Eight years ago....

October 20,2001 was the first day that Roy and I met in real life. We had been chatting online for a month or so and he drove to Blythe that day for a visit. That Saturday and Sunday were two amazing days. I got to know my best friend and started falling in love with my future husband. I can't believe it's been 8 years! He just keeps getting better and better! Here are some pictures of us posing in the park where we shared our first kiss. These were taken in April of 2002 - we were trying to work on a pose for an engagement picture. I love you pumpky - thank you for 8 wonderful years!

They are back

Last year I blogged about the asian lady beetles. Well, today at the park I noticed there were a ton everywhere and when we got home they were all over our front door - outside and inside! It is totally creepy, but it is keeping the kids entertained! Rae has about 20 in her bug box already! It's a gorgeous day today. The bright colors on the trees make me happy, I'm feeling a lot better and Blaise has peed on the potty several times today! Too bad it is supposed to rain the rest of the week :(
I guess we better get back outside and enjoy the sun!


Here a couple of cute pictures I need to share:

At least he's inserting it in the right way!
Blaise got this little pumpkin at story time at the library and Roy thought it'd be fun to carve.


My mom sent us a package with this Bumbo chair that she got for a great deal at a yard sale - he likes it!

He also likes to make this face a lot.

And he likes to arch his back like this - it really freaks Rae out when he does it! She thinks he's going to fall out.

Blaise really likes the skeleton my mom sent him. He wanted me to take a picture of it.

It should be mandatory....

...that every husband should get to take at least one morning off every week! Roy doesn't have work today or tomorrow - woot woot! Blaise and I are sick and I think Isaac is getting a bit sicker, so we are just lounging around, enjoying the quiet morning with Rae at school. I have no voice, Blaise is losing his voice, it's cold and rainy and I just want to cuddle up to my two sleeping boys on the couch. But I guess that would wake them up. We were going to do something fun this weekend but it looks like we'll just stay home and get over our colds and maybe do some cleaning. I wish there could be days like this every week!

Mind your own business Walmart lady

Yesterday I bought a pack of three pregnancy tests. The check out lady had asked me how old Isaac was, and as she rang up the pregnancy tests she said "these aren't fun to buy right after having a baby". I wondered if she'd have the nerve to bring up the tests. But I've checked out with this lady several times before and she always has something slightly inappropriate to say.

Why did I buy the tests? Because I didn't trust the two Dollar Tree ones I had already taken. I know I am not pregnant. It'd be nearly impossible. But I'd an excuse for these facts:

-I can't seem to lose weight, and I've even gained a few pounds. I'm not being super strict with what I eat, but I've been worse in the past and haven't had this problem. And get this, the weight is all in my belly.

-I cry at the drop of a hat.

-I suddenly have the desire to watch Baby Story and Deliver Me.

-I'm always "craving" meat. Preferably in the form of bacon or ribs. Hmm, that could explain the weight gain.

But 3 tests later I have to accept the fact that it is all in my head and I need to get a grip or I'll be a big fatty watching TLC all day getting my steak wet from all my tears.

Have you ever been convinced you were pregnant when you weren't?

Dear Blaise,

I'm sorry I teased you with the sour candy, I won't do it again. But could you please do me a favor? Don't poop 5 minutes before it is time to leave! Could you do it before I put on your shoes and jacket? Or, better yet, do it before I change your morning diaper, because diapers are expensive and we need to get the most use out of them as we can. Wait, even better, how about you start using the toilet?! You do that, and I'll stop torturing you. Deal.

Love,
Mommy

He just doesn't learn

I know I've already posted twice today, but I just had to share this video. I guess Blaise didn't remember what we did to him last year and fell for the sour candy again! I like how he keeps tasting it when I tell him to -what an obedient kid!



We went to a parade this morning (and there was one last week) so the kids have a ton of candy. Even Isaac got into the action: (poor little guy has something going on with his eyes)

Take a guess

There is a freeze warning in effect for Kirksville this weekend. It's been about 38 degrees all day, and I've been thinking about when it might snow here. Last year the first snow was November 29th - what do you think it will be this year? Take a guess, and the person who is closest wins a surprise gift from me! My guess is November 14th. Two guesses per family (if both members of the couple read my blog!) And I'm counting snow that actually sticks, not just flurries.

Good deal!

PYP Blog: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Blu- Ray AND DVD Combo pack $9.99 after coupon!


This coupon expires TODAY, but who doesn't love a Saturday trip to Walmart?! This movie is 19.99 at Walmart, and this coupon is for $10 off. I just went and got a copy for the kids for Christmas. Such a good deal I had to pass it on!

