Calling all Jaguars...

That's right.. my 10 year High School reunion is just around the corner. If you haven't heard about it yet, you must be living under a rock. Today is the last day to buy tickets before they raise the price... so you better get 'em while they cheap. Check out the reunion website HERE

I am SO excited about the reunion that I've decided to dedicate the next TEN blog entries to my high school memories. My own top ten count down, if you will. I am sure you just can't wait... stay tuned..

Happy 400th post!

To celebrate 400 posts... I am going to:

• Wipe Zack's bum 400 times and make him wash his hands AGAIN. (He is seriously going to the bathroom EVERY 10 seconds.. But we're still accident free-- even out running errands! Wahoo!)

• Call my friend Karlin and wish her a happy birthday.. If it takes 400 calls to get her to answer the phone, so be it. It's also Jaderbugs birthday.. but I won't call her-- cause I just saw her and she's had enough of me.
  

• Eat 400 skittles because that is all we have to eat in this house.. the fridge is empty and the food is in boxes.

• Pack 400 boxes into our temporary storage unit. Well, I am not actually going to pack them, the Elder's Quorum will... yeah for men who willingly use their muscle power to serve others!
  

• Pay 400 dollars for our temporary storage unit. Expensive for one month, but they pick it up at your place and drop it off at your new home.. that beats moving it twice.

• Be 400 times grateful for my boys and sweet husband. They keep me laughing and somehow make all of this craziness worth it.

for those who think I'm photogenic...

.........Here are a few UGLY shots.

The boys and I have fun doing our hair crazy ways in the pool. The favorite hairstyle is my George Washington wig-do... a little trick I used to do with my sisters in the bathtub. Ben and Luke think it's funny, but Zack hates it. He tries to mess it up as soon as he can. But the last few times, he's been begging me to do my "grandbutter hair" I didn't know what he was saying.. but it finally clicked. He thinks when I flip my hair like this, I look like Aaron's mom. Sorry for the insult, Brandy... but it was Zack who said it.

packing boredom?

Someone asked me if my kids are getting restless while I spend my days packing...

Does this answer your question?

Their toys are packed, but they are still playing non-stop. I am grateful they have each other to keep themselves entertained..

forgot a picture...

Having Jade and John here was fabulous.. Jade is a beloved auntie because she plays video games with the boys... and she's a champ at it! They always say, "This game is better when Jade plays with us." Or "Mom, it's okay if you aren't ever as good as Jade." Before they left, the Ben and Luke begged to have one final round of video games inside the couch-fort.

I also wanted to mention what an EXCELLENT uncle John is to my boys. When couples don't have kids, it's hard for them to understand how much work it is to have them.. and how NICE it is when others lend a helping hand. From the minute I met John, I knew he was something special. Whenever we're out, he takes them under his wing, and I feel a little less chaotic. He is such a hands-on uncle to my boys and I love watching him interact with them. He sat and watched an entire episode of Dora with Zack and pointed to each clue during the show. Zack loved every minute of it! And Ben and Luke think he's the coolest uncle because the first thing Uncle John says to them is, "Did you get any new Transformers? Show me what they do. Which ones are your favorite?" They just eat that stuff up and talk his ears off. When we stopped to fill up our car with gas, John asked my kids if they liked candy bars and if they wanted to go inside the gas station and pick out whatever they wanted. They came back with their favorite treats and a sucker for Zack. I love that he KNOWS what to do without me having to say anything. I believe it's because he comes from a LARGE family.. he is one of the youngest of 11 children and has lots of nieces and nephews! I kept telling Jade that she picked a good one... because when parenthood rolls around for them, she will be thanking her lucky stars that her husband knows what he's doing!

We loved spending time with you, J&J. Thanks for putting up with our craziness!!
Next time you come to visit, we will have more room and a little less chaos!

the greatest boss ever lives at our house.

I am busy packing my kitchen and my boys are busy building some kind of "mega fort" with the couch cushions and a few empty boxes. As I am packing I hear this conversation-- (oh how I wish their voices were recorded...)

Ben: If we want to make a bed inside, we need a boss to tell us what to do.

Luke: Cool!

Ben: I will be the boss and I promise you, I will be the greatest boss you've ever had.

Luke: Ok. what should I do?

Ben: Well, the reason why I am the greatest boss is because you don't have to do ANYTHING!

Luke: That is an easy job!

Ben: You don't have to do anything except clean up those wrappers, pick up those pillows and straighten those blankets!

Luke: Okay, and after I do that, then I don't have to do anything else?

Ben: Not unless I think of something else.

Luke: You ARE the greatest boss ever.

Ben: I told ya. And the best part about it is you do it all for FREE!

Luke: Wahoo!

Here is where I chime in: SO.... If Ben is the bossy boss and Luke is the blanket straightener, what is Zack?

Ben: He's nothing but a trouble maker.

