Please won't you be my neighbor?

My dear friend and neighbor, Emilee, moved today. I hate that she and her cute family are gone. She lived just a couple of blocks away from me and I am not sure I can drive down her street without missing her. She was the best early morning walking partner. We always had the most uplifting 6 am conversations as we watched the sun rise over the desert. She was quick to forgive me if I accidentally slept in. She was the best piano teacher to Ben and Luke. I don't know how I can find an adequate replacement! She let us borrow her keyboard. She let me break into her house if I ever needed cupcake pans or a vacuum, or whatever. She was always up for a party-- even if I wanted to throw one at her house. She would randomly drop off yummy cookies and nice notes. She is a fantastic mother of three beautiful girls. She is positive, uplifting, energetic and three days after she has a baby, it looks like she was never pregnant. I am really going to miss Emilee and couldn't stop crying today at church. But I am grateful that we were neighbors for a short while and even more grateful we have the internet and can keep in touch through blogging even though we'll live thousands of miles away. Texas is going to love them.

In two short weeks, one of my bff's from high school is moving to Vegas! I could not be more excited to have Azy for a neighbor. She and her husband, Chris, were married about a year ago and lucky for me, Chris was accepted to dental school at UNLV. They just bought to most adorable house just a few minutes away from ours.. and we are both expecting baby boys just a few days apart from each other. I am so looking forward to hanging out with her.. traveling up to WJ together when our husbands are too busy to spend time with us.. and being her neighbor when she first embarks on motherhood. Azy and Chris were here last week to take care of a few things before the big move and I did get a picture of our round tummies, but my camera is not cooperating. Oh well. We will have lots of preggo photo opportunities in the near future!

Whenever God closes a door, somewhere he opens a window.

summer school.

we don't take an official break from school at our house. Well, we have breaks all the time, but we don't actually have a summer vacation, if you will. I would probably like to have a couple of months "off" but that's probably from all motherly duties rather than just "schooling" hours. I mean, I have always homeschooled, so I am not sure how to be a mom without schooling them at home. Do I tell the kids I won't read to them at night because it's summer? Do I take away art projects, learning games or piano practice for a couple of months just because other kids don't go to school? I don't think so. Anyway, we still do classes with our fave homeschooling friends... mainly because the kids LOVE it (and I love having a break from them every once in a while too.) Granted, if kids get sick or we're out of town or we just don't feel like doing school for a week or two-- then we chill out.. but learning happens no matter what. If I didn't plan some sort of activity or lesson, then I can guarantee my kids would be bored out of their minds. And nothing is more annoying than a child who is bored. But I have been terrible about documenting our activities.. I've guess I've taken a summer break from my blog. Anyway, here are a few recent pictures of our summer schooling adventures (in no particular order whatsoever.)


The boys participated in the summer reading program at the library. They needed to read 20 hours each in order to earn a prized gold medal and an invite to an end-of-the-summer party. We decided ahead of time that we would NOT be including the time I read to them-- because what we do at night is for fun only... if they don't want me to read to them, I would be more than happy to get a few extra minutes of sleep. Anyway, if they wanted to earn rewards for reading, they needed to do it on their own. For Ben, reading 20 hours was super easy. Luke is actually my best reader, but he had to work hard for his prize. I was really proud of them for sticking to their reading schedules and earning their hours. Eventually, they realized that Zack wasn't going to make his goals-- so they took turns reading to him. They set the timer everyday and believe it or not, Zack reminded them when they didn't have "brothers reading time". I can't tell you how many times I caught the three of them cuddled up together reading a good book. Zack was able to earn his gold medal and enter the library drawing for prizes. I thought the end of the year party at the library was a total bust (otter pops that weren't even frozen and a bit of sidewalk chalk in the blazing heat= lame) but the kids enjoyed themselves and that's all that matters, I guess.


My boys have literally enjoyed every minute they spend at Sabrina's house. Not only do they get along fabulous with the kids and beg to have sleepovers every night, but Sabrina teaches them art classes every week and they always learn a ton. Here are a couple of pictures of the kids sculpting play dough blindfolded. I would tell you which artist started sculpting when he lost his eyesight, but I didn't attend the class and the kids aren't around to tell me. Sabrina, if you're out there, remind me again of what my kids learned that day....


