn't THAT warm! Grant had only taken his shirt off. Crazy kids!

Sunday, Talmage and I went to Conference at the Conference Center with Tanner and Jessica. Always a special experience to be there. Despite the detours and difficulty getting there because of the MANY accidents on the freeways, we still had great seats and enjoyed incredible talks. The rest of the family went down to Orem to Grandma and Grandpa Allen's for a delicious Easter dinner. Grant LOVED Grandma's rolls, who doesn't?! I was glad there were still some left when we got there!

A fun special day was going to the Dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving Point. The kids loved it. Tyler had fallen asleep so Talmage stayed with him while Dantzelle and I took Grant and Kenzie through the museum. It was a lot of fun but we ran out of time. It was more crowded than we had expected...I guess a lot of kids were on Spring Break. But something the kids loved. Grant LOVES animals and dinosaurs. It amazes me how much he knows about animals. Of course Kenzie likes what Grant likes. She looks up to him so much and they get along so well together. Grant's favorite part was excavating dinosaur fossils. I'm sure he would have stayed in there for at least an hour and we only gave him about 15 minutes. We wanted to beat the storm (the one in which we got 12 inches) and traffic and get back for Evelyn's birthday party.

On Monday I also got to see my dear old (she did just turn 30) roommate from BYU. It was SO great to see her! I made a lot of WONDERFUL friends at BYU. Love them all, but Bree was my first friend at BYU and one that will always have a special place in my heart. (I know that sounds cheesy) We met online (way before Facebook) after finding out we were both going to BYU. She lived in Pennsylvania and I, of course, in Oakdale. We ended up living in the same dorm, in the same ward even.

We had a lot of fun over our 4 years at BYU. Worked Scout Camp together one summer. Worked Sports Camp together another summer. We were both Recreation Management Majors together.

We graduated and our lives were already changing. I got married. She got a "real" job. I had 3 kids. She went on a mission. But, 8 years later we got to meet up again. LOVED it. I had the kids with me and she was at work so we didn't have that much time but I really, really enjoyed it.

Our trip to Utah was fun. The drive is long but the time there is fun and memorable. Of course we look forward to our next trip in July for the family reunions!!

And finally, our trip to Disneyland at the end of April. Fun, of course. Talmage wasn't able to get those days off for work but my parents, sister, and brother in law were coming so I figured I could handle it. We stayed at my parents time share at the Grand Californian Villas which was fabulous! I will admit, I was disappointed to not get the luxury of a real bed. I'll explain. The room was plenty big enough. It was a two bedroom villa with a master suite as one bedroom and the second room had two queen beds and a bathroom. The living room area had a pull out sofa bed and a murphy bed. My parents of course took the master suite. The kids of course were excited about the pull out bed and the murphy bed. With my sister and her husband coming I didn't expect to take the other private room away from them (they are newlyweds...). That left me with the option of the murphy bed or sofa bed. Regardless of the sleeping arrangements, we all had a great time...and sleeping arrangements turned out to be perfectly fine. It was so nice having a kitchen. We had breakfast every morning. Packed lunches and snacks to take during the day. My dad took Tyler back each day for naps. We had a lasagna baked and ready for us when we came back for dinner the first night. We had ice cream and milkshakes each night...and one day after lunch. Delicious!

As far as rides go, the kids are NOT adventurous so they didn't like going on hardly any rides. Pirates? Not a chance. Peter Pan? Grant finally went with Cortney and Jacen. Gadgett's Go Go Coaster? Grant went two times in a row because after going through the line Kenzie REFUSED to go. Matterhorn? Splash Mountain? Mr. Toad's? Alice in Wonderland? Nope. Nope. Nope. And Nope. We tried to go to the Bug's Life 3D movie thing...had to walk out when Tyler and Kenzie were both crying. BUT! They did love Small World, the Carousel, Casey Junior Train, Dumbo, Buzz Lightyear, Toy Story Mania, the other Carousel in CA Adventure, and Kenzie loved dancing around on the street by the castle. Grant also had the great experience to participate in the Star Wars Jedi Training. Kenzie had to be taken out by my mom far, far away from the area when Darth Vader and Darth Maul came out to fight the trainees. She was TOTALLY and EXTREMELY frightened by them. I felt so bad. I really didn't think about her being scared by them. I guess I should have warned her ahead of time what was going to happen. She was crying and shaking and begging to go away from there. She told my mom that they had to run as far away and as fast as they can to get away because they were going to kill them. I guess she didn't realize that the rest of the crowd was okay with them and didn't fear for their lives. Poor thing. Grant loved it. He did tell me that he was a little nervous when it was his turn to fight Darth Vader, but he did great.

Well, that finally takes care of April. Too bad we're almost half way through May. How did that happen!?

A few milestones...take II

2010-03-12T14:59:00.000-08:00

It has been quite an eventful past week. My sister Cortney got married last Friday. She was absolutely beautiful and the day was perfect. Cortney and Jacen were so calm, collected, patient, and CUTE. It was so fun to be part of their day. The reception was decorated so nicely with a rustic theme and was so fitting for them. Simple. Elegant. Country.

The kids were DEFINITELY TIRED after a long day to the temple and late at the reception to clean up

Yesterday my van hit the 100,000 mile milestone. WOW! That's a lot of miles.

Last night Grant lost his first tooth. It has been loose for MONTHS but it finally started making it known it was ready to come out while we were eating dinner. He took a few bites and complained (and cried) about biting his tooth. I took Kenzie to ballet and thought for sure his tooth would be out when I got home. Talmage had wiggled it a lot but Grant didn't want it messed with anymore. I got home - Talmage had to leave for scout Roundtable - so I asked Grant how his tooth was. It was just barely hanging in there and all it took was one little push in the other direction and out it came. He was a good sport and very brave. Mackenzie on the other hand...not so brave. Anytime she saw one of us moving his tooth she would panic. Then last night we were talking about having his tooth under his pillow for the Tooth Fairy... Kenzie was very paranoid about a Tooth Fairy coming in her room. (Grant has been sleeping in Kenzie's room every night for the past few weeks. Kenzie loves having a friend in there with her and Grant enjoys being there with her.) But she was almost in tears when going to bed and told me she doesn't like the Tooth Fairy. After Grant and I both painted a happy mental picture of what the Tooth Fairy probably looks like...(Pink wings, pink skirt, pink nail polish, etc.) she did okay. Grant asked me to wake him up or at least tell him what the Tooth Fairy really looks like if I saw it. The Tooth Fairy did leave him a few quarters and a toothbrush. He was thrilled. Kenzie got a toothbrush from the Tooth Fairy as a peace offering. I think she's okay with the Tooth Fairy...at least for now.

The kids one day were sitting on the porch.

Some friends from high school got together with our kids one morning while Jessica was in town . Angela, Me, Katie, and Jessica...and our KIDS! As to be expected, the kids were so thrilled to get their pictures taken! Always fun to get together though.

The Baby

2010-02-25T15:28:00.000-08:00

Every family with a fair number of kids can always point out the reasons why "the baby" of the family is spoiled. For example...They get to go on bigger and better vacations than the others. They get giant homemade cookies in their lunches everyday. They get to go out to dinner more often. They get new fancy toys...electronics. They get a blog entry dedicated to them. The list can go on...but I would like to point one of my personal contributions on how I helped spoil the baby. I was not a standout in athletics. I maybe could have been (not really) but instead I, as well as the other siblings held back a bit to give more stardom to the baby. If we would have all been good at everything then it would have been so great to watch Tim..."big deal, here's another one" instead of "WOW Tim, you're just really good at everything." SO really, Tim should be thanking all of his siblings for not being the standouts. Kevin came close and Cortney gave it a good showing, but Tim got it all.

Here is a short highlight reel of just a FEW of his amazing strides on the football field this season.

Tim House Highlight Reel
Tim is #10 in the white or red running with the ball

Really...I wanted to just brag on my big baby brother. He is such a good, funny kid with so much going for him. He is talented in football. Talented in shot put and discus. And not really a surprise, but he was also good in wrestling this year. He didn't want to wrestle because he doesn't like it and hadn't done it since 8th grade. He just did it this year because the coaches wanted him to and because my parents thought it would be good for him. AND Tim is a smart kid. Makes me "proud" to be his sister.

And really, I don't think it's all that easy being the baby. You grow up in a big family with siblings all around but then they grow up, leave the house, get married, and you're left with just mom and dad. NOT a bad position to be in...just a little lonely. And poor Tim...in less than a year Kevin went on his mission, Brittany got married, and now Cortney gets married next Friday. Good thing Tyler is here to make him laugh.

Where to start?

2010-02-10T16:15:00.000-08:00

I didn't want to become one of those bloggers that starts and stops so irregularly, but alas it has come to that. So...to the highlights of January.

Brittany and Tom's wedding on January 8th.

The good?? The day was beautiful. Some rain, some shine, some clouds. The bride and groom are happy and in love.
The bad?? My mom, Cort, and I had cameras around our necks the whole day and evening so I didn't even think to bring my OWN camera. what was i thinking?? So I had to hope I took some pictures of my own little family. Luckily other people took a few. And luckily Cortney gets married in a few weeks so I can remember a) My camera and b) To take pictures of my cute little family.

The FAMILY with everyone except Kevin who is on his mission.

Mason and Grant giving thumbs up

Kennedy and Mackenzie...not sure what Kenzie is doing??

Talmage and Tyler...Tyler reminded me of the squeaker penguin toy on Toy Story with his little vest and bow tie on.

Kenzie and I enjoying our dinner. Too bad my mouth was full but at least I got to sit for a few moments and take a few bites.

Kenzie and Talmage busting a move on the dance floor.

The rest of January flew by. Tyler continues to be a comedian and still considers anything of substance hat-worthy. It seems that every meal is not complete until he puts his bowl, plate, shredded cheese, apples, quesadillas, pasta, cup, bib, or ANYTHING else on his head and says "Nice hat."

Mackenzie is such a little bossy mommy to Tyler...and anyone else she so chooses. It has been really really hard trying to decide whether to start Kenzie in kindergarten this year or wait a year. There are definite pros and cons to both sides. Her birthday is in November 8th so less than a month before the California cut off date of December 1st. My birthday is the 15th of November and I started early and actually quite enjoyed that I was one of the youngest in my grade. My parents now say they wish they would have held me back for selfish reasons. When I was 17 and going off to college it wasn't such a fun idea for them. They have suggested we hold Kenzie back and let her play and be little longer. I agreed with it, but I also didn't want her to be bored this year not going to school or even next year when she does start school. Talmage thought we might as well just start her. SO I asked one of the kindergarten teachers and explained my hesitations both ways. She feels very strongly that it's good to hold young ones back. She said they notice such a difference in kids whose birthdays are even in August. She also pointed out that with talk of class size reduction being done away with she could end up in a larger class in the next couple years and struggle. I felt that I just needed someone to confirm substantial reasons beyond my selfishness of holding her back or starting her early. SO, the decision is to hold her back one more year.

Grant has yet to lose his first tooth...still. He has had a loose tooth for a few months now but hasn't worked it enough to come out. The other night at dinner he was wiggling his loose tooth and said he needed some pretzels. A kid in his class had a loose tooth and ate some pretzels and his tooth came out. We didn't have pretzels nor was Grant finished with his dinner so he needed to think of another idea. He asked Talmage what he ate to lose a tooth. Talmage, seeing that Grant hadn't eaten his broccoli, said he thought he ate broccoli. Not liking that idea, Grant turned to me and asked what I ate. I told him I probably ate vegetables too. So, he took a bite to give it a try. I didn't pay much attention to Grant's plate until he was clearing the table and I noticed broccoli still on his plate. We asked why he didn't finish his broccoli and he said he didn't want to lose his teeth after all. OF COURSE!!

We are so blessed with such sweet happy little kids, most of the time. They have so much fun together, most of the time. The weather has been incredibly nice lately so the kids have been able to play outside more. Grant is a HUGE fan of Star Wars which in turn makes Kenzie and Tyler huge fans as well. The other day they were in the backyard playing. Grant had a light saber. Kenzie had a gun. Tyler had a plastic baseball bat. They were wandering around the yard creating and using their imaginations...more like acting out a scene from Star Wars. Tyler was starting to get away so Grant called out, "Follow that Ewok!" I then understood what part Tyler got to play. I think he has been Yoda on occasion too. Maybe it's his height. What fun little imaginations.

The Holiday Season

2009-12-09T14:18:00.001-08:00

The other day I was working on my blog and trying to get a video to post. But before it was done I had to hurry out the door. In my hurry I clicked on PUBLISH POST instead of SAVE NOW. I always like to post pictures, so now...here they are. I'm still trying to figure out the video and why I can't get it to post.