Luke: Yeah, all he does is destroy everything we've ever created!

Zack: YA!!! (which made everyone giggle.)
______________________________________________________________

Other good news is Zack is back to being underwear boy! No more diapers and no more accidents. I am keeping my fingers crossed that he will remain dry through the move!

The sun is still shining in Vegas.

Jade and John Boy

I can't EVEN express how busy my life has been the past couple of weeks.. Not only are we packing, cleaning, trying to find a place to live, shopping for a new car, and trying to close on a house... but we have puking kids AND lots of visitors. Yes, it's crazy with a capital C. Jade and John have been planning a trip to California for a while (celebrating her 24th birthday next week) so we were excited to be a pit-stop on the way. When my sister Kristy called to say they were flying out of the Vegas airport and needed a place to stay the night before, my kids of couldn't have been more excited to see their cousins. The only problem was-- they needed to stay the same night as Jade and John. The more the merrier, no? Last night, we had TEN extra guests in our 3 bedroom townhouse (nine kids total-mind you.) Can you spell CHAOS? I certainly can.

Actually, it turned out great.. we were able to leave the kiddos with my sister and take Jade and John to a fancy buffet dinner and THEN to see The Dark Knight. The movie was SO good that I almost threw up my food and peed my pants at the same time. I am not sure I ever want to see it again... at least for another week. Jade has pictures of the evening on her camera.. who knows if I will ever get copies of them. But rest assured-- we all looked fabulously sexy.

This morning, I took the Kimballs to the airport and came home to Jade scrubbing Zack's vomit off the carpet. The look on her face said it all... she was SO glad to be visiting this particular day.. No. I did NOT pull out my camera and take a picture of her in her misery.. geez. You think I document every second of my life or something.

For lunch we met Aaron at In n'Out and stuffed ourselves. Doesn't this picture tell you that our food was scarfed down.. like, ANIMAL style?

To celebrate our fullness (and the boys' nausea) we went to the Adventure Dome at Circus Circus. Because if you're already throwing up, you might as well go on a few rides that spin around and tip you upside down. The truth is.. there was no where else to go because it's "FREAKIN' HOT" (according to Luke) and we wanted to be indoors having fun. The Adventure Dome was our best option. Here are a few pictures to prove that you can take three boys out with messy hair and dirty faces and STILL have a great time.

I realize that I started out this post by stating how much my life sucks-- and it still does-- but I can't help but grin just THINKING about how happy my kids were on these rides. Their expressions are good, but the pictures don't do justice. I hope I never forget their squeals as they got unbuckled and BUSTED out of each ride to tell me how exciting it was.. AS IF I couldn't hear them screaming (or see them waving frantically EVERY time they passed by.) My favorite picture of all is the bottom right corner.. this is Ben trying to tell me how much fun he's having.. as he's speeding past. He could barely keep his head up as he's yelling, "I love this ride! This is the MOST fun we've had since my BIRTHDAY!" It just makes me realize that no matter WHAT we're going through-- and no matter how crazy life can be-- it's worth it. Completely and totally worth it.
Zack is finally tall enough to go on a few kiddie rides, but I wasn't sure how much he would like them. Let me just say that I could not pull him outta the seat after the ride was over.. he wanted to go again and again and again. He fits right in with our other two and I love seeing them together. A few times we had to sit out because he wasn't big enough to ride and he was bummed.. but only until he realized that he could wave to Ben and Luke as they passed by. I am surprised he didn't lose his voice after screaming "HI GUYS" a million and one times.
And even though we had to wait AN HOUR for J&J to take Ben and Luke on the 4D Spongebob ride (I hate going places in the summer. why are all these kids out and about.. Shouldn't they be in school?) we kept ourselves entertained. Well, actually, Zack entertained me. I really love hanging out with him. I don't know how his HUGE personality fits inside his tiny body. The following pictures are some of the shots from a ten second silly face camera game. Next time I need to get it on video to show you how quickly he changes faces-- it's seriously hilarious! And it's so much better live because he has sound effects for each expression.

(click on any image to see it full size)

The day ended with pizza, ice cream, a fort in the living room and a dip in the pool. Jade and John headed to the Bellagio water show by themselves because we are just too tuckered out to even THINK about anything else. Life may never slow down, but we are definitely enjoying the ride... most days, anyway.

things that made me SMILE today..

We are having ALL KINDS of drama... I will get around to filling you in later. But lets just say that we are moving out of our place in a couple of weeks, but our house won't close for another month. "Homeless.... Homeless" sing it with me now. Aaron needs a new car-- and it's always fun to buy two really big things at the SAME TIME! And let's not even talk about our furniture. Anyway, like I said, that is for another time and place. Even though my life is chaotic, I can't help but feel so grateful for my sweet boys. These are the funny things they've said today...

