Monday, June 30, 2008

A new week

Another week... Our weekend was pretty low key; we stayed home most of the weekend, although Rhett and I did get in a date Saturay night thanks to our great neighbors who watched our boys. We had dinner at Tony Roma's then headed to the mall to get Rhett a new suit. Sounds like a great date, huh? We don't get out with just the two of us very often, so it was fun to spend some time together without having to chase kids. Even if we were just shopping!

We are staying busy this week and working on getting ready for our vacation coming up. We head to Phoenix this weekend for my niece's blessing, then it's off to Salt Lake for two weeks to spend time with family and our Hunt family trip to Flaming Gorge! For those of you who don't understand what Flaming Gorge means, it's three days of non-stop wakeboarding, skiing and jet-skiing on the best water ever. Rhett and I haven't been for three years and we are so excited to be going this year. The best part is all three of our boys are old enough to go on the boat, so there will be no excuses for us to not be on the lake!!

I have to toot my own horn - One of my New Year's resolutions was to work out 3-4 times a week... I have been faithful and am still working out! I've only had a week or two, usually when family has been in town, that I haven't worked out, but since Jan. 1st, I've worked out 3-4 times every week!! I love how toned my body is and that I don't get winded by the simplest task. It may sound funny, but I love to sweat! Yeah, Me!!

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Summertime Hair

Rhett has been shaving his head for the past couple of months now and asks me everytime the boys need a haircut if we can shave their head as well. I always tell him no - mainly because I really don't like the way it looks - but I figured for the summertime, we could reduce the time it takes to get ready for the day by shaving the boys' heads. Porter has been asking me for a while when we were going to cut his and Zach had originally said he didn't want his buzzed, but after watching Porter and Dad, Zach gave in. We did the haircuts outside and I couldn't believe the amount of hair on the ground! They boys love their new haircuts and I joke with them now about combing their hair. I do refuse to cut Andrew's like that, though. His full head of hair keeps him so cute!

Monday, June 23, 2008

Mom's Advice

Growing up, whenever my mom was having a particularly hard time with us kids, she would look at me with that exhausted mommy look on her face and say, "Be a nun." I'm seriously rethinking my vocation today and wondering if nun-hood was a better idea. Porter has been exceptionally smart-mouthy today and Andrew has had a few meltdowns of his own. Zach, my usual problem child, is being surprisingly great today; most likely due to Jett being here for the day.

We went to the park for lunch in hopes to get everyone playing and in better spirits (including me) but it just ended up in Porter chasing the other boys around the playground and making them upset, Andrew throwing a crying fit because the swing he wanted was taken, and Jett stepping on what I think was a bee or something and hurting his foot. I brought everyone home with the idea of eternal quiet time, but for boys, that's impossible.

Anyways, here's to hoping the rest of the day turns out better. Andrew's asleep, and the other boys are playing nicely. Now if only the bathrooms didn't need cleaning...

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Saturday is a special day

I love Saturdays with nothing to do. Sometimes it's the only day of the week that I feel I can get truly rested.

I took Porter and we went to the temple this morning with the Primary. We met with a tour guide who told us lots of things about the temple and some facts that I didn't even know. Here's one... On the top of many of the temple spires is Angel Moroni with his trumpet; He faces East because that is the direction Jesus Christ will come from when He comes again. But there are three temples where Angel Moroni is facing West - do you know which three they are??

Zach was going to go with us, but he was up last night with croup. Poor thing, he woke up wheezing so bad and the best thing I could do for him was sit in the steamy bathroom. He's feeling better today, but has a mild fever. Porter's been coughing lately, too. I hope we can get it all done before we leave for Phoenix in two weeks.

But now for the rest of the day. My grocery shopping is done, so I really have no where to go. I do have to take some baked potatoes over to the church and make a run to Wal-Mart for some face wash, but other than that, no other plans. Maybe I'll take a nap... with Rhett home, maybe it can even be an uninterrupted one.

Oh - speaking of Rhett - As of June 12th, he is an official CPA!! He has his certificate (although he was a bit disappointed it was only a half-sheet size) and I am so proud of him for finally reaching this goal! It's been a long road, but he has worked hard and it is well deserved.

Anyways, I'm off to take potatoes - later!

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Heaven...

So, I couldn't resist. But seriously... Could you??




Is it bedtime yet?

It's only 2:49 this afternoon and I'm so ready for bed. Porter woke me up before 8:00 this morning begging me to cut his big toenail so he could exercise with me. I tried to postpone the getting up by seeing if he could find the nail clippers, but to no avail. I did lay in bed for another half an hour, but he laid there with me, asking me every ten minutes to cut his nail, so I didn't get much rest. He would've been watching TV, but the younger boys were watching Diego and Dora and according to Porter, he's now "too old" for those shows. "They are TV-Y." he tells me; (meaning they are rated Y for Young). "What's Transformers?" I asked. "Y-7" he says. It all makes sense now.

We are staying at home today. I just didn't have the energy to get ready to make it to the park by 11:30 for lunch and we are just taking it easy.

