Lund Family

2009-12-17T10:36:00.000-08:00

Rub a Dub Dub

2009-10-17T16:05:00.000-07:00

Long time no blog! I haven't really felt like I had much to share, so I haven't posted in quite some time. We had a crazy summer and now everybody is back in school. I just finished painting my bathroom, and I decided to hang some pictures I have had for quite some time. Hopefully the kids won't mind me sharing these with all of you. And even if they do, to bad. It's a mothers privlege.
When Aly was six months old, we had a picture taken in a metal tub. So Cute! They even had this bath tub themed mat. And so a tradition was born.

Poor skinny little Aly barely survived us first time parents. Note the ribs. She really wasn't as small as she looks in this tub. This one was actually bigger than any of the other tubs that were used.

Next we had Megan. I loved how the towels were so much more plush. She is a cutie. But where is her bow? What kind of a mother am I?

Then there was Courtney. I think we had this whole thing figured out by then. Note the cute little bow glued to her head. She got more ducks than the others and they added plastic bubbles.

That's my boy!!! Finally some blue towels. Funny little boy only grew hair on the top of his head for a while. Maybe that is why he likes to wear his hair in a faux hawk now (either that or because the girls like to chase him more when his hair is that way).

Last but not least, Sarah. Can you imagine my disappointment and frustration when they told me they no longer make the mats that I used for the other kids. Am I really that out dated? Did I take too long between children? Oh well, This is just the beginning of Sarah getting special attention and privileges because she is the baby. Sarah doesn't mean princess for nothing.

So there you have it. It only took me several years to actually get these framed and hung in the bathroom. But I love it and the kids love to see themselves as well. Now we have proof that they were once clean little babies and not stinky kids and teenagers.

Easter

2009-04-22T10:11:00.000-07:00

Happy Late Easter everyone!

I was at work the other night, which is something I haven't been able to do for a while. We have been so slow, that I have worked one shift a month since January. I have really missed it. I miss the adult conversations, the brain stimulation and the babies.

Anyways, a few people mentioned that my blog has been MIA for quite a while. I really didn't think anybody noticed, but I guess when they get reallllllly bored they like to take a look.

So, this is a pretty long post. Mostly pictures. I love pictures. I am not the most eloquent speaker and my vocabulary needs some work. I always feel a little uncertain about posting long explanations about our goings on.

So here are some of our Easter eggs. The kids had a great time coloring them and we all had a great time eating deviled eggs on Easter.

Here's Sarah with her favorite egg. Pink of course.

Saturday before Easter, our local grocery store hosted an Easter egg hunt. They took part of the parking lot and filled it with straw and hid hundreds of eggs and loose pieces of candy in it. It was great fun, except for stepping on a few pieces of chocolate here and there. The Easter bunny was there, but nobody wanted to sit on his lap. In the words of Courtney, "He's creepy!"

Sarah and Courtney with their baskets.

Nate with his. Just a note about his hair. He loves to comb it himself and won't comb it to the side. Straight down or spiked up, that's how he rolls.

Easter morning the kids found baskets in the living room. The Easter bunny hid eggs all around the living room (85 of them) and the kids found most of them really quickly. The last one wasn't found until a couple of days later.

Here's Courtney diving for one. Thanks Aly for getting the shot.

Flowers are my favorite part of spring. It is so nice to see them bloom after all the snow we have had.

This is what an overdose of sugar looks like. Crazy kids couldn't keep straight faces. At least it looks like they were having a good time.

On Easter morning, I couldn't get Aly to let me take her picture. But mothers always find a way. She and Megan had taken these pictures a few days before (Kind of strange I know, but there are constantly photo shoots going on at my house. One day I will post a bunch of those pictures. They are quite "artistic.") Anyways, this just happens to be her Easter dress. So see Aly, you cannot fight the will of the great one. (Muh, ha, ha, ha, ha ,ha).

Megan and her new Easter shirt plus a little mascara and lip gloss. I have a new pre-teen now.

Courtney and her basket of eggs.

Nate my little man. He has been wanting a suit for a long time. He is thrilled with his new outfit.

Sarah and her basket. She is quite the poser. I think it comes from all those photo shoots I mentioned earlier. I would like to give a special thanks to Aly for curling everybody's hair.

So what do you do when you have a couple of hours to kill before church? We get our Easter clothes covered in our new sidewalk chalk.

Too bad it rained a couple of days later and ruined everybody's "masterpieces."