Luke: Mom, let's do something really fun today.
Me: I wish I could, but I have lots to do. You guys can play in the boxes while I pack.
Luke: Well, what I was thinking about is something we can do at home.
Me: Okay.
Luke: You're going to really, REALLY love it.
Me: What is it??
Luke: Watch THE OFFICE! (said with a huge smile--as if it was going to ROCK my world.)
We didn't watch it, however. But it's the thought that counts.

Ben: Mom, I have really been thinking about something lately.
Me: Uh-oh.
Ben: Who created God?
Me: Oh boy. Well, I believe he had a Father...
Ben: I knew you were going to say that. So, I bet you know what my next question is going to be.
Me: Actually, I have no idea.
Ben: Who was the FIRST Heavenly Father EVER?
Me: Why don't you ask Dad that as soon as he walks in the door.

Zack: I have to go pee-pee!
Me: Alrighty then! (sitting him on the toilet)
Zack: (after two little tiny drips) MY DONE! (he says "my" instead of "I'm" but he's no longer referring to himself in third person...)
Me: You can't be.
Zack: My just kidding! Ha!
That got me to laugh because it's so typical of him. He's SO silly. When he saw me smile he said in a really sweet voice: "I love going pee-pee so much."

Me: We need to go through these toys and decide what to keep and what to give away--
Ben and Luke: Give away, give away, give away, give away.
Me: Are you sure? Do you think you will miss them?
Ben: No, all that really matters is that we have each other.
Luke: Yeah. And our Transformers.

Zack: I gotta joke.
(now pointing to a laffy taffy wrapper and pretending to read)
What does the Fox run around?
(pause)
A house! Get it?
Me: No, not at all, but A+ for effort.

Spending JULY in the pool

One day I am going to wake up and
find that my kids have GROWN GILLS overnight.

They are all little fishies in the water and we are trying our best to keep Zack from drowning.

We love going with friends during the week.. but nothing beats Saturday afternoon when Daddy can join us in the pool! He is seriously a CHILD MAGNET.. and I love it because then I can lay out and read in peace and quiet!

Thanks for the Freedom Chair, Brandy! If this doesn't say "FREEDOM" then I don't know what does...
Our favorite swimming experience this summer was spent with the Walker family. Unfortunately, we only have pictures of eating dinner before we hit the pool in the evening. They invited us to go to The Ritz Carlton in Lake Las Vegas to swim AND watch a movie in their fancy-schmancy salt water pool. The Ritz does a movie by the pool every weekend...for free... so who wants to go next Friday night?? My boys are ALWAYS happy when Jackson and Max are around!
And we love hanging with Denett and Russ...
(even if they make Aaron and me fight every time we're together.)

just kidding. gosh!

Merry Maids

A while back, my friends and I started a merry maids club. We are moms with young kids who don't really like to clean our own houses, but we love getting together and chatting while our kids play. We decided we might as well do something productive while we chat.. so we clean. Once a week (although it's been pretty crazy with our summer vacation schedules) we get together for about an hour or two or three to clean one of our homes. We bring cleaning supplies, a CD player and let the kids play while we scrub base boards and mop floors. This past week was my week and let me tell you, my bathrooms have never been so sparkling! You know a true friend when she gets down and scrubs your mildewy bathtub (especially when she's 8 months pregnant!) Thanks Natalie and Jane! I'm so glad we were all wearing black tees for our professional photo. Ben snapped this picture after a couple hours of cleaning. We were sweaty, hungry and squished in my bathroom. I hadn't showered in 4 days and didn't have on a brazier (but don't you worry, I was wearing my pearl earrings.) Thanks for coming over and cleaning my toilets, ladies! Can't wait 'til next time!

If you live in Vegas and want to join us, we need more members.. We definitely want enough to do a month rotation... If the month has a fifth week, we were thinking about doing a service cleaning project for someone else who needs it. If you are interested, let us know! I believe there's enough of us to have 2 rotating groups.. So don't be shy.. We'll wipe out your dirty pantry if you'll wipe ours!

If you don't live in Vegas, that's too bad. You can't be part of our cool club. But you can always start your own. It doesn't have to be a cleaning group.. we originally started it as a "project" club.. to do unfinished things that you just don't ever get around to doing. [For us, this happens to include scrubbing baseboards.] But the possibilities are endless... gardening, sewing, organizing the garage, etc. If it needs to be done, you might as well have a GOOD time doing it, right? Right.

For more WFMW check out Shannon's blog.

Picture sketch..

My friend Krista posted about this cool website that transforms your pictures into coloring pages and we had lots of fun with it..

This:
turned into this:


This:
turned into this:


This:
turned into this:

(look how much it brings out my freckles!)

This:
turned into this:

And this:
turned into this:

The Interviews

What is something Dad always says to you?
LUKE: He says that he loves me. And when he talks to me on the phone he tells me that I smell like a skunk.
BEN: I love you.

