"It's not THAT c-c-c-cold!"

Rossi went to empty out the skimmer basket and accidentally slipped in fully clothed. Came back to the door and said "It's not that cold, mom, can I splash around a bit more?" I don't care, you lunatic!

So then the other two, Howie & Kali got a little jealous & asked if they could go in, too..."I don't care, you lunatics! Just wait until I get the camera, though!" (no...that's not too encouraging is it?)

The straight "A" student declined the opportunity stating "I know you're not going to let them come inside wet & it's not warm enough to air dry out there" (she's a forward thinker)

So they splashed around a bit...Brynn really wanted to get in - dipped her toes on the baja step & also rejected the idea as insanity! But she had fun chasing them around the pool from the decking!!

Feeling a little taxed....

Notice to friends: I'm spending a year dead for tax reasons.

Maybe I'm just too cheerful?

or too happy-go-lucky? Lesson learned: You can't be optimistic when talking to a friend that is pessimistic because then you'll look like a "holier than thou" BEE CAREFUL when saying, "I know how hard it is, I've been there You'll be fine, I am just FINE!!! It will all be great in no time at all, just wait and see" because that can be construed as "I'm better than you because I'm not having this problem any more. Ha ha, you are."

A pessimist sees only the dark side of the clouds, and mopes; a philosopher sees both sides, and shrugs; an optimist doesn't see the clouds at all - he's walking on them.

So fine, she squelched me by telling me I'm a self-centered better than anyone around me egotist. And clearly - I am better than her with a attitude like that. Why am I still friends with this Cuban? And no, she doesn't have my blog address!

'Course I'm Biased!

I gots the cutest kids on the block! (that would be the block of Arizona)
and I put a bunch of pictures here - just in case someone out there who I don't care about gets tired of looking at the same picture...feel free to save any of these as your background.
My oh MY how they've grown!!!
Kali: August 2004

Kali: August 2005

Kali: February 2007


Kiersten 2005

Kiersten 2007


Wow - this is taking a lot of time to upload everything, but still I think they're fun to look at side-by-side!
and the girls' picture this year!

Then Howie in 2005 (just days before he was to become a big brother!!)

Howie in 2007

Rossi in 2005

And here he is in 2007!

then Brynn...here's some growing pictures of her!!!
4 months

6 months

18 months

The old "kids picture"

The latest & greatest "kids picture"

Field trip to the zoo!

Howie had a field trip to the zoo today. I knew better than to say I'd go to supervise, but I did want to go. Ross woke up early & got to work on math & history, I made breakfast while he trickled past literature (20,000 Leagues under the Sea!) and about 10:30, we got to the zoo. Brynn actually woke up early, so she took a VERY early nap (7:00 a.m.!) and was up by 9 for the day! Which worked out perfectly! I tried to kidnap Howie from his group, but he was too much the social butterfly, I had to bribe him with a ride on the sky-walk - or whatever that thing is called?
Afterwords, we went to feed the Lories! What colorful birds, they jump on you & eat apple juice from the apples in your hand! (bite the apples, suck out the juice & spit out the pulp back on your hand - a very sticky experience!!) We spent a small fortune on food for the giraffes & ducks and petting zoo. Brynn was so freaked out by the fact that a goat had to lick the food out of her hand. I held her hand out w/ the food in it - she screamed in fear, but as soon as the goats & llama's started licking her hand, she laughed an equal squeal of delight!
What a fun day we had! Toward the end of the day - on our way out - Ross grabbed some weeds to offer the giraffes, I know, I know, they're on a special diet, but HONESTLY how poisonous can the greens be? I mean REALLY - much cheaper than the 50 cent handful of cat food they offer us!! Poor Giraffes need a little fiber in their diet! Some ROUGHAGE, ya know!

Go Fly a Kite

and try not to run over your baby while doing so. We had a solid 10 minutes of play before they gave the kite to Brynn to hold, who didn't hold it - so the kite took off and got stuck on someone's house - very stuck - he took it down, but it tore to shreds on its way down.
Of course, it started to rain - what kind of mother would I be if I didn't let my kids out flying a kite in the rain. Here's the last picture we have before she let 'er rip! And I know the last words from my mouth were "Don't let go of that, Rossi, she can't hold on tight enou....RUN ROSS, RUN!" (like Forrest Gump's mom!!)


And as you know, when it rains, my hair goes all ethnic. Here's a close up of my fro-puffs! (on each side!!!) (With hair like this you would think I'd have so many other things to complain about than the orange & frizz part!)

