OUR WEEKEND

This weekend we spent our time (in no particular order)...

#1 Reconnecting with old friends. It was so much fun to see Karin & Katherine (I can't believe I didn't take any pictures!) at Borders storytime, which, by the way, I highly recommend. There are TREATS!!!!! Oops...maybe I shouldn't have said anything. There weren't too many people there when we went, so all the moms got to share. I wouldn't want to have to give up my strawberry smoothie...but I would love to see you all, so maybe we can take turns? :)
I was also thrilled to discover one of my best friends from back in the day (through the wonderful world of blogging). Erin, SO happy to be in touch with you again!!!

#2 Falling in love with Nie Nie (that was just me, I guess). I spent almost every free second I had this weekend reading her blog. That weren't too many free seconds, but it was enough for me to totally fall in love with her and her family. Why didn't all you smart ladies who've been reading her for ages tell me about this darling woman sooner? It makes me even more heartbroken than I already was for what she and family, all of her family, are going through right now. And her recipe blog, it's sooo yummy! Christina, is that how you found her?

#3 Contemplating life, death, love, and other heavy stuff (again, just me--see #2). I don't know why certain events just hit you to the core. I mean, I am not unaware that there is tragedy occurring every day for SO MANY people. I realize that. There have even been several other plane crashes in the last week. I guess it is just that I have created a bit of a wall to protect my tender heart from all the hurt in the world, and when something catches me by surprise and breaks through, it overcomes me with grief. We don't have a tv, and so I stopped watching the news long ago. I know there are plenty of ways I could read about things online...but usually I don't. Sometimes Andrew mentions a MAJOR world event to me, and when I look at him in confusion, he sighs and says, "Becca, you really should at least glance at Drudge report or SOMETHING, you don't know anything that's going on!" Okay, so I didn't really realize the Olympics were coming up, I mean I found out soon enough to catch a few gymnastics & swimming events at Rob & Esther's. So I had no idea that there was a severe hurricane in Florida. I'm sorry. Andrew did send me a link to the news report on that one, which I did read. So I figure if it's important enough, I'll hear about it. (That's why I have you babe! To keep me mostly current!)

Well, I did hear about the plane crash, and ever since then I have been in tears an awful lot of the time (my poor kids keep looking up at me in confusion), and thinking over the blessings in my life, the heartbreak that so many people face in so many different ways, our Savior's love, fears about the future, and a lot of other things. I don't really think I can handle reading the news everyday. (Do you honey?)

#4 Having a sleepover with cousins, with not a lot of sleep (for me anyway...the kids took turns waking up and crying, so they all got plenty of sleep in order to be ready to go early Saturday morning).

#5 Attending a ward breakfast, which turned out to be a stake breakfast (so THAT'S why there are SO many people here, and we don't recognize ANYONE! I mean, I know we are new in the ward, but really...) It was quite the affair, with a moonbounce for the kids, volleyball nets set up, all kinds of food-we're not just talking pancakes and eggs here, there were breakfast burritos, bagels, every fruit imaginable (including pineapple, watermelon, kiwi, berries...), cold cereal, sausage, ham...okay, I'm getting sick now thinking about it all! Saved me making another meal for 5 kids though, so that was nice!

Tyler, Anna, Gwen, Robby

#6 Having interesting lunchtime conversations (well, the kids mostly conversed and I just listened in)

Tyler: If I had a goldfish, I'd name it Goldilocks

cousin Gwen: Oh, that's a beautiful name!

Robby: Why wouldn't you name it Gold or Goldie?

Tyler: That's too plain. I don't like names that just describe something.

this conversation quickly morphed into a discussion about meat...don't ask me how.

Tyler: Have you ever heard of meat-flavored gum?

cousin Anna: Eww...gross!

cousin Gwen: Meat...you mean like beef? I love beef.

Tyler: Yeah, and especially Beef Jerky. Mmmm...juicy beef jerky.

Gwen (not really sure how this fit into the meat conversation): Baby James (her newborn brother) threw up all over Dad! All over his whole shirt! It was disgusting!

Tyler, Robby, cousin Anna: laughing hysterically

Meanwhile, Annie is singing a song to herself throughout the entire lunch. I guess she doesn't much care about goldfish named Goldilocks or meat flavored gum.

#7 Planning & pulling off a Yard Sale...a kids yard sale that is...selling a few books and toys and seashells that the boys & their cousins decided to get rid of (for big bucks that is! "Umm...guys, that book wasn't worth $10 new...I don't think you'll get that much for it!). Some things were a little more in the reasonable 25 cent - $1 range, and since this is about the 4th time the kids have done this, and our neighborhood is full of other kids who seem quite excited by the prospect of a new toy (even if the 'new' toy does have Robby's name scribbled out with a permanent marker), the kids have actually each made a chunk of change--a chunk of change which I hear & see daily, since Robby refuses to keep his quarters anywhere except clanging around in his pocket, scattering across the road every time he falls off his bike.