Our homemade playdough hieroglyphic class turned out fabulous. We had a few extra kids that day, but it was a lot of fun. The kids carved their names in the clay and then we baked them in the oven and let them wear them around their necks... The older kids loved the "secret coding" and kept writing messages to each other than no one else could decipher. boys can be so mischievous.

After the hieroglyphic lesson, the kids were planning on playing outside in the water. They all wore their swimsuits and were psyched to get wet. However, one of my kids was telling his friend about a scene from Pee Wee's Big Adventure, and eventually the movie got turned on. I thought they were going to watch a minute or two and then head outside. But there is something magical about this movie. It's either the music or Pee Wee's completely annoying voice that has them hypnotized. All eleven kids (ages 2 to 10) were literally GLUED to that screen for the ENTIRE movie. When their mom's came to pick them up, I apologized for exposing them to Pee Wee, but the kids were all thoroughly entertained and didn't want to leave before the show was over. weird.


We ventured out in the heat and visited the children's discovery museum. We've been several times before, but they are always changing it. It has a new (disgusting) exhibit called GROSSOLOGY that's all about the human body. It teaches the kids the facts about farting, burping, puking, pooping... you name it. Honestly, my kids don't need any encouragement in that department. It's difficult to scold them when they start out a sentence, "Well I read at the museum that your anus vibrates when you fart...." Seriously, who was in charge of this project anyway? I took pictures to prove it, but apparently the picture of the pooping station didn't turn out. bummer.

Lucky for me, while my kids were learning about farts and throw up, I was able to talk to one of my best friends who met us at the museum. Danalin brought her beautiful kids and we were able to chat it up (when we weren't chasing down kids.)


The boys favorite parts of the museum were the hurricane machine and the virtual sports screen. Luke is still complaining about the soccer ball that virtually hit him in the head and Ben actually thinks he's the best volleyball player this side of the Mississippi...

Three cheers for summer school!

and just a side note.. This morning, my husband and I took Ben and Luke to tour the elementary school they "should" be attending in the fall-- today was the last day of the year and the new (year around) school year starts in two weeks. I think Aaron wants me to explore my options just in case I feel overwhelmed when the baby comes. I am all about exploring. But after spending the day at the museum and coming home to take a nap after the long morning, I just don't see how I can send my kids to school from 8:30 to 4:00 everyday (the bus stop hours.) Doesn't that seem like SUCH a long day? Honestly, I don't have any issues with the school system and believe Ben and Luke would do just fine in bigger classrooms. But who in their right mind thinks that ONE 15 minute recess is enough for kids when they are in school for almost 7 hours? Lunch is also only 15 minutes long. say what? Obviously, this is a big decision and I know bringing another baby into the family is going to throw my schedule off quite a bit-- but it kids should be kids, no? But then again, I did just buy my boys new backpacks. Maybe they should be used for something more worthwhile than carrying around water balloons. Decisions, decisions....

sleepless in las vegas

I am feeling better than ever. I really have no complaints as of late, except the fact that I some kind of internal alarm clock that wakes me up at 4 am. Usually, I lay in bed and toss for an hour or two before I fall back asleep. Sometimes I wake up and work on a project. Other times I exercise and take on the day. Today I am going to surf the web. I need to research the best homemade play dough recipe. Later today for history we are going to carve hieroglyphics in "clay" and bake them in the oven. (we're learning about ancient Egyptians, btw.)

Anyway, as I was tossing and turning a minute ago, I was thinking about how funny Zack is. I accidentally laughed out loud and tried not to wake up Aaron... so I snuck out of our bedroom and figured now is as good as time as any to document it. His is so full of personality, I can barely stand it. I mean, his little voice could not be cuter and things that he says are hilarious, but it's his facial expressions (whether he's talking or not) that just make me bust out laughing.

Recently, meaning the past month or two, he pretends that the reflection he sees in the mirror is another person. It's usually while out in public that he passes a mirror his size and starts talking to it. He has said a range of random things (and usually when he confronts his reflection, he's pointing his little finger and pulling a really silly face.) I know I've forgotten most of the funny things by now, but these are a few I can remember... "What you looking at, kid?" "Hey! Don't I know you?" "Cool shirt, dude!!" "Did you lose your mom? You better go find her." The most common threat he gives is "Stop looking at me/pointing at me!!" Usually after he talks to himself, he will look at me and say, "What's so funny?" as if I have no reason to smile.