I've been told

By a person who likes to bike around that bicycle butt syndrome will go away after a few days of riding bikes...I'm anxious to get my butt callouses up and running because it's been a VERY LONG time since I rode a bike! Are the butt bones bruised? I want to say there were quite a few LESS pounds on the seat last time I went bike riding! Brynn loved the trailer and can't get enough of it! Since I don't have a bike of my own, I took a liking to Kiersten's bike, which she is happy about because now SHE gets to take Brynn out in the afternoon after school!

My sit-upon is tender. Dragging Brynn behind the bike is a fun little workout!

Kids are out of school on Monday. Why hasn't anyone else come to look at our house? ONE person?! That's it? I don't get it. I'm not really discouraged, I only need ONE family to fall in love with it, so it's not that I want a bunch of people to come through my home, just the one who will love it. Ross is very stressed about it. I'm beginning to wear out...ever so slightly.

bad bad bad hair days

Since my orange fringe came upon me, I have not seen a good hair day. Today it's troll-like. I'm going to fix the tires on the kids bikes & get me a baby trailer & go for a bike ride, maybe the wind will comb it enough to make it look presentable, cause right now I look like I was dipped in tang while putting my finger in an outlet.

Valentine's Day for the Married

Married couples with children occasionally start to wonder about all this romance business. For example, a coworker approached my husband and asked, “Where are you and your wife going on your hot date this week?”

“Well,” my husband answered, “we haven’t decided yet whether to go to Barney’s Food Basics or Stan’s Grocery.”

Becoming a parent has a way of making romance a little more difficult and complicated…but not impossible. After a few years of marriage and more than a few children, I’ve found that love has a way of showing its head at common but unexpected times.

I used to love my husband for the way he looked in his pink Quicksilver shirt w/ his backward baseball hat. Now I love him the for the way he looks in his sweats after being up with a sick baby all night.

I used to love my husband’s strong muscles from his high school sports, football, snow skiing and water skiing. But now I love his muscles best when they’re used for carrying laundry to the washing machine, or the kids to the roof each year to hang Christmas lights, and Howie when he’s too tired to walk anymore at Disneyland.

I used to love my husband for taking me out to fancy restaurants. Now I love him for making us a snack to eat while we watch the ten o’clock news.

I used to admire the way my husband washed and polished his new car. Now I admire the way he washes our children at bath time and the way he always carefully polishes the counter tops with the kitchen towel "for me".

I used to admire my husband’s latest intellectual recital from his vast store of knowledge. But now I admire him most when he’s crawling on all fours and acting like a goon to get Brynn to laugh, attentively listening to the kindergartner tell knock-knock jokes without punch lines, helping our oldest with algebra, or telling made-up bedtime stories to the girls.

I used to admire my husband’s courage to travel to exotic foreign lands. Now I admire his courage to stay home, get up every morning, and face the work world, only to come home to sticky kitchen chairs, a pre-teen with a writing block, last-minute peanut-butter-and-jam dinners and after-dinner children who explode with “Daddy-do-this” energy.

My husband spends his free time fixing holes in the dry wall directly opposite the doorknobs, leaking faucets, lint filters, hair driers, clogged toilet, squeaky doors, the sheeted big screen, and runny noses. He takes time to build pine wood derby cars, good work ethics, a 401K, and our children’s memories.

I used to think the greatest show of romantic love was a passionate Hollywood kiss and embrace followed by an expression like, “Oh my darling, I cannot live another moment without you.” Now I feel the greatest expressions of love sound more like “Snuggle up and I’ll get your feet warm.” Or, “I’ll take care of the kids. Why don’t you get out and do whatever you want for the day.” Or, “Why, this casserole hardly tastes burned at all.”

Fourteen years ago, my husband and I knelt across a lace-covered altar and gazed into each other’s eyes, believing our love was complete. Now we gaze across a crumpled bed with bloodshot eyes at six in the morning while one child crawls across my stomach, another is perched on my husband’s nose, and one is ready for a jet landing on our shins. The others are spilling cereal and throwing oranges in the kitchen. Another crying to get into the action from the crib in the bathroom.


And that, in spite of the constant chaos we call family life, is why marital romance just keeps getting better and better.