It's probably time I sit down to remember and record the things that have been going on lately. I made a list the other day so I could update this blog, but I can't find it. So this will have to be from memory...and that's not always as reliable and one would hope. The good thing is we're all happy, healthy, and busy. There is lots of excitement for Christmas. I think Kenzie remembers to include "bless that it will be Christmas" in almost every prayer, even the blessings on the food. As soon as December 1st came, Grant was so thrilled because he knew this was the month of Christmas. Tyler "oohhs" and "awws" when he points to the Christmas tree or garland on the stairs. Oh the magical time of Christmas! It's so cute and adds so much more fun and magic to this time of year. A few highlights of the past month.
Grant finished his first year of soccer. He did great and was so much fun to watch. He would put forth effort on every play, even when the ball was on the other end of the field. He kept his feet moving and ready just in case the ball happened to come his way. He was in the Under 8 group since he turned 6 before August 1st. That meant some of the kids on his team were turning 8 during the season. That also meant there were some pretty big boys he played against. We were so proud of him. He had a lot of fun and so did we! He is loving school. His teacher came up to me one afternoon while the kids were playing on the playground after school and told me she was going to move him up to the top reading group. I of course figured it was about time. I help out in Grant's class every Friday and noticed how he seemed to be in the wrong group but I never said anything. Maybe it was just a mother's bias. But when Mrs. Harris came and talked about moving Grant up I wasn't surprised. She said he's just been so quiet and good about doing his work that he just kinda sneaked past but that there's a lot going on in his head. Of course I was thinking, "it's about time she noticed," but took the compliment. He's been working hard and doing well. He is such a good helper at home too. When Tyler wakes up from naps Grant is always willing to go get him out of bed. He and Kenzie play so well together and they are good to include Tyler even if he does take the toys they were playing with.
Mackenzie is still loving dance and loves playing with her friends. She is such a girl! but I love it! She loves playing with all of her friends. She also loves to draw which is good when it's on paper. For some reason she has really struggled with remembering that we ONLY draw on paper. Walls are not paper... One day she had drawn with black pen on her pink walls. When I saw it I talked to her about not wanting black ink in our pretty pink walls. I don't remember if it was the next day or just later that day but she was so excited to come tell me to look at her wall. I was expecting to see that she had washed the black ink off...but no, she had colored over the black ink with pink marker. Her excitement for me to see it was so sweet that I couldn't be upset. We tried to wash off both the black and pink but it didn't quite work as well as hoped. Even the magic eraser fell short of my expectations. Since that event we have had two other drawings on the wall...KENZIE... A tradition for Thanksgiving is to go around the table and say three things we're thankful for. She begged to go first and shared the three things she is thankful for as Flowers, Rainbows, and Butterflies. She is such a sweet girl (most of the time) and a good sister.
Tyler is our little comedian. He has been to his fair share of football games so it really shouldn't have come as a surprise when one day I realized he kept saying "de-den" (defense) and then he would clap his hands together. He has also learned a joke. He says, "Not-not" (knock-knock) and when you reply who's there he answers back "Boo." He doesn't say the punch line yet, but it's still funny to hear him say a knock knock joke. Tyler also has a thing where he squints his eyes at people when they talk to him. I don't know if he's trying to hide or just be funny. He's a little bashful but I think he loves getting attention. The other day we were at my parents' house and Tyler had grabbed the PS3 remote. My dad tried to grab it but Tyler ran away. When my dad had him mostly cornered Tyler held the remote over his head as if to keep it away from my dad. Didn't work though. I don't know if Tyler realizes that practically everyone he knows is taller than him. Good try though.
One other highlight from the past couple months has been going to my brother Tim's football games. The kids have been really good sports to go to so many. It seems like at least one child has fallen asleep at each game. Some times all three of them fall asleep and that makes it fun when we go down to the field after the game. We have had to wake Grant up...poor kid...and make him walk. He doesn't mind as soon as we get to the field and he ends up playing with his friends. Tim has had a great season and made it through 2 post season playoff games.
So now it's the Christmas season and life will not be slowing down for me to keep up on our "history." We're happy to be at our home for Christmas although we wish we could spend time with all of our families during the holidays. Talmage was just commenting last night how he really would love to go to Seattle for Christmas without the worry and time of the drive or without the cost of flying. Maybe we can negotiate something for next year. We look forward to the fun and spirit of the season with new and old traditions. Last night Grant's primary class had a Family Home Evening on family traditions. We came home with great ideas for new traditions. Hoping everyone has a wonderfully special and happy Merry Christmas!

Cookies anyone?

2009-10-25T13:43:00.001-07:00

I came across this "100 Days of Holiday Cookies" and couldn't believe Christmas is only 2 months away. Officially 60 days from today. Shouldn't it only be May? I can't believe how quickly this month has gone! Anyway, I love holiday baking, even though I really don't do much. There's no way I could or would actually make cookies in the 100 days leading up to Christmas, but I'm sure there are delicious cookie ideas. I browsed back though a few that I think I'll have to try. There are some fun ones for Halloween and Thanksgiving too.

An update

2009-10-16T15:22:00.001-07:00

I know most everyone was wondering about our delayed walker... He is taking steps! In fact, I think he quite enjoys this new method of transportation. He'll walk short little distances (10-20 steps) at a time without falling. He can even maneuver turns and a few backwards steps (those are mostly to keep his balance). He's been taking steps for about a week...maybe two weeks, but this last week he has really taken on the distances. Our activity for FHE on Monday was to watch and encourage Tyler to walk to each of us. It's only a matter of time before he starts running!

The Busy One

2009-09-17T18:22:00.000-07:00

I know I've looked forward to Tyler reaching the typical milestones all infants and toddlers encounter in the first year or so of life (yes, we're still waiting for the first steps), but he is one BUSY BOY.

I can't leave any bathroom door open...what is it with the fascination with the toilet?!

I'm finally okay with him on the stairs, I had to be...he kept getting through the barricades. Although, he does fall down a few steps every once in a while.

Kenzie is very good to play with him, unless she's busy playing a certain "roleplay." It's obvious when he's not invited...she migrates herself and her toys into the spare room and closes the door.

I have a very short time limit when loading the dishwasher. When Tyler sees it open it's GO time for me. He loves to climb up into the dishwasher or take things out as I put them in.

He also loves the sippy cup drawer. I don't know if he's just practicing drinking out of the lids or if he's wishfully thinking there was something to drink.

The drawers under the oven with the baking dishes...loves those too. The other morning I came down the stairs after getting ready (Kenzie was looking after Tyler) and two of my glass pyrex dishes were in the living room and two metal dishes. Kenzie made sure to declare that "Tyler did it." (I had no doubt!)

Tyler loves music. The other day he discovered one of those plastic accordion straws for water bottles. He entertained himself quite well with the whistle it makes and danced along to his own music. Any time he hears music is a reason to "dance."

As far as walking goes...I can't convince him to take any steps alone. He'll push chairs around the kitchen. He'll push the office chair around the house. He'll push laundry baskets or anything else that can get him from Point A to Point B on his feet but not on his own. I know he'll get the walking thing down...eventually, but in the meantime, he keeps me hopping.

Little Ballerina

2009-08-27T19:00:00.000-07:00

Kenzie is the one in the middle -- no skirt

Mackenzie started ballet last Thursday and I think she loves it. She looked so cute in her little tights, leotard, and ballet shoes with her hair back in a bun. Last week it was very difficult to really peek in and look at her because I had two boys with me. I was exhausted after class last week and I didn't even dance. Mackenzie is in class with three little cousins, Audrey, Jill, and Reece. That makes it fun for her but I think it complicates things a bit for the moms until we start carpooling. Audrey and Reece have big brothers, Jack and Garrett, and they are best buddies with Grant. I don't know if that takes any more explaining... 2- 5 year old boys and 1- 6 year old boy in a dance studio?!

But that's not all. In addition to that I have a 1 year old that doesn't walk yet but LOVES to explore and get into things. He doesn't want to be held anymore. He wants to crawl or walk along chairs, furniture, etc. We did take a little break to go walk around the Farmer's Market. Ballet class is only 45 minutes so it's not really worth the drive home and back. And if parking wasn't so crazy I would have considered it. This Thursday, however, was the last week of Farmer's Market for the summer, so thank goodness parking will be available again. This week worked out very nicely because Talmage was able to come right after his soccer game and take our boys home so I could stay and peek in on Kenzie a little more. It was so much easier to watch! Last week I had my camera but didn't take very many good pictures; hard to hold a camera steady while holding a squirmy little boy. Kenzie tries really hard and sits very still and quietly when waiting for her turn across the floor.

Teacher Leslie

Teacher Lauren

It's hard to believe I'm taking my own little girl to dance. Valley Oak School of Dance is the same dance studio I went to as a young girl and danced with for 12 years. Teacher Leslie was my teacher since I started. There was a bit of reminissing as I walked out of the studio with my little dancer. The class after Mackenzie's is the advanced ballet with the oldest girls dancing pointe. Those girls look so young! It doesn't seem that long ago that I was in their shoes, yet it feels like forever. I so enjoyed my years of dancing. My senior year I helped teach a few classes just like Kenzie's "Teacher Lauren." The memories... Those little girls are so cute and say and do the funniest things.

Kenzie and her cousin Jill

Earlier in the day before Kenzie's ballet class, I asked her to tell me her 3 favorite things to do. This is what she said.

1. Play
2. Ballet
3. Get Rocks

She actually added get married at the end, but I'll let her add that to her list when she's about 25. On a side note, she did tell a little boy her age that she's going to marry him. It left him speechless (and I'm sure very confused). She also tells me that she's going to be Minnie Mouse when she grows up. I would be okay with that. She'll probably be short enough. As far as getting rocks...I'm not sure where that comes from? She is a little girly but she likes to play in the dirt and collect rocks. Every time we're at the ranch she comes home with a few. That's my little ballerina.

A very small portion of her rock collection. Yes, just normal, find-in-the-driveway rocks.

**By the way...I almost didn't post any pictures when I saw how BLURRY they were. I can take pictures that aren't blurry but just not while holding a little boy. My dinky little camera doesn't help either.

Back to School

2009-08-11T15:38:00.000-07:00

Back to school already. Grant loves school so he was excited to go back. I admit I was dreading it just a bit because of the transportation delima. Grant rode the bus home from school most days last year. I know it wasn't good of me to complain but I wished the bus could just drop him off in front of our house. It had to drive right in front of our house to circle the park to end up at the bus stop anyway. Most days I had to wake Tyler up from his naps...never fun to wake a peacefully sleeping baby.
Well this year, there is no bus transportation for kids within city limits. Makes sense...I know and I agree with it, however, I don't love it. I would rather take away buses than teachers. There are a LOT of kids that go to school and a LOT of cars that drive to drop them off and pick them up. I really shouldn't complain... It's wonderful that he has a great school to go to. So....first day of school. He was happy. He was excited. He met his wonderful teacher, Mrs. Harris. He has two friends from his class last year, Max and Ernesto. He is excited about his own desk. He thinks it's so fun to play on the big playground. It's a little weird having him gone all day. That hasn't been as exhausting for him as I anticipated. He's adjusted very well. I called my parents after Grant's first day of school and told them I just dropped off my First Grader for his first day of ALL day school. My dad replied that he had just sent his Twelfth Grader off to school...his last kid to send off for his last year of school. (Quickly I felt I wasn't going to get much sympathy for taking my first grader)I didn't hear much about his first day of school -- he doesn't divulge much information no matter how many questions I ask. I did hear that he chased some girls at recess. That was surprising! but it made me smile. Grant is such a shy and reserved boy that I didn't know he had that in him. Way to go Grant. Well...as always, this year will fly by and before we know it Summer will be here again. Talmage is convinced that Kenzie will start Kindergarten next Fall but I'm a little hesitant. I'm not ready for my kids to grow up so fast. Kenzie is so close to the deadline for starting school. Her birthday is November 8th and the cutoff is December 1st. My sister Brittany and I both have November birthdays. We started school early and seemed to turn out okay -- But my mom wishes she would have started us later. Why make kids grow up so fast? We'll see what happens.

Our Summer

2009-08-10T13:00:00.000-07:00

Highlights of our summer. As always...it went by too fast but we had a lot of fun!!

