"psychic" grocery store checker is wrong

Any person who thinks that I would be pregnant with a GIRL has to be slightly wacko.


We had another ultrasound today. It was with a "specialist" which means it was more expensive and WAY longer than previous appointments. I took the kids again because last time was such a great experience (and I hate to drop them off somewhere else when they were throwing up yesterday.) Anyway, it ended up being a huge headache. It's amazing how clear my pictures were at 14 weeks... you would think two months later it would be even easier to see the baby. But everything seemed blurry on the screen and Zack was not the least bit interested. He was totally hyper and was such a pill! Ben and Luke were trying hard to keep him entertained... I love them for being so mature. Zack would say something silly like, "That baby is not in mom's tummy-- it's in MINE!" (while laying on the cold floor, lifting up his shirt and patting his round belly.) Ben and Luke wanted to laugh, but they were ignoring him. Once I heard Ben whisper, "We won't pay attention to you, Zack, because you are not behaving." What a little mom. And Luke threatened to take him out of the room if he didn't settle down. At one point, he opened the door and told Zack he could leave. Zack started to cry because he didn't want to go out by himself-- so Luke closed the door and tried harder to watch the baby on the screen.

The tech was a nice lady and all, but not exactly child-friendly. When Zack wasn't dancing around the room chanting nonsense, he was sitting in the chair next to me. I was able to reach over and pinch him several times for being so loud. It only made him laugh harder-- so I pinched harder. Then he would say, "Okay, okay. I promise I will stop." But he never did. I laughed when the lights were turned on-- Zack seriously had red marks all over one side of his body from the pinching. I know I am a mean mom, but sometimes I wish I could give him back.

After a very thorough 45 minute ultrasound, we switched machines and looked at the baby 3-D... which was another 45 minutes. This is when Zack got interested. The shots really aren't that great, but it was amazing to see him so clearly. I was shocked to realize how much he looks like Luke. I am hoping for another brown-eyed boy to even out our teams. 3-2 = Blue eyes are winning. When I showed the 3-D pictures to Aaron, he said it looks more like an alien than Luke, but I reminded him that Luke did look a bit like ET when he was born.. Not the cutest thing we ever saw, but he grew on us. The baby's hands were constantly by his face, but no thumb sucking this time.

I am 21-ish weeks along. I feel really good-- but fat. Nothing fits. Maternity clothes are too big and everything else is too tight. But I am not complaining. Baby boy #4 is moving like a champ and is apparently the length of a banana. Aaron hates when I compare him to the size of fruit, but I think it's the only way to visualize. He keeps referring to him as Kiwi... hopefully the name doesn't stick. I have officially given Aaron all the power in naming this one. I give up after three. We've talked about the names Simon, Xander, Ty, Blake, Thomas. I am trying to throw Roman in the mix... (if he I can't have a Roma, maybe he would agree to Roman.) But like I said, it's up to Daddy. I am crossing my fingers that he doesn't settle on Terrell, Carmello or Theo-- I swear Aaron thinks he's black.

I think ED is the one.

I know I should be spending my computer time writing about our trip to Utah or documenting the funny things Zack said this morning, but I'm not gonna. Priorities are priorities and the Bachelorette always comes before my family. Besides, I am two weeks behind-- so let's talk about all things shallow...

Lucky for me, I was able to watch last week with my sister. Our husbands joined in and made sly comments throughout the show. It was two solid hours of entertainment. Honestly, I am SO sad Tanner and his package got the boot. Seriously, that was fun to watch. I cannot believe he thought Jillian would pick him because he's "blessed". What a show. I think it was awesome she left Robby in the middle of no where. That's gotta hurt the ego. And Jake-- poor, sweet, adorable Jake. I am sure there are plenty of girls out there that want him to fly their plane, but Jilly is not one of them. So glad she got rid of him before the hometown dates..

And if last week was good, last night's episode was even better. I am very surprised Reid is still around. I don't think he will last another week. I think the clips about someone not being able to "perform" is totally staged. It's Reid's voice saying "I felt like I failed. My fears got in the way of the moment" but there is no way ABC is going to talk about erectile disfunction on Monday night tv. Reid's probably talking about his fears of raw meat. But then again, they did show Tanner dancing in his underwear.. so anything goes. Bottom line with Reid, I think he's way too uptight for Jillian's my taste..

Wes doesn't scare me. Of course, I would love Jillian to knock him to the curb, but he's adding too much drama (and getting too much exposure) to let him off this early. I am crossing my fingers that the producers will get a hold of Laurel and bring her to the final rose ceremony. btw.. Has anyone ordered a copy of his CD? I'm should be in stores by now.

I am relieved Jesse is gone. Deep down, I was worried he would make it to the end. It's not that I don't like him, but I didn't any sparks flying. I did think it was HILARIOUS when he compared Jillian to a great wine. He said you have to wait and let it sit before you take full advantage of it. Jillian was smart to get rid of anyone planning on taking full advantage of her.

My beloved Michael is gone. After seven episodes, I don't have a bad thing to say about him. If I was single, and shorter, I would pursue. In fact, I would even settle for his twin. I loved how cute he was with his sister and everything he says about Jillian is so adorable. Obviously, Jillian wasn't feeling it for him, but I think there are hundreds of thousands of girls who are. Wouldn't it be great if he was the next bachelor? Would the show actually pick a break dancer-- instead of a multi-millionaire, doctor or prince to be the bachelor? I hope so.

What do you really think about Kiptyn? He's handsome and all, but his mother totally bothered me. And he seems to be a nice guy, but don't you think he's boring? Rumor has it that he'll be the runner-up and is holding out to be the next bachelor. I just can't see him having enough fans to come back for another season. But then again-- there was Jason, who was a total loser and got the coveted bachelor position.