And this is what dad thinks of it all. He had an early meeting and then came home and fell asleep. Sarah tucked her bunny in his arms so he could snuggle.

So that pretty much sums it up. I hope everybody had a wonderful Easter and is enjoying the spring weather.

Keeping Abreast!

2009-03-26T17:52:00.001-07:00

I was offered the chance to take a lactation class this week. The last three days we went through a manual that was at least two inches thick. I have seen more nipples and breasts than anybody should in three days time. I have learned how to position a doll to latch correctly, and I have learned how to use almost any breast paraphernalia you could imagine.

I have always wanted to be able to help the NICU moms be more successful with breastfeeding, and I have nursed quite a litter myself, so I thought this would be interesting. Did I mention I got paid to go? Anyways, I learned quite a bit. I learned all the things I did wrong and that I would do differently if I had to do it all over again (please, no!).

I also learned some very funny names for lacation specialists. They aren't the favorite people in the hospital and they have been called nipple natzis for quite a while. I also heard, lactavist, boobologist, breastoppo, and titty twister.

That being said, I would like to think of myself as a lactavist. I really believe human milk is the gold standard and we should do all we can to help mothers achieve their goal of breastfeeding their babies. As long as it is their goal and we aren't "forcing" our agendas on them.

So to all my friends at work who may want to call me Sister Breast, go ahead. We can still be friends.

2009-03-09T09:08:00.000-07:00

Those of you who have talked to me recently may have heard me whine about YW. I kept thinking it was time for a change and I probably needed to be done. Well, it has happened. I was released from Young Women's yesterday. I am not quite sure how I feel about it. Now I am sad. ( Have I mentioned that I have a lot of mood swings).

I have been the Mia Maid advisor for four and a half years. That is quite a long time. The girls that were in my class when I started are now in college and doing amazing things. It is really exciting to see them grow and change.

When I was first called, I was really nervous. Those of you who know me well know that I am a big geek. I was scared that the"hip" (by writing hip I have just proven that I am indeed a geek) teenagers would think I was just so uncool. But they took me right in and didn't care. (I think they liked laughing at me).

I was very lucky to be able to go to a couple of girls camps with Aly. We were able to have some really cool experiences together. Megan starts YW this year and I am sad that I won't be there with her. But their new leaders are awesome and they will do an incredible job. I will miss you guys!!!

Aly's Birthday

2009-02-20T13:44:00.000-08:00

February is a crazy month at our house. Aly and Russ both have birthdays the same week as Valentines' Day. I didn't get any pictures of Russ' Birthday, but we had a good time with friends. He is too old to say his age, so I won't say it (42). He got me some gorgeous roses for Valentine's day but we didn't do anything special because his birthday is the day before so we usually just roll it all together. I guess that is better than a Christmas birthday.

We all know that the world revolves around teenagers, so Aly has all the pictures. And nobody does just one measly day of celebrating anymore, it is an extravaganza for days. The Friday before her Birthday, we went to the mall with her best friend. She blew through her money pretty fast. Then the girls went to try on prom dresses. Just one more year girls.

What a couple of hams.
Saturday Aly went for horseback riding. She loves horses. She has always been drawn to them. Last year up at Scout camp her love became a true obsession. I don't know a thing about them. So I payed for her to have a lesson. The lady was really nice. She put Aly through some paces and then decided she could handle it on her own. Her hour long lesson turned into a two hour romp. She loved it. Needless to say she couldn't sit down the next day. She would love to continue to ride, but it is so expensive so she will have to just bum rides when she can.

p.s. This horse's name is Purple.
On the way out of the arena, this is what she saw. What a day!!

Sunday we all gathered at her Grandma's house for a party. It is supposed to be a joint party for her and her dad, but poor dad always gets forgotten. I made her a carrot cake. Both Russ and Aly love carrot cake. I make it from scratch with carrots grated by hand. If that isn't love, I don't know what is.

Her cousins gave her five 2 liter bottles of Dr. Pepper. It is her favorite drink, but her dad won't let her have it at home. She was in heaven. Way to go Kyle and Kennedy!!!

Look at her protecting her treasure. The funny thing is we found out that her Great-Grandmother loved Dr. Pepper as well. She even had a two year supply.

Bottoms up!!

I feel old now that my first born is 15. Wow, time sure flies. It has been a joy to watch her grow and I can't wait to see what other amazing things she acomplishes. Love you Aly!!!!