Swimming -- And the kids have no tan lines to prove it :: they just don't get color!
Grass in the backyard -- Nice to have it GREEN
County Fair -- Talmage's students did well and we all had a great time.
Jelly Belly Factory -- Love free jelly bellys!
Disneyland -- Kids had fun :: We had fun
Tyler and Grant's birthdays -- What cute, good boys we have
Jenn and kids visit -- So fun to play with cousins!
Pinecrest -- Talmage's lone hike around the lake :: Yummy ice cream cones :: Party boat
Santa Cruz -- Loved $.75 hot dogs, rides, drinks, cotton candy! And finally had a deep fried twinkie!
Library reading program -- I love that my kids love to read
Summer movie festival -- I love free movies!
National Night Out at the park -- Conveniently located right across the street
G&G Allen, Taylor & Shalie visit -- Columbia, Fun Works, Camping in the backyard, Farmer's Market, Chocolate Cake, Swimming... So much fun! We love having visitors

Grant's birthday party

2009-07-18T15:04:00.000-07:00

I've never really had a birthday party for Grant. Maybe when he turned 3 we had a little family gathering with cake and ice cream and party hats (because that's all he said he wanted for his birthday--the party hats). Grant has gone to A LOT of birthday parties this year and has always had SO MUCH fun. Back in April he started making his own invitations. He only had to ask how to spell a few words and names but he did the rest. In fact, I didn't even know what he was doing until he had about 3 invitations all done. That was when I decided I should have a birthday party for him. I'm not one of those naturally creative people so being that Grant's birthday is in the middle of July it's perfect for a swim party and water games. Grant helped me plan his party and make his new invitations (although I think his original ones looked much better than mine). I always feel a little awkward about inviting people over and having parties--which is why I've never really done it before. BUT we pulled it off and had a great time. Grant was very worried when we got to my grandparents' house and we were the first ones there. He asked what happened and where everyone was. We explained that since it was his party we needed to be the first ones there. Thank goodness we have a lot of cousins close by and that they were in town because ALL of the other friends he invited were on vacation with their families--Middle of July=Family vacations! An extra special treat was that Mason and Kennedy (my sister's kids) were here visiting from Utah. Grant had a lot of fun.

We played a few games on the front lawn before breaking the Pinata. That was a TOUGH pinata! Then everyone enjoyed swimming. It was a HOT day...close to 100 if not hotter. Then of course time for cake and ice cream and opening presents. Thank you everyone for the gifts. Grant has had a BLAST playing with his new things. He woke up around 5:00 Sunday morning to play with his toys before church...what a kid!

Disneyland

2009-07-16T15:08:00.000-07:00

Highlights
::Being together as a family
::Staying at a close hotel...thanks MOM and DAD
::Seeing the excitement in the kids' faces
::It's a Small World ride was OPEN (Kenzie was absolutely PLEASED)
::Tyler LOVED the rides and characters
::Grant celebrated his 6th Birthday
::Fireworks were spectacular
::Talmage reached a new high score on the Buzz Lightyear ride...see picture below
::Had fun swimming in the hotel Pool
::1:1 Ratio for kids and adults (My mom, sister Jenn and her two kids, and sister Cortney were there). Especially nice that each kid had a stroller
::Tyler took surprisingly good naps in his stroller
::Packed extra food to save $$
::Kenzie went on more rides than just Small World...she said the Woody ride and Carousel were her other favorites...although it took A LOT of coaxing to go on the Woody ride. She cried and refused to go the first two times we got up to the front of the line.
::We were able to go to the "Company D" Store for Disney employees and get our souvenirs for WAY cheaper.
::Talmage and I got a night out to the park by ourselves!
::Grant went down the "big slide" at the hotel pool because he's a "strong swimmer"
::Got to feed the fish in the Koi Pond at the hotel
::We had a WONDERFUL time!!Not so highlights
::The crowds...although we expected them in the middle of july
::The HEAT and HUMIDITY?!
::An unfortunate "protein spill" from a passenger seated RIGHT NEXT to Talmage on the Monorail--glad the kids and I were in another location--sorry Talmage!
::We didn't get to ride everything...Splash Mountain, Indiana Jones, Peter Pan, Mr. Toad, The Train, Space Mountain--Didn't even go into ToonTown
::The night out with Talmage, the crowds were worse than during the day...Indiana Jones broke down when we were in line...Space Mountain line had a 45 minute wait at 11:55pm?!
::A few of us ended up getting colds :(

Happy Birthday Grant

2009-07-15T08:52:00.000-07:00

Grant is a very special part of our family.

He is sensitive
He is thoughtful.
He is smart.
He is shy.
He is kind.
He is helpful.
He is sweet.
He is happy (and grumpy).
He is a friend.
He makes us laugh.

When I was looking back at pictures it was hard for me to believe that time goes by so quickly. I don't remember much about life without Grant. I also have a hard time remembering how easy life was having only Grant. I feel like I've heard my mom say...I wish I could go back and do it again. I would write more things down so I could hopefully remember more.
Grant is such a good helper and sweet boy. It really is hard to believe he's 6!

Our little 1 year old

2009-07-04T14:28:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe Tyler is already 1. I know it's hard for many other people to believe as well because he's still so little (5th percentile) but our little firecracker has turned 1. We seemed to have a bit of a rough start with Tyler but he is such a happy and funny little boy. He makes us all laugh.Notable things about Tyler:
His unique crawl
His head shake and nod
He LOVES to eat
He thinks it's funny when people are sleeping
His eye blinks
He loves "Round-About," "Pat-a-Cake," and playing with his brother and sister
He swims his arms around when he sees something he wants
He LOVES playing in the water...bathtub or pool
He has incredibly BLUE eyes and light hair

We absolutely love Tyler and are so glad he is part of our family. Happy Birthday Tyler!

County Fair

2009-06-27T09:30:00.000-07:00

Talmage is an excellent teacher and has very talented students. Each year he encourages his students to enter their drawings into the County Fair. Every year we go to the fair to see how many ribbons his students receive but also to enjoy the fair. Each year is a little different. One year it was so hot we didn't stay very long. Talmage gives me a hard time because we only stayed for 30 minutes. To my defense...it was 108 that day so walking around in the sun was NOT my idea of a good time. Last year only Talmage and Grant went. They had a fun time and stayed in Sacramento that night so they could fly out EARLY the next morning to go to his brother Taylor's wedding. Kenzie and I stayed home because I was pregnant with Tyler and couldn't fly that close to my due date. This year turned out to be a very pleasant year. It was hot but only reached about 95? There was a welcomed breeze that would blow that made it even more enjoyable. The kids had a fun time so we of course had a fun time.
We stopped in at the petting zoo.
We checked in on how well Talmage's students did.
Then we watched the "Dog Splash" show.
The kids planted pumkin seeds.
We watched the Farm Follies little show. It was hot for the animals so they gave a half-hearted performance.
We walked around the livestock area to see the sheep, pigs, and cows. Tyler really gets excited when he sees animals.There was a cute little farm area for the kids to do things that are done on a farm...feed the horses and pigs, milk the cow, wash the clothes and hang them to dry, gather eggs from the chickens, dig up a potato, pick a carrot from the garden, pick an apple from the tree. Then they took all of their items to sell at the Farmers Market. After selling their items they were paid $5 play money. Then they went "shopping" for a toy with their "money." It was a fun thing for the kids.
We watched a kids Tractor Pull competition.
Talmage and the kids got us some Cotton Candy which made it "taste" like a fair.
Then we watched the cute little pig races.
We were heading towards the gate to leave when we heard they were taking sign ups for the kids tractor pull. Grant wanted to participate so here is his valiant effort to complete the tractor pull. He was pulling 50 pounds in the trailer so that made it a little heavy.

After leaving the fair we went to "The Panda Store" aka Panda Express, for dinner. We were all a little hungry.
On our way home we stopped at the park in Riverbank. The kids had a fun time playing and it was a nice evening until a bug supposedly touched Kenzie's toe. She doesn't tolerate pain OR bugs well. Tyler was also getting restless from being held or in the stroller all day so we knew it was time to go. A great day though!

A vacation?

2009-06-25T10:21:00.000-07:00

I feel like I haven't been home much lately but I can't quite say we went on a vacation. Most of my days have been spent out at my parents house. I've helped my mom with a couple weddings. It has been such a fun little job for me. I love helping with weddings. Brides are always so beautiful and it's such a fun occasion. Our latest wedding of Ashley and Jimmy... She was absolutely breathtaking. I've been helping my mom narrow down pictures from the weddings and play in photoshop with a few of the pictures. So much fun and something I could (and do) spend HOURS doing.

Then last week my brother Tim was at football camp at BYU so my mom thought it would be fun to paint and redo his room to look like a boys room. Tim's room was my old room. I only lived in that room for two years of high school and a couple summers during college but my Barbies have been well displayed on the shelves since we moved into that house in 1996. The room was vacant for many years once Jenn and I got married, over 7 years ago, but would see visitors during the holidays and on occasion during the summer visits. I'm not sure why it took so long, but finally Kevin moved into that room. He didn't complain about the Barbies. He said he didn't care since he didn't spend much time in the room anyway. I didn't know where I would put all of my Barbies so if he was okay with them in the room on the shelves, then I was okay. When Kevin left on his mission Tim moved into that room. He too said he wasn't bothered by the Barbies...for the same reason. The time he spent in that room he was usually sleeping so it didn't matter. It was time to update the look though, so we spent MANY hours on several days cleaning, organizing, dusting, painting, etc. Talmage was so good to help us. It was much easier and faster for he and my dad to move the furniture than my mom and I. The room looks great! I don't have pictures, but it looks good. The Barbies finally came down and have found a nice temporary place in our garage. We also cleaned out the boys' old room. I wish I would have counted but I'm pretty sure I found:

30 pocket knives
5 lighters
2 bottles of lighter fluid
2 sets of walkie-talkies
interesting samples of welded metal
a few wooden projects like a birdhouse and a tool box
a pellet gun
two other guns
an old little skateboard
candy (still in the wrapper)
wrappers (without the candy)
5 socks that didn't have a mate
BYU meal cards from Football camp last year and the year before
3 Cub Scout books (I only have 2 brothers)
and that's just naming what I could remember...

First of all...it's amazing the house didn't burn down. But what a contrast between the "Barbie" room and the "BOY" room. So much to look forward to with boys. I have a feeling my boys will be a little different than my brothers. Fast forward 12-14 years...what will I find in my boys' room???

It's finally GREEN

2009-06-02T15:58:00.000-07:00

We've lived in our house for almost 7 months...hard to believe it's been that long! I'm sure most homeowners have an on-going list of projects to work on and things that are needed. At least I know I have a list of things I want to do and things that I want for our house. It's just time and money. Both of which are not in abundant surplus. But we finally completed one of the BIG things on our list. We now have grass in our backyard. It's been a long process since Talmage has been so busy with school and scouting and taking classes. But here are pictures... The "before" any work. Just weeds.
Before my brother Kevin left on his mission he came and helped us bring in fill dirt and rotor-till the backyard. He was so much help! I was disappointed that he left before we finished because he was so helpful.
It should have been ready for the sod but we had been having a problem with a sprinkler that Talmage hadn't figured out yet. We also needed to add some compost or fertilizer before the sod. SO after getting the sprinkler fixed we were ready for the fertilizer and rotor tilling again.
Nice to have family that can help! Talmage got some fertilizer from my uncle Don's chicken ranch. Then my dad and brother Tim helped spread the fertilizer and till it one more time.

We were lucky enough to get some extra recruits. My cousins Kacey and Robert came to help lay the sod. That was especially nice because my dad and Tim had appointments to get their hair cut.

And the final result. I love the green. We still need to figure out what to plant in the border but at least we have the grass. The "after."

