Just another lazy Sunday

We really do watch her. Just not when we're napping...

I heart my friends!

This week has been cram-packed with fun things and fun people. Today was no exception- I spent a few hours catching up with two of my good friends- Becky and Jennie. We go way back to our days up at the University of Utah Institute. Becky lives in northern California so when she comes to town it's fun to get together.

My kids stood by me for the first 5 minutes but warmed up rather quickly and were running around like wild banchees in no time.

Here are a bunch of the kids eating their goodies on the kitchen floor. They did quite a number on the floor by the time they were finished- muffin crumbs were everywhere! Sorry Jennie.



Taylor practiced his photography skills and took this one of us girls. Not bad. Becky's little Maggie is the cutest baby girl. She was all smiles. See Spencer giving her the eye with a silly little grin on his face? Trouble!



Here's another one of Maggie. Isn't her hat just amazing? So cute. Mags was so smily all day... until I pulled out the camera... then she pulled out the stink-eye.



Good times girls!

Too much of a good time? Never.

Yesterday was a fun day. My friend arranged for a bunch of us to go on a tour of Sweet's Candy Factory. I told the kids about it a few days before we went to get them pumped up for the big event. They were so excited! I was a bit nervous that maybe they were too excited, expecting Mr. Willy Wonka himself to take us on a rowboat through tunnels of psychedelic candy goo and chocolate waterfalls. Fortunately, they were quite happy with what they got, which was a big warehouse stuffed full of boxes o' candy and machines outputting lots of sugary goodness. There were people there too. But no Oompa Loompas, just in case you were wondering.

No tour would be complete without each and every person being handed a hair net. Even 3 month old babies. The baby hair net even had an elastic to go under his little double chin. Too funny. We weren't allowed to bring cameras inside the factory so once we got outside, I shot this one of Spencer. It was so bright out, he wouldn't open his eyes. Isn't that hair net hilarious?



Pretty much the key to a successful tour at a candy factory is to stuff each and every person full of candy. They managed to do just that. Before the tour even began, the waiting area had a table full of free samples. On the actual tour we sampled jelly beans, chocolate caramel turtle things, dark chocolate orange sticks, and taffy- all fresh off the assembly lines.

The kids had a great time, especially Taylor. He even asked questions. I was impressed. Lately I have really been noticing how much older he is getting. His comprehension is amazing.

Sara, Taylor, and Livvy wearing their hair nets and holding their bags of taffy.



Me with my kiddos.



This is the entire group of kids! This was like a flashback of a bad family picture (babies screaming, some kids whining and other kids running out of the picture.) Good times, my friends!



After the candy factory tour, we stopped by Dave's office and went out to lunch. We went to the Dairy Queen right by his office. We don't know how this particular DQ stays in business. We are always the only people there! I tell ya what though, Dairy Queen knows how to make a mean chicken sandwich. I love their flame thrower sauce. It's killer! Add that to the fact that they have fry sauce and I am totally sold.



After lunch with Dave, we ran a couple errands (a totally awful trip to Michael's Craft Store where the kids were begging for everything. "No, Taylor, we cannot buy an entire bag of glue gun sticks". They don't even know what stuff is but they want it. And when Sara had to go pee, all 5 of us, including a shopping cart, crammed ourselves into a handicap stall. Awesome.) .

We then made our way to Copperton Park to play some more with our friends.

It's so nice to send the kids off to play and sit on blankets and chat with friends at the park. It beats folding laundry and watching Caillou all day. Plus, we had to take advantage of what was probably the last really nice day of the year! The rain (and snow!) is coming!!

Taylor posing with his buddy Jakey.



Sara is so funny. Here she is with her friend Mary. I should start calling her "Mother Earth". She is always outside collecting twigs, flowers, grass, fallen leaves, and any other earthy thing she can get her little hands on. Her favorite thing at the park (besides the swings) was to walk around collecting leaves, which is great, until she wants to bring them all home.



Dave was commenting last night, "wouldn't it be nice if all our kids stayed Livvy's age". Of course that would be absolutely craziness but there is just something about a 2-year-old that you just want to eat up. She is so cute ALL.THE .TIME. Even when she has her hands in her poop- she's still cute, just a tad bit unsanitary and stinky!