And last but definitely not least, Ed is back. How could he not be the one? Granted, I have thought in past episodes that he's very dry and monitone, but it's obvious that Jill has something for him. I think the fact that he went home and came back says a lot. This is the ONLY real life situation about this entire reality show. Work is a big issue in the real world-- and lots of couples break up and realize what it feels like to be apart, so I think this speaks volumes. They actually just might have a shot in the real world. I know in the earlier previews it shows Ed, Wes and Kip in Hawaii... but I can't go back to confirm because my husband recorded 60+ hours of Wimbledon when we were on vaca and it erased all of my previously recorded Bachelorette episodes. Bummer! Now I can't sit around all day and analyze side head shots and voice overs...

So, that's my unofficial unprofessional opinion. I haven't read any spoilers... (obviously, I don't have time to spend on frivolous things :) But spoilers are totally welcome in the comments. What is all this talk about Kiptyn being gay? I wouldn't doubt it.. considering his name is spelled with a Y. And one of my neighbors told me that Ed's parents fly to Hawaii to meet Jillian. I love how the Bachelorette is the only thing I talk about with my neighbor. Time to get a life.

Tell me whatcha think. I am looking forward to next week, but I literally can't wait to see the Men Tell All episode. I already miss Tanner.

remember the time

we're home. It's good to be home.

We had so much fun that we need a vacation from our vacation. We spent quality time with family, met up with old friends, partied for Ben's upcoming birthday, went to the zoo, cherry hill, a temple open house, played cards, ate good food, took lots of pictures and didn't sleep much. The highlight of the trip was meeting my sister's #4 daughter, Betty June. The saddest part of the trip was missing the Kimballs.. my sister and her family moved to Georgia a couple of weeks ago. It's gonna be a much longer drive to visit them.

We were lucky enough to catch a flu bug while we were there-- so instead of writing about our trip and uploading pictures, I am doing lots of laundry and tending to sick kids. At least I have good music to listen to while I clean up vomit..

I am not going to write a novel about Michael, but I am going to give him some love. He was one of the most talented humans to moonwalk across this Earth. His music is legendary. I don't care how many face transplants he received or whether or not he was guilty of child molestation. His life was a train wreck. Somewhere a long the way, something went tragically wrong. He dealt with family issues, pain killer addictions, and was a probably a victim of abuse as a child. His real story will never really be told because he was the only one who went through it. I cannot judge him-- there is a loving God who will do that. Talent doesn't insure success. Fame doesn't make all your dreams come true. All the money in the world can't buy happiness. I have learned from his tragic life and I will love his music forever. May he finally rest in peace.

Costco

The other day, I took my boys to Costco. We love it there and wish we lived next door. It was a quick trip.. lunch at the deli and a few items for the ward party. Then we were off to run errands-- lots of them. Dentist appointments, fixing the trampoline mat, swimming at the YMCA, taking back an item at Ross. The typical stuff. On the way home, five hours later, while still wearing our swim suits, I realized that my gas tank was empty and that I had forgotten an item at Costco. I begged my kids to "let me" run in again. They agreed as long as I bought them a chocolate covered ice cream bar with zero nuts. I pinky promised.

We walked in, got ice cream, did a little shopping, lost my Costco card near the cheese samples, tried to check out, traced our steps back to the cheese samples, couldn't find the card and ended up checking out with the nice man's card who was standing in front of us in line. By this time, my boys' ice cream was dripping and we were exhausted. All we wanted was to get out to the hot car and take the long drive home. But, when we got to the exit, we realized that everyone and their dog was also exiting. They only had ONE reciept checker. Darn it. We waited in line as the slow woman counted everyone's groceries and marked their reciepts with a pink highlighter.

What seemed like two hours later, it was our turn. I handed my reciept to the lady. And THEN I realized why it took two hours to get to her. She was literally drawing a picture on the back of everyone's reciept. I think my mouth dropped open as I watched her slowly draw someone's face on the back of my reciept. No, not just a simple smilely face... she drew a full blown characature of one of my kids. Eyes, nose, mouth, ears, hair. Here. Let me show it to you.

If she wanted to be a cartoon artist, she should probably work somewhere else. Making tired Costco customers wait so she can show off her talents is not a good idea. at least not in my opinion.

ps. I should have excused myself last week. We are finally visiting my family in Utah. We'll be back on Monday. Yes, I scanned this on my parents computer.. I was cleaning out my purse and was about to throw the reciept away, when I thought-- I must make a copy before it goes in the garbage. And what better place to preserve it forever than on the blog?

pps. Zack was the one who lost my Costco card. He pulled it out of my wallet and said, "This means you are my mom." I told him that was true. When I got in line and realized that I didn't have my card, he got really quiet and said, "If we lose that card, then you can't be my mom anymore?" I told him that was true. After we couldn't find it and decided to check out anyway, I told him that I was going to leave him at the register because I can't be his mom anymore. When tears came to his eyes, I said I would give him another chance. But if he loses another card of mine, he will definitely be staying at the store. That will teach him.

"popping a wheelie"

One of the best memories at Cherry Hill was made eating lunch at our campground one lazy, sunny afternoon.

The five of us were sitting around the picnic table eating sandwiches and Pringles. We were all tired after spending a day at the waterpark. Zack farted loud at the table and announced it (as if we didn't hear it already) and we all giggled. That sparked a conversation about what we should say when we pass gas. I had been debating what word is "appropriate" for our kids and thought we should take a family vote. We decided it would be cool to come up with our own saying that we as a family could say but others around us wouldn't understand... (from the comments on the blog post some families said, "I shot a bear" or "I heard a duck" etc.) It probably wasn't the best time to talk about it because we were ALL deliriously silly and anything that was mentioned got a big laugh. I honestly can't remember what most of the suggestions were-- but I know that Luke came up with some creative ones.. and Zack kept announcing silly stuff like, "When we fart, we should say 'I HATE you', then know one knows we farted." The boys thought that suggestion was hilarious.