Our almost family trip

2009-05-31T10:41:00.000-07:00

We almost made it. Not to Utah, but we almost made it to Nevada before turning around to come home. Car problems? Of course not. I just took the car in to get all checked out before our trip to Utah and ended up getting a new belt, oil changed, new TIRES and alignment. There was no way our car was going to be the reason we didn't make it to Utah. It was the kids. I'll back up a bit...
Thursday May 21st was Grant's last day of school. It was my week to drive and being the last day I thought I would walk Grant up to his classroom. He had a tough time, for some reason??, on Wednesday so he actually asked if I would walk him to class. I didn't mind. But as we were walking up to the entrance of the school he started saying his stomach hurt. I didn't want him to miss his last day of school so I insisted he would be fine and go have a fun last day. I picked him up that day and everything was just fine. He was happy. (This picture was taken as we left school). That afternoon he was playing like usual and watched a movie. On Friday I had made plans to go with my mom to Modesto. Grant wasn't too eager to go because he said his stomach was hurting again. He didn't have a fever. He wasn't throwing up, so I just thought we would go run our errands anyway. He seemed more tired than usual so he took turns with Kenzie in the stroller. That afternoon some little bumps appeared on his face but were gone within a few hours. That evening we went to a high school graduation gathering and my sister Cortney asked what bit him because he had bumps on his back and legs and arms. Weird. Later that night they were all gone. Saturday I was helping my mom with a wedding while Talmage had the not so fortunate privilege of washing our comforter, sheets, blankets, etc from our bed after Grant threw up on them. Sunday he was feeling a bit better. Monday a lot better. Tuesday Grant was back to normal. Wednesday...Kenzie got sick. Poor girl couldn't keep anything down. We expected Kenzie to be feeling better by Friday but she still couldn't eat or drink anything and keep it down. We figured she would be feeling better on Saturday for sure so we packed up the car and left around 2:00 on Friday afternoon. We had planned to stay somewhere along the way to break up the trip for all of us. Poor Kenzie was a good sport and just slept. Grant watched a few movies but asked every so often if we were there yet. We had driven about 2 1/2 hours...probably closer to 3 because of traffic in Sacramento...and Tyler threw up. Talmage and I looked at each other as if expecting the other to make THE decision. Do we keep going and hope for the best? Is Tyler just car sick? It wouldn't be the FIRST time we had a child get sick driving that road. Or had Tyler finally gotten the BUG? We were planning on going to see my sister Jenn and her family in Orem for a few days. Talmage was going to speak and present one of his past Scouts with his Eagle. We were going to visit his grandparents in Orem. I was going to meet up with one of my dear old roommates Bree whom I haven't seen in 7 years. We were going to take the kids around BYU. We were going up to Layton to see Talmage's three brothers, their wives, and our two new little nieces. We planned on going to the Oquirrh Temple open house. Talmage wanted to tour the Real Salt Lake Soccer stadium. We hoped to take the kids to the Ogden Tree House. We actually had THINGS we were going to do. Neither one of us wanted to MAKE the decision. We both really wanted to go. No, the drive wasn't enticing, but the end result was going to be so worth it. With one little girl still not feeling well and a little boy covered in stuff we knew what we had to do. Much to OUR disappointment we headed back down the mountains and home. We didn't want to tell Grant but when we got to Escalon and he asked if we were there yet we told him to look out the window and see if he knew where we were. When we told him we were just going back home because Tyler was sick and Kenzie was still not feeling well, he let his disappointment be known. Poor kid C R I E D. He wanted to go to Mason's (Jenn and Sipa's) house SO BAD. We tried to cheer him up with ideas of what we'll do this week instead but NOTHING was working. It takes a lot to pack up a family of 5 for a week long vacation so I was disappointed once again when we had to UNPACK the same day. At least everything was still folded nicely and smelled clean...well all except Tyler's clothes he was wearing.

Our home: Point A. Our desired stopping place: Point C. Our clean up and turn around stop: Point B. At least we didn't get TOO far. We probably wouldn't have turned around if we had gotten much further. Although, for a health report... Kenzie hasn't thrown up since Friday but she's hardly been able to leave the couch. This has really hit her HARD. Tyler has thrown up several more times so at least we know it's not just car sickness. Poor kids! Not just 24-hour flu...this thing won't go away!! Looking on the bright side...the weather is supposed to be pretty nice this week so maybe we'll finally put grass in our backyard!

A busy week

2009-05-15T14:48:00.000-07:00

A man walked right into my house today. After a few minutes I realized it was my husband. I guess he's been a little busy lately. Wood Badge, meetings for Wood Badge, meetings for school, camp outs, Wood Badge again, more meetings at school, Scouts, homework, class, Grad Nite...this guy is really busy! But even with him being so busy we've still managed to spend some time with him. Tuesday we finally made it to Palo Alto to see Talmage's brother Kimball. He has lived there for a year, maybe two? but we have never gone to see him. Terrible, I know. Last week we got a call from Talmage's brother Bradford who lives in Alaska. He and his wife Megan and their cute little Lucy were coming to California and were planning on driving up from Anaheim to hopefully meet up with Kimball and our family. We knew we couldn't pass up this opportunity.

So even with crazy schedules we all managed to get together at Kimball's work Tuesday evening. He's an aquatic director (or something like that) so we got to swim at his pool and BBQ. We had a great time. Kenzie was so anxious all day and kept asking when we were going to see Kimball. He was so great to take the kids swimming. I know they had a lot of fun with him. Kimball showed us the Montessori school that is in his same building. The kids loved playing. It was a late night back home but we were SO glad we went. It was good to be with everyone.
Yesterday morning Talmage left around 5:30 to go on the Senior Grad Trip. They went to Magic Mountain, then Disney California Adventure, then Disneyland. I think he had a fun time although I think the kids were a little jealous when they heard about all the rides he went on. Makes me anxious for us to go. But Talmage scored BIG when he showed the kids what he got them. Cute little Super Man capes from Magic Mountain. Kenzie was THRILLED with her PINK one and Grant took off running super fast as soon as he put his on. What a thoughtful dad! We're glad to have him home for a few hours before he heads off to the Father-Son camp out tonight...something Grant has been looking forward to for weeks.

Whose idea was this?

2009-05-09T08:30:00.000-07:00

Most people that know Talmage know he is very involved in Scouting. I am very aware that it runs in the blood. Talmage and his six brothers are Eagle Scouts. His sister could practically consider herself an Eagle Scout being that she was not only involved with her brothers but she also worked for the Boy Scouts as a profession. His dad currently works for the Boy Scouts in Seattle. His mom is an incredible support to her husband as well as amazingly involved in the scouting program wherever they have lived. Talmage's uncles and grandfather are and were dedicated to this great program. Of course there are times when I get a little jealous that scouting gets more attention than I do, but I know Talmage is great at what he does and he truly believes in the scouting program. This weekend he is taking part in the second half of WoodBadge training. No, not as a participant...he's done that already. He's there on staff. The (sorry to say) few times that I join him for scouting events I always hear how GREAT he is. That he's a NATURAL. That he is so INSPIRING. That he does an INCREDIBLE job teaching. I know all of those things and it's nice to hear it. I've only met other great people when I join him on those occasions.
But all of the nice things aside...Whose idea was it to have PATCHES for everything?! I am not completely incompetent when it comes to sewing. Not to say I'm good at it or that I do it very often. But I've sewn a few things in my lifetime. Nothing worthy of a blue ribbon at the fair. Probably not even worthy of a PINK ribbon (which I looked up is 5th place). BUT I know how to use a sewing machine and I know how to use a needle and thread. Why is it that I just DO NOT like sewing patches on?! For those who have tried and feel as I do, understand that those little patches are hard to hold in place and stitch on STRAIGHT. Luckily for me, the last time Talmage needed patches sewn on his mom conveniently came for a visit. I was excited she was coming to visit but I admit I was thrilled I wouldn't have to sew those little things on. In fact I remember trying to wake up one morning and as soon as I realized she would be able to sew them on I practically jumped out of bed to go tell Talmage my genius revelation.

Talmage left early Friday morning for WoodBadge and unfortunately he has a patch that hasn't been sewn on his shirt. He actually tried to do it the other day since he knows how little I enjoy that task, but I think he decided he didn't NEED it on quite yet. I think he's actually sewn one or two on his shirt but when I see him working on it I feel bad and feel that it's a WIFE thing to do so I break down and do it. I've told my mother-in-law that I'll just mail it to her, but how practical is that... If there is anyone (local) who just REALLY loves to sew patches on...let me know.

Start spreading the news

2009-05-07T09:47:00.000-07:00

Last night was Grant's Kindergarten Graduation. I've always thought it a little much to have a graduation for Kindergarten, but of course the kids get very excited about it. Grant had been telling me that his teacher said they could invite their parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, neighbors...everyone is invited. Well last night...it felt like EVERYONE was there. It was totally crazy. First of all there are 6 kindergarten classes with about 20 kids in each class. Then there is a SMALL cafeteria to fit all 120 kindergartners PLUS parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, and neighbors. Yes...it was a BIT crowded, to say the least. And of course we got there later than anticipated. I was standing at the door until Grant's class went up to perform and I walked in and sat right in front on the floor so at least I could see. Talmage, Kenzie, and Tyler sat outside. I felt bad for everyone that came that didn't get to see or enjoy the performances. My grandparents came but of course left because there was no seat and no chance they would even see or hear what was going on.

I think the school learned A LOT about what NOT to do next year. It was insane! SO...here is the BAD video I have with my little camera... Grant is still cute!

After the performances we went back to Grant's class for their little "graduation." After the crowds left the room Grant showed us the things he has done this year. He's very proud of his work. He's a very smart boy and so sweet.

And lastly, when we were leaving the school there was a major traffic jam in the parking lot. We sat there for at least 10 minutes not moving. Finally I told Talmage he and the kids could just walk home and I would catch up with them later. After they started on their way and I sat there for a few more minutes I noticed a new opening in the parking lot so made my way through and passed up about 15 cars. I'm sure they weren't happy with me cutting in front of them but I was happy to finally be out of there. I caught up with Talmage and the kids in front of our old house. What an EVENING! Although, the best part was Talmage got out of his responsibilities at WoodBadge that night so he could be with us. He debated about staying the night and leaving early in the morning or leaving that night...He stayed. He had to leave around 5:20 this morning but it was NICE to have him home last night.

Hello Billings Montana

2009-04-22T10:00:00.000-07:00

Today's the day, long awaited but not so much happily anticipated for some. My little brother Kevin enters the MTC today. I have been so impressed with this young man. He really has become a young man with so much strength, drive, confidence, and maturity. I'm sure today he isn't feeling so confident and strong, but that will change. It's been hard to say goodbye for 2 years.

Since he is the first sibling to go on a mission it tears at the heart strings a little harder. Sure all of us girls went away to college but somehow, even though that was hard, this is just harder. Two years FLIES by but it seems forever away.

It's different now that I think in terms of my kids. Grant will be 7 and Kenzie will be 5 when Kevin comes home. That just seems so hard to believe. Tyler will be 2 but for some reason that's easier to think about having a 2 year old. I've had 2 of them already. I just haven't had a 7 year old and to think of Kenzie being the same age as Grant and going to school...that's just not something I do well to think about.

So good luck Kevin (and good luck Mom and Dad getting through these first few days...or weeks...or months). You're going to be a great missionary. Yay for Montana Billings Mission

Swimming?

2009-04-21T13:00:00.000-07:00

Last night for Family Home Evening we went swimming. Yes I know it's still April, but it's been hot this week. I don't know exactly how hot it got yesterday but I know it was in the 90's. Don and Carla invited us out to swim and have FHE with them. Their pool wasn't exactly what I would call warm...but it was refreshing in a comfortable way. Tyler even got to go swimming for the first time and he didn't complain. In fact I think he quite enjoyed it. Grant gave us a little lesson on The Iron Rod. He did such a great job. I'm amazed how many words he knows and how well he can read already. And Carla had brownies and ice cream for us...YUM. It was a very nice evening and a lot of fun.A few weeks ago was the Rodeo Parade. My sister Brittany asked if Grant and Kenzie wanted to ride in the Wells Fargo stagecoach with her. We dressed them in the best "cowboy" clothes we had. I think the kids had a fun time waving to everyone but I think the gentle rocking almost put them to sleep by the end.

We had a very nice Easter. After the Rodeo Parade there was a Ward Easter party at a park. Grant and Talmage did the egg toss and did pretty well. Then Grant did the egg on a spoon race and did very well. Kenzie made sure to stay close to either Grant or Mom but didn't want to participate. I tried to get her picture with the Easter Bunny...not a chance! She wouldn't even stand on the opposite side of the bench. Tyler was very happy and content sitting with Janet Miyabara...sure made things easier for me! The kids also enjoyed the egg hunt. Grant is always such a good brother to make sure Kenzie gets everything. He really looks out for her.

Easter at Grandma and Grandpa's was a little crazy but of course fun with all the little cousins. Kenzie got a PINK swimsuit from the Easter Bunny at my parents house and she INSISTED on wearing it and didn't want to take it off. She was so funny and such a GIRL. She definitely keeps us laughing. So the pink tutu looking outfit Kenzie is wearing is actually a swimsuit.

I think that just about catches me up. Last week was Grant's Spring Break but we didn't end up doing anything out of the ordinary. Talmage had a campout on Friday night so the kids and I had a little Ice Cream Picnic at the park. I asked him to draw pictures of things he wanted to do while he was out of school and he wanted to have a picnic at the park and go to Grandma's. The weather was very windy and pretty cool all week so we did spend some time out at my parents' house but at least we were able to get that picnic.

Wicked

2009-04-09T16:54:00.000-07:00

It was a long time in the waiting but it finally came and so quickly went. Back in October I bought our tickets for Wicked. It was a play Talmage and I both thought would be fun to go see. My mom, sisters, cousins, aunts, etc. went last Wednesday but since Talmage wanted to see it and I knew he had Spring Break in April I knew we could go together. It was a fun day to spend just with Talmage. And surprisingly, I didn't worry about the kids...much, at all. I was relieved that Tyler was taking bottles and formula and he eats anything he can so I wasn't worried.

We left around 9:45 and decided to take BART so we wouldn't have to worry about parking or driving in San Francisco. Great idea! It was so relaxing...once we finally got on BART. Just a minor little gliche there. Once we got to the city we had about an hour and a half before heading into the theater. We got some lunch then walked around.
I kept noticing people carrying bags with produce so we went to check out behind the theater. Turns out the Farmers Market was going on. We grabbed some delicious kettle corn then continued around the block.
San Francisco City Hall was just right down the street so we walked up around there for a little bit. I wasn't always very good at getting the camera in the right spot to take a picture. Talmage was wearing a nice crown in this picture...but it sure is cute!