I think I figured it out

I've been on this "old days" kick. Sort of longing for the simpler days. More than anything - recently I've been annoyed with the direction language and respect have gone! Vocabulary is dwindling in place of crass words and phrases. Kids stand in the middle of the road and play chicken with cars because they don't want to look like an idiot when their pants fall off when the run to the sidewalk because they're too baggy...kids who fling cigarettes at your passing car, again, young girls/teenagers - who talk so loudly and so foul with each other as they describe the way they'd rather have had a one-night-stand with the boy because then they could start going with another boy. It's disgusting. Walking into a building and the man in front of you not holding the door open, or the young child who sasses his mother. Not that I'm exempt from sassy children...I just think we as a society have gotten lazy and just don't have time to teach children how to behave, how to speak - we don't have the vocabulary to be an example to them, either. My son didn't know the difference between "persistent" and "perseverance" these are words that are slowly falling out of the every day language of society as a whole.
Why am I so attracted to that day? I was reading in the Proclamation to the World yesterday and it hit me. In a moment I felt like I was "missing" life before earth. Spirit sons and daughters KNEW and WORSHIPED God as their Eternal Father. We make covenants, we bow our heads and with one word of agreement, accept conditions, we don't lay out our own, we don't negotiate, we bow our heads and agree.
Yep, it's a long ramble, to be sure, it's only a part of what I feel. I don't mean to go to a place in time where women are subservient to their spouses, but a place where the father is the head of the household and rules it in love and righteousness, where the children learn love and respect from both parents and crassness is not acceptable because a parent is just too tired to discipline, or too guilt-ridden to say no. A place in time where we're still humbled by the things in life and don't take our luxuries as necessities.
Stepping down from the soap box. now.

Forgiveness is like changing a diaper

You're going to have to eventually do it. The longer you wait, the worse it becomes. Life can really stink if you don't do it. It's really not that hard, either. Yes, the smell may linger after the diaper's been changed, but that just reminds you to stay away from broccoli - or whatever it was that that was so crappy.

I know - I'll never be asked to give the devotional at BYU, but it's just life according to me.

Thank you, my sweet V!

No, she's not my valentine...but I'm dedicating today to her - since she's on a mission to pretify my blog. Not only that, she's an ever-caring friend who gives a rats donkey about her friends! She's slowly fading away into her own particular brand of stick figures! Isn't she the best?

It's also Crysty's birthday today - another good friend who just happens to be related to me! Happy birthday to Crysty! (hmm, another friend who is dwindling into nothingness...I need more fat friends so I look thinnner.)

Shhhhh - Brynn's sleeping. I would take a picture, but I think that'd wake her up. I guess I'll just record the fact that she's asleep - in case I ever tell you she doesn't nap, yes, in fact, she did.

Doesn't this song make you want to

burn calories?! Video's pretty funny, too! (look up!)

Hit number 1!

Had our first "viewing" of the house today. Two people called, but only one of them actually came (or at least left a card) Thought I'd do a counting of how many people actually look at it - and reject it? I'll go flatten their tires! It's times like these (yep after only one showing) that I want to have those hidden cameras in my house so I can see what people say about it - and what they think about it - I'd love to hear someone say how clean it is - I don't get that much! hahaaaa! Go see my mls listing and tell me what you think - honest feedback is appreciated - no need to rub me happy - I'm good with constructive critisism, but if you feel uncomfortable saying something you wish changed, then just tell me how clean you think it is - see my shiney countertops?!

Public indecency?

Got a call from Howie's teacher today...appears as though a police officer driving by the front of the school witnessed my little lovie relieving himself in the bushes at recess.

Seprately, we went to the Wing Museum today for a history field trip for Rossi. What a fun experience that was, especially right after watching "Flyboys" last night. We got to walk through this B17 (Grandpa was the navigator and bombedeer for the B25 in WW2) Very SMALL - I guess there was a lot fewer McDonalds during that era?!

Brynn also discovered this old Naval airplane. They say statistically women make better pilots, they feel the curves of the wind more naturally than men...she was a natural in this little toy plane! Cute, isn't she?

The energy crisis...