Just let me get this out of my system

I'll try not to whine about the weather so much this winter, but let me get a few moans out real quick! Brrr! We haven't had to turn our heater on yet, but I have a feeling we will have to very soon. The problem is that, once you turn it on it's hard to turn it off! I went shopping yesterday for winter clothes. I decided I'm going to be comfy and warm this winter instead of fashionable. And I actually bought myself a pair of winter boots because last winter my feet would always get wet and cold when we walked out to the car in the snow. Living in a cold climate is expensive!

I want to wear my sweats all day. I want to sit on the couch with blankets and watch tv. I want to drink really sweet, rich, thick hot chocolate. But I can't do any of those, so maybe I better turn on the heater so it's warm enough for me to take a shower. I wish the sun would come out. Cold weather doesn't seem as bad when the sun is shining. Bleh. Okay, I'm done. I won't whine about the cold anymore. Suck it up Ashley, it is time for winter.

P.S. I cried watching The Office - anyone else?

I do have a point

I stink at taking pictures. I found something cool at Walmart today and tried to take a picture of it for my blog. I couldn't get a good shot, so decided to just find a picture of it online. When I was looking I found something even cooler.

I can't find what I got, but this is now what I want:



I got the Dr.Pepper one at Walmart. Totally cute and tasty. I really want the Diet Cherry Vanilla one - that is my FAVORITE type of Dr. Pepper. Too bad I already gave my MIL my Christmas list! Aren't these adorable? And with the wind and cold weather we've been having, my lips need constant protection. (Although, this isn't exactly top quality lip balm. I prefer Carmex or Blistex for real protection) Maybe I'll tell Roy to get this for my birthday. The kids are gonna need to wear chapstick this winter and I bet they'd love to use these! But I guess they'd probably lick it off! Man oh man, I totally gotta have this! Anyone else as in love as me or am I just crazy?

Oh no! I just looked at the website of the makers http://www.lottaluv.com/ and I want everything on that site!

Isaac will crawl some day...

More action shots of Isaac's vain attempts to crawl:

Successful morning session

Since we've had kids we haven't been very good about watching/listening to General Conference. Usually we'll listen to it later or read it in the Ensign later. But this year I knew Rae was old enough to have higher expectations for her. So I decided that we'd sit through at least one session as a family. I didn't bother planning to go to the church building, because Isaac does not nap well anywhere but his crib. So this morning we cleaned the house up, ate lunch, set the DVR and prepared to watch the morning session. We started it about an hour late, but it worked out perfectly because Isaac went down for a nap after the first speaker and slept the whole time! Lovely! And how did we get the kids to be reverent? One word. Cookies.

I put this paper on the wall and when they were too loud I crossed off a letter. Totally worked. They also played BINGO with tootsie rolls and got to eat the tootsie rolls when they got 5 in a row. The rest of the time Blaise played in the playroom and Rae worked on a word search, listened a little bit, and looked over her shoulder to check the cookie paper. Now I'm going start some pizza dough in the bread machine, and I think our special word for the next session will be PIZZA. (We just barely finished the morning session, so we might start the afternoon session late) And then sometime tonight and this week I'll have to watch yesterday's sessions. Maybe I'll listen to them on my mp3 player while I exercise this week!
Yes Katie, I copied you.

Roy needed something to keep him awake, so he painted this bank that the kids made at the Home Depot Workshop yesterday. Turned out really nice. (on the front are stickers - he didn't paint that part - he just painted the edges and top silver and the sides and back black)

Chilly morning

It was a nippy 45 degrees when we took Rae to school this morning - time to pull out the winter hats! Isaac looked so cute and cozy, I just had to take a picture



And here's a video of Isaac trying to get himself to sleep on a typical morning in our house. When he wakes up in the morning I change him, feed him and put him on the floor so I can get everyone ready for the day. On some mornings he's ready for a nap before it is even time to take Rae to school. The video is kind of long, so skip to the end where Roy puts his hand on Isaac's head - it is really cute.

Roy says I should blog...

.....but I don't have anything on my mind. I made the most delicious chicken tortilla soup for dinner. The other day Walmart had some soon-to-expire chicken breasts marked way down so I got a package and of course didn't get around to doing anything to it till yesterday, it's expiration date. I threw most of it in the crock pot to be shredded. Then today I took about 4 cups of the shredded chicken, two cans of chicken broth, a can of tomato sauce, a can of diced green chilies, a can of black beans and a package of McCormick Chicken Taco Seasoning Mix (I use the packaged mixes because I am lame-o with getting the seasoning right) and threw it all together in the crock pot. Actually, I took half of it and threw it in the freezer and the rest went into the crock pot. Then, when I'm in the mood for it again I can take the frozen stuff and let it thaw/cook in the crock pot. I cooked it on low for about 5 hours. I'm sure you could put the chicken in raw, let it cook with everything else and then take it out and shredded it. And it'd probably be good with corn or diced tomatoes too, but I don't like too many different things in my soup. I topped it off with "tortilla chips" which were actually strips of egg roll wrappers leftover from this project. I cut them up, sprayed 'em with cooking spray, sprinkled a little salt on them and crisped them up in the oven. Delicious. And of course topped it all with sour cream, cheese and salsa. So good. Even the kids liked it. I have a little bit leftover for tomorrow and another batch in the freezer. Perfect for the fall weather we've been having.

