Vacation-mony

First off, don't be alarmed - I'm not going to give you a play-by-play of our vacation (if you're interested in one then let me know and I'll be happy to e-mail or call you with more details...). I did want to post some photos though and mention some of our favorite memories. All in all, this was probably our favorite family vacation so far:

At our first visit to the beach, Hewitt was caught off guard by a big wave

Our family at Crystal Cove (Newport Coast)

Here are the boys waiting for the waves with Grandpa Pete

Tosh smooching Grandma Pete

Tosh loved the sand and found the beach to be very relaxing. This kind of snuggle is very rare for him as he rarely slows down (this is probably my fave pic of the trip).

Disneyland fun


In front of the Haunted Mansion; the kids really loved this place, the adults--not as much.


Meeting Buzz Lightyear! Hewitt's favorite part of Disneyland along with the "Buzz Lightyear" and "Space Mountain" rides.


This face is brought to you by the magic of the Disney Parade. Burke also liked "Pirates of the Carribean" and the "Indiana Jones" rides the best.

Hewitt on the putting green

Burke swimming at the resort

Grandma and Grandpa Pete stayed with the kids one day so Rob and I could go out to lunch for our anniversary. We ate at a great restaurant at Laguna Beach. This is Rob showing his utter excitement about being married to me for nine great years!

Our last visit to the beach (Laguna). The kids didn't want to leave.

All tuckered out and ready to head home!

T is for Tulip

This past fall was the first time that I have ever planted bulbs in my life. I'm pushing 33 and finally have my first flower garden. I have been anxiously waiting for my flowers to bloom and just knew that my tulips (my very fave flower) would bloom while we were away... I was amazed at how my front yard had changed in one week! The trees, flowers, and plants are all blooming and it is funny how such a simple thing can make me feel so happy. I decided to plant purple, pink and white tulips this year (thought they would look nice with our brown house). I just love spring.

Steps and Slides

Well, our baby is growing up...and too fast I might add. While on vacation Tosh took his first steps (pictured below, notice that he is going after a ball). Tonight, he was taking 5-6 steps at a time and also started climbing down the stairs (he's been able to climb up them for a while now). He would slide down halfway, stop to clap for himself and then continue on. This was very cute of course but made me nervous. These landmarks are happening much sooner than with our other boys. Clearly it is very important to try to keep up with the older brothers.



I'll post more from our fun vacation soon; still cleaning up and putting things away...

FAQ's

Are there certain questions that you are frequently asked? Besides the obvious "what's for dinner?" and "when will we get there?" type of questions that I hear regularly, another question stands out as one that I hear quite often: "Are you going to keep trying until you get a girl?" I probably hear this even more than the "you sure have your hands full" variety of statements. I was very interested in an e-mail that my sister-in-law sent me this week. A link to a story claiming to have discovered a new contributor to determining baby gender http://http//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080424/ap_on_he_me/diet_baby_gender

In a nutshell the article suggests that a mother's diet may influence gender, and in particular that a woman who eats cold cereal and bananas prior to getting pregnant is more likely to have a boy! Well now we know! Have I mentioned that cold cereal and bananas are two huge staples in our house? Cold cereal is usually "dessert" for our kids instead of other treats (they will honestly pick this over ice cream most of the time). My favorite part of the article was the following:

"Women who had boys also ate about 400 calories more daily than those who had girls, on average...Still, no one's recommending pigging out if you really want a boy or starving yourself if you'd prefer a girl."

I couldn't help feeling a bit defensive when reading this even though I thought it was hilarious(yah, I know that I like to eat). Don't worry, I won't be doing anything drastic (or foolish) in hopes of getting a girl someday...although I wouldn't mind hearing the (not-so-frequent) question, "Have you lost weight?"

So sorry to General Mills, Kelloggs, Post, Dole, Chiquita and the other companies we are helping keep in business; I may be cutting back in a year or so...

p.s. What I want to know is why do we keep planning vacations during the NBA playoffs (I can only handle so much basketball and opted to sit here at this laptop instead of watching with Rob)? Someone please remind me of this next year...