We should have gotten a better picture with the Wicked sign in the background, but this is all we got.
We had great seats and the play was absolutely wonderful. I would definitely go see it again. For those not familiar with it, it's the story about the Witches from The Wizard of Oz. It was fun to learn their story.
Of course after the play it was convenient to just hop on BART and talk about the play without having to watch for street signs or worry about traffic.
When we got back to our car, then came the impossible task (for me) to decide where to eat dinner. I had first suggested Applebees but we couldn't find it right away and saw many other restaurants. We walked into about 5 restaurants and looked at the menus before finally deciding on what else...APPLEBEES. I don't think either one of us minded the 45 minute decision making process. It was nice to just be out together and not having to worry about the kids.

And to finish off dinner...the delicious Chocolate Lava Cake. YUMMM!
We got to my parents' house to pick up the kids around 9:15. Kenzie and Tyler had fallen asleep but Grant hadn't given in yet. Katie had the kids earlier in the day but Brittany picked them up when she got off work. My mom had to work at the Disney Store...her one day a month job just happened to be the day we were going to see Wicked. As far as I heard, the kids were okay. Tyler did well taking bottles. I guess that means we can do it again sometime! What a fun day!

A little behind

2009-04-02T09:20:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday Kenzie and I got to be princesses. Kenzie went to a Princess Party for her little friend and I went to a Princess Party for another little friend. Kenzie had so much fun. Elsa's mom was INCREDIBLE. First of all the invitations were cute little homemade PINK satin pillows with a PINK paper crown. How could Kenzie NOT be excited about that!? Then Elsa's mom was all dressed up and she had a cute castle all set up in the house. Later I found out from Kenzie that the little boys at the party dressed up like Knights and fought the Dragon (Elsa's dad) while all the little princesses ran into the Castle. (This is according to Kenzie so I'm not exactly sure how it all played out. She did say she was afraid of the dragon though.)

And I got to be Snow White for another little Princess party. It was so much fun! I always thought it would be fun to be Snow White at Disneyland. When I was in college I would talk like Snow White when my boss's granddaughters came to visit. It was fun then and it was fun on Saturday. I always loved dressing up when I was a little girl but I didn't know it would be as much fun as an adult too. I don't want to boast...but I think I was a pretty good Snow White. Thanks Angela for asking me! What I realized about these two parties...it's probably time I finally have a birthday party for my kids. Grant has never had a "friend" party and he'll be 6 in July. We had talked about having a party for Kenzie for her last birthday but that was right during the time we got the keys to our house and started painting and moving. We never did have a party. Sorry kids!

Yesterday we watched Jack and Audrey while Katie and Eric (and almost everyone else in the family) went to see Wicked in San Francisco. (Talmage and I are going next week since he has Spring Break). We had a fun day with the kids. I admit my ears started to get a little tired because everyone came to me for everything. All of the kids were very good. At one point when I was trying to make dinner before Tyler woke up from his nap, the kids kept coming to ask for a snack or ask where a toy was or let me know someone wasn't doing something... I finally came up with a brilliant game. It actually wasn't a game, nor was it brilliant. It was the first thing that came to my head. I told the kids to all sit down, close their eyes, and plug their ears. I thought they would laugh and tell me no. But they ALL did it. I was the one laughing. It was so funny that they were so quick to follow those instructions. I felt bad I didn't have an actual fun game for them to play. I'm sure if my head hadn't been so cloudy from the noise of the day or my cough I could have come up with something.
Talmage got home not too much later and took the kids out to the park. I am so lucky to have a patient and wonderful husband. He took the kids out and ran with them and played until dinner was ready. Then he helped the kids get the toy room all clean and give the kids a bath. We put Grant, Kenzie, and Tyler to bed then Talmage read Jack and Audrey books for almost an hour. Audrey soon fell asleep but Jack wanted to stay awake until his parents got there. Talmage and I were talking to him about his new baby brother or sister. He had some pretty good names picked out. For a boy, he wanted the name to be "HeyJude" and for a girl, "Andi". Pretty creative! He finally gave in and fell asleep.

The other day the kids were playing in the toy room. I noticed it seemed a little quieter than usual so I looked out to find they had taken their toys out for some air. It was a beautiful day. These kids are so funny and creative with their toys. I'm glad they're such good friends.
And for a little Tyler update... He'll be 9 months on Saturday. Still not crawling but he'll scoot on his back and every once in a while roll over to get something. Progress. He's also slept all night about 4 nights in a row. He had been sick so I didn't blame him for waking up in the night then. He just didn't feel good. Now we need to work on getting him to take a bottle again since next Wednesday we'll be in San Francisco all day.

I know I'm complaining

2009-03-18T13:20:00.000-07:00

I'm having a hard time getting this started... I know what I want to say but I want to say it in a way that doesn't make it sound like I'm perfect...I'm only practically perfect. That being said, I wonder what's wrong with people. The past two days I've had two "Is this really happening?!" moments. Two things that I've been reminded that I don't like are 1) Disrespect and 2) Customer Service Agents.

A few days before my 16th birthday my family moved from the house on the turkey ranch to our new house. I had lived in the other house since I was 1. Of course many memories were created in that house. I remember so many little details about it. And the yard...I remember the HOURS I spent playing in the playhouse or swingset fort my dad built or just skating around the cement sidewalk. It was a HUGE backyard. The playhouse had a cute little porch, a dutch door, and 4 working windows. And the furniture... We were so lucky!

So yesterday my mom called and said my dad was over at our old house and we could go walk through it. The previous hired man moved out and before the new worker went in they had to fix it up a bit. The house showed 12 1/2 years of neglect. Obviously people that didn't like to clean. BUT it was the playhouse that really bothered me. This was more than just lack of respect. Total vandalism. Profanity was graffitied on the outside of the door and the walls inside. I was beyond disgusted that people would do that. What kind of world do we live in? This wasn't their property. Did the parents not care that their teenage or older boys would deface something that wasn't theirs? So perhaps the "kids" were going through a wild stage...but what about the parents?! I can't imagine they didn't know. What really bothers me is the fact that people do things like that but are not held accountable. I think they should have to pay for the damages but I know that will never happen. Who knows what these people did with their money but they sure didn't save it. To live in a house rent free and beyond not taking care of the house, they defile the innocent little playhouse. Even though the playhouse was bad and the house wasn't in good shape like we left it, I enjoyed being able to walk through the house. There were things about it I had forgotten. Fun memories in that house.

But as for my second item of annoyance...Customer Service Agents! I talked to PG&E for over an hour today and still didn't get my questions answered. I talked to three different representatives today and one a week and a half ago. I don't know what kind of training those people go through but someone should at least teach them to tell people the same thing. I heard so many different things that I was more confused after I got off the phone. I wished I hadn't bothered calling. What's so great about it is one lady told me she was going to transfer me to her supervisor so he could help me understand what she was telling me. WHAT?! I totally understood what she was telling me...but why could I not get a straight answer from her?!
The issue is about NONBYPASSABLE charges. When we moved into our house I was told that there was a charge for about $3 a month from PG&E. The charge is because PG&E came and put the equipment here but they didn't get the Electric accounts...those went to Modesto Irrigation District. The charge was about $2 for the month of November when we first moved in. The month of December was $3.64. I knew it was supposed to be around $3 so it didn't bother me. Then for the month of January it was $7.12. I just wanted someone to answer why it went up so much and if it's based on the average from the previous owners usage or our metered usage or all customers average usage. Not one of those 4 people could tell me that. And then I'm the one that doesn't understand what they're saying. I am a college educated person. Not saying that I know everything...but I seem to be able to understand what people are telling me. I can't say the same for Barbara, Beverly, or Michael. I still want to put up a fight for finding out what this really is all about...but is it really worth it!? I should just pay the bills and ask no questions.

Ever so dependent...

2009-03-11T11:10:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how much we rely on technology! It's crazy that we once lived without computers and without the internet. Right around the time Tyler was born our computer monitor was fading and fading fast. It would shut off on us all the time. Frustrating. I realized then how much we depended on computers. Lately we have a whole new issue. The monitor is working great...it's a new one. I think Tyler was 2 weeks old when the old one finally gave up completely. But this new issue is the computer. It gives us the blue screen of death.

For those that have experienced this joyful event know how it's not so joyful. One morning I had it shut down on me 5 times within 30 minutes. Why did I even keep trying?! Last Friday I was talking to Dell tech support for 3 hours. When I got off the phone after the first hour I thought the kind lady in India must have figured it out and helped. Shortly after...the BLUE SCREEN hit. I called them back and hoped it was a simple little problem they could fix again. Two hours later I got off the phone hearing that it would be best to reinstall the whole operating system and upgrade the memory on it. Our computer IS 5 years old next month. That's pretty good for a computer. The Dell tech support people said there was no need to buy a new computer but we just need to upgrade. I thought they would convince me I needed a new computer. More money for the company they work for, RIGHT? We now have more memory so all it needs is a reinstalled operating system... We'll see what happens!!

The late bloomer

2009-03-05T16:34:00.000-08:00

Everyone develops at different rates... I just expected my kids to be a little more similar on their developmental learning. Tyler has definitely been the late bloomer in the family. I'm not sure if I just spoil him more...or if he's just a more needy baby...or what?? I have found that he's just a little more difficult than I've heard other 3rd children to be. He's just as sweet as can be and LOVES his MOM more than words can express...but I keep waiting for him to "catch up" to his brother and sister. Grant was crawling at 6 months. I know because I looked it up in his baby book. Those were the days when I was really good at writing everything down because I only had one child. Tyler is 8 months and I think I can finally write in his baby book that he can sit without support longer than 5 seconds. He CAN roll over...sometimes...but doesn't really chose to do so. Of course Grant and Kenzie were rolling all over the place by 4-5 months.

I don't want to sound like I'm complaining but I don't really consider it bragging either. Some kids are walking by 8 months and I'm glad that Tyler is not. I really am so grateful to have a HEALTHY and mostly HAPPY baby. Sure I wished he slept through the night! But that will come, I think.

Dinner and Dessert

2009-03-04T14:11:00.000-08:00

I love a good deal. It's fun to see how much I can get for as little as possible. Coupons. Sales. Deals. Bargains. Discounts. All a language I understand very well. Monday night for FHE we decided to use our FREE SUB coupons for Quiznos. Talmage and I each had one so we knew we were covered. We figured we would just share our sandwiches with the kids and get something else to eat at home. Not a surprise that I took a little longer to order...I just couldn't decide what I wanted. The lady helping me was very patient and kind. She let me taste the different sauces that went on the sandwiches to make sure I liked them. After ordering my sandwich she asked if I wanted to get something for the kids. I asked how much the kid sandwiches were. $1.99 for a 3 inch sub...but she would give me two for the price of one. Sounded like a good deal to me.

So after getting our three sandwiches...which were delicious of course, we were enjoying a nice evening together. Our kids were happy. We were able to eat our sandwiches and they were able to eat theirs. When we were just about done the other lady working came to our table with three cookies and asked if the kids could have them. Well of course! Grant had been asking for a cookie but we didn't want to pay $1.29 for 1 cookie. How nice of her!

Then Talmage went to go refill our waters and one of the ladies said he could fill up on any of the other drinks. He thanked them but we just stuck with water.
What an evening! It was great walking out of there having dinner and dessert for only $2.14. It might have helped that were were the only ones in there most of the time. Only a few people came and went during the time we were there. Maybe it's just that we have cute kids?! Whatever the reason, those two employees were so nice. We had to leave them a little tip. Of course it wasn't ALL free...but close enough! Thanks Quiznos!

I'm up too late...

2009-02-28T00:47:00.000-08:00

I can eat it fast
I can eat it slow
I can eat it with milk
I can eat it without
I can eat it with chocolate
I can eat it without
I can eat it in a bowl
I can eat it in a cup
I can eat it on a waffle
I can eat it with people
I can eat it alone
I can eat it at night
I one time ate it in the morning
I can eat it everyday
It's a good thing I don't
I just ate it

I love ice cream

IKEA

2009-02-21T16:28:00.000-08:00

I knew it was going to be fun and I'm so glad I wasn't disappointed. I've been wanting to go to IKEA for so long. Since Talmage has had the week off school we decided we would go. We chose to go on Tuesday because I also thought it would be fun to go to the Galt flea market. I hadn't been there in years so it seemed like a fun thing to do. Of course that was the day it POURED so we didn't stop. I wasn't a very good navigator so I led us a few miles out of the way, but we finally made it. But even with the minor difficulties in getting there it lived up to the expectation I had.

It was a bit overwhelming and a little difficult with two kids. I know I could have spent a lot longer there and we were even there for almost 4 hours. Talmage was such a good sport. I actually think he enjoyed it. I'm sure he could have spent a little less time there but he was good to let me enjoy it.