Ben- who is not necessarily quick on his feet or highly creative- didn't say much, although he earned an award for laughing the hardest every time someone gave a suggestion. After lunch was finished, a light bulb came on and he said excitedly, I know! When we fart, we should say....

I popped a wheelie on my Pontiac!

Aaron and I were so shocked... not because he came up with a suggestion, but because it was SO bizarre. We laughed for 5 minutes before asking WHERE that came from (no doubt inspired by Transformers... they know every make/models of cars.)

Anyway, months later, we're still talking about popping wheelies on our Pontiacs... only we're afraid to say the phrase in public. You never know, with four boys, a stranger could easily interpret it as something else. Announcing you farted is probably safer and less embarrassing..

my baby daddy

Happy Father's Day to the father of my three sons.


Aaron lost his job a couple of days before the new year. It came as a shock and wasn't exactly the best timing.. We had just moved into a new house, furnished everything, etc. etc. We didn't really talk about it with our kids-- not because we were keeping secrets, but they didn't ask and we didn't say. Every morning they would literally scream with excitement, "Dad gets to stay home another day!!!" It wasn't until Aaron started interviewing for new jobs that they put two and two together. I will never forget the conversation I heard after Dad came home from his first interview. It was one of those moments that will go down in my favorite parenting memories. I watched and listened from afar as Aaron had this conversation with our sons.

Luke: Did you just get home from church?

Daddy: Nope. It's Tuesday.

Ben: Then why are you wearing a suit?

Daddy: I went to interview for a new job.

Luke: You mean, you don't want to be a lawyer anymore?

Daddy: I am still going to be a lawyer, but I will work in a new office.

Ben: So-- what happens at an interview?

Daddy: They ask me lots of questions and I tell them why I should work for them.

Luke: You tell them all the cool things you can do?

Daddy: Yep.

Ben: Did you tell them you can make the fastest paper airplanes?

Daddy: I think I forgot to mention that.

Luke: Did you tell them you can unlock Darth Vader on the Star Wars video game?

Daddy: Um... (smiling now) I think I will have to remember that for next time.

Aaron continued to explain what he does at work, why he has to earn a living, etc. I sat back and wiped away my tears. This is exactly why I love raising children with this man. He is so responsible- always in charge of the situation. He crosses all his t's and dots every i. My children have no idea the kind of sacrifices he has made to keep our family feeling secure and protected. They will some day understand what a hard working, dedicated father and husband he is. But being a good Dad is so much more than that. My boys have a Daddy who literally wrestles with them the minute he gets home. I know he's walked through the door because my kids are screaming/yelping/begging to be freed from his monstrous grip. It is such a joy to see the little people I love so much worship their Dad.

It doesn't matter how much bacon he brings home, if he drives a fancy car or what he does for a living. What really counts is that he knows where to his folds his paper airplanes and how to conquer the hard levels on video games. How lucky my sons are to have such a great role model-- such a talented man who isn't afraid to wrinkle his tie and get down and dirty with them. I am lucky enough to witness it and learn from his daily example. I can't think of a better man to be my babies' daddy.

they all rolled over... and one fell off

We have five beds in our house. The kids are not ever allowed to sleep in our bed- ever. (Sometimes if they have a bad dream, we will allow them to lay on the floor in our bedroom :) We have a bed downstairs in the guest room which only gets used if the mattress is pulled into the family room for a party (and of course, when we have guests.) The boys have bunk beds... a twin on top and a full on the bottom. And then there's one in "the baby's" room. The bed will be donated before the baby arrives. Five beds-- plenty of room for everyone. So why is it that my boys sleep on the same mattress EVERY single night? Ben asked me the other day, "Mom, what are we going to do when we have so many kids that we don't fit in one bed?" I laughed and explained that most kids have their OWN beds and don't lay on top of each other when they sleep.

Last night I put them to bed. They each had their own pillow and were spaced quite nicely on the bottom bunk. Somewhere in the middle of the night (I am sure it was right after I tucked them in) they tip-toed into the empty bedroom and fell asleep. This is how I found them in the morning. Looks mighty relaxing. Lucky for me, there was room to crawl into bed next to them and I even had my very own pillow-- with it's own pillowcase. I know they can't be comfortable, but I am pretty sure they stay warm.


And just for the sake of recording-- This morning, Zack took a drink out of a cup that usually holds Aaron's spare change. After his big swig of water, he let out a refreshing, "AHHH. That was good!" When I realized what he was drinking from, I asked him where all the money was. He looked at me and said, "Don't worry about it, mom." I wasn't worried about the mess he made while dumping out the coins, I was just imagining how refreshing that taste of water wasn't. I shall now go wash his mouth out with soap to insure he doesn't die from those nasty germs.

the laZy, craZy dayZ of summer

we haven't been doing much lately. I mean, we've been doing a ton, but it's all spontaneous and completely out of schedule... (not that summer has really changed our routine too much :) Here's what we've been up to:

Hiking in the acres of dirt in front of our house.. we found a cool (dangerous) old car and a trashed druggie hangout. totally awesome.

