Delicious

Gavin is 5 1/2 months now and I'm a loser mother because I have not posted any recent pics at all. Here are some cute ones from our Utah trip last week that my mom took. More will be forthcoming. This little 20 lb. pudge is already getting on his hands and knees and scooting and eating solid food and just got his first tooth! I think he is trying to show up his older siblings as far as the "baby book stats" go.

Dancing Queen

Circa 1982. I always had great hopes for my dancing career, but alas, it was not in the stars. How fantastic is this picture (besides my obvious awesomeness): Orange shag, maroon velvet couches, my dad's karate parafunalia on the wall (yes, he is a 3rd degree black belt--watch out). My sis sent me some old school photos and I have decided that I will dazzle you all from time to time with some classics--this is only the beginning.

Land of Promise

I love 4th of July, and I love it even more when we are up here in Utah. We have made it a tradition for the past 4 or 5 years and I think we will keep it up. First of all, we get out of the blazing heat of AZ, and second of all, Utah does it right for the 4th. I love the small town feel of all the parades, flags in every yard, days and days of fireworks...it's so fun and reminds us of the importance of being patriotic, appreciating the land and freedom we've been given.

Both of my fathers and my big brother have served in the military and it's amazing the swell of pride and love I feel for them, especially this time of year, because of their service. My mom posted these pictures of them on her blog and so my sis and I are stealing them :)

Look at these handsome men in uniform:

Ben Leonard (Marine Corps)

Michael Tanner (Air Force)

Jason Leonard (Coast Guard)

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

Tagged about my man!

1. Who is your man? Steve

2. How long have you been together? 9 years

3. How long dated? 2 1/2 months - Engaged? 2 1/2 months (hey, when it's right, it's right)

4. How old is your man? 31

5. Who eats more? We both have pretty good appetites.

6. Who said "I love you" first? Steve. We were standing on the Santa Monica Pier in CA at night, looking over the rail at the waves. It was extremely romantic...my head was spinning and I was dizzy and it took my breath away.

7. Who is taller? Steve

8. Who sings better? Me, but Steve won me over with his Harry Connick Jr imitation.

9. Who is smarter? I'm gonna go ahead and say we are both pretty intelligent.

10. Who's temper is worse? Mine

11. Who does the laundry? Usually me, but he's been particularly helpful in that area lately.

12. Who does the dishes? Both of us.

13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Me.

14. Who pays the bills? Steve. He's our Excel Spread Sheet Budget Man.

15. Who has bigger feet? Steve.

16. Who has longer hair? Me, but Steve has great hair.

17. Who is better with the computer? Oh, I guess Steve.

18. Who mows the lawn? Steve

19. Who cooks dinner? Me.

20. Who drives when you are together? Steve.

21. Who pays when you go out? Steve if it's a date, but me if we're at the store with the family. He will take everyone to the van to load up while I pay.

22. Who is most stubborn? Neither of us is stubborn, but I do like to get my way...is that stubborn?.... ;)

23. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Steve

24. Whose parents do you see the most? Steve's, they live in Phoenix too.

25. Who kissed who first? Pretty sure it was mutual.

26. Who asked who out? Steve asked me out. We had been friends for awhile and one day I was rehearsing a song in my room for an audition and he and his roommate called me from their bedroom window (yes, our windows faced each other). He asked me to a symposium at BYU with Gerald Lund, then we went to dinner at Los Hermanos.

27. Who proposed? He did, on June 12th on the roof of my parents home in Clovis, CA, at sunrise.

28. Who is more sensitive? We take turns.

29. Who has more friends? I have more friends, but I think Steve is more friendly.

30. Who has more siblings? Same, both have 3.

31. Who wears the pants in the family? He wears the pants, but I tell him which ones to put on!

Love you Steve-O!!

I tag Jaimi, Carrie, and Danielle.