Kenzie liked trying things out. It's just too bad she was about 2 inches too short to go to the little play area. She was more than mildly disappointed about that. Talmage pushed her around in the cart and they made that more fun than most. Those wheels just slide over that slick floor! Too bad Tyler wanted to be held the whole time. I saw so many fun cute things, though. I realized that was a store where I could spend A LOT of money. We got a few things that are fun and useful. My favorite purchase of the day was the laundry drying rack. Talmage put it up on Wednesday and I used it for the first time today. It's on a great little pulley system so I can put things on it then get it out of the way.

I had such a fun time. I can't wait to go back. It's probably a good thing it's an hour and a half away...

Bedtime stories

2009-02-09T11:44:00.000-08:00

Grant missed his second day of school. I know it's just kindergarten...maybe it's because I hated missing school. He's actually feeling much better today but not well enough to go to school or have Kenzie's play group here today. Grant is such a good kid. I've been thinking for a while how good he is to put up with sharing rooms. He used to be in the same room with Tyler, but since we've been trying to let Tyler sleep through the night his crying wakes Grant up. So over Christmas break we moved Grant's mattress into Kenzie's room. They loved it but when school started again I thought it best for him to go back to his room. He's back in Kenzie's room again...Tyler still wakes up at least once. This time Grant just has a little bed made of Kenzie's pink blankets in her PINK room. He doesn't complain. In fact I think he enjoys sleeping in the same room with her. The other night they were telling each other their "dreams" for SO long. Their "dreams" are just little stories from their imaginations. I know they can't recall their real dreams THAT well. It's really cute listening to them talk.

I remember when I was little there was something almost magical about going to bed. Jenn and I used to play "dates." Thinking back it doesn't seem like it could be as much fun as it really was. Our little imaginations would take us on weird little advendtures. We had made up names. We created cool inventions to help us get ready for our "dates." We even pretended to be different animals. I don't remember how old we were or how long it continued but it's something I don't think I'll ever forget. It was so much fun sharing a room. Of course times we were supposed to be sleeping and got caught because we were talking too loud are times I won't forget either. I remember one time we were supposed to be taking a nap before our aunt's wedding reception. I can so vividly picture laying on my bed and looking up at my dress hanging from the curtain rod. I LOVED that dress. It was purple with pink and white little flowers on it and had a lace slip that hung down lower than the dress. It also had pink pearls that went with it. I remember Jenn and I were talking or playing or jumping on our beds instead of sleeping and my dad came in and scolded us. I think to scare us into sleep he opened the door with a little more force than intended and sent the door knob into the wall. I remember thinking how mad he was but now that I have kids... I understand. I sometimes try to put more of a serious tone to things and it comes out a little more harsh than expected. Of course I'm not strong enough to send a doorknob through a wall but I now understand the intention behind the force. I also remember a time Jenn and I were in trouble because we hadn't cleaned our room but it was time to go to bed so we would have to do it tomorrow. Sneaky us cleaned our room using a flashlight. I remember feeling so excited for our parents to see how clean our room was in the morning. I'm so glad I got to share a room with Jenn. I don't think we had much of a choice but I'm glad I have such good memories.

Of course Grant and Kenzie can't share a room forever, or even too much longer, but I'm glad they have a special little bond as siblings and as friends.

Was it worth it?

2009-02-03T16:01:00.000-08:00

Maybe we're crazy but it was fun. I love eating out for breakfast but it is very rare that we actually go out to eat. So when we heard about this free breakfast we thought it would be fun.

Talmage and Grant got there at 6:00 this morning and said they were #2 on the waiting list. I didn't want to wake Kenzie and Tyler up or we would have joined them. Talmage said there were a lot of people so he was lucky to have been there so early. Tim, Ryan, and Scott came to eat but the wait was too long. Tim ended up sitting down with Talmage and Grant while Ryan and Scott went next door to Burger King. Talmage and Grant got home around 7:30. Just enough time to get a lunch and snack together before leaving for school.

My mom, Kenzie, and I decided to go a little later in the morning. I think I was hopeful there wouldn't be many people there...wrong! I think we ended up waiting a little over an hour before we were seated. Watching the time I knew I had to get Grant from school so while my mom and Kenzie waited for them to call our name, Tyler and I went to get Grant from school. Grant got a second dose of Denny's today. Although I think waking up an hour early started to catch up with him because he was a little on the grumpy side.

We had a great breakfast though. It was fun to get the bill and only pay for the orange juice.

Kids...

2009-01-30T11:26:00.000-08:00

So I know everyone is different and is unique in their own way. I think that's one of the fun things about being a mom...you never know what you're going to "get" from a child. Grant is our serious and sensitive child but he has the BEST laugh and loves to tell stories and jokes. He has quite the imagination. He loves Star Wars and just the other night told us the plot for Star Wars #8. I can't really remember what it was about but there is a "turkey man" who plays an important role.

Mackenzie is a sweet and sour little thing. She can be in the best mood but quickly make a turn for the worse. She can play for hours alone with her toys. I thought it was just a phase but it has yet to end...Kenzie loves to clean between her toes. I can't remember how old she was when she first started this but it seems like she wasn't much older than 1. The other night I found her cleaning Grant's toes. FUN! She loves to clean under her fingernails now too.

And then there's sweet little Tyler. He LOVES his mommy and LOVES to be held. He tried that sleeping through the night thing for a week then decided it wasn't much fun and is back to waking up mostly only once in the night. He is great at going down for bed and takes pretty good naps so I have yet to figure out how to help him understand it's OKAY to sleep all night long.

Thank goodness life isn't dull!!

Peas?!

2009-01-12T18:39:00.000-08:00

I don't know what I was thinking! Peas?!

(Darling little face isn't it!?)

Tyler has been eating baby cereal with applesauce on occassion without any problems. He would take a bottle with formula without worrying too much about it. But then I had to go and throw things off by feeding him peas! His face was priceless! Why didn't I have the camera ready? Because he's the third child! Been there done that. Not that we don't care about the third child, I mean Tyler, but just that we're busy trying to get our other two kids to eat that we don't think about getting out a video camera. I do feel bad that I don't have any videos of Tyler. Our video camera is 10 years old and doesn't do so well but I'm also out of 8mm tapes for it. Talmage and I have talked about getting a new one but it's just another expensive thing that we want but really don't NEED.

Back to the peas... I know I should have started off with something tasty and sweet like bananas or peaches or sweet potatoes or even green beans! I just was trying to introduce the healthy green vegetable... Now Tyler makes quite the face anytime I try to give him cereal or any kind of baby food and now even bottles. I really messed up! Poor kid even makes a face with a clean spoon. This will take some time for him to forgive me and forget that awful taste but I'll be persisitent. As for now and for entertainment purposes...here is a little video of his refusal for a clean spoon.

Back to school...or not

2009-01-05T07:59:00.000-08:00

Grant asked me almost every day last week if it was Monday yet. He's been anxious to go back to school, which I'm glad about. I don't remember ever being excited to go back to school after Christmas...but maybe I was. However, there's no back to school for Grant this morning. He came into our room around 1:00 this morning with a fever. I made him a little bed at the foot of our bed and gave him some tylenol. He's been asleep ever since. Then Kenzie came in around 4:00 and had a fever also. How disappointing to miss school on the first day back...and it's the first day of kindergarten he has missed.

I was one who never liked missing school. I remember feeling sick when I was in the third grade but I didn't want to go to the nurse and have to go home. I finally went home when I got sick after lunch. Then again in the 7th grade I remember feeling terrible all day. I never went home.

So when it comes to Grant, there's part of me that thinks I should wake him up and see how he feels and maybe he can go to school a little late, but then I remind myself that he needs the sleep and it will be just fine for him to miss one day of school. I worried Grant would have a hard time waking up in the morning for school so we made sure to get them to bed earlier on Saturday and Sunday night. My kids rarely slept in past 8:00 during Christmas break so for them to still be asleep now gives me this opportunity for a few minutes of quiet time. I should enjoy the silence and get as much done as I can.

Do you like white diamonds?

2008-12-16T21:44:00.000-08:00

I haven't quite found a routine yet for keeping up with this thing. There's just been too much excitement in my life lately? Either that or too much chaos. I would vote for the chaos. Some days I really wonder if I can keep my sanity past these child rearing days. I LOVE my kids...but some days are those kind of days. I cannot count the number of times I played "Mom" as a child. I was a fantastic mom. My kids loved me ALL the time. They were happy ALL the time. We played together ALL the time, except for the times I had to go to the "grocery store." They took naps and woke up happy. I never lost my temper. I never got upset. I never wondered when they would out grow certain stages. I never had bad days. Why did no one tell me it wouldn't be that easy?! Real kids are a lot different than my dolls. Hard to believe...I know. It's sad when I realize I'm not the mom I thought I was going to be. Being a mom is really hard sometimes...no, a lot of the time. My kids are not happy ALL the time. I get busy and have things to do and don't get to play with the kids ALL the time. They don't wake up happy ALL the time. I lose my temper more often than I wish. I get upset more often than I would like. I often times hope these are just stages that they will grow out of. Tonight, however, was one of those moments that I felt the joy and sweetness that I wish would last forever. I wrapped Christmas presents this afternoon. Once it was wrapped I would put it outside the bedroom door and Grant would write the name on it then he or Kenzie would put it under the tree. When we were all done he asked where my presents were. I did buy a few things for me but didn't wrap them. At dinner this evening Grant told Talmage that he needed to take them (he and Kenzie) shopping for me. Talmage (jokingly) said I spent all of his money so he couldn't. Grant quickly spoke up saying he had money in his piggy bank. Kenzie then chimed in that she had money in her piggy bank too. All moms feel the same way, I'm sure. We don't need or want anything. But the fact that they thought of spending their own little pennies on me made me feel so special. The past couple weeks we've been watching a few of the Christmas specials on TV on our bed. During one of the commerical breaks of A Charlie Brown Christmas I went to lay Tyler down in his bed. When I came back Grant looked at me and asked, "Mom, do you like white diamonds? Is that what you want for Christmas?" What a sweet and thoughtful boy. He was especially helpful tonight before the show started. He helped Kenzie brush her teeth and get the step stool up to the toilet for her. He got her blanket and pillow even when she was being a little difficult.

These are the things I couldn't have pretended better. These are the moments I didn't plan for and no one could have prepared me for. These are the sweet little memories that forgive the frustrations. Being a mom is very HARD sometimes but just as every mom can say, it's ALL worth it.

I'm back!

2008-11-19T15:21:00.000-08:00

Where have the last 6 weeks gone since I last wrote? A quick explanation in 4 words... We bought a house. Something we have hoped for and dreamed of for years! Through this process of moving to California just over three years ago, I have had a greater understanding of just how much the Lord is aware of us and how much he loves us and is just WAITING to bless us. When Talmage got his job teaching at Escalon we thought it was pretty crazy that we ended up here in Oakdale. Of course this is where I wanted to be but I really didn't expect to be this close to Oakdale. Talmage applied for jobs within 2 hours of Oakdale. I was a little surprised when he was offered the job here but I was delighted to be close to my family. Then shortly after he accepted the job, shortly meaning a matter of days, we found out that one of the houses my grandparents rent out was becoming available. Just a reminder...three years ago when we moved here house prices were CRAZY expensive. There was no way we would be able to afford a house so naturally a house to rent at a great price was perfect. We quickly felt very at home in that blue house with not much to brag about regarding a back yard. We didn't love the neighborhood but I recently learned of how convenient it was to walk Grant to kindergarten. I didn't love the walls of that home with the spacious closets but I loved the Spirit and memories that we made within those walls. After three years and three months we finally moved into this beautiful home. And I know that throughout this process we were blessed. We are part of the fortunate group that was able to capitalize on the housing crisis. When the housing market started to stumble I realized the opportunity to buy a house might actually come. I started looking more earnestly into houses but prices were still a little high and we didn't find anything that suited us. The first house we put an offer on in September didn't work out. My cousin Katie has 2 kids very close in age to Grant and Kenzie and that house was pretty close to them. Without understanding the truth in what she said to ease the diappointment, she remarked that perhaps we'll find a house closer. When I think back on my childhood, I don't remember too many memories without Katie. She was always my best friend aside from my siblings. The thought of being closer sounded fun but not likely. When our realtor, Stacy, called to tell me about another house, I said we could go look at it just to see it but I didn't think I would be that interested. I had seen pictures online and wasn't impressed. I was wrong! I loved this house! And the crazy part about it...we are SO much closer to Katie and Eric. I could throw a rock and hit their house...well maybe Talmage could throw a rock and her their house. I don't have great accuracy. Stacy needed to know as soon as possible if we wanted to write up an offer. The house had been off the market because one of her clients had a cash offer on the house contingent on the sale of their other house out of the area. She hadn't notified the selling agent that her client had to back out due to their other house not selling. The selling agent was then kind enough to work with us and not relist it until the bank had reviewed our offer. The offer went in on Friday September 26th and we found out on Monday the 29th that our offer had been accepted. The LONG process then began. I would like to say everything went smoothly, and for the most part it did. We had just a slight misunderstanding with the interest rate lock but that was all sorted out...answer to prayers!! Then another slight problem when we finally got a locksmith out to unlock the garage door only to find a big of a water softener plumbing leak. But that couldn't stop us. And come to find out there were 4 other back up offers on our house and one realtor was calling everyday to see if it was available again. But this house is now ours. We got our keys and got painting on Saturday November 8th (Happy Birthday Kenzie). Monday the 10th was another painting day so we could make the big move on Tuesday. Talmage and Grant had the days off for Veterans' Day. I love our home! I know we have been blessed tremendously! I know things fall into place and work out when you're doing what you're supposed to. I look forward to the memories we will make within these walls. I feel so at home and comfortable here. As for the kids...they love living close to their cousins. I think Grant asks almost everyday if he can play with Jack. If anyone is interested in seeing pictures...go to my mom's website. http://www.judyhousephotography.com Once you enter the site, go to proofing and type in the password "kellyhouse" These are mostly pictures of the house before we painted. They had some crazy colors! There are a few with the new paint but I'm sure we'll take more!