What is something Mom always says to you?
L:You say that I am handsome a lot.
B: You say "Yes.. you can do that."

What makes Dad happy?
L: Every time I listen to him.
B: When I give him a hug when he comes home from work.

What makes Mommy happy?
L: When I clean up the cushions on the couch after she tells me to.
B: When we wake up in the morning, you are really happy to see us. {LOVE this answer!}

What makes Dad sad?
L: when we go swimming and he can’t come.
B:When we go on vacation without him.

What makes Mommy sad?
L:When I do something after she told me not to.
B: when I'm fighting with my brothers.

How does Dad make you laugh?
L:When he hangs me upside-down. And his sleep stories.
B: When he reads scriptures in a crazy voice.

How does Mom make you laugh?
L:Hm... Um.. when you make funny faces ?
B: I don’t know. You’ve never made me laugh before. (ouch..but so typical of Ben to say)

How old is your dad?
31 (both)

How old is your mom?
28 (both)

How tall is your dad?
L: Probably as tall as VELOCIRAPTOR.
B: SIX FEET

How tall is your mom?
L:Not as tall Dad.
B: Six FEET

What is daddy's favorite thing to do?
L: He likes to play with us when he gets home from work.
B:Play video games with us

What is mom’s favorite thing to do?
L: Watch American Idol
B: Make huts and watch movies with us

What does your dad do when you're not around?
L: sleeps
B: works and probably plays sports when he’s not at work.

What does your mom do when you're not around?
L: take a bubble bath
B: watch TV and lay on the couch.

What is your dad really good at?
L: Tennis and Basketball.
B: playing video games

What is your mom really good at?
L:helping kids and people and being nice to everyone.
B: typing really fast on the computer.

What is your dad not very good at?
L: nothing.
B: I can't think of anything that he's not good at.

What is your mom not very good at?
L:Doing boy stuff (such as?)
B: playing video games.

What does your dad do for his job?
L: He helps people with their problems.
B: He takes money from people. (he was half joking.. but it's still funny.)

What does your mom do for her job?
L:Swimming
B:She teaches homeschool and cooks a lot.

What is your dad's favorite food?
L: Bacon
B: Enchiladas

What is your mom’s favorite food?
L: Turkey
B: Popcorn

If your dad were a cartoon character, who would he be?
L: Patrick (from Spongebob)
B: Goofy.

If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
L:?
B: Minnie Mouse.

How are you and your dad the same?
L: we both have brown eyes.
B: we both like to play tennis.

How are you and your mom the same?
L: We both have tan skin. [not sure where he came up with this one.]
B: we both have blue eyes and long eyelashes.

How are you and your dad different?
L: Dad has a job and I don't.
B: We jump differently on the trampoline. ?

How are you and your mom different?
L: my mom likes to go to sleep early and I like to stay up for a little bit longer.
B: She's a girl and I am a boy.

If Dad was an animal what would he be?
L: Cheetah
B: Donkey

If Mom was an animal what would she be?
L: Dolphin
B: a cat, not because you like cats, but because they are nice.

water does the body good

Some of you don't envy us for living in the desert HEAT, but we haven't melted yet...
In fact, we're coping just fine.

Sometimes I miss the cool summer evenings, but last night when we were at the pool until 9 pm and the water was as warm as a bathtub, I didn't want to be anywhere else! We were drying off by the pool and my boys were being wild and crazy.. [they were SO ready for bed] Instead of getting frustrated and hauling them home, I pulled out my camera. When Cindy was here, she taught us this game where you make as many silly faces as you can in ten seconds (while someone else is taking pictures.) It may sound juvenile, but the pictures always turn out hilarious. We all laughed our heads off at some of the shots.

I am surprised that Zack even understands this game.. but he does! As soon as his ten seconds are up, he wants to see the goods on the camera. It's crazy the kind of technology my kids are growing up with. As I am typing, Zack is on my lap telling me to "scroll down" as if there is something better to see under what I am typing. And last night when I thought my kids were brushing their teeth, they were online searching "so cool transformer Halloween costumes." [Because #1) after one major holiday is over, you have to start planning for the next and #2) cool costumes aren't good enough.. they have to be SO cool.] I went to bed thinking about what the future holds for them... and what a JOY it is to be their mother...

what i am gonna do with this kid?

Seriously. Ever since I posted about my cute little Zack and how much I love him, he has been a wild child... getting into one mess after another! And since no one wanted to buy him last time I put him up for SALE, I think sending him to an orphanage is our only option.. Here are a few pictures to prove how much we hate him.

Title: A Little Blue Food Coloring can go a LONG way.

Culprit in Crime: Hank (the little boy we watch in the evenings)

Officer on Duty: Daddy (who got paid vacation for taking pictures of it!)