Playing in the dirt in front of our house (seriously, it doesn't get more exciting than this.) The boys have been moving big boulders to build themselves a house. They found carpet, a blanket, a broom, and telescope- all imaginary items of course. I just want to know why Luke will sweep out his house of dirt and will never volunteer to sweep mine..

swimming, swimming and more swimming. they clean up well after hours of playing in the dirt. I love watching them play together in the water... they are three peas in a pod.

enjoying the tender poolside moments.

reading before bedtime. after hours of swimming everyday, I find myself reading out loud to three sleeping boys. each night i have to back-track because no one can remember what they heard the night before. i think I've read the same chapter 12 times, but I love having exhausted children. These pictures are as professional as they get. I realize I am not smiling, but they are the cutest of the kids. I will sacrifice my flawless supermodel reputation for my kids to shine.

superhero fighting. their "dress ups" [which Aaron prohibits them from saying] are very accessible. Zack dresses up as Yoda, Batman and at least one of the Spidermen EVERY single day, if not more than once. And after wrestling/fighting while in costume, he gets mighty sweaty. Which makes him even more exhausted at bedtime. win, win.

Exciting news for Luke this week-- he's finally riding Ben's big bike. Which means Ben needs a new one for his birthday. I can't believe how fast they grow! Go Lukey Go!

Zack is one CRAZY kid. He is talking non-stop and almost everything he says makes us laugh out loud. It's not really what he says, but how he says it. Last night at dinner, Aaron asked the boys what their best feature was. Obviously we didn't expect Zack to answer until after the older boys did-- thinking he didn't understand the question. But before anyone could say anything, Zack spits out, "I love my HEAD!" It was so cute. When he eats or drinks too much he says, "My tummy sure is full of _________" (fill in the blank with whatever he just ate or drank) Now's he's going around saying, "My tummy is so full of watermelon. Shake my tummy and listen to it wiggle." He literally has us all wrapped around his giant personality.

And if this post couldn't get more random, I will include ONE of Ben's anniversary cards he gave us. Mind you, I believe he hung 15 around the house. This is obviously a lot like last year's card-- but his spelling is improving. and this time we're inside the temple "with the preacher" AND I have another set of lopsided boobs. at least my waist looks skinny.

memories of Anniversaries past...

Although the helicopter ride was breathtaking and the night away from the kids was refreshing, my favorite part of our anniversary was laying in bed with Aaron, listening to cheesy love songs in the background, and talking about the past nine years. We went through each year-- some of them took longer to remember than others. I thought it would be a great anniversary activity to post pictures and write the memories down, since my husband is at work and my kids are busy turning themselves into aliens. (each has their shirt off and they are taping colored pieces of paper onto their chests... glue didn't work :)

Warning: This post is long, so if you don't want to read it all, that's fine by me.

2000 was a fabulous year for a wedding. I was a 20 year old bride and Aaron was 23... too young to get married, in my opinion. But it's hard to pass up a good thing when you find it. Our wedding was simple. I tried to care about the details, but I didn't know how to. I wore white flat tennis shoes with my dress. I picked up flowers just hours before at a local shop-- I didn't realize a bride "needed" a bouquet. My sisters pinned me down the night before I got married and MADE me wear acrylic nails-- (Deb could do them professionally.) It was 2 am before the nails were finished.. they look pretty in the pictures, but they didn't last more than 24 hours. I ripped those suckers off as fast as I could [ouch.] Aaron and I weren't big fans of posing around the temple grounds taking pictures, but now I wish I had more. The candid ones are my favorite. It was before digital era and none of them are great quality. Oh well. It was a wonderful day and we were surrounded by the people we love. We had no money, no car, no plans for the future. We both felt strongly there were babies waiting to come and for some reason we never stressed about it... even while thinking about all the years of school we had yet to accomplish. Somehow, it just felt RIGHT. That is the best way to describe our wedding day- Perfect, for all the right reasons.

2001 Anniversary one. I was 8 months pregnant with our first baby boy. (Yes, it was planned.) Looking back, it's crazy to think Aaron spent his first year married to a pregnant wife. What a crazy time that was! We were both working 40+ hours per week AND going to school full time at BYU. We had opposite schedules. I worked during the day and went to school at night and he had classes in the morning and didn't get home from work until 11 pm. Life was insane, but we didn't know any different. We were happy to be together and were working hard to save for our little family.

We spent our anniversary at the Provo temple doing sealings. We talked about going out to dinner or spending the night at a hotel, but we were either too cheap or too tired.. or both. We ended up making a homemade dinner and moving our mattress into our living room and watching a movie together. It wasn't the most spectacular night ever-- but we knew there would be a time and place for that. I don't know if there is anything I could have done at 8 months pregnant that would have been romantic. We had survived our first year and were about to embark on parenthood. Ben was born 2 weeks later and we could not have asked for a better anniversary present.

2002 We were out of school for the summer and trying to enjoy the busy life with a toddler. My parents offered to take Ben for the night AND paid for our hotel getaway. How could we say no? We spent our first night away from our son and to this day it was one of our most romantic getaways. The next day, we lived it up at Utah's amusement park, Lagoon. I am a HUGE rollercoaster fan and was so looking forward to riding all the big rides-- including the bunging jumping/free-falling ride that cost extra $. For some odd reason, EVERYTHING made me sick. I literally had to lay down on the grass after every ride to keep from throwing up. I was a total party pooper and wanted to leave the park before it closed (which is against my life motto.) Later that night, I decided to take a pregnancy test and it was positive! Baby #2 was on his way (This was not planned :) Luke was born 8 months later. Do we know how to live up our first two years of marriage or WHAT?

Oh, and I must mention that even though I was a loser that day, Aaron was not. He won a HUGE stuffed animal dog for me after playing one game. We had to carry it around all afternoon, but I always wanted to be the girl that had a man who won her big prizes. Or something like that . The dog made a perfect present for Ben's first birthday. It was at his big party two weeks later we announced to our families that we were expecting baby #2.

