Paige says...

The more children you have, the less often you can keep track of their likes/dislikes with food. I can never remember who likes ketchup or mustard or mayo or ranch and who doesn't:

Mom: Paige, do you want ketchup with your meat?
Paige: NO--I will never want ketchup with anything probably for 20 years.
Mom: Oh ya, I forgot.

It's really hot down in this part of the country:

Trevor: Mom, why do we have to drink so much water?
Paige: So we don't get hibernation. (dehydrated)

One Word

1. Where is your cell phone? ....................charging
2. Your significant other?.......................endearing
3. Your hair?....................................shorter
4. Your mother? .................................Lois
5. Your father?..................................Ben
6. Your favorite thing?..........................decorating
7. Your dream last night?........................forgettable
8. Your favorite drink...........................milk
9. Your dream/goal?..............................joy
10. The room you're in?..........................pretty
11. Your children?...............................priceless
12. Your fear?...................................bugs
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years...........here
14. Where were you last night?...................home
15. What you're not?.............................pregnant
16. Muffins......................................chocolate
17. One of your wish list items?.................bicycle
18. Where you grew up?...........................California
19. What you read last...........................scriptures
20. What are you wearing?........................clothes
21. Your TV?.....................................big
22. Your pets?...................................non-existent
23. Your computer? ..............................black
24. Your life?...................................blessed
25. Your mood?...................................peaceful
26. Missing someone?.............................family
27. Your car?....................................Odyssey
28. Something you're not wearing?................earrings
29. Favorite Store?..............................Target
30. Your summer?.................................sizzling!!
31. Like someone?................................husband
32. Your favorite color?.........................red
33. Last time you laughed........................today
34. Last time you cried?.........................Thursday
35. Dislike?..................................motorcycles
36. Like?...................................Scrabble

I tag Mom, Christi, Sharlene (here's your initiation!), & Krista.

Have you pre-ordered your copy yet?

I have!

Kids' brains

Yesterday Preston came and cuddled on the couch with me while I was feeding Gavin. As soon as he got nice and snuggled, I said,

"Hey buddy! How's your day been?"

He replied,

"I'm not Ben, I'm Preston!"

(you may need to re-read to appreciate the humor)

I gave out a huge belly laugh and squeezed his yummy cheeks. To see more of his cute-ness, see pictures below.

Paige keeps asking when I'm going to dedicate a whole blog entry to her...I'm just waiting to figure out my camera issues and then I will treat all my children equally...You may have noticed I have not included any recent photos of ANY of us! Any I have posted are oldies, but goodies. It's distressing, but I will be getting it straightened out. I know this sounds very serious, however, it is merely my lack of technological abilities, that's all.

Daddy's Day

Love this guy to pieces! I am so thankful that my kids get to have a daddy like him. I feel like the Alleluia Chorus sounds each time he walks into the door at the end of each day and we all come running to him (me a little more haggard than the rest). He makes life so splendid, and I try not to think about what life would be like without him. He is so fun and silly, but also the patriarch of our home and leads us with love and devotion. He is one of the most positive and friendly people I've ever met, and that is such an example to me. He loves to serve and help people and most importantly, he loves to serve us, his family. I am so thankful for the respect and love he shows me as our children's mother. If they say something naughty, he will say, "You do not talk to my wife and your mother that way" and sometimes when I'm just walking around the house, he'll say, "Doesn't your mommy look pretty today?". The best is when he is kissing me at the end of the day and the kids want his attention, he will say, "Just a minute, I'm not done kissing mommy yet." He makes us all feel secure and safe and loved. We love you Daddy!

venting

I wish I could cry like this right now. I just want to crumple up on the floor and cry. Just like this. Unfortunately, my tear ducts are on strike (probably due to an overabundance of tears accompanied by our 4th baby--those darn baby blues.) Isn't it just like this sometimes? I just have SO MUCH TO GET DONE and can't seem to DO IT. I have dinner, laundry, packing for our trip tomorrow, feeding the baby, cleaning the kitchen, refereeing fights between children, keeping toddler off the kitchen table and out of the pantry.....this is when I say, bring on the nanny! So, I want to cry, but can't. So, in times of desperation, I resort to my next method of operation which resembles this:

Yes, I bust out a High G above High C with all the vibrato I can muster....and I don't care if the neighbors hear it. I suggest you try this at home. It feels good, almost like a loud sigh set to music. The kids think I'm crazy when this happens, but it's better than yelling, right? So, as I wait for the water to boil for dinner, I do now feel a little better having gotten that out.

Our #3

I just felt like highlighting each of my kids and some fave pics. I'm starting out of order with Preston and will continue with our other kiddos as soon as I get all my pictures on a disk since the USB cord is AWOL... So, here's to our #3 baby!

Love those blue eyes.

Love those baby-days curls.

Love that instead of "yes" you say "yeps!"

Love your love of the game.

Love your cheeks that go for days.

Love your mischievous ways.Love your tenderness.
Love your mood swings.
Love your fashion sense.

Love you Preston!

A twist on old favorites

Trevor: Knock, knock.