Draper Temple Open House

2009-01-26T10:07:00.000-08:00

Thursday night our family had the opportunity to go to the Draper Temple open house. It was a really neat experience for our whole family. I was nervous about taking the little kids, but they did great. I am so grateful that my kids had the experience of being in a temple and getting questions answered. Even though it hasn't been dedicated yet, the spirit was strong and we all felt it. It was super awesome to be in the celestial room with my family and imagine what it will be like when we can all be there together again. I highly recommend taking the time to go through the open house while you can.

Baby Henry

2009-01-21T10:57:00.000-08:00

I know I should probably let Dantzel post first, but she is a little busy right now. It is really exciting, Baby Henry is here! He was born on the 13th. I was really honored that I was invited to the birthday party. Dantzel was nervous, but she did great! Henry was born at 8:35 pm weighing 8lbs 3oz. Dustin and Dantzel both seem super thrilled and are going to make awesome parents. Here they are with him moments after his birth. Aren't they cute!

We had a little pool going to see who could be the closest guess on date, time, etc. Dantzel totally won. She guessed Jan.13th at 8pm weight 8lbs 2 oz. I am trying to decide if she should get the prize (sucker) or not. Seems to me she had some inside information if you know what I mean.
Anyways, he is as cute as can be! I love babies, too bad they grow up so fast. Hopefully Dantzel won't get sick of me bugging her and I can play with Henry.

Here he is at home in his little bed. Doesn't he look like an angel on a cloud?

Binkies and bouncers, What would we do without them?

What a sweetheart! Welcome to the world Henry!!! Enjoy the ride!

Christmas 2008

2009-01-17T12:14:00.000-08:00

I hope everybody had a very Merry Christmas. Ours was delightful. I know I am late posting, but since I just took the tree down yesterday, it doesn't seem too late. Nate and Sarah came out of their room one night all dressed up like Merry and Joseph. It was fun to see that they would do that without any prompting. Aren't they cute?
Christmas Eve we went to my mom's house and had food and fun. Once we got home the kids opened their present from us, new pj's. Nate made sure that we had cookies and carrots out for santa and the reindeer. Then we rushed them off to bed. Don't they look tired?

Here's Aly with all her loot. Yes, those are yellow skinny jeans. She is thrilled with them. Note the red camera. She loves taking pictures and then fixing them on photoshop. She is really good. We may have a future photographer on our hands.

Megan had a pretty good haul as well. The scooter is for her and Courtney, but of course we know he rides it most. They love it. A few days after Christmas Nate and Megan hit some ice and took a spill. But luckily nobody was hurt, except the scooter. The side got cracked. It is now officially broken in.

Courtney showing off her Demi Lovato CD and her other gifts. She wanted a ukulele since they are learning how to play them in her class this semester. She loves it and carries it around even though she hasn't learned how to play anything yet.

Nate loves his guitar. He has been asking for one forever. He has also really started to enjoy sports and the Utes are his favorites. He was thrilled with his Ute hat and Ute football. What more could a boy want (I probably shouldn't ask).

Sarah our little princess with Ariel and her dress-ups. She hasn't been in regular clothes for weeks now.

So there you have it, the spoiled lives of the Lund children. We really are blessed, not only with things of this world, but with each other.

Fantastic Sam

2008-12-19T19:49:00.000-08:00

Well, Christmas break has started off with a bang. Today I was just taking it easy and messing around on the computer. In fact I was taking stupid quizzes on Facebook. Sarah and her friend Sam were playing quietly downstairs. Maybe a little too quietly. In fact, what are they doing? They were in Aly's room, and this is what I found... Oh my! Oh wow! Oh for the love....! I panicked at first. I wanted to scream, but I didn't. I thought that the black on Sam's face was permanent marker. Thank heavens it was only black lipstick left over from Halloween. His eyebrows may be dark for a while, but we got the rest off. Notice the little fury animal in Sam's hands, that is Sarah's hair. Yeah, I was a little upset. (Breathe Diane, Breathe)

I wish Sarah's hair was going to be such an easy fix. Oh boy! Well I was thinking about getting her hair cut a little bit (I emphasize a little).

So off we went to the professionals for a fix. It is kind of fitting that we went to Fantastic Sam's. Sarah didn't fight them either. I don't know if any of you remember when Nate cut Sarah's hair right before my nieces wedding. He cut her bangs right up to her scalp. I thought she had learned to say no. But she loves to please. When I was combing her hair later she said, "Can you comb it long." Well Sarah, I wish it was that easy. Since then she has asked a couple more times if I could make her hair long again. Maybe this time she will learn to dodge the scissors.