Tyler pricing items.

See all those treasures?!

Check out all that cash!!!

#8 Having a few fights...Andrew and I arguing over who gets the last of the tomato basil tortellini and the apple bread we both love (he sweetly gave most of it to me!), the kids fighting over who hit who first, what game they're going to play now, and who likes who more ( I think the winners of those fights pretty much averaged out).

#9 Painting again...thankfully this was not done by me; I guess Andrew just didn't get enough of helping me finish up all of our painting projects, because he spent most of the day Saturday helping our brother-in-law paint their new house which they'll be moving into next week (which is also part of the reason we were honored with the presence of my nieces this weekend...I remember a little too well what it's like to attempt to pack with kids running around you!).

#10 Cleaning the house...again...and again...and again. Don't worry, it's a disaster again right now. :)

#11 Swimming with Aunt Esther. How did we ever think we would survive living more than 10 minutes away from you guys? Thanks for letting us completely monopolize your pool this summer. Is it really almost time for it to close? :(

I love how they always hold hands. So sweet!

#12 With DRESS UPS...LOTS & LOTS OF DRESSUPS!

#13 Enjoying A New Dog in Town...cousin Gwen gladly took over Annie's role as the family dog. I actually had quite a hard time getting her to relinquish that role and get ready for bed. I mean, I guess I can kind of understand...who wouldn't love to eat their dinner off the floor?

#14 Being grateful to Esther for saving me multiple times with a listening ear and Jamba Juice and snacks and kids songs in the car over and over and over again ("I have a name, I have a name, I have a name and my name is QUATRO!!!")

#15 Attending Stephanie & Christians' Balloon Release and fundraiser in Provo (see #2 and C Jane). It was very touching, and I'm grateful we could be there. (even if we did have to turn into insane crazy women for a couple of hours in order to make it on time--thanks for your help Es & Linds!)

There were so many people there. It was really amazing!

Poor Annie was just exhausted! So was I!

Darling Esther & Robby

#16 Eating Dinner at Pei Wei. I'd like to share my newfound knowledge, courtesy of Esther, for all of you out there. If you like PF Chang's, and you like saving money, then GO TO PEI WEI! The same delicious food for much less dinero because you stand at the counter to order it and wait at a booth for it to be brought to you. Highly recommended!!!

#17 Visiting the Thanksgiving Point Children's Gardens for our slow return to normal life after moving which includes FIELD TRIP FRIDAYS!!! It was a beautiful day, a gorgeous place and we had a lot of fun. Although I forgot the tip I was given to bring the kids swim suits to play in the sprinkler area, and so they played in their clothes. Which ultimately led to a complete strip down for the drive home (their idea, not mine).

#18 Making a GREAT (because it was FREE and EXACTLY what I needed) yard sale find when I wasn't even going to a yard sale. I saw it on the side of the road while driving with all the kids, flipped a U-turn, pulled up to the house, realized that these were the leftovers from the yard sale that had already ended, and that everything was FREE, heaved and shoved the enormous handmade room divider into my car myself ("EVERYBODY DUCK YOUR HEADS!!!"), which filled up the entire car (lucky thing these 5 kids don't take up too much ceiling space!), turned around and raced back home, unloaded it, ("YOU GUYS STILL DUCKING IN THERE?!"), and went back on our merry way!

#19 Watching the beautiful Closing Ceremony of the Olympics with Rob & Es...still sad I missed the opening ceremony, the but the closing was amazing to see.

WHAT DID YOU DO THIS WEEKEND???

Our Polite Little Annie

Annie has developed such a polite attitude. She receives compliments constantly, and she will always reply with a sweet, "Thank you Mom." or "Thanks Dad." Well, the other day after dinner, she had created quite a mess. She was covered with food! Tyler took one look at her and said, "Annie, you are such a mess!" She smiled up at him and in her sweetest voice replied, "Thanks Tyler!" The boys thought it was hilarious, and so they have now resorted to telling her several times a day what a mess she is. I don't know if she still considers it a compliment, or if she is joining in the game, but she thanks them every time.

Along with the politeness and adorable-ness, Annie still does have a bit of a feisty personality. A little while ago she was pretty mad at me over something, and our conversation went something like this:

"I not going to tell you!"
"Why?"
"Because! You NOT my mommy!"
"I'm not your mommy? Then who's your mommy?"

A brief look of confusion and fear while she tries to come up with an answer, and then, a split second later, a look of pure satisfaction as she triumphantly shouts:

"DADDY!"

She is definitely Daddy's girl, through and through, although I did get one brief shining moment while getting her dressed one day when I pointed out the 'pretty princess named Cinderella' on her underwear, and she told me, "That's not a princess, that's my mommy!" How funny that being told you are in fact the princess on your daughter's underwear is such a touching compliment.