2003 Three years of marriage with two kids under two. Aaron finished his bachelor's degree a few months earlier and I had a couple of weeks left before graduation. We spent June 16th eating dinner at Pier 49 pizza as a family. Ben was running around the table and Luke wanted to be held the entire time. Not romantic but very--- normal.

The following weekend, we decided to venture to Park City and go camping. This was our first of many family camping trips. Ben was obsessed with the fire and literally danced around the flames. Luke was only four months old and we had to keep socks on his hands because he was so cold. We were the only campers at this particular camp ground and it was great. Because we were out in the middle of nowhere, I allowed Ben to ride on my lap to drive the garbage to the dumpsters. That was a huge mistake. For MONTHS after that camping trip, he begged to drive the car. I told him he can only do it when we're camping and now it has become a tradition. Luke always takes me up on the offer, but Ben has since become cautious and usually doesn't want to drive. And we all know how Zack feels about driving. He takes it upon himself to get behind the wheel whenever possible-- camping or in busy post office parking lots.

2004 This will go down as one of our worst anniversaries.. actually, you can say the whole year was a bust. After we finished our undergraduate degrees in Provo, we moved to Salt Lake for a couple of months. While we were living in my parents' basement, Aaron found out that he didn't get accepted to any of the law schools he was hoping to. We were in limbo. We ended up moving to Arizona (with Aaron's parents) thinking we would go to school either in Vegas, AZ or California. But after months of indecision, we were still clueless with when/where we would go to school. Aaron was offered a scholarship to Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA. When he first received the letter, he tossed it thinking it wasn't an option. But the more we narrowed down the schools and visited campuses, the more confused we were. In May 2004, Aaron found the letter from Gonzaga and talked to me about the possibility of going to school up north. I was up for anything, but didn't realize that he wanted to start the summer program-- which was only 2 weeks away. Somehow, without ever touring the school or making a trip to Spokane, we were driving a moving van 1400 miles to a place we'd never been. The summer semester started in early June. The school put us in an apartment for three days-- and we rushed to find a place to live. Aaron was officially a law student one week when our anniversary arrived. I wasn't expecting anything fancy, but thought we could go out to dinner as a family. He called me from campus and said, "I have 30 pages to read before I can leave." To me, that meant he would be home within the hour. Little did I know that reading 30 pages of statutes and court cases meant he had several hours to go. We only had one car at the time and I literally paced around the house. When he finally arrived home, I was so upset. We decided to head to the park and let the kids play while we fought :) It was my first dose of being a law school widow... and Aaron quickly learned his lesson about being more specific when he called. These pictures weren't taken on our anniversary (I don't think I was smiling that night) but they were taken in our backyard sometime in June 2004. I can't get over how cute Luke was-- he was such a rolley-polley toddler. The weather was SUCH a shock to our system, especially coming from AZ. I believe we wore pants all summer long.

2005 St. George, UT. It was one of the best summers to date. Aaron got an internship working with one of the most laid-back, coolest attorneys ever. Aaron didn't set an alarm all summer.. he wore shorts to work and came home everyday for lunch. It was a 4-month vacation that paid well! We lived in an empty student apartment building on campus at Dixie college (all the students were gone for the summer and we needed something furnished.) It was awesome because we literally had our own private pool. We swam all day, everyday. This is where our 2 and 3 year old boys learned to swim like fish. What a summer! We still dream of moving back, but we have to constantly remind ourselves that it will never be as awesome as that summer was. Those were the days of no responsibility!! The week before our anniversary, we took a long trip to California with Aaron's parents. We did it all-- Sea World, Disney, the zoos.. it was a fab trip. The bottom picture was taken at the San Diego temple. I was three months pregnant with Zack and although I felt pretty good, I was suffering from a terrible short haircut. I will never go short again-- it was so much work and it never looked good. My motto from now on is: If it's long enough for a ponytail, it's long enough for me. *Our actual anniversary day was spent in St. George two days after our Cali trip. My parents came to visit and Aaron and I went to the temple... I don't have any pictures to show for it.*

2006- Three little boys in six years of marriage. Aaron had just finished his second year of law school and spent the summer working for an attorney in Spokane. We celebrated our anniversary at Silverwood amusement park-- Washington's version of Six Flags. Aaron was in charge this year and I didn't know where we were going until we arrived at the park. Despite the freezing cold weather-- (notice the jackets, blankets, sweaters) we had a good time. We spent the morning watching the kids on airplane rides. Aaron and I were cursing all day that we didn't get a babysitter to come with us so we could ride the BIG KID rides! And then we did the unthinkable. We parked Zack in the stroller and told Ben and Luke to be in charge of the baby.. at no time could they let go of the stroller handle.. And then we left them while we rode a ride. Now, don't freak out, we could see them at all times-- it was one of those rides that shot you straight up in the air. I don't know how long we waited in line, probably about ten minutes. When we finally got on the ride, we insisted that we sit on the side facing our kids (as if that somehow makes us responsible.) As the ride shot us in the air, I kid you not, our little boys were watching us and waving... while yelling, "Hi Mom! Hi Dad!" We were SO embarrassed because here were these three kids, completely isolated from any adults, ratting us out. We kept telling them to be quiet and not point and wave at us, but they were just being good kids, waving at their parents riding a ride. As soon as we got off, we ran to them and spanked them for embarrassing us. No, we did not. We thanked our lucky stars that they didn't let go of the stroller the entire time AND that no one came along and stole our perfectly-behaved children. By lunch time, it was POURING rain... we were all drenched, the rides were flooded and the park closed early. I believe this is when I really started to dislike Washington. After living through 6 months of winter, couldn't we just have ONE warm day in June? Nope..