Well here she is with her cute a-line bob. All she needs now is a minivan and a couple of soccer playing kids and stick figure family on the rear window and she is the perfect mormon mom. I actually really like her hair. She looks adorable and sassy (just like her mom). It is not anything I would have dared to do on my own, so thanks Sam!

Sorry!

2008-12-16T21:31:00.000-08:00

I have really been slacking on keeping the blog up to date. I really am surprised by how many people noticed. I really didn't think that anybody really looked at my blog. It is nice to know that somebody cares. (sniff, sniff)

I have been super busy with Christmas festivities. First of all, let me say that the day after Thanksgiving shopping is CRAZY!!! I worked on Thanksgiving, so I was still awake at 4 am. I stopped by Wally World to get something my girls have been begging for. This item was not part of Wally Worlds' big sale, but was on sale at another store. They price match. So I was able to grab it and put it in my cart. All the other people huddled around the items that didn't go on sale until 5 gave me evil looks as I walked past them them with this item in the cart. I went to the register and waited for 5am. As soon as the clock struck 5, packages were opened and a roar rumbled from the back of the store to the front where I was standing. All I can say is that I am glad I wasn't back in that mess. I considered trying to get the $4 slippers but then decided my life and limbs were worth more than that.

Aly and I went to see Twilight. Aly has seen it four times and I have seen it three. I know there are a lot of critics out there, but I enjoyed it. I guess I am easily entertained. I know it was cheesy in parts, and I did laugh at some of the scenes. But overall, I really enjoyed it. I love the story and the actors weren't too hard to look at either. I know, GROSS, I am like old and stuff.

We went to the ward party last week. I somehow got on the decorating committee. Decorating is not exactly my strong suit, but I think it turned out okay. I only had to decorate one corner of the gym and cut paper snowflakes that were hung on fishing line all over the ceiling. It turned out pretty cute. Her are some pictures of the young ones on Santa's lap.

2008-11-10T10:26:00.000-08:00

Okay, I have been tagged by Krisen B. which means I am supposed to share six quirky things about myself. I just want to say that I am the most normal person I know (Ha Ha!!) so it might be a little hard to find something quirky.

1. I snort when I laugh.
2. When I am stressed or really busy, I break into song. Usually not the whole song, just a little of the song and then I move on to the next. (sorry to anyone who has had to endure)
3. My husband is the only man I have ever kissed.
4. I dance in public (but usually only when my teenager is present so she can be totally embarrassed, or at work).
5. I have been known to put earbuds in my nostrils and open my mouth so the music comes out. My sinuses have great acoustics.

I tag Christy C., Tanya M., Dantzel C. and Marianne P.

Halloween

2008-11-06T15:08:00.000-08:00

We had a really fun Halloween. Thursday we went to the Spooktacular at the school. The kids had a great time. But when we went in the spook alley, Nate got really scared and screamed and jumped into my arms. I guess we'll skip that part next year.

Everybody had a great time trick or treating and got a ton of candy. It only sprinkled a little bit, and it was warm enough for just a light jacket. I don't have a picture of Aly because she went with her friends, but she was a vampire.

Family Pictures

2008-11-02T19:21:00.000-08:00

This post probably holds some record for the number of pictures, but I wanted to include some of my favorite family pictures. I don't really like the slide shows, so here we go.

We went last week and got some family pictures taken. (THANKS MACKENZIE!!) I had originally planned to just have the kids' pictures taken. I was behind on everybody's annual photos, so I thought it was a perfect time to get a group photo. Russ was supposed to be out of town that week, so I was going to surprise him.

Well, after his motorcycle accident, he ended up staying home. When he found out we were taking pictures he wanted to do a family picture. (I really didn't want to be in the pictures!!)

I was out voted and a family photo session was born. I really needed a hair cut and didn't have anything to wear. So I got a new outfit, and did the best I could with my hair. Too bad there isn't a way to lose 100 lbs overnight.

My friend from work took the pictures. She did a great job!! The kids are little posers and had a great time!

I am really glad that we took this opportunity. I am even glad we have a picture of the whole family. Our last family picture doesn't have Sarah in it and everybody was so much younger.

I can't wait to get these printed and up on my wall.

Aly is really growing up. We are getting a little nervous as she is approaching dating age.

Megan is getting bigger all the time too. She was really excited that I let her wear mascara and lip gloss for the pictures.