Stephenie's latest

Despite my inner fight to avoid reading it just because everyone else did, I've joined the ranks of Twilight Series fans and hoped for the best with this new one, "The Host". Like many of you, I'm no Sci-Fi fan, but she's got me reeled in. This was pretty captivating and I love her writing style. It's no Edward and Bella, but it's one I couldn't put down. I'm going to name drop here and have you know that I was Stephenie Meyer's visiting teacher when we first moved here to Phoenix...we even co-directed a Relief Society play together...here's to her naming one of her characters after me! (fingers crossed)

And the winner is...

Yay!

Let's Talk "Idol"--part 2

So my friend Kelly made a strong comment about the previous article so I am adding a little clarification so that she will still respect me as a singer-- LOL. I WAS a pretty big fan of Jason Castro in the beginning. I feel like his last good performance was "Somewhere over the Rainbow" and then it just got more and more awkward and more and more sad after that. The past month or so, I always felt embarrassed for him as he was singing. It is clear that he is NOT a natural performer, however, I stand by my opinion of his voice. I will love his CD (I hope it's a Jack Johnson type collection of songs--see my playlist--->) and hope that he stays in the recording studio and away from the stage...

David Cook still gets my vote.

Let's talk "Idol"

So, I was a pretty big fan of Jason Castro...I could do without the dreads (do they wash that?) but it added to his character. Plus, his voice was pretty fantastic in a mellow, easy-to-listen-to, folksy way. Beautiful tone and quality...anyway, he's gone and Steve and I both agree we will buy his CD when it undoubtedly makes it debut. Also, love David Cook. Also buying the CD. He makes anything he sings just cool. He's a real musician and ya gotta love that. Love Mormon boy Archuleta. He'll probably win and kudos to him. Check out this article my best girl Molly sent me. It's pretty interesting with the take on all of the "Reality-Show Mormons" http://www.newsweek.com/id/135758

I think I watch this show because I secretly wish it was me...I dream of being the Soccer Mom contestant that all the young moms get behind and vote for...but, oh yeah, I'm TOO OLD TO TRY OUT....Oh well, there's still the Animated-Disney-Princess-voice-over-dream....

Gotta love a good Tag!

Tagged by my lovely neighbor Natalie. Here goes:

3 Joys:
1) When prayers are answered
2) When my hubby walks in the door at the end of the day
3) When my child poops in the toilet for the first time--seriously--the heart leaps.

3 Fears: (only three?...okay I'll try):
1) That one of my kids will get stung by a scorpion (a reality in AZ)
2) That someone will break in while we are home
3) That "The Office" will someday go off the air...

3 Goals:
1) To get ORGANIZED (this includes food storage)
2) To get back in shape and feel strong and healthy
3) To invent a fabric that is spit-up and baby poop repellant

3 Current Obsessions/Collections:
1) Blogging
2) American Idol
3) Craigslist

3 Random/Surprising facts:
1) 20/200 eyesight--I can barely get out of bed in the morning without my glasses on
2) I enjoy doing laundry--the smell, the accomplishment, the re-stocked drawers...
3) I'm a great speller. Always have been. Runner up in 5th grade spelling bee. Pride myself on never using spell-check (well, 99.9% of the time)

I tag anyone reading this who is in the mood for it!

Temple Trip

This weekend we also made a trip to the Mesa Temple while my in-laws watched our kids. It was a great morning session and then we went to the visitors center and saw some of the most breath-taking photography I've ever seen which depicts the Savior's life. See a slideshow of the photos with music here: http://mabrystudios.typepad.com/reflections_of_christ/2008/03/reflections-sli.html

Then we went to Mimi's Cafe for lunch and headed home where everyone took a swim as we opened our pool for the summer!! (Yes, it's pretty much summer here already) Then that evening was a night of "Joseph" (see below). Great weekend making memories!!

"Go, Go, Go Joseph!"