Addendum

After reading my last post (Reality Confessions), my husband was concerned that you might assume that he is watching these reality shows along with me! So, on his behalf I am dispelling any belief that Rob is a Reality TV fanatic. Actually, reality shows got going around the time that Rob went back to graduate school and so it was something I could do (after the kids went to bed) to entertain myself while he studied. ... These days, Rob is usually in the basement working on his music or watching the NBA on a different TV in the house while I am watching R-TV. Rob does ask me questions such as "who got voted off?" and will watch clips and episodes from time to time (I think he's more interested than he claims to be or is it that he's just trying to show an interest in what I'm doing? hmmm).

Well, this is my last posting for a while as we are headed off on vacation tomorrow and I have oh, so much to do today to get ready. Something that was already taken care of this week was a trip the dentist for Burke and what I call the "summer cut" pictured here:

Burke all ready and excited for sunny California...

And this is what I call just plain sweet:

During dinner last night Hewitt put his head down on the table and said, "I want to take a nap in my bed." He went to sleep at 6:00pm and woke up at 7:30am this morning. That is what I call a tired boy! Well my friends, check back here in about 10 days for details and photos of our trip. Adios!

Reality Confessions

I'll be honest, I have been known to watch a Reality TV show here and there...OK, so I wouldn't call myself an addict, but I currently have about three of them selected to record on my DVR each week. I know many of you would never admit to being a reality show junkie and maybe some of you really aren't... I confess that on occasion I have leapt to my feet in excitement, cried along with the contestants, moved closer to the TV during "Tribal Council" and have even rewound funny moments I just had to see again. Last night was probably one of the more exciting things I've seen in a while (stop reading now if you are not caught up with your reality news)- Ali winning on the Biggest Loser! When I woke up yesterday morning I was alarmed when I realized that I had forgotten to vote for either Mark or Roger in the finals. Ali pulled it of though and I think she looks fantastic, don't you?I'm still faithful to Idol though I have to admit that I fast-forward through most of it these days. Although I've liked several of the contestants, my all-time favorite is the teddy bear himself, Ruuuuuuuuben Studdard (sorry Dad, Mom and any others out there that were Clay Aiken fans). I'll personally take the credit for his win as I voted for him the entire TWO hours (thank heaven for redial). Ruben's version of "Superstar" is probably still my favorite song performed on AI. I have always LOVED The Carpenters version of this song, but was blown away at Ruben's brilliant (thanks Simon) voice.

Here is Ruben in case you have forgotten what he looks like...such a nice guy, what was that "Sorry for 2004" song all about?

Last, but not least, the #1 reality moment for me was indeed the "most exciting rose ceremony" ever. Now I know that some of you are scoffing at my watching "The Bachelor" and to be honest I don't watch it anymore (well, maybe I'll pause on it for a second or two if I happen to turn on the TV and see that it is on) but who didn't at least get interested when Trista from "The Bachelor" (Season One) was invited back to create "The Bachelorette?" Please indulge me for a minute when I explain that the man that Trista ended up choosing and later marrying in front of America was none other than the first boy I ever held hands with! Yes, Ryan Sutter:

This photo is courtesy of RyanSutter.com. Yes, the site really exists and I promise that I just found it today as I was looking for a current photo. I remember Ryan looking more like this:

This photo dates back to 1990 (?) when I talked Ryan into running for student council with me. Being the nice guy that he is, he agreed. Ryan was my first real crush and I mostly remember that he would walk me home from school (good ol' Lesher Jr. High) and that I got permission to go out to dinner with his family for his 14th birthday. Our "going out" was short lived as I wasn't really allowed to go anywhere with him (date) though we remained friends throughout High School and I last saw him and some other old friends the summer before my mission .