Title: Homemade sandbox of Nestle Quick.

Culprit: Luke
(He didn't make the mess, but he sure played in it with me!)
Officer on Duty: Mommy

Other messes THIS PAST WEEK that we didn't document with the camera:


An entire bottle of carpet cleaner actually makes a big STAIN on the carpet.

Cold Caprisun drinks make GREAT squirt guns
(and also make the entire house sticky.)

Banana splits on the kitchen floor...
(I mean, chocolate syrup spread all over the tile might make someone do the splits on the kitchen floor.)

ART EVERYWHERE

So, the question is:

Are there any WEEK-LONG summer camps for 2 year olds?

and if you are interested in seeing video footage of the Nestle Quick adventure, it's posted on our Home Videos Blog.

Can you paint with all the colors of the wind?

After all this PRINCESS talk, I decided to take the official "Which Disney Princess Are You?" test. The results were SHOCKING! I did this late last night.. when I really should have been reading my scriptures or saying my prayers or doing something somewhat productive.. but I'll repent later. After I got the results, I asked my husband what Disney princess HE would pick for me. His answer: Fiona. slam. First of all, Shrek is not a Disney movie and second of all, Fiona is a big, fat, GREEN OGRE. How flattering. He knew he'd made a big mistake as soon as he said it. He'll repent later...

Here are the internet test results:

Free-spirited and wise. You have a strong passionate spirit that touches and changes all who know you. The wisdom and common sense that you have is really what guides you through life. Even so, you also have a very playful side that loves adventure and excitement.

**I was surprised by the results because I don't really talk to animals (or even like them that much) AND I am not Indian, so whatever. But after reading the description, I think it's pretty accurate... especially the WISE part. I am a little dumbfounded it didn't say anything about being HUMBLE and MEEK. Weird.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

Little Z catching his Zzzzz's and other stories...

We've been swimming every day this week and even though Zack hardly EVER sleeps anywhere but his bed, he has just been too TUCKERED OUT to handle life in the pool. The night I got my camera back, we found him asleep like so:

The boys (including my husband) had built a fort and were playing video games inside it. I tried to take Zack to bed, but he insisted on watching them. 30 seconds later, he was out cold. I LOVE that he still has his hand on the remote--as if he knew what he was doing with it.

A few days ago, he caught a crazy 24 hour flu bug. We put him in bed and a minute later he came out saying, "I FRU-up on my football blanket! I fru-UP!" He followed me downstairs as I loaded the sheets and blankets in the washer. As I came out of the laundry room, I watched Zack open [the running] dishwasher and pull out a wet bowl. and THEN I see him put it down on the floor and throw up inside it. I couldn't believe it! He's a frickin' genius! He didn't get a drop of it on the carpet or his pjs. When he was finished he said, "Mom, I FRU-up in that bowl." YES you DID, my son, and I couldn't be more proud! He is now my favorite child!

Another thing that I am just EATING UP is this PRINCESS phase he's going through. He started calling me a princess every time he saw pictures of me in my wedding dress. Then it got more frequent... like on Sundays or anytime I was wearing any type of skirt. Now he's calling me a Princess all the time and I love it! Right after he wakes up in the morning, he will get really close to my face and say, "Mom, you such a pwetty pwincess." A girl just can't get enough!

And it gets better. The other day, we were cuddling on the couch and he laid down on my chest. He sat up quickly and said, "Mom. You have one pwincess, you have two pwincesses." At first I was confused, and then he said it again, only this time pointing to my boobs. I am raising a boob-man.. he's a total perve.

A couple of months ago, he came downstairs from a nap and said, "Mommy, the baby's coming!" I was excited to hear this revelation and I said "It is? Where is the baby?" He pointed at my chest and said, "The baby's in your boob-boos." But he was wrong. No babies in my tummy or boob-boos. Bummer. But I am happy with the three little boys that I DO have. And deep-down, I am still hoping that someday I will get a little princess of my own.

SEVEN-ELEVEN

There's NOTHING better than a FREE SLuRpie on a HOT summer day!

Ben got piña colada, Zack got cherry (notice the belly stripe) and Luke got the green HULK flavor.
I had a taste of all three..

back in BIZ...

My camera is new and better than ever.. and we are back in business.. The lemonade kind.

Ever since our money lesson about a YEAR ago, my kids have been BEGGING me to do a lemonade stand. I am TOTALLY COOL with having pretend stores in my house and all. But being out in the heat... getting sticky... and asking other people to dig in their purses for a quarter, is NOT on my list of favorite things to do. We originally planned on doing it the week that Aaron's G-pa passed away... and then we had to go to a funeral, so I was really hoping they would just forget about it. When Ben's birthday rolled around and we asked him what he wanted to do to celebrate, this is what he said, "ALL I want for my birthday is to have a lemonade stand!" Oh geez. I had to pinky promise him that we would do it the week after his birthday because I wasn't doing it over the 4th. So, today was the big day.