Earlier this week, the kids and I were picking up a few things at the grocery store and Zack was in the front of the grocery cart. As we passed the fresh fish, Zack quickly grabbed his nose with two fingers, scrunched his face up and said with a nasally voice, "Can we pleeeeeeease go to another store??" I could not help but laugh because his facial expression was exactly how I was feeling. It really did stink!

While swimming yesterday, I stuck him in a friend's floaty and took him out in the middle of pool to chat. It was a seat-type floaty and I could tell he was enjoying sitting back and relaxing. He looked at the big blue letters written on the front of the float and asked, "Does this say SUPERMAN?" I told him no. In fact, it says MY BABY FLOAT. His face dropped and he immediately responded, "Get me outta here." I knew he was going to dislike being in anything labeled BABY but it was fabulous to see the disgust on his cute, freckled face. We took the floaty to the steps. He kicked it aside and wouldn't go near it again. They grow up so fast, don't they?

Ben was trying to swim from one end the pool to the other without coming up for a single breath (Aaron told him he would pay him a dollar if he could do it.) Zack was cheering him on from the sidelines and kept saying, "Swim towards the light! Swim towards the light!" Honestly, I don't know where he gets his material. Aaron had to pay up, by the way. Ben is an awesome swimmer!

Sylvia, Sabrina's little three year old, is Zack's best friend. He really loves her even though he pretends that he doesn't. See-- every time they are together, Sylvia begs Zack to marry her. He is constantly giving her lectures like, "If you keep wanting to marry me, I will not play with you anymore." She is so cute and they are seriously the best little playmates. I love to watch them together and Ben and Luke LOVE to tease him about what he "played" with Sylvia because it's usually house (or mom and dad as they call it.) Yesterday, Sabrina and I were talking and Sylvia interrupted with an enthusiastic, "Zack and I had lots of babies and they got really sick and died! We tried to take them to the doctor, but they just died!" We thought that was really sad, but she was already off to something else before we could respond. Later, when Luke and Ben were not around, I decided to see how Zack felt about having babies with Sylvia. This was basically our conversation.

Me: Zack, did you play house with Sylvia today?
Zack: Yep. She said we had to have babies this time.
Me: How many did you have?
Z: Ten. I think ten is a lot.
Me: Ten is a lot. What happened to them?
Z: They all died.
Me: That's what Sylvia told me. How did they die?
Z: Sylvia said they got sick and we had to take them to the doctor.
Me: Were you sad?
Z: I was sad because I wanted them to get shot.
Me: You don't want your babies to get shot.
Z: Yes, I did! A bad guy got into our house and took his gun and shot them all and they were bleeding everywhere. But he never could shoot me, even though he had a machine gun.

Amazing how differently boys and girls "play" isn't it?

saturday swimming at it's finest

hot weather. fantastic pool. waterslide. waterfall. family. friends.


what more could you ask for?

happy august- Tequila!!

As sad as it is to see the summer fly by, I absolutely adore this time of year. There is so much to look forward to in the next couple of months... the Fall, everyone's kids going back to school and leaving the parks/museums empty for us, Halloween, birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas and a baby due in the middle of the mix. Of course, August still means it's bloody hot here in Vegas, but the autumn and winter bring perfect weather. I am really looking forward to closing out 2009 with a bang. What a year it has been!

Last August, we were venturing out on our month-long hotel stay.. I still cannot believe we were homeless for an entire 30 days. Isn't it funny how you go through an experience and even though you tell yourself it's crazy at the time, you look back and think how/why/whuuut? So grateful that "adventure" has come and gone. I honestly wasn't emotionally stable last year at this time. I didn't realize that I was about to have a breakdown, but I certainly did- (come January.) It's been a hard year, but I have learned so much. Someone knew I needed a lot of growing up to do. I think I am finally ready to turn 30. I've spent a lot of time prioritizing my priorities. I honestly feel like a different woman than I was 12 months ago. I look forward to what's in store for the future, even if that means spending all my time surrounded by testosterone.

We planned on welcoming August with a family camping trip. But for some reason (not known to my husband or myself) it just didn't happen. Instead we organized the garage, put up shelves, mopped under the washer and dryer, hung curtains, bought a new vacuum- and a carpet cleaner, swam with friends, went garage sale shopping, watched movies, enjoyed slushies at Sonic, and relaxed somewhere in between. I think I will take that over camping, anyday.