I have been working on my scrapbooking for the past two nights, but I'm stuck. I hate trying to go back and work on pages I've already started. I've usually forgotten the idea I had and I'm really running out of titles for my many boys pages. I think I've finally broke through on this one page though. Hopefully with the help of my Cricut I can get it finished and in Andrew's book.

Anyways, I've got a massive chocolate craving that I'm trying to ignore, but I think I'm losing. I was trying to plan my menu and grocery list for Saturday and in doing so, saw a recipe for a chocolate sheet cake and brownies that I have all the ingredients for. I really want to make either one, but I keep telling myself that I shouldn't or I will eat it all. Oh well. Andrew's awake...maybe he'll help me make one...

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Almost

My craft table is almost clean!! Which only means I have the space now to work on my scrapbooking. I even got out my unfinished pages and the rest of the pictures for Andrew's first year (he's 2 now) in hopes of being inspired. It's not working yet...(I'm still on the computer).

Today we saw Shrek the Third at the movie theater. The boys think it's so cool to be able to go. And Andrew sat through the whole thing! It's amazing what his binky and blanket will get him to do. After was lunch at the park, then home for a cool down and rest. I love the time after lunch because Andrew usually goes down for a nap and Porter and Zach usually play upstairs. Most of the time I sit on the couch for a minute, which leads to more minutes, which leads to me getting tired, which leads to me laying down and resting for just a few minutes... which ends up me sleeping for an hour or so. However, it is never without interruption, so I don't know if it could qualify as a bonified nap. But it sure is nice to rest for a while. I hate the getting up part.

Rhett is in El Paso for the night for work. He's down there doing an audit with his boss. I sure get lazy when he's not here. Dinner was leftovers (although we usually have a night of leftovers once a week anyways), or mac-n-cheese. I did get the dishes done tonight; however, I'm leaving the rest of the house for tomorrow. I told the boys we were cleaning tomorrow so it would be nice when Dad came home. They are usually pretty good at helping. Lately I've been giving the the chore of cleaning their room and the loft and most of the time they work pretty well together. I did have to enforce a "no tattling" rule because all I would hear while they were cleaning up was how much the other wasn't doing. But they get the job done and that's all that matters.

Anyways, I'm going to get off the computer now and go scrapbook. Maybe I can get one unfinished page done. We'll see...

Monday, June 16, 2008

How does your garden grow??

I finally finished planting the garden today. Jett was over today and after lunch at the park, I put Andrew down for his nap, sent Porter to the neighbors and had the other neighbor, Jakob come over. With the boys entertained, I rolled up my sleeves (in hopes of getting rid of my t-shirt-sleeve tan) and went outside to plant. I planted a few annuals in my back flower bed to finish one section, a purple sage bush, and a red dahlia plant (my favorite!). Then it was on to the garden where I planted cucumbers, onions, carrots, broccoli, califlower, marigolds, and some zinnias. The green beans are going in tomorrow after they soak for the night. My pumpkins, cantaloupe, and zucchini have sprouted and the peppers and tomatoes are still alive, so that's good! In my other flower bed against the fence I planted more dahlia seeds. Now it's waiting time! I love watching everything grow and am amazed every year how fast it grows. I love being in the garden and out with my flowers. There's nothing more satisfying than getting my hands into the dirt and seeing the outcome of my hard work! However, I do have one bad habit - forgetting to put on sunscreen!! The tops of my knees are a tad red along with my arms. It was a perfect day to be out working - no blustery winds, warm, but cloudy enough to keep the sun from blaring down. But I also forget that sun is sun and clouds or no clouds, it burns. I'll learn someday. Meanwhile, I'm getting a really good tan!!

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Busy, Busy, Busy

We are trying to keep busy these summer days, and I think we've done a good job so far. We've been going to the park for lunch most days, have been to the pool twice, saw Rugrats at the movie theater, and have seen John Polinko's magic (Porter's going to try his trick of turning a chalk-drawn rabbit into a real rabbit), and Mr. Stinky Feet at the Library.


I have been working really hard to get my flower bed in shape. About 3/4 of what I planted last year came back (thank-goodness), so I've been working to fill in the gaps. When we got back from California, the yard had been overtaken with weeds, but after a Saturday of work, we were able to pull them all, mow the lawn and get the garden ready for planting (yes, we are getting a late start). Rhett insisted on making sure he had a place in the garden this year for his peppers, so after a trip to Walmart and two jalapeno plants and two green chili plants later, he's finally able to grow his beloved peppers.


The boys are becoming quite the ball players. Each night after dinner, once the sun is down over the wall, we go outside and enjoy the fresh, cool, evening air. They boys usually get into a game of baseball and are really good hitters. Rhett usually has to scale the wall at least a few times to fetch balls that have gone over. Andrew makes sure he gets his share of hitting; although he usually is hoarding the balls. When we ask him for one, he says, "No, no, mine!" We usually ask him just to hear him say that. :)

My latest project has been our computer/craft room. When I got done with preschool, I put everything I had for it in the room on the floor because a.) I didn't know where to put it all and b.) I just didn't want to spend the time finding a place to put it all away. When we got back from our trip, I decided that if I was going to get any scrapbooking done (my goal for the summer), I had better clean up my space. We got two filing cabinets from Rhett's work (one for him and one for me), and so I have spent the past week filing all my church, preschool, and craft stuff neatly away. I finally got the floor of the room cleaned up (which is a feat in and of itself, considering I only clean it up when we have company sleeping in there), but now the project is to clean off my table so I can actually get working. Hopefully it doesn't take me another week....maybe if I wasn't on the computer so much...