2007 Warmer weather we finally had.. our first summer in Las Vegas. Zack was six months old before I lost a single pound of baby weight. I blame it on the cold weather. I think I was probably depressed in WA. But after a couple of months of sun therapy, it melted off. Or maybe it was stress. Our first summer out of law school was brutal. Aaron had to take a summer class BEFORE he sat for the bar-- all completely unexpected and totally nerve-wracking. He spent two weeks in Oregon while I stressed about him. And then he came home to take the Nevada bar without the time/sleep/studying he needed. This was the closest I have ever been to a nervous breakdown. Somehow we made it through and miraculously, he passed the bar. This picture was taken in June on Father's Day. We weren't really able to relax or chill (we did go out to dinner the night of our anniversary) but the real celebration came in August. We kept telling ourselves through the summer that if we saved and worked hard, we would get a 10 day vaca in Hawaii. It totally paid off. It was the best 10 days of our married life. I thought it would be difficult leaving the kids-- I had never been away from them for more than one night. But once we were on that plane across the ocean, their names did not cross our lips.

Hawaii was a dream. It was exactly what we needed after three (I mean 7) stressful years of school. We were asked so many times if we were on our honeymoon, but we were proud to say that we had been married 7 years and had three boys at home. That was so much better (and more romantic) than being newlyweds! Ben called us one night at our hotel and he was really worried about us dying in a hurricane (he saw on the news that it might hit our island.) We talked to him for a minute and asked him if he could make it a few more days without us. He took a deep breath and said, "Sort of." It was heartbreaking... but as soon as we hung up the phone, we shrugged it off and said, "Let's go snorkeling!" We were laughing on our walk to the beach that we could be such insensitive parents, but we were hundreds of miles away on a beautiful tropical island-- why waste the day missing our kids? There's no place like Hawaii.. there's no place like Hawaii... That trip will always hold special memories. We talk about going back ALL of the time. Hopefully, we will be able to do it again... when we win big on the Vegas slot machines!

2008 Aaron planned this getaway and it was perfect. How can you top Hawaii? (which I often point out, happened on my year to plan :) My little sister watched our boys while we celebrated the Vegas-lifestyle. We ate at a beautiful restaurant, The Top of the World at the Stratosphere. We had dessert while the sun set in the desert. It was the most expensive meal we've ever had-- I hope we NEVER pay that much for food again. It was really fun to splurge.. although we had to breath in and out several times during the meal. Then we went up to the top of the building and rode the thrill rides (I am starting to see a trend in the way we celebrate.) And we learned the lesson the hard way, there is NO reason to spend so much money on good food when you're going to throw it up a couple of hours later.. but the Big Shot is worth it. We had all night passes so we could ride until we could ride no longer. And we did. After the fancy celebration, coming home to THIS card was the highlight of our 8th anniversary.

2009. Nine years- living in nine different places (and four different states.) Here we are enjoying the adult life... our first home, a tight budget, growing kids, career ups and downs, car problems, hilarious dinner-time conversations, dentist appointments, and ever-changing schedules. Our wedding day seems like yesterday, but this is just a fraction of the time we will spend together. Although Aaron and I have been through a lot, we have been tremendously blessed. We have three adorable little boys and another on the way. I could NOT be happier about the weight I am gaining or the changes our little family with have to undergo with a new addition. Life is good. There will be surprises and hard times ahead, no doubt. But as we spend less time worrying about what we don't have and more time being grateful for all DO have, I know we will continue to find happiness in the day-to-day-mundane routine. Before we know it, Aaron and I will be wrinkled, old-fogies, sipping piña coladas on the beaches of Hawaii- wishing we were changing diapers and chasing superheros around the house. I only hope I can appreciate the NOW and not wish it away. It doesn't get better than this, folks. Not in my book.

nine years and counting

Today is our 9th wedding anniversary. We were lucky enough to celebrate last weekend. We've taken turns planning anniversary outings. This year was my year. Aaron's parents made it easy for me by coming into town to watch the boys. We packed a bag and headed to Lake Mead (about 30 minutes away.) When we arrived at the hotel, I realized that I had forgotten my makeup bag as well as my wallet. It's summer, so I don't really care about makeup (I've already got my man.) But Aaron teased me all weekend about making him pay for everything. As if I have any money, anyway. He says I pulled that "I forgot to bring my wallet" line throughout our dating/engagement period... I can't remember if that's true or not.

We didn't really do much (that I will blog about anyway) but we did enjoy some alone time in the hot tub. We stayed up late talking about our "journey" so far. Aaron knows he can get me to do anything after walking down memory lane. Nine years has flown by. Ben is going to turn 8 in a couple of weeks and that just blows my mind. In another 8 years, Aaron will be 40 and we will have a son driving and dating. I wish I could just slow things down.. these last 9 years have been so good to me. I feel so grateful to have had all the experiences with the man I love. It's amazing to think about what we still have yet to accomplish. I am so looking forward to it.

Saturday morning we woke up bright and early and had breakfast at the hotel and then toured Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam by helicopter. It was spectacular and romantic... just like we were in an episode of the Bachelorette. The views were amazing and we took lots of pictures. This is what made the cut. (click on the image to see it enlarged)

Of course, we didn't need a helicopter ride or an overnight stay at a hotel to prove how much fun we have together or how solid our marriage is. That comes with the little day-to-day things. Aaron has been nothing but kind, protective, generous, selfless, hilarious, sweet, helpful, understanding, honest, and charming. He is my #1 priority and our relationship has taught me more over the past 10+ years than I ever thought possible. He challenges me to be a better person and he is always there for me when I fall short. Married life hasn't been a breeze.. but it's been wonderful. I will do whatever it takes to keep him by my side. I will go anywhere he takes me. I will love him for always.

three going on thirteen..