Mom: Who's there?

Trevor: Orange.

Mom: Orange who?

Trevor: Orange and bananas!!! (followed by much laughter on his part, not so much mine)

******

Preston: Knock, knock

Mom: Who's there?

Preston: Boo.

Mom: Boo who?

Preston: Boo hoo kying!!!! (translation: "crying")

******

Mom: Why did the chicken cross the road?

Paige: Why?....Oh wait, let me think about this....

Mom: Are you ready?

Paige: No! Wait, don't tell me...um....okay, just tell me.

Mom: To get to the other side!

Paige: (pause) Mom, that's not really funny.

Mom: I know.

What He'll Miss

So I always tease Steve that, though I have little quirks that irk sometimes, he will miss them when I'm gone....I'm not sure where I'm going, but it has become a catch-phrase for me to make him laugh about these little things. If you're curious, here they are:

1. When I use the microwave, I don't always cook things until it beeps, thus leaving a few seconds on the timer. They just sit there blinking at us. Who knows, maybe I'll need to cook something for 1or2 seconds later that day and that saves me atleast 2 button-pushes.

2. I like to fall asleep with white-noise. The bathroom fan is the perfect candidate.

3. I like to buy and plant pretty flowers, and then forget to water them.

4. If I turn the computer on in the morning, I leave it on all day. Even if I do turn it off, what's the point of always shutting the computer armoire door, just in case I need to do an emergency blog (????) and get the keyboard really fast. There's got to be some logic to this, I'm sure.

5. I rarely hang up the car keys on the cute little key holder I bought for this very purpose.

6. I ask him nightly before we go to bed if he checked on the kids, even if I already did.

7. I never get the mail from the mailbox. I'm not sure why. It's just down the street, but I don't want to get it. Sometimes he'll ask if I got it just for a laugh, because he already knows the answer.

8. I always move the driver's seat to the van unnecessarily close to the steering wheel so when it is his turn to drive, he acquires some new bruises on his knees before he has a chance to adjust the seat back. Unfortunately for him, I get a kick out of this scene.

Now that it's almost 4:30, I guess I should go think about dinner....(see previous post to catch the drift)

ABC Tag

A-Attached or Single?-Attached, sealed, unified, bound, connected, hitched and other synonyms

B-Best Friend- Esteban (aka Steve, my hubs)

C-Cake or Pie?- Either if they begin with the word "Chocolate"

D-Day of choice?- Saturday. I wake up almost giddy on the inside when I realize it's Saturday. I love having Steve to ourselves the whole day (usually) and working in the yard together or doing chores together, grocery shopping, whatever, I love when our whole family is doing anything together.

E-Essential item?- Skim Milk--Seriously, sometimes I shiver at the thought that someday I might not be able to acquire it (aka all the cows die of some terrible cow disease, or gas gets so expensive that they can't ship milk out...) For more craziness, see the letter "P" below.

F-Favorite color?-Red

G-Gummy bears or worms? Neither. They hurt my teeth and are made primarily with the evil ingredient (again, see "P" below)

H-Hometown?-It's in California

I-Favorite Indulgence? Easy. That would be the Brownie Sundae Cheesecake with extra slivered almonds at Cheesecake Factory

J-January or July?- January in AZ and July in Utah

K-Kids?-4 Paige, Trevor, Preston, and Gavin

L-Life isn't complete without? Humor

M-Marriage Date?-August 21, 1999

N-Number of Bro & Sis?-2 bros, 1 sis

O-Oranges or Apples? Cutie oranges and Pink Lady apples

P-Phobias and Fears? Yes, many.......Oh-- you want me to list them? Well, here are a simple few: Bugs or anything creepy-crawly, Cancer, High Fructose Corn Syrup (sort of an inside joke, but I do try to avoid it), Pesticides on food, standing on the shower drain (I told you--nothing but craziness). Luckily there is always letter "L" (review above)

Q-Quote?- I can no sooner choose a favorite quote than I can a favorite scripture. However, here's a good one: "If we treat people as they are, we make them worse. If we treat people as they ought to be, we help them become what they are capable of becoming." --J.W. Goethe

R-Reason to smile?- My babies are healthy and happy.

S-Season of choice? Autumn all the way!

T-Tag Ten People? Who wants it? I'd love to learn the ABC's about you!

U-Unknown fact about me?- I used to be fluent in Conversational ASL. I took 2 years of Sign Language at BYU, but haven't really used it since. I know I could still carry on a basic conversation, but not very intelligently.

V-Vegetable?- Zucchini

W-Worse habit?- There are many to choose from...but one that is so unwise and proof that I'm a procrastinator is that I always decide what dinner will be at about 4:30 or 5 o'clock --when everyone is already hungry and irritable. Really, this happens daily. It's pathetic and I should get my act together.

X-X Ray?- yes, A free x-ray when I went to a new chiropractor. It was of my neck and my back and we found that I have uneven hips and my neck bones arch backwards (probably from a car accident when I was little)--weird.

Y-Your favorite food? Mexican

Z-Zodiac sign?Leo

Long lost brothers