The Walk

2008-10-03T08:12:00.000-07:00

There's so much I still need to learn! This morning, like every other morning, Kenzie, Tyler and I walked Grant to school. Kenzie was VERY slow this morning. I felt like I had to drag her along. It's a good thing we leave the house by 7:45 to get Grant to school by 8:00. He's never been late because we only live around the corner from the school and it takes us about 6 minutes to get from our door to Grant's classroom. Today I learned a very important lesson. Slow down and take time to notice life. A woman whom I see most mornings was behind us on our way home. I kept turning around to tell Kenzie to keep walking and hurry up. It seemed she would stop every 5 steps...I was unsure why, still am. But this woman said something that I've known but just needed to hear again. She said, "Isn't it great how simple life is for them? Here we are in such a hurry to get to the next thing and we rush through life. Before you know it you'll be taking her to school and then too soon after that you'll be taking him (Tyler) to school." I've known that but for some reason I don't follow it often enough because I am in a hurry to get to the next thing. The rest of our walk took about 10 minutes but it was great! I thought of the people I see every morning. A mother with quite a few young children. I haven't been able to keep track of how many kids she has because it seems to be different everyday. Some mornings there is a little girl in the stroller holding a smaller little boy while the school age daughter walks, or most of the time runs, along side her mom. This morning there was an older boy walking with the older daughter and younger daughter while two little boys were in the stroller. Also every morning I see a happy older gentleman riding a bike way too small for him while his granddaughter sits on the front of the bike getting a free ride to school. He always greets us with a warm smile and a hello. Another woman walks her three young kids to school then walks to the bus stop. I assume she's going to work... Stopping to slow down this morning made me think about these "regulars" I see each morning. It also allowed Kenzie and I to share a moment and listen and notice the things around us. It was a little overcast this morning. A little cool with some moisture in the air. A beautiful morning. We heard whistles over at the school as well as the bell ringing. Then we looked in the sky and saw a little bird flying and singing along the way. Kenzie watched as it flew to a tree. She told me the birdy went home to her mommy. We heard dogs bark and the cars that drove by. Then she heard the church bell chime in the distance. It was such a great morning. I hope I remember this and make sure to slow down more often. I don't want to miss out on these great moments. The simple things in life are the best.

President who?!

2008-09-26T13:07:00.000-07:00

Funny story... The other day I was picking Grant up from school and visiting with one of the other moms. The kids had come out and they were just waiting for their moms to stop talking. Their teacher came up to us and said, "I have a question...Who is President Hinckley? And apparently he died?"

We mentioned to her that he was the President of our church but that yes, he did pass away. She replied that they were talking about the President of the United States and about half the kids were insisting that the President is President Hinckley, not President Bush. They also of course informed her that President Hinckley died.

She said she had a hard time convincing them that they were wrong and that the President of the United States is President Bush. Out of a class of 20 students, 8 of them are LDS. I'm not sure who the really outspoken ones of the bunch were. I can't really see Grant being the one to really insist that President Hinckley is the only President. Although I don't ever remember teaching him about our country and that we have a President of our country who is our leader just like our church has a President. Good FHE lesson. What cute kids though! They loved their President Hinckley.

Oh the Places You'll Sleep

2008-09-24T09:45:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure why I have so many pictures of these kids sleeping in different places. Maybe they're just so cute when they sleep. Or maybe it's that I'm often times surprised with how and why they fall asleep the way they do. I have claimed that Grant has never been much of a sleeper...don't know how I can say that now.

(click on picture to enlarge)

We go look in on the kids every night before we go to bed and we can't help but take a picture. The picture in the bottom left of Grant with his arm raised...not sure what that was about. Talmage came to tell me I needed to see what he was doing, didn't expect that! During the summer the kids would read in the hallway right outside their room. They started bringing pillows and blankets to be comfortable. Now that Grant is in school they can only do that on Friday nights, although Kenzie will still read in the hallway on weeknights but mostly only does it if she's had a nap that day. What funny little kids!

3 Kids, a Soccer Game, and no bathroom

2008-09-16T15:09:00.000-07:00

So the kids and I went to Talmage's soccer game...which was a lot of fun for most of the time. I was surprised with how long the kids lasted. I made sure to pack a lot of snacks and a few favorite books so they would be occupied long enough. Is there ever enough to occupy a 5 year old and an almost 3 year old at a soccer game? Of course not. The snacks were gone before the second half even started. The books were not exciting enough while sitting outside on the grass. Luckily they found out the stroller could be used as a jungle gym until that turned into a battle as to who got to sit in front. I kept counting down the minutes of the second half...it just didn't seem to go fast enough. I also kept thinking they might have a mercy rule that would end the game early being that Talmage's team was winning 10-0 with 15 minutes left in the second half. I started feeling bad for the other team. Their players just didn't look like they wanted to try anymore. I don't blame them! Not only were they losing...by a lot...but the Referee even asked Talmage if he would another player out of the game so they would have one less player than their opponents. I guess that's better than telling your team to ease up a bit because you still want your team to play strong. They ended up winning 12-0. I was really watching the game and knew my older two kids were okay because I could hear them right next to me. But I just happened to look down at the right time because Kenzie had her skirt off and was starting to pull down her underwear. She informed me that she had to go tinkle. I was holding Tyler feeding him a bottle but quickly bent down to help my little girl understand that she can't just go to the bathroom anywhere she wants! I quickly glanced around to see how many people had noticed. I didn't look to Talmage or his bench so I don't know how many of them noticed. There was a sweet mother that did notice and came to my rescue to help her pull up her skirt. The skirt has little shorts attached underneath and I made the mistake of putting two legs through one hole which we had to fix later, but at least we got the skirt up. Then came the next concern... Where's the closest bathroom and how am I going to take all three kids with me. The last 12 minutes went by really slow after that! Escalon's soccer field doesn't have close bathrooms. I just told Kenzie to hold it and I hoped for the best. Luckily we made it all the way through the game and even a little while after. Whew!

Everyone sure does love me!

2008-09-13T22:41:00.001-07:00

Tyler is such a sweet little boy. Poor kid has had to go through a lot of tummy troubles since he was born. He just seems to have a hard time with gas. He's gotten a lot better but still has episodes every once in a while.

It's amazing the joy and peace a little baby brings to a home and family. Grant and Kenzie absolutely adore him. If I had a picture of each time this little boy has gotten a kiss it would take a day to just scroll through the pictures.

He's a lucky boy to have a brother and sister that love him so much. I'm a lucky mom to have 3 healthy and happy kids. I find so much joy in being able to watch my kids play together and be kind to each other. Of course they fight as well. Are there siblings that don't?! Just makes them love each other even more, right? Opposition in all things.
It will be fun to watch them interact more as Tyler gets older. He's become very smiley and tries to "talk" to us. Already more fun for Grant and Kenzie.
What a fun and crazy time in our lives. Of course it will all go by way too fast. I cherish these moments. I am so glad I get to stay home and be a mom full time. If I had a job I'm sure we would have bought a house by now, but somehow I realize it's worth it. I can't get these days back with my kids but someday (hopefully soon) we will have a house.
This is what it's all about, isn't it? Joy and rejoicing. Now that they are teaching me that simple aspect of life I need to do my part and teach them the rest. To follow the teachings and example of the Savior. To be kind and respect others. To follow the Prophet. To read their scriptures. To pray. To have faith. To be worthy to attend the temple. To serve a mission. To marry in the temple. Being a parent is a tough and FULL-TIME job! I better get busy.

Jog-a-Thon

2008-09-12T14:00:00.000-07:00

What a fun day! Made me almost wish I could be out there running with the kids. 1:00 in the afternoon on a pretty warm day. Aren't the kindergartners so cute. They're all standing so straight in their line just like the teacher told them to do.

Kenzie and Tyler were good sports to come watch their big brother. Kenzie wanted to run on the field until the big kids came out and started running. Tyler preferred to just sleep in the stroller. I was very lucky that he slept the whole time. We found a nice spot in the shade to park the stroller but Kenzie didn't sit long.
Where's Waldo? Just look in the middle of the line for a cute little short boy with tall white socks on. What a cute kid!
Go Grant go! It was fun to watch him go around and around. The little kindegartners were on the inside track so it was hard to see them from the sidelines. I heard they were pretty strict about who they would allow on the field. But thanks to a cunning mom I have a few pictures of the action. (Thanks Tennille!)
When I couldn't see Grant running around this is where he would hide out. Get a nice drink of water and eat some oranges. I don't blame him...it was pretty warm out. I wonder what he's saying to Max Palmer. I think it's cute to hear what kids talk about. I remember feeling so big when I was in school, but looking at Grant I feel like he's so young. So young to be able to talk to friends about real "stuff." I wonder what I used to talk about... 27 LAPS! Way to go Grant!

What a cute group of kids. I think this was while the jog a thon was still going. Shade...Oranges...Friends...Good choice! Ashlynn Leibenson, Grant, Kennedy Marler, Tyce & Corbin Kerr.

Nice red cheeks.

I wonder where he gets it?

There's nothing wrong with getting a little red in the face. I managed to do quite well adding color to my face. And if you don't get enough red in your face from running...go for the Icee Juicee method.

I didn't know they still made those things (Icee Juicee's). I remember that being my favorite thing after the jog a thon. I was a little disappointed they didn't have the fire truck out to spray everyone when it was over. Grant did a great job that day and I was proud of him for asking people to sponsor him. He earned $125 for the school.

My first Apple Pie

2008-09-11T14:16:00.000-07:00

I've never made apple pie before. What am I saying...I've never made any kind of pie before. I think about the things I wish I knew how to do or the things I wish I would teach myself but that's about as far as it goes...I just think about it. Well today I actually made myself do it.

I think part of the reason I never have attempted to make a pie before is the fact that I don't really like pie. I prefer desserts with a little more, no a lot more chocolate or ice cream to them. I see so many women whom I admire so much because of the skills they teach their children at such a young age. Canning...Sewing...Gardening...Baking...etc. Real womanly things. I don't do any of those things. I take that back; I'll bake cookies with the kids, but that's about it.

I remember when I was growing up my mom would make us clothes and while she was at it, she would make matching clothes for our dolls. My Cabbage Patch doll even had a swimsuit! My mom also canned and made freezer jam and baked pies and all sorts of real mom things. So today I decided was my day to at least give it a valiant effort. Kenzie and I made an Apple Pie.

She was a great helper. It of course isn't recommended to sit on your work space in the kitchen but the table gives us the most space and since the health code officers weren't coming to my house today I just let it slide. It wasn't the prettiest pie and the dough didn't turn out like I've seen and sampled my mom's pie dough, but it worked.

Caramel Cinnamon Graham Apple Pie, with Caramel Pecan Cream. This was a recipe I got from Eleace about 2 years ago after a demonstration she did. Her pie tasted a lot better than mine but who's surprised?! I also went without the Caramel and the Caramel Pecan Cream. Probably would have made a difference. BUT, this was not a disappointment at ALL. I actually was quite pleased with myself.

For my first pie it was quite delicious. I'm not about to enter any baking contests or open my own bakery but I felt the great satisfaction of accomplishment. And what's even better, I got it in the oven, the kitchen all cleaned up with dishes done before Tyler woke up and before we had to go get Grant. Yay for me! I wonder what the next "mom" thing to attempt will be. Any suggestions??

