Faster Mommy, Faster

As I was driving through town today, in a hurry as usual...late as usual, I heard my child sitting in the back seat exclaim:

"Oh, come on peoples!"

I guess it's true what they say about kids being sponges. Apparently Luke is learning the fine art of road rage (or at least road impatience!)

So my goal for the week: Leave my house a few minutes earlier (easier said then done) to avoid the whole being late problem! Wish me luck!

It's Potty Time

Yes, Luke has been potty training, and is doing quite well I might add. And while I am thrilled to be done with diapers, there are a few things that...well, let's just say are less than fun!

First, consider the aim of a little boy. It is not the greatest. I walked into the bathroom today and found a huge puddle on the floor. Luke was sitting on the potty. At first I assumed he didn't make it in time, but after assessing the situation I realized he had in fact made it in time, but instead of peeing in the toilet, he had shot right over the toilet seat and peed all over the floor! Lucky me! We go from peeing in a contained diaper to sitting on the toilet and peeing on the floor.

Second, independent two year olds are not the best bum wipers. Enough said on that!

Third, grocery shopping with a potty trainer can be a slight inconvenience. Why is it they always have to go to the bathroom when you are as far away from the bathroom as possible? Or standing in the checkout line? Or just in a huge hurry with very limited time to spend in the grocery store!? But of course you don't dare tell them to hold it. When they gotta go, they gotta go!

All in all, however, I would have to say we are on our way. 9 times out of 10 Luke either tells me he has to go to the bathroom, or I see him running around the house like a bull-legged (or however you spell it) cowboy. That is a sure sign that he has to go---NOW! And as for the independet "wiper", he is finally starting to rely more on my wiping abilites--thankyou Luke!

Oh, the joy!

We are the Champions

Last weekend, Scott's travelling team played in a tournament in Twin Falls. They played great! In fact, they won the whole tournament!! Way to go team! And way to go Coach Brek! Scott didn't play much because his foot still wasn't fully recovered, but he did play the last ten minutes or so of the final game because they were down and really needed him. They came back from at least a ten point deficit in the final few minutes of the game. Scott banked a fluke three-pointer in the last couple of minutes to bring our team within striking distance! His team was so excited for him, since he wasn't able to play most of the day--it game them a huge boost! They beat 3 Boise teams, one of which supposedly hasn't lost a game for 2 years! (Am I using way too many !!!!!!?) Sorry! But it was way exciting! We were so proud of the boys. They work hard and they're good sports. They cheer eachother on whether they're in the game or on the sideline. Brek does such a great job coaching them. It's been really fun to see them become such a great team!

To Fold or Not to Fold

This post is dedicated to that ever so familiar mountain of laundry that resides in my home! The trouble with this pile is that it always starts out small and continues to grow. I begin with the best of intentions, telling myself that I will fold each load as it comes out. But then I am sidetracked....dishes, making beds, changing diapers, etc. I tell myself it's OK if the pile grows because it will give me a good exuse to sit down and watch a movie while I fold. Why is it this rarely seems to work out?

The other problem with my plan is the placement of the pile. I usually throw the pile of clothes right in the middle of my family room. This, I tell myself, will definitely motivate me to get the clothes folded and put away as soon as possible. However, on occasion, the ever-growing pile decides to reside in our home for at least a day or two. Not exactly the kind of decor you would hope for!

My few feeble attempts at folding are usually thwarted, and the few items of clothing I do manage to fold are unfolded by the time I return. (Why is it children don't ever pay attention to what they're stepping on!) My kids begin digging through the pile to find shirts, socks, pants, or whatever else they need.

Finally I can take it no longer and I conquer the mountain. Aaahhh...all clothes folded and put away! What a great feeling! But wait...what's that piling up in my laundry room?!

I've Been Tagged!

A: The rules of the game are posted at the beginning.

B: Each player answers the questions about themselves.

C: At the end of the post, the player then tags 3 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.



10 Years Ago:

Wow, this takes a bit of thought. Let's see, ten years ago I would be (think, think....) 23 years old and living in Provo, UT. We were living in our very first home of our own and I was very pregnant with baby number 2. I can't remember exactly, but I'm pretty sure Scott (my first child) was making me question why I had ever chosen to be a mom! He was one crazy kid--forget the terrible twos. With him it was more like terrible 18 mo.-5 yrs.! (Who would have thought he'd turn out so great!) I drove to Sandy every Wednesday to teach violin at my mom's house (so she could watch Scott for me). I usually left early in the morning, and we'd spend the day together, and then I would spend the night after teaching. I am so grateful I was able to spend this time with her every week!