My boys could HARDLY sleep last night because they were so excited... they woke up bright and early and made sure to put on their yellow "business" shirts... (because WHO would ever buy lemonade from a kid who wasn't wearing yellow?) Ben couldn't find his reunion shirt. I may have chucked it thinking "they will never wear these again" but little did I know. After a minute of stressing about it, he wiped his forehead and said, "GOOD thing I have another yellow shirt!" Right-O.

We headed to the park (that thankfully had water to play in) and sold a whopping 23 glasses of lemonade for a quarter a cup.. which equals a total of $5.75. When you consider that the lemonade, ice and cups cost about $7.50, it makes for a pretty SAD business day. We paid $1.75 to sit out in the heat for an hour and beg people to buy Country Time. Was it worth it? Definitely NOT... but my kids would beg to differ.

We did get several moms who were actually excited to buy. They would say things like, "It's been forever since I've seen these! I am so glad you're doing this!" I felt like saying, "I not very glad about it!" But I just smiled and acted like I was enjoying every minute of it. It was fun to see my kids squeal about every sale. It's crazy what kids think is FUN, isn't it?

*A big thanks to my gal pals who came out with their kids to buy a glass! I appreciate them keeping me company and for supporting our family in our business endeavors.

**and a HUGE thanks to all those who wrote memories on the previous post! I need to break my camera more often and beg for compliments! Seriously, I felt like it was my birthday yesterday! LOVE TO YOU ALL! OXOX

Strolling down memory lane..

Do you remember when?

Since everyone else is doing it (and because my camera is out of commission..)

I am doing THE MEMORY post.

Here are the rules.

1. As a comment on my blog, leave a memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you know me a little or a lot, anything you remember! If we're only blogging friends, write about a post that is most memorable. If you don't have a blog and don't know how to sign in, please comment as anonymous.

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll be sure to write one about you... either on your blog, in my comment box, or I will email you back!

3. If the memory happens to involve my husband, please include him! I'm SLOWLY converting him to blogging... one of these days he will except the truth and be an active member of my blogging world.

4. If you can't say something nice, don't say nothin' at all ☺

Can't wait to hear ♫♪ Memories.. of the way we were...♪♫

Camera-less

Our camera is on the fritz.. I know, you don't believe me. After a crazy holiday weekend, it threw a tantrum and won't turn on anymore. Yes, it's brand new and YES, it's going back to the store. My husband knows me well and bought a lifetime warranty, baby.

It's amazing how MUCH you want something when you don't have it. Believe it or not, sometimes I go a week without taking a SINGLE picture. But it's only been 24 hours since my camera broke and I cannot tell you how many times I've wanted to use it!!

What? You want to know WHAT I wanted to take a picture of? well, let me tell ya..

#1- Zack grew hair in unusual places: After he licked the brownie bowl (without his shirt of course) he had a beautiful chocolate goatee AND two perfectly-coated brown nipples. He ran to Aaron and said, "Daddy, look at my choc-lut HIPPOS!" The picture would have been oh! so cute.. but you'll have to use your imagination.

#2) FHE on the neighborhood train: Zach and Kate Hulet are some of the coolest neighbors ever. Their kids are mighty lucky.. not just because they are named after U.S. Presidents, but because they their parents build incredible toys for them. If you need proof, just watch this 3 minute video of their little boy's room.

Who needs Disneyland when you have a tire swing, slide and climbing wall in your bedroom? Anyway, we decided to buy a house next to the Hulets JUST SO our kids can ride their train. What train, you ask? Well, if my camera was working, I would show you the pictures.. Maybe someone else took a few shots of tonight and wants to email them to me. If not, the rest of you will have to suffer.

#3) Luke's black eye: Luke is a lover, not a fighter. But SOMEHOW he woke up this morning with one blackish, purplish eye. I kept asking him what happened, but he couldn't think of anything. I finally concluded that Ben elbowed him in the middle of the night. But by lunchtime, it started getting lighter.. and by dinnertime, it was just a bunch of tiny red dots under his eyelid. Bruises just don't disappear that quickly, do they? Nope. But suction marks/blood blisters do.. And then it hit me. Just before dinner we had this conversation:

Me: Were you playing with the vacuum hose last night?

Luke: Yeah.

Me: Did you put it over your eye?

Luke: Yeah.

Me: Was it hard to get off?

Luke: Yeah.

Me: Did it hurt?

Luke: Not really. (but with his NYC accent, it's pronounced "Not Willy")

And the mystery was solved. Again.. the story would have been much better with a picture of his adorable, round face and black eye.. but such is the life without a camera.

*Counting down the days until it's fixed....