Friday night, we got a sitter for the kids and went on a hot date. I have been wanting to see The Proposal for some time. Two weekends ago, we got to the theater a little late and it was sold out. We bought tickets to Harry Potter instead and I complained the entire movie. Don't get me wrong.. I love Harry. I've read all the books and I eventually wanted to see it (like when it came out on video) but I am definitely not a die-hard fan of the movies. Anyway, this weekend we were finally able to see The Proposal and I was completely disappointed. It was cute, at best. After it was over, I told Aaron I would have rather watched Harry Potter again-- and he punched me. I guess I was expecting it to be funnier because so many people told me it was. But I don't think I laughed at all during the entire movie. I did LOL at dinner, though.

We had a nice, quite, child-less dinner and Aaron told me at story about one of the secretaries at his office. I guess for years she assumed that LOL stood for "Lots of Love" so whenever anyone was going through a hard time, she would make sure to write extra LOL's in her loving emails. When the office tried to explain to her that it actually meant "Laugh Out Loud" she was mortified. She had to send out a long email to all her friends and family explaining that she wasn't really laughing during all their difficult times, but was in fact trying to send them extra love. That makes me smile. I wonder if some of her friends are still her friends after getting an LOL in response to a death in the family....

During dinner, we also talked money issues-- which I HATE to do on a date. I believe the conversation opened with me mentioning all that we have to look forward to (new baby, the Holidays, etc.) which made Aaron think about ALL that we have to pay for in the next couple of months. I resent him for being so practical and responsible. We have a lot of debt- thanks to law school- and we haven't exactly been penny pinching, lately. For instance, a simple dinner and movie date ends up costing $75 (when you include paying the babysitter and getting popcorn.) Can you believe movies these days are ten bucks a pop? I constantly wish we still lived next door to the dollar theaters in Provo. We used to go on Tuesday nights when it was 50 cents a show- which happened to be the same night Del Taco had 3 for $1 tacos. Those were the days, when dinner and a movie cost a total of $3. And we had to walk to the movie theater in the snow, barefoot... uphill, both ways.

Anyway, over dinner we made a few financial goals for the rest of the year. #1- no more eating out. We both agreed we can go the entire month of August with not even a soft drink the the drive-thru. We went a solid 2 months at the beginning of the year, and it wasn't too hard. Just takes a little more planning. #2- more creative date nights. I think getting a babysitter is always a brilliant idea, no matter what the costs. The kids love it and I can't survive without a night away. But we don't need to be spending a ton of money when we go out together. Most of our dates during law school were spent walking in the park or finding the craziest books at Borders. There's no reason to spend a fortune when all we really want is to be away from the kids. #3- a challenge to see who can spend the least amount of money in the next 30 days. We are down to a cash system and will be counting every penny. I think this will be the most difficult for me because I am with the kids ALL day and tend to splurge when I see that new backpacks are on sale. And when you buy a backpack, you get a cool new Transformer or Star Wars lunch box for free. Granted, my kids don't even go to school and the last thing they need is a new lunch pail, but I caved in. You would realize it's worth it if you saw Zack flying around with his new Superman backpack (that came with an embroidered cape!) Ben has carried his Bumblebee lunch pail and new water bottle around him since we bought it. I probably shouldn't have bought Luke's GI Joe backpack because he is a kid who has never cared about anything. I could've given him a plastic bag and he would have given me the same shrugging shoulders response. But I figured I should treat them all equally... some mom's tend to do that.

I can't write a weekend wrap-up without mentioning that we watched Pee-Wee's Big Adventure with our kids. Oh, yes we did. We found the new DVD at a garage sale for $1 and I just couldn't resist. Our boys LOVED every minute of it-- the Abraham Lincoln pancake flipper, the ginormous toothbrush, Francis: the fat man-child rich kid, the magic store, the psychic, the Alamo, the pet shop fire and the unforgettable motorcycle dance scene, "Tequila!" Of course, their favorite person was Large Marge. Zack was a little scared by her ghost, but he got over it soon enough. As much as I hate to admit it, the movie is a total classic. If it's been 20 years since you've last seen it, I would highly recommend it to you and your kids. If you live close by, I have a copy I am more than willing to lend out. After it was over, Ben asked if he grew up to be Mr. Bean. I told him no sadly. He grew up to be a pervert. I know you are, but what am I?

Oh, and yesterday I finally saw the Twilight movie for the first time (I watched it by myself while sewing curtains.)
I gave it a 7 out of 10. The books were a 4.