Courtney is our little spitfire. There is definitely mischief behind those eyes. Please note the leaf in her hand. She found it and had to have it in a picture.

Wow! Nate is a lady killer. He is very particular about the way his hair is gelled and combed. I love his smile and big eyes. He is definitely my little man.

Sarah is the light of our lives. Her smile lights up our days and she is such a sweet heart!

I guess you could say I am pretty proud of my family. I am really blessed!

LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL!!!

2008-10-29T00:26:00.000-07:00

So, a couple of weeks ago, Russ decided to go riding with some friends. They packed up all their gear early in the morning and headed up by Huntsville. A great time was had by all, until...

Russ has been riding for a long time, and usually doesn't have any problems. He was riding on a fairly straight stretch and must have hit a rock. He flipped off his bike and his bike flipped on top of him. It is a good thing he was wearing his gear. Imagine what his elbow would have looked like if he had gone down without his elbow pads. Luckily for him, some deer hunters saw the accident and raced to help out. After they had established that he was able to move, he got back on his bike and rode down the mountain to the trucks. I got a call around 3:30 asking which hospital he should go to. He wasn't breathing really well and said it hurt to breath.
I met him up at the hospital, where they took x-rays and cleaned up his wounds.

He ended up with stitched on his elbow after they cleaned it out. It didn't show a break on x-ray, but we saw the tip was broken off when they had it opened to clean it. He has road rash all down his left side, his knee hurts, his shoulder hurts, he bruised his ribs. Now that we are a couple of weeks out, his bruise on his hip is moving all the way down his thigh. The poor man is walking like he is old. (Well, I guess he is, but not that old.)

Anyways, we are glad that it wasn't worse. Thankfully he had on his helmet and pads and

Whitchapalooza

2008-10-17T12:08:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Megan, Nate, Sarah and I went with some friends to Gardner Village to see their witches. They pull out all the stops. It was really neat to see.
Besides all the witches, they have lots of cute places to take pictures. And you know I love pictures. I wish the kids had worn their costumes.
There is a really cool old fashioned fudge and candy shop there. Nate nad his friend both got these huge all day suckers. Needless to say, it is probably going to be an all month sucker.

Sarah tried on this adorable witch hat. I am hoping she will be a witch for Halloween, but she keeps changing her mind. This chocolate witch is a woman after my own heart and figure.
We all had a good time eventhough we had to hurry so I could get to work. Next time we will have to go when we can look through the shops. They have really awesome, unique things.

Aren't they cute. Kids can be so fun. I am really enjoying this season.

New Kitties

2008-10-02T06:47:00.000-07:00

Aly's cat Gabbie had five kittens last night. She did a really good job and is already a good mommy.
It all started about 4:30 yesterday afternoon. She told me Gabbie was bleeding and meowing really strangely. I went down to check and I could tell that she was having contractions. It is funny how I could relate. Her meows reminded me of how I felt when I was in labor. Poor kitty. We didn't have a kitty epidural or anything.

The first one was breech. Being a NICU nurse I was worried it wouldn't come out right. But my worry was unnecessary. It took quite a while, but she did it. The first kitty was born around 5:30. The next two came out pretty quickly after that. So by 6:30 mommy and three kitties were resting peacefully. Aly cleaned up the mess and went to YW.
About an hour later, Courtney came up stairs and said Gabbie was acting funny again. We went down to check and sure enough she had another kitty. And then about half an hour later, she had one more. I sure did feel for her, four kitties climbing all over her and trying to nurse while she was delivering the last one. Boy, I'm glad I'm human.

Why I am still so fat.

2008-09-30T09:55:00.000-07:00

This quote came from my friend Julie. I totally agree. Food is my friend and my therapy. I eat when I am stress, bored, happy, angry... And when I am on a diet, cottage cheese solves nothing!!!

Not to endorse such self-destructive behavior, but nothing is quite the same as chocolate. Just a random thought that may give some insight to my psychosis.

Not much different.

2008-09-29T08:38:00.000-07:00

A few people have mentioned that I haven't updated my blog for a while. My response to that is "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all."

It is not as if things are really bad right not, just nothing really great or exciting is happening. The kids are all back in school, and we are all adjusting. Sarah really misses everybody when they are gone and I have found that she would probably climb back up in my uterus if she could. Seriously, she is always on my lap or following me around or climbing one me. I love her dearly, but it is nice when she finds something/someone else to play with for a while.