Things on my to-do list today:

1. Practice with 4 oldest kids (2 on piano and 2 on violin)--all kids done but one!

2. Exercise (Signing up for that darn spudman has made this a must! I don't want to be humiliated when I can't drag myself across the finish line!)--Done! Yeah!!

3. Laundry--UUUGGHH! There is a mountain of it!

4. Clean my house AGAIN! I just cleaned yesterday, but you wouldn't know it to look at it! The one man demolition derby (Luke) has swept through my house, smashing raisins all over my freshly mopped floors and spraying hairspray all over my clean bathroom (mirrors, sinks, counters, etc.)

5. Drive kids to ballet, jazz, gymnastics, and basketball practice.

6. Do homework with kids.

7. Go to home enrichment--yeah, get out of the house for a moment.

8. Oh, and don't forget dinner--which I have no clue at the moment what it may be! Any great ideas?!



What I would do if I were suddenly made a billionaire:

This is a tough one. I would probably pay off our home, but other then that, I can honestly say I probably wouldn't do much different! Even if I were a billionaire, I wouldn't want my kids to know it. I would probably enjoy sharing money secretly with other people who needed it more than me! However, I might consider hiring a cook--can you imagine having delicious meals all prepared and ready to go? That would be the life!



3 of my bad habits:

1. Sleeping with a pillow over my head. (I'll explain in a moment)

2. Losing my temper. (I think it will be a lifetime quest trying to conquer this one! It might help when my children all move away! J/K)

3. Procrastination (I have definitely improved since I married Mr. Non-Procrastination!)



3 places I have lived:

1. Sandy, UT

2. Dayton, OH

3. Rapid City, SD



5 jobs that I have had:

1. Mowing Lawns

2. Hoeing Beets

3. Nanny for Aunt and Uncle

4. Cleaning/Running Brek's parents lodge in Canada (this was the summer after we got married. It was great--we would clean for a couple hours (bathrooms, dusting, vaccuuming, changing sheets), then we would have the rest of the day to enjoy. We spent many hours in Waterton National Park hiking, fishing, waterskiing, etc.!

5. Being a mom--this is the most challenging, but definitely the greatest job ever!



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My Favorite5 Things people don't know about me:

So does this mean my favorite things about myself, because I'm pretty sure most of my secret things are not my favorites! They're more like those wierd querks you hide from most people, except your spouse and a few close friends that love you no matter how wierd you are! So here are 5 unknowns, although they are not necessarily my favorites!



1. I sleep with a pillow over my head. I absolutely hate the sound of snoring--it's like somebody running their fingernails down a chalkboard. Actually, let me be more specific. It's not just snoring, but any sort of wierd breathing that takes place while you're sleeping. I learned as a kid that if I would put a pillow over my head while sharing a room with someone, it helped. However, I had my own room, so this wasn't an issue until I went to college. Even then I was OK because nobody paid much attention to me when I slept. We would stay up all hours of the night, then crash.

Then I met Brek, we dated, got engaged, and then married. I was afraid he would think I was nuts if he saw me sleeping with a pillow over my head, so I made every effort to ignore any sounds he might make. He really didn't snore, just sortof breathed heavy, so I was OK. Also, we were in a king size bed in his parent's lodge, so I had a bit of space. I did fine for the first couple of months.

But then one weekend his parents were down visiting, and the lodge was full. So Brek and I slept on a small futon in the loft. The futon was maybe the size of a double bed, so we were much closer than normal. I did OK for the first little while, but then I couldn't take it anymore! I rolled over, pulled a pillow over my head, and fell sound asleep. Next thing I knew, a very paniced Brek was shaking me awake.

I opened my eyes and he exclaimed, "Emily, I was afraid you couldn't breathe! You had a pillow over your head!"

I replied, "I know, I put it there!"

So the cat was out of the bag, and from then on, I have been a "pillow over the head" sleeper. (Is there really such a thing?!--I don't think so!)

2. This sortof goes along with number 1, but if you ever go on a trip with me, you will find that I ALWAYS bring along not one, but two pillows. I would hate to be stranded with a snoring roommate and no soft pillow for under my head AND over my head. However, this method hasn't always been effective.