Well, as the spring reality shows are wrapping up, it gets me excited for my real reality favorite: "So You Think You Can Dance!" I was fast forwarding through Gloria Estefan singing on "Idol Gives Back" the other night and had to rewind when I realized my dancers had joined on stage. Love that Danny, Sabra, Dom, Lacey, etc. I heard that they held auditions here in Utah this year, should be worth watching.

Boy Trapped

Boy trapped - "kindergarten" for when a girl is sitting/standing between two boys.

Needless to say, at any given time and on any day of the week I am usually "boy trapped." This past Sunday I happened to be sitting between my husband and my cousin Bob during church (our boys were scattered among us and Rob and I took turns taking the baby out). I haven't seen Bob for a few years and he was in town for a mission farewell (my other cousin's son). Bob is several years older than me (in fact his oldest child is only two years younger than me) and has five granddaughters. Following the meeting, Bob commented that my little boys are much more active than his little granddaughters. I get lots of comments like this. Sometimes I am surprised by these comments (meaning my first thought is "Hmm, I actually didn't think my kids were that bad today..."). Obviously I don't have little girls so I guess I am used to how my boys act and find the constant movement pretty normal. Also, as long as there is no yelling, crying, fighting, hitting, or throwing during church (yes, Hewitt on occasion has thrown both cars and crayons that have hit poor, unsuspecting Saints on neighboring pews) then it feels like a big success to me. Burke was sitting between his grandparents during the meeting and I am told that at one point he leaned over to my mom and asked, "So Grandma, where are you in your personal scripture study? I am in Mosiah." Let me interrupt myself here to say that when I first started this blog I assumed that it would end up being oh, about 75% funny things that Burke says. My oldest brother (are you out there by the way? I keep referring to you) actually keeps a file on his computer of the funny things that Burke says and does. On Sunday evening we were with my in-laws at a Stake fireside where we saw Burke's first kindergarten teacher (she had his class for about a month and still subs for the current teacher). She told my mother-in-law that Burke is the most observant kindergartner she has probably ever had and that once as she was leaving the classroom Burke yelled, "Bye! Have fun driving home in your Honda Accord!" Burke certainly makes us laugh and keeps us on our toes with his many questions. As of late I am finding his sometimes not-so-cute behavior to be pretty funny as well and it is a struggle to hide my laughter. Last night was a particularly rough dinner; all three boys were being very difficult and not cooperating. At one point I said something to Burke like, "There will be nothing else to eat (he wanted a cookie) until you have finished your dinner, period." His sassy reply was, "Period you!" Rob was there to handle this one but we later laughed in private about how Burke hasn't really learned how to sass us very well yet, but he is certainly trying. He has also started stomping around the house and can bring his knees up so high that I swear it could rival the best marching band in the nation. This of course makes me laugh because it reminds me of ME (what? you ask)! Well, my allotted computer time has ceased and it is now time to boy-trap myself for a good read with the kids.

What a difference a day makes

Well, there's nothing quite like the stomach flu to stop you in your tracks. First the baby (he had it the worst), then me, then the three-year-old (you get the idea)... Whenever I'm sick I can't help but wish that I (and all moms) could take a true "sick day." You know, someone to actually step in and take over everything I usually do (laundry--lots of laundry when it's the flu, the cooking, the cleaning, reading to and playing with kids, etc. etc.) so our household could continue on without missing a beat. Seriously, where is Mary Poppins when you need her (well, I guess she didn't even have to cook or clean anything besides the nursery)? My husband is a great sport about picking up the pieces when I'm sick (along with great neighbors who help me out in many ways). Last night Rob got pizza on the way home from work and then spent quite a bit of time cleaning the kitchen and doing other things I just wasn't up to doing yesterday. I don't think that Burke (my almost six-year-old) minds so much when I'm sick; for him it means being able to watch TV and help himself to cold cereal (at least that's what seems to happen anyway). I did overhear Burke helping his little brother several times during the day- taking off his shoes, getting and peeling a banana for him, etc... he was also cheerful about cleaning up the toys and helping load the dishwasher after dinner. I interrupted his cleaning to read with him before bed and he said, "OK Dad, you just keep at it" as if he were the one in charge. Being sick mostly reminds me of how grateful I am for very good health (my kids and husband included) and for life's luxuries like the dishwasher, the washing machine (even if mine is so "old school" I still have to prewash, JA) and other things I take for granted everyday. Today things seem to be returning back to our happy chaos/normal which is something else to be thankful for. I forgot that today was school picture day. Burke put on a hat and his suit coat just before school (he was being an "undercover cop").