I have had a chance to reach my medical deductible. I had an upper GI scope because of my reflux. That took me down for a couple of days. They gave me versed and fentanyl during the procedure, so I had a really nice nap. Anyways, I am supposed to give up caffeine and carbonation, and everything that I hold dear. We'll see how that goes.

Then a couple of weeks ago I had a graft on my gums. I wasn't expecting this to be such a big deal, and it really wasn't that bad except it left my face bruised. It was really interresting to see peoples reactions. A lot of people would take a double take and then wouldn't make eye contact. Others would come right out and ask who hit me. So I had to explain a lot why I looked like a battered wife. It is a good thing I love Russ, or I could have got him in big trouble.

Anyways, that's all the news from our house. Sorry if I scared you with my picture. HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Sarah Started Preschool

2008-09-14T15:55:00.000-07:00

Sarah had her first day of preschool on Thursday. Nothing makes a kid look bigger than walking into preschool dressed in new school clothes. I can't believe my baby is big enough to leave me. Well, she actually only leaves me for two hours twice a week, but still.

She was a little nervous to go, so as any crazy mother would do, I bribed her to stay. I told her that if she didn't need me to stay I would have time to run to Wal-mart and get the Sleeping Beauty Barbie she has been begging for. She started to whimper a little when it was time for me to leave, but I whispered in her ear "Do you want me to go get your doll?" and she kissed me goodbye and didn't look back.

2008-09-11T07:16:00.000-07:00

Yes, I think I have ADD. I unsually don't listen to a full song on the radio. I change the TV channels all the time. And now I am bored with my blog, so I change the background. I hope this doesn't make anyone anxious.

2008-08-26T19:14:00.000-07:00

Yeah!!! Another year of school has begun. Although I am now faced with new challenges, I am grateful for a break in the teasing, fighting and whinning during the day. (Can you tell I'm a mama on the edge?)

Here's my Aly. She is headed to ninth grade. I was really lucking to get this picture before she darted out the door. I am pretty sure she rolled her eyes at me as she left. Here's Megan headed off to sixth grade. Queen of the school. She is really excited and has an awesome teacher. I am sure she will have a great year.
Courtney is going to a new school this year. She is in an advanced third grade class at Centerville Elementary. I know she is nervous, but she will do great.
Here's Nate. Isn't he handsome?!? He is a big first grader this year. He is super excited for school lunch and three recesses.

Sarah will start preschool on September 11th. I will actually be all by myself for four hours a week. Wow! What ever will I do? (tee hee hee!)

2008-08-26T18:37:00.000-07:00

Last week we went up to Park City with Russ' mom and brothers for a family vacation. I use the word vacation lightly. We had fifteen of us crammed into a two bedroom condo. Some days there were less of us, but we always had people sleeping anywhere we could lay down.

During the day the dads treked down to the valley to go to work and Amer (that's what the kids call Russ' mom) and I entertained, fed and cleaned up after nine children. The kids had a blast and went swimming two or three times a day. They loved hanging out with their cousins and making crafts in the hotel room. It was a giant, week long slumber party.

We also took a few outings to the outlet mall to buy school clothes. My credit card is a bit more worn and so are my nerves. If you notice a twitch next time I see you, it is probably left over dammage.

On Tuesday morning, Courtney was being teased by her uncle while she was under a hide-a-bed. She jumped out of the way of his tickling arm, and scraped her back on the bed frame. A little ice and a lot of love and she was better.

A few hours later, Megan was showing me how she could do a flip into the pool. OH Wow! I said, "You be careful. You could hit your head." Not ten minutes later, Courtney came to me screaming with her hand on her head and blood running down her face. Glory! Why doesn't anybody ever listen to me. She ended up with two big gashes on her head that probably needed stitches, but since it is in her hair and I am not worried about the scars, we just stopped the bleeding and bought her a hat.

The next day, Sarah was constantly crying. Her cousin Lauren had reached her limit of sharing and was taking her aggressions out on Sarah. By the end of the day she had a scratch under each eye, a fat lip, and several pinch marks. That's when I told Sarah that she was allowed to fight back if Lauren attacked her again. It was a good thing that Aly had back to school night. I packed up Sarah, Aly and Megan and headed down to Bountiful. The break was needed.

Needless to say, we were ready to come home by the end of the week. The kids bring home lots of fun memories with their cousins, a few scars, and I bring home an appreciation for the fact that school is starting.