Our little charismatic Zack is growing up so fast.. Everyday he does something that makes us laugh or has me saying, "I must write that down, or I will forget it." I am finally starting to feel better, which means I have been super busy getting things done that I haven't been able to do for the past four months (like clean, make dinner, organize, etc.) and I've been terrible about keeping up the blog or writing down little conversations-- here are just a few things I want to remember.

• He's been able to spell his name for a while, but out of the blue (with no coaching from me) he's been writing it. I am so proud of his scribbles, even if they are in places other than paper.. like the kitchen floor or the bathroom counter. Next to his name, he will draw a picture of himself and I know it looks like chicken scratches, but I love it. (especially the full circle c.)

• A few days after writing his name on paper, I found several word documents on the computer with zack written all the way down the page. I figured it was one of the older boys obsessed with their little brother's name, but sure enough, it was little Zack at the keyboard. He knows how to log onto their favorite alien kid games (it's saved as a favorite on the tool bar) and when they ask who's playing, Zack can type in his own name. I am not sure whether to coach him in writing or typing lessons first. These days, it seems like kids would be better off using the keyboard. It seriously blows my mind how fast they pick up on things. Just the other day, I watched Zack scroll down the page of a Google Transformer search. When he couldn't see what he was looking for, he sighed and said, "I guess I will go back and try another link." I smiled as I watched him eventually find what he was looking for.
  

• Zack is officially a member of the Ben and Luke club. He has always thought he belonged, but Ben and Luke had secret plans to get him occupied with something else while they did what they wanted. The last few months (probably because I have been feeling so sick) he's grown up so much and has really become one of the crew. Now all their superhero games have three members.. He's playing board games with them, helping with the chores, etc. I love to see the little trio working as a team. I caught them playing something the other day when Zack was in charge-- he was referring to Ben as his "sidekick." Apparently, when you are the most powerful superhero, you have a few sidekicks who help you out once in a while, but they never get any of the glory. Now that Zack belongs, I think he's quickly moved up the authority ladder.

• A few weeks ago during church, I caught Zack flipping off the congregation behind him. He realized this was getting a reaction from everyone, so he didn't have the will power to stop. I quickly explained that when you raise your middle finger, it means "I hate you", but he didn't believe me. So he had to ask Daddy-- it's only true if Dad agrees. Ever since then, he says about once a day, "I will never, never say I hate you with my finger." Hopefully he follows through with that promise.

• Last weekend, Aaron and I had a quick weekend getaway for our upcoming anniversary (more to follow.) We arrived home with a little gift for the kids-- new Frisbees for the new Frisbee golf course by our house. They were excited.. Ben picked up Zack, handed him to Aaron and said, "Here is YOUR present!" Aaron laid Zack over his lap and started spanking him. When Zack broke free, he ran a few steps, turned around, pulled down his pants (and underwear) and screamed, "Here's your present, Dad!" Nothing like a full moon from a three year old. The problem is, he's so encourage-able. It's really hard not to laugh when he's doing inappropriate things... which brings me to my last bullet point.

• Zack is obsessed with pointing at people and describing what he sees. He's constantly telling me that others are really, really fat.. He'll say things like, "She has a skinny face, but her legs are really fat." He started doing it with people on tv, which wasn't a big deal-- but in public, it's terrible. I have tried to tell him how rude it is to say thing like that, but he's only learned to whisper it to me. Yesterday he pointed to someone he thought needed to lose a few pounds and then said, "I will tell you quiet so they don't cry if they hear me." My biggest problem is keeping a straight face. I love his honesty, but eventually he's going to tell me that I am one of the fat people, so I need to curb this ASAP.

almost human

About a year into our marriage, my husband surprised me with the news that he wanted to go to law school. I knew he was the intelligent, capable, studious type, but I never thought in a million years he would become an attorney. He is too honest, too good, too kind to be a dirty-rotten lawyer. Obviously now (after all the long hard years of school) I realize it was the best decision. But that doesn't mean I don't love a good lawyer joke...

Today Aaron and I were chillin' on the couch, watching a tv version of The Ring (it's still as scary as the first time I saw it.) Lucky for me, there were commercial breaks to recuperate and wipe the sweat off my palms. It's been a while since I've sat through commercials-- love that DVR. Anyway, neither of us were really listening or watching when a TV ad came on for a local attorney's office. The last line of the commercial made us both laugh out loud.. an old woman, being completely sincere, said, "He is so much more than a lawyer. He is a human being." Good stuff.

another fab Monday night..

FHE was great, but the Bachelorette was better. In fact, FHE wasn't so good because Zack dislocated his pinky toe playing hide-and-go-seek in the dark.... but that's not what I am here to discuss.. I want to talk about the reality dating show that is far from anything in real life. I am NOT going to do recaps of the show--- this is only for discussion purposes with those who are already watching... I usually call all my sisters on Tues morning to see what they thought of the show the night before-- but why not open the discussion? Here we go..


I still love Michael. How can you not love him? He hasn't gotten any one on one time with Jillian, so you never know if their personalities will mesh, but if he isn't chosen to be the final guy-- I want him as the new Bachelor. (I felt the same way about Jillian from the beginning and I love that she's finally in charge.) I am not surprised that the majority of the interview clips are of Michael- because he's hilarious. Most people don't like him because they don't think a brake dancer can support a family, but I am still a huge fan. Go Mikey, go Mikey.....