I went to Boston with my mom and dad for a few days, and we all shared a room, of course. I knew my dad snored, but I wasn't prepared for the volume of it! My pillow only muffled the intense rumbling going on in that hotel room, and there was no sleeping for me! Finally I thought I was going to go crazy and decided I would rather sleep in the bathroom than endure one more minute of snoring.

So in I went. The bathroom floor? Yuck. The bathtub? Well, that might work! So I laid a blanket in the tub and made myself a bed. It was definitely a very uncomfortable night, but it beat listening to any more snoring!

3. When I eat peanut M & Ms, I don't eat the peanuts. I suck the chocolate off and throw the peanut away! My husband wonders why in the world I don't just eat regular M & Ms, but I inform him they don't taste nearly as good! I know, wierd!

4. Like Sarah, I too am scared of the dark! When Brek goes out of town, I take certain precautions to prevent any panicing on my part. BEFORE it gets dark, I make sure all windows are locked and blinds are shut. This is especially true if we are leaving the house and won't be back until after it's dark. I also make sure all doors are locked. And, I leave lots of lights on in the house--Brek would be appalled at the amount of electricity I waste! (He constantly goes around the house turning off lights.) But hey, it's all a matter of survival!

5. The idea of spending a day in a spa does not interest me. Perhaps I would change my tune if I actually did it, but I think I would be so bored! I would much rather do something like go skiing for a day, or go hiking, or shopping, or even just read a good book. I know all you girls out there probably think I'm really nuts now!



I tag:
1. Natalie
2. Steph
3. Heather

SNOW EVERYWHERE!

Thank heavens for 4 wheel drive! This is the driveway that leads to our cabin. And check out all the snow on the roof! It is supposed to snow a couple more feet tonight! We miss you kids!!

Brrrrrrr!!

I am posting these pictures so my kids can see what we're doing while we're away. What a crazy dad they have! This makes me cold just looking at it! He went from the hot tub, to the snow, then back to the hot tub. Kids, don't try this at home! If you're small (as my Sydney and Maddy are), you would sink so deep into the snow we wouldn't be able to find you!

Can you say Winter Wonderland?!

Brek and I left today for a ski trip in Utah. We are staying in a cabin near Solitude ski resort, where a few friends will be joining us--it should be a great weekend!



This picture does not do justice to the amount of snow right outside our cabin. There is at least 6 feet of snow on the deck! It is beautiful! We are looking forward to some great skiing!




Yesterday as we were packing for our trip, Luke started digging through the ski bag to find himself some gear. He put on the hat and goggles and headed for the car, announcing that he was "going skiing", but not without his trusty binky and blanky! Oh how I miss my cute little blue-eyed boy!

Dancing Queen

Sydney danced at a basketball halftime with her Jazz class. She loves to dance! She comes by it so naturally--I'm not sure where she gets it from. Definitely not from me!

Syd with her friends Kennedi and Hallie

The Cast Comes Off

Scott broke his foot the week before Christmas, playing basketball, of course. At his school they have noon games where classes play against eachother during the lunch break. Scott's class had made it to the championship game, and Scott really wanted to win. He went in for a layup and was fouled. He landed on his foot wierd and started limping around. This was about halfway through the game. However, instead of sitting out, he played the rest of the game! Scott is very competitive and extremely aggressive. He is quite the ball player and led his team on to victory! After school he came limping into the house and told me his foot was really sore. He took his shoe off to show me his foot, and I immediately decided we should call Uncle Cory. Uncle Cory is a podiatrist (lucky us!) Cory said it was definitely broken and needed a cast for 4-6 weeks. Scott was less than thrilled. He has missed a lot of basketball, swimming, playing in the snow, etc. He was more excited to get his cast off than he was for Christmas! Finally the day arrived and the cast came off! It was amazing to see how much muscle he'd lost in that short period of time. One leg was definitely skinnier. On the morning of his final doctor appointment, he came upstairs and apologized for taking so long to get ready. He told me he was packing his bag, and after seeing the confused look on my face, proceeded to explain. He had his basketball bag all ready to go so after school he could go over to the church and practice. However, he wasn't able to "hit the gym" quite as soon as he had hoped. It has taken him a few days to be able to walk normal. But now, 3 days later, he is almost back to normal. Maybe he will be able to play in his game on Saturday--we shall see!