2008-08-24T17:53:00.000-07:00

Nate loved playing Grant's drums while we were up in Idaho. I may be looking at a very noisy future.

2008-08-16T13:26:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures from our trip to Idaho and Washington. Thanks Debbie and Chris for having us.

2008-08-09T10:43:00.000-07:00

Here we are at La Push beach where Bella first talked to Jacob and did some cliff diving in New Moon. It was really spectacular. Eventhough it was rainy and overcast, it looked really awesome.

Here's a little picture of the greenery. I can almost see Edward in the background.

2008-08-09T10:31:00.000-07:00

Here are some more pictures from around Forks. The Dr. Cullen sign is actually at the hospital. The Cullen's house is a bed and breakfast, but they put the Cullen name on their mailbox and have a note board on the porch to let us know what's going on with the family.

This is a picture of Aly in front of "Bella's house."

2008-08-09T10:16:00.000-07:00

The kids and I took a trip up to Washington to see my brother and his family. While we were up there, we took a day trip over the Forks. You know, the Forks in Twilight?

While we were there, we realized that the people up there are crazy. Bella and Edward aren't real, and so they never really lived there. But the town has voted which sites represent the sites in the books. So of course, since we are also crazy, we went to see them.

Here is Aly by Bella's truck and the kids in the "Bella buggy" that some lady decorated to deliver flowers from the flower shop.

2008-07-21T10:30:00.000-07:00

Megan loves Zach Efron and High School Musical. She got a very special treat. Bubbe lives next to a lady that was working on the set of High School Musical 3. Bubbe and Grandpa were hopping to get Megan into the set, but the schedule never worked out. Their neighbor felt really badly about it, so she got Megan an autographed picture of the cast. Yes, that included Zach. He actually touched it.
Have you ever seen such a big smile?

2008-07-21T10:21:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday was my work party at Cherry Hill. We had a good time eventhough the water was really cold.

2008-07-21T09:49:00.000-07:00

Aspen RidgeAly has been working up at a scout camp in Idaho this summer. She is loving it. She especially loves the horses. My girl really loves animals. Even after a horse stepped on her foot and we thought it was broken, she still loves them. She has made lots of really awesome friends and is thinking about going back next year. We have missed her, but it has been really cool to watch her grow.
The one negative I can see is that she loves the pet rats up there. EW!!!! I went to pick her up one Saturday, and she took me to see the rats. Before I knew what was happening, she had grabbed them out of the cage and put them on her shoulder. There was my beautiful Aly with two rats climbing all over her. EW!!!! "Here mom hold one." Ugh! NO!!!! "This one is pregnant and they said I can have one of the babies." NO!!!! I have met my rodent limit. After we got the rats put away and Aly's stuff loaded up, we drove into Preston to see the Napoleon Dynamite sites (if you can call them that). This is Aly and her friend Taylor that came with me to pick up Aly. Aren't they cute? We went to see the various houses in the movie and we even got to see Tina the lama. Sorry I don't have a picture but my battery died. Tina wasn't very friendly. I think she has had enough of her public, but her baby Elvis came right to the fence and let Aly pet and love him. Taylor and I didn't even get close. Aly practically let Elvis kiss her. I wish I had a picture of all the animals she lets kiss her so I could send a copy to all the boys she knows so they know where her lips have been.

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-07-16T12:48:00.001-07:00

Time well spent?

2008-07-14T12:15:00.000-07:00

I have been sucked in. I can't get anything done. Between facebook and my blog, I am constantly checking, updating, and just plain messing around with the computer. I wonder if my kids notice I am missing yet?

2008-07-11T23:09:00.000-07:00

Aly and Nate at the Fish farm.
Crazy Courtney. Looks like she's up to something.
We Love Bowling.
Especially the shoes.

2008-07-11T22:43:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I really hated opening the blog and seeing a fury rodent staring back at me. So I had to add some different pictures, eventhough they really don't make much sense right here.

This is aly being creative with a camera. She loves taking pictures and is getting really good at it.

Courtney's class had a watermelon seed spitting contest this spring. Here she is giving it her all. I love this picture.
Sarah loves her Megan. This was at Nate's birthday party at the fish farm. Aren't they adorable.