Burke undercover

The hat of course messed up his freshly combed hair, but I'm usually not too fussy about those things. We'll find out when the photos come back if some volunteer was there ready to fix his hair with a little black comb... The other photos I took after dinner tonight (yes, happy chaos)


Notice Tosh's tongue in this pic at the piano with Rob (one of his very fav things)- so cute!

Happy Birthday Mom

Do any of you ever feel like you are turning into your mother? About five years ago after I had cut my hair fairly short (I do this every few years and then grow it out again) my oldest brother saw me wearing satin-like pajamas (the matching top and bottom kind) and made some comment about how I looked and acted more and more like our mom all the time. Well, if that's so then I could have done a lot worse! Here is a sweet candid photo of mom and me taken in 1979:

I am not sure if I had just said something shocking (probably not that uncommon as I was a fairly precocious 4-year-old), but I can see a strong resemblance, don't you? I've forgiven my mom for this next one--yikes! Matching "Orphan Annie" hairstyles in 1981:

And finally one of my favorites and much more recent pic:

Among my blessings are great parents and an especially wonderful mother. Even my husband says that my mom is probably the nicest person he knows. She is a great example to me, my best girlfriend, and my kids just adore her.
I love you, mom. Happy Birthday!

Bummer

So I spent a few minutes before getting dressed this morning pulling out my summer clothes and trying things on to determine what I was able to fit into (we are going to California in a couple of weeks and I'm beginning to think about what to pack already). I started off with some new clothes that I purchased online last fall (love those end-of-season sales). I took a pair of capris out of the bag, noticed the size on the tag and thought, "What on earth was I thinking?" Now at the time I must have thought that these would be just perfect for this summer. I proceeded to fight my way in, but as expected I didn't win...not even close. These cute capris will now sit nicely folded in my drawer along with other (maybe out of style already?) items--tags still intact, just waiting for the day when I will be able to wear them. I have to ask myself, "Why do I continue to do this?"

Pondering Wheat

Let me start off by saying that this is not intended to be a Seinfeld-esque, "So, what's the deal with wheat?" entry by any means. I've been thinking a lot about food storage lately. The LDS people have been asked (for years and years) by our church leaders to keep a year's supply of food. There are some excellent women in my ward who have gone to great lengths to educate and provide detailed information about how to accomplish this seemingly daunting task. I am one who needs complete hand-holding in this area. I regret to say that I have never gone to a cannery to dry-pack my own flour, sugar, etc. although this is on my "As soon as the baby is weaned" list. Rob and I have filled cannery assignments before (once on our anniversary), and I spend time each fall canning fruits and other perishables with my mother-in-law. We have a pretty decent amount of food stored in our basement: canned tuna, vegetables--lots of tomato products, rice, cereal (usually 100 boxes at a time), etc. etc. I just can't get over my confusion about wheat. Wheat always seems to be at the top of the list of "essentials." I know some who just have wheat to have wheat. They figure they can just buy it and keep it until it goes bad and then replace it...it's keeping the commandment after all. This idea is somewhat tempting to me; but not ideal and won't compute to my fiscal and frugal husband. I guess I can't get over thinking, "if (or when) we do have a major problem and are unable to get food or supplies from stores will I really be baking bread?" You've all read "The Little Red Hen." There are several steps to baking bread including grinding the wheat (requiring a grinder, and a hand grinder if you plan to use it should the power go out) and of course then there's the actual baking of the bread. Again, if we are faced with having to use our wheat in a survival setting, then we would need a way to bake the bread. My attitude regarding cooking without power could be summed up with "if you can't grill it or boil it, why bother?"