Budding Photographer and Little Princess

2008-09-03T17:27:00.000-07:00

I love my kids. It's fun to see their different personalities and wonder what the years to come will bring. With Grant in school I wonder how he will interact with others. Who will his friends be? What will his teachers think of him? Will he be a quiet and sweet boy that I have imagined? or will he be inquizitive, outgoing, and friendly? Regardless, I know he's a good boy and a smart boy. I remember how worried I was about Grant starting school. I don't know if it was the pregnancy hormones or what but I can't even count the number of nights (or days) that I would cry thinking about him starting school. I cried the night before his last day of Gayle's School. I knew that since that was done school was the next thing. And once a child is in school it just never slows down from there. I would think about my little Grant and how he's gotten so big and so smart.

Makes me a little sad thinking about it even now. No tears are shed...as no tears were shed on the first day of school because I had gotten all of that out of my system by then. It's just an interesting thing we go through as mothers. We spend 9 months carrying a developing little person around thinking about what the baby will be like and one of my stresses, labor and delivery. I also remember worrying about Grant having a birth mark. Then we go through the stresses of trying to get the baby to sleep at night and during the day (I know that was a stress with Grant just as it is with Tyler now...when will I ever learn??). Worrying about why they're crying and what to do to fix it. The worrying and stressing just continues. What will happen when Grant gets his drivers license and starts dating?! It just never ends!

On another note... Grant has taken a great interest in photography lately. He always wants to borrow the camera. I'm okay with his love of photography...maybe he'll make a profession of it someday. Maybe he'll take over my mom's business. It's fun to see what he takes pictures of. Of course since he's just starting out he only takes pictures of what he loves most...a Star Wars book from the library.

Kenzie on the other hand...she used to love having her picture taken. All we would have to tell her was to smile like a princess and she would tilt her head to the side and smile. That doesn't so much work anymore.

She has a scowl for anyone that looks in her direction or tries to talk to her. I expect she'll outgrow it eventually...hopefully. I guess I won't have to worry about her dating if she keeps it up. I think she gives the dirty looks to people only because she's smart enough to do it. At least there's no question as to whether or not she has personality!

The Tie Obsession

2008-08-19T11:15:00.000-07:00

I don't know what it is about ties, but Talmage just loves them! I guess it stems from his mission. Male missionaries know what they're going to wear everyday except for the tie. That's the only big decision a missionary has to make each day. For two years having to only decide one important piece of the wardrobe...you have to get creative. Hence, the need for a lot of ties. Talmage has been wearing button shirts and ties to school everyday this school year so he wanted to make sure he knows which shirt goes with which tie. It was much easier to lay them all out on our bed and take each shirt around. What a process!! I think we got it all figured out. He's going to be the best dressed teacher at Escalon! And of course he's already the cutest!

What a reunion!

2008-08-18T12:46:00.000-07:00

So, we had our 10 year class reunion on Saturday night. I was really glad we went and I look forward to the next one, although I hope to be a part of the planning committee next time. It was fun to see everyone although there were a lot of people I was surprised were not there, and the food was good. We could have done without the entertainment, or at least a shortened version of the entertainment. No, we could have done without the entertainment entirely. There was a hypnotist show for our entertainment and I'm sure he does a great show, it was just the wrong idea for a class reunion. The participants were willing to give it a try but no one was really hypnotized. After about an hour I was wondering if this guy was planning on going all night! It just got to be too long and he lost the audience after about 15 minutes. I think people just wanted to visit and socialize. Of course we didn't stay too long after the show got over. We had three little kids at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Two of them were probably as content as could be, and Tyler was really happy and content too after his second bottle, but we didn't feel like we needed to stay any longer. Although I did hear it got better. Once the music and dancing started I'm sure it was a lot more fun. But I'm also glad we didn't stay to see how drunk some people could get. Talmage and I left realizing we want to help plan the next. There were several things we would have done or suggested. For one, the class president has a photography business so her husband was taking pictures the whole evening. Maybe they did after we left but I thought it would have been great to take a picture of all of the class of '98 that was there. Second, I would have tried to get more information about what people are doing now whether they were able to make the reunion or not. Have a wall with postings and pictures. They did have one poster board that had pictures, but it would have been nice to see more. And lastly, it was nice that there was something thought of for entertainment but something more involved would have been better. Talmage suggested a Mentalist show. He has a good friend that does it and when I saw him "perform" it was amazing. Very interesting and intriguing. Also a slideshow would have been so much fun. Overall it was fun and we're glad we went. It won't stop us from going to the next one, but made us realize we want to be involved for the next one. And to think that for the next one I won't have a 6 week old baby!

Facebook

2008-08-15T14:23:00.001-07:00

It took me a while to join the world of blogging because I'm just not into this kind of thing. And my sister Brittany has been trying to get me on Facebook for a long time but I really tried to avoid that. I just knew I couldn't be into that sort of thing. Well lo and behold I've done it. I've joined the networking world of Facebook and actually enjoy it. Mind you, it's only been a day...or maybe two...but it's fun to see who I can find. I almost feel like I'm stalking. Searching out long lost friends that I lost contact with because I'm not good at keeping in contact. Well I found my best friend from 1st grade all by accident. Beverly Wien (a.k.a my Bopsey Twin) was my BEST friend in Mrs. Woods' first grade class at Cloverland Elementary School. I thought she was so cool and she had a twin sister...that made her even cooler. After 1st grade we changed schools and I didn't keep in contact...obviously. First of all because I'm not good at that, as mentioned before, and second of all because I was only in the 1st grade! We were reunited again when we got into junior high and stayed great friends until her family moved away our sophmore year of high school. Throughout the years I've thought about her and her twin sister Georgina. I've wondered what they were doing and where they were. I had no idea how to ever get in contact with them so I never tried. Who would have thought that Facebook could be the one to thank. It's been fun catching up on what each of us have been doing over the past 12 years. Makes me wonder who else I can find...in all my spare time?? Let the fun begin!

Mother of 3!

2008-08-08T13:46:00.000-07:00

So today was one of those crazy days having 3 kids. Grant was invited to Garrett's birthday party this afternoon and with Grant in school it's not as easy to pick any time of the day to go to the store. I knew I would just have to pick something out without Grant. The new balancing act is time. I wanted to leave right after I fed Tyler so he wouldn't be fussy and I knew I had to be back in time to get Grant from school. Well things never work out exactly as planned. I didn't leave until 30 minutes after originally planned because Tyler wanted to eat again. Then I had to fill up on gas. Tyler cried the whole way to the store and luckily stopped crying when we got there. Then Kenzie told me that her tummy hurt because she had to go potty. I just tried to hurry through the store before Tyler woke up and told Kenzie to just hold it and we would go really fast. Amazingly enough we were all loaded back in the car when my little alarm went off for my time limit in the store. That's a first! I usually take so long because I love to browse...and I really wanted to but knew I had a little girl that needed to go potty and a little boy that needed to be picked up from kindergarten and another little boy that was sleeping soundly and I didn't want to chance him waking up. We made it home in plenty of time and Tyler stayed asleep even on our way to and from getting Grant. Kenzie went to the bathroom when we got home. And we were early picking up Grant. I was feeling pretty proud of myself for getting everything done and keeping everyone happy until Grant told me that Garrett already has the books I picked out. I guess you just can't get it all right!

He's going back for more

2008-08-07T14:52:00.000-07:00

Grant loved his first day of school. The first thing he made sure to tell me was that he had snack. Important things first! He's a boy and didn't divulge much information until I pried it out of him at dinner. I had to ask him step by step what happened and what he did. I was impressed he remembered at which table he sat as well as where all of his friends sat. He is a very smart and observant boy. He has a great memory for little details. Another important thing he told me was that he gets to go back tomorrow (today). After day 2 he is still having fun but keeping a lot of the secrets to himself.
I am so proud of what a good boy he is. In his Father's blessing it was noted several times about reaching out and being a friend to those that are lonely as well as being a helper to his teacher. I know he will be. He is so sensitive and caring. We are lucky to have such a sweet boy in our home.

First Day of School

2008-08-06T10:04:00.000-07:00

Grant started Kindergarten today! He picked out his clothes last night and had them laid out all ready to go. We had a nice short little walk to school which was faster than driving and finding a parking spot. It was a crazy morning of kids and parents all over the place. But of course we were part of the chaos. And surprisingly enough I made it without even getting a bit teary. I must have gotten it all out already. We went yesterday to meet his teacher and see his classroom and see all of his friends that would be there. I think that was a big help. Yesterday he was a little apprehensive and nervous but today he seemed a lot more confident and excited. I was really glad we went yesterday so today wasn't such a new and scary experience. What's so great is that he already knows about 7 kids in his class from church. Thanks to a little inside help at the school that was able to be arranged. Can't wait to hear how his day was!

I guess it's my turn

2008-08-05T18:12:00.000-07:00

I've thought about starting a blog for months but I never wanted to create one. I'm not creative nor do I feel like I have much to share. BUT, I love looking at other people's blogs to see what's going on in people's lives so I thought it was about time I started one of my own. Not to mention that since I'm not very good at keeping in touch with people maybe this will help. I feel bad that my own aunt didn't even know I was pregnant until AFTER I had the baby and she read it on my sister's blog. Opps. Sorry Karen!

I feel like I have a lot of catching up to do for my own personal history as well as for friends that I haven't talked to in a long time. We did have another baby. Tyler Malin Allen (Malin is Talmage's middle name as well as his Grandpa's name) was born on the 4th of July. We expected him to come that day being that the Doctor scheduled to induce me at 9:00 that morning, what we didn't expect is that my water would break at 12:30 that morning and we would have him before 9:00 am. I was hoping my labor would be a lot shorter than it was but I have nothing to complain about. When I was induced with Mackenzie, once my water broke she was out about an hour later. Not so with this one... I was getting a little impatient let alone very tired of contractions and tired physically since I hadn't slept at all. I just wanted to be done. I think I was also crazy for electing to go without an epidurral again. I didn't have time to get one with Kenzie so I thought I would try it for this one as well. About 20 minutes before Tyler was born I knew there was no time to get the epidurral so I opted for a little pain med through the IV. No it didn't take the pain away but at least I felt like I was getting something.

Tyler was born at 7:16 AM and weighed 7 lbs 5 oz and measured 19 inches. He's a little guy but he has the longest fingers and toes I've seen on a baby. Who knows! Maybe he'll end up with a little help in the height department from the House genes. He's been a mostly happy baby. He has his moments like all of us and lucky for him that he's a baby and can cry when he feels like it and no one thinks it strange. I keep waiting for him to plump up a bit. I know that will help him sleep better through the night when he has some chubbiness to him.
Tyler is ADORED by his big brother and sister. I was a little worried that Kenzie wouldn't take to him so kindly. I think she has been very happy being the baby and getting the spoiling that comes with it. But she is a girl that loves dolls and babies so Tyler was a perfect gift for our family and for her. She loves "her baby" and has been very good with him except when she has to get in his face while he's sleeping or stop his swing to give him hugs or kisses. Grant has been an exceptional big brother. The first morning Tyler was home from the hospital Grant was reading him stories as he lay on the couch. And that is just the beginning. He has been so sweet to him and so helpful to me. He loves to hold Tyler and will sing to him or tell him stories. He's already working on their secret handshake.We feel very blessed with these special kids that are part of our family. Of course it's not always easy. We have plenty of fits and breakdowns but I just remind myself that it's only temporary. Soon enough these kids will be going to school then going on missions then getting married and I'll wish I could have a few of these days back again...just without the fits.

Fun in Strawberry

2008-08-02T07:56:00.000-07:00

We had a great time in Strawberry. It was our first overnight outing with Tyler so I was a little worried. Who would have thought that 28 people could all sleep in one cabin. We made it work and we had a great time. Thanks Don and Carla for arranging it!

Our little model. I don't know why but Kenzie has this new thing with posing with her hands on her hips. I guess she has to try something new every once in a while.

Here's our pretty little princess. Too bad she didn't enjoy playing in the dirt more. Good thing for the bathtub!

Besides the fact that Tyler was fussy and wanted to eat all the time, I would say we had a great trip. I don't think he minded one bit of it. I just felt bad for everyone else that had to listen to him fuss. At least he still slept well at night.

The kids had a great time playing on the beach. We just got a little worried when Grant walked off for some reason. It was a pretty crowded day.

Grant loved getting to drive the boat for a while. Thanks Don and Carla for a fun time out on the PARTY BOAT. Tyler thoroughly enjoyed his relaxing nap listening to the sound of the boat's motor.

I am not a daredevil nor am I brave when it comes to doing adreneline rushing activities. Even if I hadn't had a baby only a month before I know I wouldn't have jumped off the rocks. I see that same characteristic in Kenzie. She'll hardly even jump from the side of the pool to someone standing only inches away. She was almost 2 1/2 before she was brave enough to climb out of her crib that had the railing all they way down. Talmage had a great time jumping although he only went once. I guess that's what happens when you have 3 kids. Too many of them need attention at the same time you want to do something like this.

Pictures

2008-05-25T14:22:00.000-07:00

A few pictures...