Princess CC

2008-07-08T07:22:00.000-07:00

This is the story of Princess CC. Once upon a time when the evil queen was away in the wilderness with a bunch of wild girls (girls camp), the soft hearted king was outside the castle checking the mote to be sure everything was safe for the evening when he spotting a small animal moving in the wilderness (the street).
The king approached with caution and discovered a fury rodent(hamster). The rodent was friendly and so the king decided that it would be a good idea to take a rodent of unknown origins and microorganisms into the castle. (If the queen had been home, there would have been a battle of the safety of the kingdom).
The king made a nice home for the fury rodent and introduced it to the prince and princesses. They prince and princesses fell in love and immediately began to care for and play with the fury rodent.
Days later the evil queen returned from the wilderness and was not pleased. But the princesses and prince looked at her with pleading eyes and her heart was softened. She declared that they needed to send out a decree to see if the rightful owner of the rodent could be found. The princesses took the rodent to the neighboring castles, but nobody seemed to be missing a rodent. So Princess Megan was given the opportunity to care for and name the rodent. She named him Buddy. Princess Megan took some of her hard earned money and went to the pet store and bought a proper cage and food for Buddy. Days went by and there was much love and rejoicing.
Then on a fateful day, two princes from a kingdom far away(about a block), came inquiring. They had heard that we had found a rodent and they were hopping it was their long lost friend Teddy Rosevelt. Alas, our Buddy was their Teddy. He had escaped and had been missing for nine days. It is amazing that the wild animals and cats had not gotten him. They were thrilled to have him back.
But the castle was empty. Princess Megan could not be comforted and the other princesses and prince were very sad. Even the evil queen was known to shed a tear or two for the stupid fury rodent.
So the queen and Princess Megan made a journey to Petco and bought a fury rodent know throughout the kingdom as Princess CC (named for Princess Cierra, Princess Megan's friend).
And they lived happily ever after as long as Princess Megan keeps the cage clean.

2008-07-07T11:16:00.000-07:00

Our Princess Sarah

Sarah's birthday was on July 6th. She is three. I don't have a baby anymore. I don't know if I should cry or celebrate. She is really into princesses and princes and loves to watch any princess show I can find. She knows the princess songs and knows the "rules" of being a princess. She has a few princes that she rotates. We have to ask her who is the prince of the day. Sometime it is her friend Sam or her friend Preston, but most of the time it is Zach Efron (from High School Musical fame). She is such a poser. This is one of her princess poses. She was showing Aly how a princess lays down. Heaven help us all.
Of course she had to get a princess outfit.
And she loves her princess polly pockets. She now has Bell, Ariel, Cinderella, Sleeping beauty, and two prince charmings.

2008-07-07T10:41:00.000-07:00

Nate's birthday was June 28th. He is now a big six year old. I can't believe how fast kids grow. I think he is pretty handsome minus the bunny ears (thanks Aly). What do you think? Here's the whole gang! I am really lucky to have such a great family.
Nate being the boy that he is wanted to go fishing for his birthday. We went to a fishing farm in North Ogden and there were so many fish that you could practically walk across the pond on their backs. We were only there a few minutes when Nate caught his first fish. It was a bit of a shock to him.
He soon got the hang of it and caught another fish.
I tried to get him to hold his fish for a pictures, but he wouldn't. It was still squirming around and was really slippery.
Aly caught two fish eventhough she was very distraught that we were actually killing these poor little fish. "How would you like a hook in your mouth?" she squealed as she put her hook back in the water. Being a teenager is so confusing.

Sarah caught a fish and so did Courtney, but Megan wouldn't even try. The fish farm won't let you catch and release, so we had them fillet the trout and brought them home. Although everyone has sworn of fish for now and so they are in the freezer.

2008-07-07T09:51:00.000-07:00

This has been the month of birthdays. We have three birthdays this time of year. Megan celebrated turning eleven on June 12th. We had a fun day. Here she is with her Miley/Hannah balloon. She decided she didn't want a cake, so we made a huge chocolate chip cookie. She decorated it herself. I think she was pleased with the results.

We saw this sign while we were shopping, and she jumped at the chance to get a picture.
That evening she went to Tepanyaki with me and her dad and grandpa and bubbe. I think she was drinking up the one on one attention. After dinner we went bowling. Happy Birthday Meg!!!

2008-07-06T16:57:00.000-07:00

This is the picture we took when Sarah was born to show we had grown by two feet. It is a little intimidating to see all those little feet lined up in a row. That's a lot of feet following in my footsteps. I had better be careful where I walk.

2008-07-06T16:48:00.000-07:00

Here we go. Okay, I have no idea what I am doing. So many of my friends have blogs and I love reading them, so I decided to give it a go.