Fourth of July Festivities

This past week was so busy and chaotic! We need some R&R after our 4th of July celebration. I don't believe we got into bed before midnight ONE single day last week. We spent the evening of the 4th at the Simpson's house... and BOY! do they know how to throw a party! There was yummy food, a cotton candy machine, ice cream cones, misters coming from the garage, four wheeling, and LOTS of fireworks. And, unfortunately (for Aaron) we took a bazillion pictures...

Thanks to Rachel and Tom for throwing a killer party! Our kids will never recover!

birthday party

The 4th of July weekend is the BEST TIME TO PARTY! I wonder if our others kids will eventually feel bad when they realize that EVERY YEAR Ben has had a huge, crazy, invite-the-entire-neighborhood kind of party when all they get is cupcakes and a little confetti. But it's their fault for being born in the winter (or mine for not wanting another summer pregnancy.) Party #7 was a success... and quite scaled down from his first birthday when we had over 100 people show. This was just a few kids and their parents. We went swimming, BBQ'd hot dogs, threw water balloons, had a killer Transformer pinata, ate cake and swam some more. It was a lot of fun and Ben got spoiled. He has a great group of kids here- ranging in age from 2 to 10. We love our friends and neighbors. They are our family away from home!

Every year I make a delicious flag cake for Ben's birthday. It's made with cheesecake pudding and whipped cream topped with fresh strawberries and blueberries. This year, about 3 hours before the party started, he asked if he could have a flag cake AND a Transformer cake. So we made some extra chocolate cupcakes, threw a couple of miniature TF toys on it and we were set. I know Ben is probably ready to part with his traditional flag cake, but I am not ready to stop making it! It's just too yummy! This year it was half the size it usually is, so we're taking baby steps.







The craziest part about this entire night was NOT that I got chocolate frosting on my chest... but that right after this picture was taken, I left Aaron with a mess to clean up and I rushed off to a wedding. I went with wet hair and stayed out until midnight. It was crazy (and oh, so much fun!) Thanks to all who came and especially to Aaron for supporting me and my love to throw parties!

There's a 1st time for everything...

This afternoon we took our kids swimming to battle the heat (even though it was ONLY 104 degrees.) At the pool we met a nice family from Armenia. They own a home here in Vegas and come for a couple of weeks each year to vacation. We enjoyed chatting although their English wasn't exactly understandable. The sweet grandmother pronounced a blessing upon me that my next child will be female. Actually, I am not exactly sure what she did (or said) but I like thinking that she was a prophetess and called upon the heavens to send me a girl.

The entire family got a KICK out of Zack.. but not because he was splashing in the water or trying to "swim like a dolphin." They liked him solely because of his white skin. I allowed them to point and gawk.. because it might be a while before they see another albino two year old. And luckily, they gave us a little entertainment in return. The mother (probably age 45.. give or take a few years) was completely frightened of the water. She stuck her feet in for a while and, before taking the plunge, she decided to borrow her children's orange arm floaties. I could not take my eyes off of her as the floaties squeaked up her flabby arms. When they were in place (nice and tight, I am sure) she slowly stepped into the pool. Her husband had her by the arms and the whole time she was screeching in Armenian. "No, no! Ah! Oh! No!" Had you heard her shrieks without seeing what was actually going on, you may have thought he was stabbing her in the heart. We truly felt lucky to get a front row seat for the show.

She was shaking and her husband was trying to ease her terror as she tightened her grip around his neck. Slowly they made their way to the other side of the pool.. which happened to be a whopping 4 feet deep. After about 10 minutes in the pool, she stood up on her own! I felt like giving her a round of applause. Everyone was so happy for her and she had the BIGGEST smile on her face. You have no idea how much I wanted to snap a picture of her... but alas, my camera was in the car and I didn't want her to know I was making a spectacle of her big accomplishment. It was bad enough that my kids were starring at her. Luke finally turned to me and said, "Mom, what is WRONG with that lady?" I quietly whispered in his ear, "They must not have swimming pools in Armenia."

We have proof. Weekend entertainment doesn't have to cost a penny.

Happy Birthday Ben (and America)

Name: Benjamin Jackson
Age: SEVEN
Height: 49 inches
Weight: 45 lbs
Teeth missing: 6

Favorites--
Color: Blue
Animal: Cheetahs and Rhinos
Food: homemade breadsticks, strawberries and ice cream (but not strawberries on ice cream.) He likes most foods, but doesn't want anything touching anything else!
Books: Meet the Autobots, Meet the Decepticons and any other Transformer book out there. He also loves animal encyclopedias, and anything by Shel Silverstein
Movies: Transformers, TMNT (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)
TV shows: Sponge Bob, The Suite Life, Drake and Josh, Zoey 101 (I hate when they watch this show!)
Games: Sorry, Crazy 8's, Chutes and Ladders

Jokes he's made up:
(I hear about 50 bad jokes for every good one he comes up with..)