Prayers Needed

My sweet friend Christina told me about this beautiful family and the tragedy they are facing right now. Since she mentioned them, I have noticed that Nie Nie is listed on a lot of others blogs, so maybe I'm the last to hear of her. My heart goes out to this sweet couple, their children, and their loved ones, as well as to the family of the pilot who has passed away. I am sure that there can not be too many prayers offered in their behalf. To read more about updates, you can visit her sister's blog.

The Twilight Hour

No, I'm not referring to the book. But I am referring to that magical (in a scary sort of way) time of day when everyone & everything rapidly falls apart. You know the drill...everything seems to be going along in such a wonderful sort of way. Kids are usually playing happily, mom might even be getting something done, when all of a sudden, out of nowhere, it hits.



Dinnertime. Bedtime. Crazytime!



So I just wanted to share this exciting miracle worker that I found a couple of weeks ago. I don't know what made me think of it, maybe the new proximity of the Ipod in the kitchen, but whatever it was, I consider it genius because it has now saved me more than a few times when kids were screaming and in tears, and I pretty much was too.



Books on CD!!!



I mean, it's not like we haven't listened to these before, but usually just in the car or at bedtime. That was just purely for entertainment purposes. Listening to these at dinnertime is miraculous. I turn on the story (Farmer Boy, from The Little House on the Prairie series is our current choice, although we have found great joy from Frog & Toad stories, Nate the Great, Charlotte's Web, Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, Curious George...to name a few.) and all of a sudden...it's quiet. I can think. I can finish (or start, depending on the day!) making dinner. I can smile.



So, if you have ever encountered the Twilight Hour (which, although I don't really wish it on anyone, I also fervently hope that I am not alone in this situation!), may I suggest you try turning on a lovely story on CD...the library has several options...or download a few to your Ipod...you can find free ones sometimes. I hope you have as much success with it as I have.



Any other ideas for getting through the Crazytime before bed?? I'd love to hear them...who knows how long this latest discovery will last!

I love you girls!!!

The older I get, the more sad I am to realize how difficult it really is to have 'friends for life'. As you grow older and begin to create your own family, staying in touch and spending time together with old friends becomes increasingly difficult. Especially with all of the frequent moving that seems to go on these days (at least with me and a lot of my closest friends)! I've been blessed with some really amazing girlfriends in my life, but I don't have many that have been around for as long as these two girls. (I really hope that doesn't say something about me!) That means that they know the most--and probably the worst--about me. Somehow they've stuck around. It's not often we all three get together anymore, something seems to keep us from living in the same state for very long, but we had one night out on the town together last month, and it was, as always, a blast. You are both so beautiful and talented and exceptionally kind and forgiving towards me. Thank you Sarah & Laura, I can't wait until I can have some more girltime with two of my favorite gals! :)


And a big thank you to all of you girls out there who have been such amazing friends to me. You know who you are! (at least, you better!!) I can't imagine life without you. If I had my way, we'd all be living in one big neighborhood all together so I could see you every day. Thank goodness for girlfriends!

Girls Night Out~And A Big Thank You To The Famous LBGs

So one of the hardest things for me about moving is leaving behind good friends. It's happened more than once (we won't get into how many times), and it just doesn't ever get easier. Well, luckily for me, this move has brought us to a place where some of our friends and family already are. Esther isn't only my sister-in-law, she's also a great friend. And I'm not the only one who can see what a great friend she is. These girls pictured here have been friends...not quite since birth, but close enough. And they have been so nice to take me under their wing, so to speak. They invited me along to a midnight release party for Stephenie Meyer's book Breaking Dawn, and MAN, do these girls know how to party! Look at the adorable shirts they made! We had a yummy dinner (girls only of course--how great is it to have a night out with just the girls?!), and then headed over to Borders for some fun there until midnight when we could get in line to buy the book. It was so much fun to just be silly and have fun with them. Thanks girls for letting me tag along--you girls are the best! (And a big thanks to Andrew for taking all the kids and letting me run off for the night!)

Oh, and check out this cute picture below. I took this right before Esther & Lindsay bought all our books, and now it's up on Stephenie Meyer's website! :) Guess I'm not the only one who can tell how cute these girls are!

Some 'Before' Pictures

Here's one of the desks I refinished (the heavy one!).

This is the bunkbed I painted white. It used to be my sister-in-law's bunkbed when she was growing up, so it has been in the family for a while.

Rob & Esther were over to help us with moving in and Esther was nice enough to help me tape up the family room. I didn't love the orange-brown color that the wall was painted before, so we painted it a cranberry red. (which does not look at all like the hot pink color below now that it's dry!)


Sorry that the 'before' pictures and 'after' pictures are mostly of different things! :)