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Tagged

I've been tagged to share 7 random or weird things about myself, but I'm going to change it up a bit. Instead, I'm going to share 7 (or so) things I can't live without (which should give you the same amount of insite into me). Here we go:

1. Lysol Sanatizing Wipes - These are God's gift to the cleaning woman. I buy the three-pack at Costso and keep a container in each of my bathrooms with glass cleaning wipes for quick wipedowns when I don't have time for the sponge and Ajax. I can clean up the counters, sink and toilet in no time (which is great considering I have a household of boys) and it looks like I slaved all day!!

2. My Swiffer Sweeper-Vac - Another wonderful invention. I HATED having to sweep my kitchen everyday and the sweeper-vac not only picks up pieces as big as whole cereal, but also gets all the dust and dirt and normally gets pushed around with a broom. My floor is clean in no time.

3. Shout Stain Remover - (yes, I know, this list seems to be all about household products, but anything that makes cleaning easier for me is wonderful!) I have yet so see a stain that this doesn't get out (as long as I remember to put it on the clothing...). It even gets the nasty ring-around-the-collar stains on Rhett's work shirts out. I swear by this stuff.

4. Chocolate - o.k., we all know by now that I'm a chocoholic. I will take it dark or milk, as long as it doesn't have any kind of nuts. Which is funny because I could eat chocolate covered peanuts all day. Go figure.

5. Grey's Anatomy - I love this show. My mom introduced it to me last summer and I can't get enough. I love Thursday nights because I get my Grey's fix. Except during the summer when I have to watch reruns - which is o.k. because I like the reruns as much as the new episodes. This show is so witty, funny, enjoyable, and sexy (yes, I did say sexy). Plus, I think Patrick Demsey is so hot. Have you seen that hair and his smile?? Seriously.

6. Chapstick - Forget lipstick, lipgloss, lip balm...chapstick does it for me. You will always find me with a tube of chapstick. There's nothing worse than dry, chapped lips. Enough said.

7. My van - I drive a '05 Dodge Grand Caravan with Stow-and-go seating and I love it. It fits everything - everytime we go on a trip I am amazed how much we can fit in the car. It drives so smooth and makes traveling a dream.

8. My boys (that includes my husband) - I love my boys and love being surrounded by four "men" who think I am the best woman on the face of the earth. They give me purpose, reason, motivation, and teach me some of the most important lessons I need to learn. Plus, they are so fun to be with. I can't imagine life without them.

So there ya go. I tag Jenny, Katie Williams, Tanya, Amanda, Jodi and whoever else wants to join. Do either list - the random things about you, or what you can't live without. Enjoy!

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Summertime!

Oh, how I love summertime - well, let me clarify that. I love being able to sleep in. And because I get to sleep in during the summer when Porter's not in school, I love the summertime. Nothing beats waking up when I want to. :)

I am surviving having the boys home all day so far. We got back from a week in California for my sister's wedding on Sunday - which was a blast and a great time! We went to the Dodger's game, saw the new Indiana Jones movie, Rhett and I saw Wicked, swam in the pool, and played and played with the family and cousins. And then there was the wedding. Melissa looked beautiful in her wedding gown and Dave didn't look so bad himself. There was a ton of delicious wedding cake and I think I ate my weight of it - it was so good! We also celebrated Andrew's 2nd birthday! It was a busy, but wonderful week. I would post pictures, but since my camera is so dumb, I didn't take any with mine and forgot to copy everyone elses. I'll see what I can do.

I was on the internet on Monday looking for all the summer things to do here in Albuquerque. And there is a lot! They have a summer lunch program every day where they serve all the kids free lunch at various parks! There are free movies every Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and the libraries have a summer reading program as well as hosting various magicians, puppeteers, singing timers each week. And that's not mentioning all the pools, museums, and splashparks all throughout the town. Needless to say, we'll be trying to keep busy. Yesterday, we ventured to Andrew's doctor's appointment (he's 23 pounds and 33 inches tall!!), the park for free lunch, the library for new books (I told they boys they had to read 30 minutes a day - not including the time we read before bed), and then to 7-11 for ice cream. It was then home for dinner, then the boys had so much energy that we went down and walked on the path by the river. It was one busy, but fun day!

I just hope that after all the fun days, I still have energy once the boys are in bed to do my own thing. My goal this summer is to finish Andrew's first year scrapbook and get catching up on Porter and Zach's. It makes me tired even thinking about it, but it's got to be done before I get so incredibly far behind that I have to resort to just putting the pictures in photo albums. I better get working...