(Dis)Associated Press(ure) Avondale: Despite early beliefs that local resident mother of five would have more energy if she "just worked out more" preliminary research is showing that exercise is wearing her down. "That doesn't surprise me," says her husband of 14 years, "she's got a habit of swimming upstream against society." Their 12 year old son, added on to that, "and swimming is exercise, too." (Note to reader: This point made by son after 8 years of public schooling, he's showing some signs of improvement after only 4 weeks of home schooling.)
Her husband later continued his meaningless rambles by pointing out the researchers who indicate higher energy levels by exercising haven't ever exercised. "Who the crap in their right mind thinks that if you go running you'll be more invigorated? Have you seen her donkey flop down on the couch after she comes in from a run? All's I know is the dishes don't get done when she goes on a run." Apparently the rest of the children involved enjoyed their father's retort as they danced around the house saying "you're a poet and you didn't know it."
The mother's naturopathaholic sister offered to supply her with some vitamin Biloba Ginkolia, to help the flustered mother remember that she's supposed to do it all adding "It's because she had her gall bladder removed, how else is she supposed to regulate her lymph nose?"
"The researchers" of this exercise/energy claim, were unavailable (taking a nap) to comment as of late afternoon.

Language disorder

I picked Howie up from school this morning. I sent him with a cough and some steroids. Called the teacher told her that if he tells her he's not doing well, then to send him home. I am thinking she's just not wanting to deal with it, cause he's really not all that bad...regardless...I walked in the door with him & Rossi asked if I had an impaler for him (he meant inhaler).

We got the giggles

Reading about pestilence...Kiersten mispronounced and called it "pesticles" I couldn't stop laughing...especially when I got to the part about God sending pesticles to torment...the kids were giggling, but they had no idea why.

And today - well, quite frankly, it's every day...Brynn has bad hair. Quite honestly, all those little cutsy girls w/ the bows in their hairs...not for her - she can't deal with things in her hair. I can put a pony on the top, real tight - and then slip a barette in it - but her hair is so fine and stick straight - it just sticks straight up. Today I tried doing the "two pony tail" thing - and OH MY! She looks like that morphed little girl picture w/ facial hair! (but she doesn't have the facial hair - just those two very thin ponys on each side....) so I wound them up & put a clip on it - I'm thinking if I can keep it in her hair all day, it might actually be curly by tonight?

I can't help it, Howie cracks me to pieces!

So I'm folding Mt. St. Laundry & Howie hands me his gnarly sword (picture the rebel dude's sword from Mulan...riggid edges - really long) and I tell him, "You know, I have the better sword, I have no choice but to win this duel!" (he's fighting with the sheath) So we bounce around the room, he's deflecting my shots fairly well, and he's giggling. I asked him "Why are you laughing just before you get cut to pieces and fed to the sharks?" he said (I kid you NOT) "I know something you don't know!" (so course, I have no other option but to laugh) and he pulls from the inside of his sheath - ANOTHER sheath - and starts up with some kind of two-sworded ninja move.

Something about the mail

really moves my husband's bowels. He must first get the mail, then he sits on the lake-house until he goes through it all. Why? Do I look like someone whose interested in going through the bills AFTER they've gone through the crapper? I don't think so. Pay them yourself.

And magazines in there? Just not sanitary. I tell him to clean out the magazine rack cause I just don't have the cajones to un-stuff it myself. ewe. No, I'm not going to read that article with which you just came out of the toilet closet!

Got my hair colored yesterday

how do you think the color ORANGE looks on my noggin? She also cut it. Here's what I don't understand: You know I go to Idaho to get my hair colored, right? Okay - so I had the ariline ticket & everything - was going this weekend - BUT - my friend who just moved into the ward is a hair dresser and she's supposedly really good. (This according to those who haven't been to my girl in Idaho!)

I told her - this is the problem I have with EVERY hair sylist I have gone to other than my Idaho girl - my hair turns ORANGE - I tell them the color and the brand to use - I say my base is 4ASH - every one EVERYONE says "really, that's pretty dark" yep, that's me, my hair is pretty dark. "Are you sure you are ash" Yep, darn-tootin' anytime anyone uses something other than ash - my hair goes orange.

So I go with her to Anderson McCall (beauty supply place), we're going to get colors together - she says "You look like a 6, really" she was so convincing, I say "okay - well, maybe my base has changed colors?" I don't know I can't see the base of my head while measured against the lock of colored horse hair...

Then she wants to use her brand, she doesn't like Redkin - she likes - whatever that other brand is that TURNS YOUR HAIR ORANGE - and she did it.

Then she cut my hair - I brought her a picture, I explained to her in depth how if you layer it like they did in the 80's then it will FLY everywhere, you have to texture it instead...little chop here, little chop there, we talked about it - she knew exactly what I was talking about....

but guess what, I have fly-away orange hair.