Then there's Kip... still my #2. He and Jillian have something going on and I loved their date. I think he's a genuine guy and he's got the whole package-- did you see his six pack on the first episode? Seriously a handsome dude, but I don't think he will be the last one standing. The show has edited him as the favorite from the beginning and I know they love to set us up. I think he will be one of the top 2 or 3 for sure, though.


Last week I chose Robby as my #3... I still really like him, but all of the sudden he has this lisp that came out of no where. After watching the first episode run down like five times with some friends, we've realized that Robby is the voice that says, "I just can't be here comfortably. I have to leave." Who knows if he actually says it to Jillian because they edit what they want to make it look more dramatic, but if someone goes home choses to go home, it's gonna be Robby.


Jake is a favorite of most people, but he's definitely not mine. I really don't like guys who are always smiling and always saying the right thing. And real men don't have to mention 10,000 times how they are a real man. He refers to the other guys as boys, but he's a sissy. I think he will eventually find a good girl, but I highly doubt he is Jillian's type.


Then there's Ed. I don't dislike Ed or the bags under his eyes. I think he's a cool guy and all-- but he talks in a monotone voice. Where is his personality? Yes, she had fun with him on their date, but they were repelling off a skyscraper. You could do that with a blow-up doll and have a good time. Who knows though-- she has a ton of personality and maybe she needs someone to balance it out. She might be attracted to men who look like Guy Smiley.


Who is this guy? Oh, yeah.. Reid. I have nothing to say about him, good or bad. I just thought it was funny when someone asked if his husband curled as well as he did.. I would be really surprised if he was one of the last guys standing.


Not really impressed with Jesse or his curling skills. He placed that shot out of pure luck and then he spends the next 2 hours talking about how skilled he was and how much he earned the date for the group. Enough already. Don't think he'll be around for long...


So glad Dave went home. I can't wait to see him on the aftershow-- I hope he's embarrassed of himself. Such an idiot... so glad she rejected him. I am sure it didn't dent his ego, but at least he's gone.


It was great to see Juan go. Too bad for sweet, soft spoken Juan. Maybe he can be the first Bachelor for gays.

I can't wait for Wes to go. It's been some good drama with him... and I really hope he does have a girl friend or two. If he ever releases an album, I won't buy it and if he's the last guy standing, I will never watch the show again. I think I said that last season about Molly. I still don't like her.

I am actually really glad Tanner is on the show. He's so entertaining. I loved watching him sweat bullets during the rose ceremony. That was seriously awesome! And Tanner tattling to Jillian without giving any names was so cowardly. She only kept him around to get him to spill the beans next week. Oh, man.. will this guy ever find a wife? Maybe he can start a new reality show where he can pick his wife only by seeing their feet. The finale would be him at the alter, lifting up his wife's veil and seeing her face for the first time. That would be radical. I will talk to my executive producers and see if they are interested...

Speedo guy was cool... but I didn't think he was going to last long. I am surprised he made it this far after his cheesy first line, "You are a good catch."

I was secretly hoping that Jillian sent both men home last night on the two on one date. Mark doesn't do it for me. He's a pretty boy, but not with that nasty beard. I would take a charismatic brake dancer over a boring pizza maker any day of the week.

Only 6 more days until the next episode...

slip-sliding away

three cheers for fun in the sun!


A few weeks ago, Luke mistakenly called Dr. Pepper a "Dr. Phil" and the name stuck.
It's not like we drink Dr. Pepper often or anything (because people who drink caffeine go to hell.)
But Zack especially thinks it's funny to ask for a Dr. Phil every time he's thirsty...
one of these days it's gonna get old, but it hasn't yet.

whirlwind weekend...

I can't believe it's already Monday... Why do some people have to work for a living and ruin all my fun??

Friday afternoon, I packed up the men in this house and sent them camping. Aaron is my favorite person because: #1- he's super handsome and sexy, #2- he got off work early when he knew I was overwhelmed #3-- he gets the kids excited about hanging out with Dad all weekend #4-- he encourages me to take time for myself #5-- I come home to a spotless house, delicious dinner in the oven, and happy kids. I heart my man.

They had a blast at the camp out. The only "issue" they had was Ben getting stung by a wasp. They picked me at the airport and half of Ben's face was swollen. It seriously freaked me out.. But apparently all is well and no one is crying about it. Aaron said he woke up the next morning and said, "Dad, one side of my neck feels longer than the other." The pictures don't do justice... it looks so funny when he talks. Poor kid! His neck is much longer on one side...

I had a great time in Spokane visiting my favorite adopted Grandma. If you haven't read her story yet, take a minute (and a tissue) and click here. I got in late Friday night and left Sunday afternoon. It was a relaxing, enjoyable weekend and I am glad I was able to visit her. Bev fed me well, took me to lunch with friends, introduced me to her neighbors, drove me around my favorite places in Spokane, and stayed up talking until midnight- both nights. On Sunday we attended the old ward together and I loved being able to see so many friendly faces. It was a great weekend and it went by too quickly. I have learned so much from Bev. She has so much wisdom, experience and compassion. She was the first person I told I was expecting baby #4 (besides Aaron, of course.) I can tell her anything and not only get great advice, but she keeps all my secrets! I love her and I am very grateful for her friendship.

On Saturday night, I was able to take Stephani out for a graduation-celebration dinner.. just the two of us. Stephi is one of my old young women and we've stayed close since our move. We've thrown around the idea of her moving to Vegas the past couple of years and she just might become our adopted teenage daughter.. She has big decisions to make the next couple of months and I just wish we didn't live so far away from each other! It was great to see her and I am so proud of her for getting through high school!

Now the big question I'm facing: "TO GO or NOT TO GO to Utah?? I love vacationing with my family but I hate being away from my handsome husband. which is why I have to ask again...

Why do some people have to work and ruin all my fun???