Next I'm gonna try my cousin Olivia's zuppa toscana. (If I can find kale in stinky K-Ville)

The decorated playroom

Since Ashley isn't blogging today, I figured I'd post this:

The kids' playroom

Rae and Blaise are constantly asking for tape -- I think Rae mainly uses it to stick her pictures and notes to the walls as you can see, while Blaise uses it to build random objects out of paper.

Broaden my horizons

I don't consider myself a picky eater, but I eat very basic foods and eat the same thing all the time. Our week usually consists of tacos, some kind of italian meal, grilled meat, leftovers and maybe some chicken stir-fry or meat and potato type meal. On nights when I have a meeting or activity I'll usually just make chicken nuggets or mac & cheese for the kids and I'll eat something of my own. I want my kids to have exposure to different foods. And I want to start now before they get used to the same things I grew up eating! So I am enlisting the help of my dear readers. Instead of just asking for ideas, I'm going to pick an ingredient every few days that I'd like to incorporate into our lives. This week: fresh baby spinach. I like to buy a bag to eat with lettuce, but there's so much of it and I want use it in some sort of recipe. Also, I cannot seem to find frozen spinach at our Walmart and I think the canned stuff is gross. So if I wanted to put some spinach in manicotti what would I need to do with it first? Last time I just added it to the sauce, but I'd like to add it to the cheese mixture instead. What else do you do with spinach? I want spinach to be something we eat more often!

And I know there are a million websites out there to get recipes from, but I want recipes from people I know and trust that know and trust their recipes.

Oooh, while I'm at it - I got some egg roll wrappers to do this project and now I need to do something with the rest of them. Anyone have a good egg roll recipe? I'm counting on you guys!

Silly boy

I took this video this morning to show Isaac's crawling progress. He's learned how to push himself forward, but as you can see in the video, he lands on his face! But he's definitely further along than Rae and Blaise were at this age. Crazy kid just wants to move! Unfortunately, he always wants to be on his belly, which is making it difficult to go for walks in the morning. He tries to get himself to sleep in the stroller, but he wants to sleep on his side or tummy. Hopefully he'll get used to it!

Some stats *Edited to add a few more pictures*

I've gotta write this down somewhere and this is the only place where I won't lose it! Isaac had his four month check up today. He weighs 16lbs and 9.6 ounces and is 27 1/2 inches long (BIG GUY!) I also want to note that he has been getting himself up on his hands and knees and pushing himself backwards. He can get himself all over the place. Well, you can see for yourself - I just had to get a video of it. Seriously guys, this guy is the sweetest, most easy-going, happy baby (at least this week!) and he keeps amazing me with his developments!

Oh, and I wanted to mention that I've been working on the way I speak to my kids and acting as if there is always someone watching and things have really improved! I took all three kids to Aldi today (HATE doing that!) and it actually went really well. The bishop's wife was there and she is totally one of those women that I want to be, so I decided I'm going pretend that the bishop's wife is always watching.

Oh, and I gave up sugar. Go me.




Just for the heck of it, here are some pictures I've been meaning to post:

Roy left this screen up the other day and when Rae saw it she said "ooh, it's math, I better go find my calculator!" Then she sat down and did some "math".



Awww, so sweet. But so glad Rae doesn't really suck her thumb! I'm already worried about how long Isaac will keep it up! This is coming from a gal who would still suck her thumb if it wasn't considered weird!

Quote of the day

Blaise was trying to get a drink from his water bottle and was having trouble getting any water out. He said "It's broken! Put some new batteries in it!"

I posted this earlier today but I just have to add this other funny Blaise quote.

Blaise's feet fall asleep quite often (should I be concerned?) and when he complains that his foot hurts we will say "it's okay, just move it around and it will wake up and feel better". Well, Rae has been complaining today that her head hurts and Blaise said "I think Rae's head fell asleep!"

It's been a good day :)

A couple more pictures from the trip

Blaise and Dale hanging out

Isaac fell into a box of oversized stuffed animals at Costco.
We barely pulled him out in time!