What do you call your mom when she isn't being nice? A MOM-ster.

What did one car ask the other car? Do you have GAS?

What farm animal is good at math? A COW-culator

What is tall and nice and says 'OUCH'? (Me.. after he pinches me on the arm.) "OUCH!"

Where do mashed potatoes go when they die? The GRAVY-yard


Funny Things said by Ben:

"My eyes are tired, but the rest of my body is ready to party!" (said at midnight.. age 6)

"Watching this much TV is really UN-responsible." (age 5)

"I think I know how Santa just keeps on living. He's kind of like the three Nephites who just never die. They have lots of things to do on the Earth, so God just lets them keep on living." (Good theory, kid. We had this conversation last week. almost age 7.)


Things to remember about Ben's BIRTH-day: My water broke at 11:00 pm on July 3rd. I was sun-burned, exhausted and ready for bed. Earlier that night, my husband and I were at a BBQ with friends (yo- Garmons!) and I had to leave before fireworks started because I wasn't feeling well. I didn't even consider the fact that my stomach cramps were contractions because my due date wasn't for another two weeks. When my water broke that night, I didn't know what was happening! I had to call my mom at midnight and ask if I was really having a baby. She assured me I was... She was torn between coming to Provo for the delivery or seeing my little brother at the airport on the 4th of July. He was leaving the MTC and flying to Russia.. She stayed for the airport and sent my sisters down to be with me. Debbie and Cindy were able to be there for the delivery, hold the baby, take pictures and then head up to Salt Lake City to see my brother off. It was a crazy day, but that's usually the way my family operates. Ben followed suit and started out with a bang!

July 4th is a special day for Aaron's side of the family. Not only is it Independence Day, but it is the wedding anniversary of Duke and Lee Burnham (Aaron's grandparents) who both passed away early and unexpected. Brandy was very close to her parents and was emotional at the hospital because she knew that it wasn't by chance that her first grandchild was born on such a special day. He was sent down by two very special, loving great-grandparents who knew how to celebrate in style! Ben and Aaron's mom have had a special bond since day one.

Ben was born at 7:09 am.. weighing 7 pounds 9 ounces. He had a TON of black hair and the nurses kept referring to him as "Harry" although we informed them several times that his name was Benjamin. My husband really wanted to name him Jackson.. but I didn't want to introduce ourselves and "Aaron & Janet Jackson" and I felt strongly that Ben was it. I had not even considered the name until late in my pregnancy. Aaron and I were reading in The Book of Mormon about a righteous and Christ-like king who gives the most wonderful, uplifting advice to his people before he dies. Our son is named after King Benjamin. Someday I hope he will live up to his name and become righteous, bold and strong.

Since the day he was born, he has been an easy child. He is obedient, faithful and good. He takes what people say literally and tries hard to follow EVERY rule! Our biggest challenge as Ben's parents is trying to keep him from stressing about every little thing! He was born wise beyond his years and even though it's crazy to think that I have a SEVEN year old, it seems like each time Ben has a birthday, I feel like he's been that old for a while now. He is an awesome little boy and I am so glad he's mine!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BENNY BOY!

Dinner with the Poulsens

Suzanne and Jason Poulsen are some of our favorite people and they just happened to be in Vegas this week.. Suzanne took Jason on a surprise getaway to celebrate his last day of residency!! Wahoo! We met at Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba's for some delicious food, fabulous conversation, and a medical diagnosis- (Jason is a doctor and Suzanne is a nurse.) We know how to pick and choose our friends, eh? Can't beat free medical advice over the dinner table!

Four years ago today, (totally random, I didn't mean to be so sentimental) we met Jason and Suzanne at a BBQ for Ben's 3rd birthday. We were the new to Spokane and anxious to make new friends. The minute I talked to Suzanne, I KNEW she was going to be a keeper. She is sweet, funny, very personable and so cute you just wanna to pinch her (or punch her!) We were instant friends and the rest is history. But my first impressions aren't always right because I pinned Jason as a punk. I went home that night thinking, "How did such a guy get a girl like that?" But I quickly learned that Suzanne was the lucky one. Jason runs a close second to the best husband around! We love hanging out with them and wish we still lived minutes away. We really miss those lazy Sundays afternoons-- getting competitive over card games (Rook and Eucher to be specific.) Those were the good ol' days... when they would get SO frustrated because they could never beat us! It's probably better for their self-esteem (and our egos) that we only lived by each other for a short time. They moved back to Salt Lake the following summer to finish residency and now he's a full blown Doc! We love them for coming to see us AND for finally starting a blog! All my dreams have come true (and I expect frequent updates!)

Congratulations Poulsens! You worked hard and sacrificed a TON... so enjoy rolling in the dough! Can't wait until the day one of your daughters marries one of our sons!

ps. A big thanks to Rod and Nat for watching our kids late into the evening! We owe you big time!