She loves to swing. She would sit in there all day even if no one came to push her. I pushed her a little and other moms took a turn as well. Even moms we didn't know took a turn. Lucky little lady.



Liv has dare-devil tendencies that freak me out. She climbed the stairs to the top of the slide, hopped on and came down a million miles an hour, landing flat on her rear in the wood chips. She was totally fine, got her little self up off the ground and did it all over again and again. No sweat off her back but maybe just a little off of mine.



Here is maybe a little more perspective on the slide thing. See her tiny baby body at the top of those big slides? geesh.



But see the joy? Totally worth it.

Not likely

Today I pulled out all the Halloween dvds. The kids were so excited. Taylor came running up to me with one in his hand- "Mom, can we watch this one? I haven't seen it in years!" Oh to be 5 again and have the months pass like years!

General Conference Rewind

Homemade cinnamon rolls are becoming one of our General Conference traditions. I took this picture right before I popped them in the oven but forgot to take a picture of the finished product. They were yummy, dripping in cream cheese frosting!



Another tradition we have is to complete a puzzle while listening to and/or watching conference. This time around we did a Noah's Ark puzzle, picked out by Dave. Unfortunately, he wasn't around much to help us work on it- he had AirForce Reserves this weekend. He helped us once he got home and we actually finished it with only one piece missing! That is good news considering the fact that we had Livvy hovering over the puzzle all weekend like a vulture. I'm pretty sure I will eventually come across the missing piece (because I've already come across 5 of them) unless the vaccum finds it first.

The kids had a fun time on Saturday stamping some get well cards for Uncle Mark who just had surgery. We made the pilgrimage to Pleasant Grove during conference sessions to deliver them and had a great time visiting with people we love! Livvy hauled around Mark and Annie's puppy dog. We just had to laugh seeing Livvy carrying a dog who is practically the same size as she is- okay, maybe slightly smaller. You get the point. I would like to think that Annie is crazy- for two reasons, 1. she happily volunteered to take three of my children to McDonalds BY HERSELF and 2. she drove my minivan. Good on ya Annie! The kids loved it!

I love the spiritual upliftment (is that a word?) that comes from listening to General Conference. What a blessing in my life! I appreciate the messages of love and encouragement that are spoken each time. I am so blessed. I am grateful and happy and working each day to be better!

whispering

I woke up Sunday morning without a voice. My kids all stood around me staring in bewilderment.

Sara: "Who took your voice? Where did it go? Is it in your leg?"

Taylor: "Okay, mom, talk. Say something."

And even Dave, "Can't you just clear your throat really good?"

Ahhh...good times. My voice is coming back but my throat hurts.

I don't particularly enjoy it when...

• the kids find the box of staples and break them into itty bitty teeny tiny pieces. (stepping on them isn't particulary enjoyable either)
• Livvy comes to me with a handful of poop.
• Spencer spits up down my shirt or in my mouth (the sickest thing ever, as I'm sure many of you know).
• the girls pick flowers from the yard and then bring them in the house to "de-petal" them all over the couch. (apparently when I hear dreamy princess-like singing coming from the other room, Sara is wishing on petals and throwing them into an imaginary wishing well. Darn that Snow White! Lesson learned.)
• Livvy colors with crayon all over the hardwood floor (thank goodness for the magic eraser!)
• the neighbor kids ring the doorbell 50 times.
• my car suddenly starts stinking (the source- a rotten sippy cup that is nowhere to be found. Don't worry- I sent in the reinforcements (aka: Dave) and the problem has been resolved.)
• my kids repeat and/or ask questions about things they shouldn't have heard me say (having older kids who sit in the back of the car and "yisten", as Taylor would say, without me realizing, can be complicated at times!)
• Livvy empties out the filing cabinet.
• I go down to the basement and find the kid's Christmas ornaments scattered about. Grr...
• I realize that the kids have been going to the basement and eating fruit snacks, jello powder, and jello pudding cups from the food storage.
• I sit down to nurse the baby and the phone rings. (Note- this only seems to happen when the phone is not sitting right beside me.)

Therapy session over.