Baking homemade bread regularly (I have many friends who do this and I admire and salute you) and rotating wheat while doing so is obviously the solution; although I don't spend a lot of time baking. Besides the time factor and the little people at my feet excuse, the main reason I don't bake much is because if I bake, then I eat what I bake and more of it to boot. Homemade baked goods are hard for me to resist; I'm continually setting goals about eating healthier and making attempts to do so (see blog entry on "how I lost the remaining baby weight," oh, wait--hasn't happened yet...).

As I was thinking about my wheat dilemma today (in the shower...I do some of my best thinking in the shower) I considered the alternatives to bread, "...boiling rice and oatmeal would be so much easier than making bread and don't require the sugar and other ingredients..." I then contemplated the following, "Could this be compared to having oil in my lamp (see Matthew 25)? Will I be held accountable for not having wheat as part of my food storage supply? Bread is certainly something we can live without, isn't it?" My thoughts then turned to the last supper and the fact that we eat bread each week to remember the Savior. Could this be the reason we have been asked specifically to store wheat (I am aware that other foods may be substituted for bread during the sacrament)? Personally speaking, this weekly ordinance is certainly worth any amount of time, money or work involved. That being said, I will need directions to the dry-pack cannery and most likely some hand holding while I'm there.

I got tagged!

20 Questions about us
1. My husband's name is: Rob (Robert)
2. How long have you been married? 9 years this month
3. How long did you date? (forgive a somewhat extended answer) To be honest we didn't really have a typical "dating" experience. We met in September of 1996 through "Young Ambassadors" at BYU. Rob was the pianist in the band (I was a singer/dancer) and so we didn't really get to know each other very well during the school year. In April ('97) when I announced my mission call to Norway, Rob approached me to tell me that his Dad had served in Norway and we started to become friends. Later that month we left on tour to Africa and spent just about every moment we could together. By the end of tour we'd discovered that we had fallen in love. Rob patiently waited for me while I served my 18-month mission and we never missed a week of letters (oh, and sorry to those of you that knew Rob during this time). I returned home just after Christmas in 1998 and bought my wedding dress the weekend of my mission homecoming in January. We were married the day after we both graduated from BYU in April of 1999.
4. How old is he? 33
5. Who eats more? Rob, but not by much
6. Who said I love you first? I honestly think it was me on our flight home from Africa.
7. Who is smarter? Rob
8. Whose temper is worse? Mine (my older brothers used to call me "Temper Tam" when I got upset which was very rare, right guys?)
9. Who does the laundry? I do
10. Who does the dishes? I do most of the time. I would rather have Rob play with the kids while I clean up the kitchen.
11. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Rob
12. Who pays the bills? Rob does. I did when we were first married and I keep pretending that I'll take that responsibility back someday, but haven't.
13. Who cooks dinner? I do. Although Rob has been making awesome gravy lately.
14. Who drives when you are together? Rob
15. Who is more stubborn? It would appear to be me, but I really think it is Rob...
16. Whose parents do you see the most? It's probably about even. We definitely see our mothers more than our fathers (as they come over more to watch the kids, etc.), but we are able to see them all regularly since we live close to both sets.
17. Who proposed? Rob
18. Who has more friends? Me
19. Who has more siblings? Rob. He is the fourth of six kids, and I'm the youngest of four.
20. Who wears the pants in the family? Sometimes I like to think it's me; but I think we've each got a leg in.

I just have to add that Rob woke me up at 7 something this morning to tell me that he was running to Smiths before going to work because there were some things he wanted to get at their case lot sale. Rob does much of the grocery shopping, carpooling, organizing and so many other things that help me so much! I love you, Rob.

Thanks for my first blog-tag, Tricia. I tag Allyson, Katrina and Sara