So, I was in a Stake production of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" this weekend and I thought I'd post some pictures my mom took. If you are familiar with the musical, I was one of the narrators (this director decided to do a trio instead of one narrator, so we all took turns with songs, some harmony). It was a great weekend with my parents and my sister and brother-in-law visiting from Utah. We had 3 nights of performances and had a blast. It was reminiscent of my try at this in high school and it brought back great memories. My mom still cried every time I sang...Our kids loved it, especially since they had memorized the words from 4 months of listening to it in the van! Joseph might as well have been a superhero to them with his cape, er, coat of many colors.

I've Been Tagged!

To me, being tagged is like getting picked for teams in elementary school. Does anyone feel the same way or is it just me? I've read several blogs with "tag" lists and thought, "Hey, I want to be tagged too!" As if I couldn't make my own random lists about how wonderful my husband is or lists of things I like on my own...I had to be tagged. :) It's like a rite of passage into the blog world...I"m so wierd. Anyway, so thank you Krista, my Fresno friend, for tagging me. It is because of you that I finally feel like I have been accepted into the blogosphere and can move on --hee, hee.

The rules to this tag are .........using the letters of your middle name describe yourself. Tag as many people as there are letters in your middle name.

My middle name is ANN (since it is so short, this is a pathetic beginning of my career as a tag-ee)

A--All About Aesthetics--Dictionary says "Aesthetic--pertaining to a sense of the beautiful". I love finding things that I find lovely, or beautiful or pleasing to the eye to decorate my home with (bad grammar, sorry). It doesn't have to be flowery or fancy. It could be a huge rustic clock or a vibrant throw pillow, simple things. I love balance and symmetry in decorating.... I love sunsets (really, who doesn't?), I love scrapbook paper with great color combinations and textures, I love a wall of paint swatches at Home Depot that are organized in rainbow colors. I love beautiful photography, especially black and white pictures.

N--Not Organized--I have so many great ideas, good intentions and worthy desires as far as being organized goes. Now that we have moved, our home has lots of potential for organized spaces...I dream of many baskets, files, shelves, tubs, bins, hooks--you name it. However, time to achieve this is essential and I do not yet have that luxury. Maybe when my cute newborn is not attached to me for 97% of my day or when tax season is over and my hubby can grace us with his presence at last ( 4 more days!!!) which means my children will be safely distracted by their fun daddy...this organizing thing will happen slowly and surely. I'll keep you updated.

N--Needing More Sleep--I'm tired. Above-mentioned cute newborn, above-mentioned tax season, 4 children, "Joseph" rehearsals (I'll explain later), coming down with a cold, laundry, toilets....I know I'm preaching to the choir here. We all have these moments. Well, mine is now. 11:50 pm and I'm still blogging. What am I doing? Maybe this part should be "N--Not Good at Going to Bed When I'm Really Tired But Finally Have All Children Asleep And Have A Moment To Myself And Want To Just Sit Here Listening To My Playlist Music"....no, that would be too lengthy.

I tag Julie M, Christi my sis, and Summer L. And anyone else who would like to tag me again, I will gladly accept and fulfill this duty to the best of my ability. :)

God Bless Our Prophet Dear

Oh, how I miss President Hinckley*. How I missed his voice this weekend at General Conference. I missed his wit and wisdom and counsel and tired voice...but how grateful I am for a new man of God to take that place in the order of things, for God's house is a house of order. I have always found President Monson (pictured, right) to be endearing and inspired, but I was thankful to have felt the power of his prophetic mantle as he spoke to us, Sunday afternoon in particular. He is God's prophet. I know it and am grateful to know it.

*Editor's Note: For those reading, not of our faith, President Gordon B. Hinckley was the 15th President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He passed at the end of January after leading the worldwide church for 13 years and serving in the church for the majority of his 97 years.

Pretty blog

Yay--I finally have a pretty blog! The title box is still a work in progress, but we're getting there. I found this sight from a friend and it's great and easy: www.onecuteblog.blogspot.com
Check it out!