FHE for Dummies

It used to be that Dave and I could get away with doing just the "activity" part for Family Home Evening, like a family bike ride, a walk, reading books, etc. Not the case anymore. Fortunately(?) for us, Ashley is inheritantly a do-gooder and has taken it upon herself to make sure we have a "real" FHE (her words not mine). It all started when the kids went to a Primary activity and made these cute FHE charts. I put them in the pantry thinking yeah, we'll have to use those...but figured they would never see the light of day. Silly me. After that both the girls were insistent that we start using them.

So last night we had our first official FHE, with everyone in the family getting assignments as per the chart. Addie said the prayer (sort of) and Natalie chose the song. We attempted to sing "I am a Child of God" and I'm pretty sure our voices removed the spirit instead of inviting it. It was pretty ugly. I couldn't even look Dave in the eye because I knew we would start laughing since Dave and I are best described as "musically inept". In fact, once on his mission he and his companion were singing in sacrament and an old guy told them afterwards "I admire your effort, but you boys have terrible singing voices". Rude! Sadly, I would probably be given the same feedback if I ever chose to actually sing in public and not just mouth the words. I sing in my car with my kids, but they are trapped and have no choice but to listen.

Ashley had the lesson and chose to do it on the Word of Wisdom and she did a great job! She had written it out and even had us answer questions along the way. It was pretty cute. At the end of her lesson she had actually written out "now it's Dad's turn to do the activity" and read it right from the page. Too funny. Dave had printed off "Mormon Bingo" (apparently he took his assignment very seriously) and we used Cheerios for markers. That wasn't so smart with Addie around...ever time she got a few spots covered she would say she didn't want to play anymore so she could eat the Cheerios. She did that a few times until we just gave her her own bowl. After that she was done playing. We decided to call out "Amen" instead of Bingo and it was hilarious. Every time one off the girls said it we all laughed. I got the treat assignment which consisted of walking to the freezer to get the ice cream. Awesome. I hope I get to do the treat every week.

So, the whole thing was over in about 20 minutes but the girls had fun planning it. I guess now we can't get by just "phoning in" our FHE nights. Bummer. That's what we get for letting the girls go to church I guess :) Now if they start insisting on fasting or attending Stake Conference we are going to have to draw the line!

Them are fightin' words!

A few days ago Addison and Natalie were fighting over a toy or something and I broke it up by taking the toy away from both of them. Addison decided to get "lippy" with me and yelled "I don't like you!!" This being the first time my 2 year-old has said that I didn't know if I should feel bad or laugh. I sort of did both because I was so caught off guard it was almost cute. 2 days later she said it again and that time it wasn't so cute and she landed her butt in time-out (her second home). Right now I can't imagine my sweet little Emmy saying this to me, but I'm sure it's just a matter of time (I'm currently 3 for 4 right now) I hope times like these just toughen me up for the teenage years that lay ahead!

If you know Natalie at all, you know that she tends to be my most dramatic and emotional child. We never seem to know what's going to set her off and a lot of times we butt heads to the point where Dave has to break it up (sad but true) Sometimes the simplest things like getting out of bed are cause for major meltdowns around here. Last Tuesday Natalie woke up ready for a fight. Everything was making her cry and my patience meter was near exploding. After a few rounds she yelled "you're not being very nice to me!". Instead of responding like a "nurturing mom" might respond, instead my inner 5-year old came out and I yelled back "well, you're not being nice to me either!". Yes, I'm embarrassed to admit that I felt better after I said it. After school I figured she'd still be cranky, but instead she went out to play for awhile and brought me back these dandelions (probably from our front yard) and put a cute note on them that said "From Natalie to Mom". It was so sweet and unexpected that I was humbled by her ability to just move on and forget about how our day had started. She and I both have so much growing up to do...but it's times like this that remind me how much I truly love that kid - for better or worse.

A Week of Firsts...

All last week the girls kept asking if we could have "backwards day" and eat dessert before dinner one night. So, I thought what the heck and I bought what I thought looked like a fun cake to make (Funfetti says it all, right?) complete with sprinkles and everything. We made it right after school and the girls (and our adopted daughter Kathryn) ate cake in the middle of the day for no reason. The girls thought it was pretty cool and since it was just for us, I let them frost most of it and do the sprinkles. This is the girls with the finished product.

The really sad thing about the girls being so excited is that I am not a baker at all (as illustrated above). I can count the times (maybe on 2 hands) that I have actually "made cookies" with the girls. I am the reason that "Break and Bake" cookies were invented (I know Aunt Jenn is shaking her head in dismay). We do those pretty regularly an also Papa Johns chocolate chip is our fave. But more often than not the girls will eat the cookie dough here and there and before I know it there is only enough for like 3 cookies. Nattie is hilarious, she doesn't like chocolate (I know, we think she's weird too) but she loves chocolate chip cookie dough. She spits out the chocolate chips like watermelon seeds, it's pretty funny.

Ashley kept saying "this cake smells SO delicious!" It was making me laugh. My good friend Amy used to invite Ashley over to her house to make cookies when she was younger. I remember so clearly the first time Ashley went over there she came back just amazed at all the "stuff" that Amy used to make cookies (not just oil, eggs, and water). I remember feeling like loser mom for a minute, but obviously I got over it. In my defense, I like to bake yummy bread (banana, zuchinni and orange spice are our faves) and I love to cook. So, at least my girls won't be clueless in the kitchen...even though they may be buying pre-made if ever asked to bring the baked goods.

Ashley's class had a field trip to an Archery range last Friday. When I first heard about it I thought to myself (WTF?) Girls, that means what the freak just in case you are wondering. I volunteered to drive and ditched the younger 2 since it sounded dangerous enough for my 7 year-old, let alone a toddler and an infant.

Daija, Lainie, Ashley, and Erin standing in front of an enormous dead animal

This is what the range looked like (nice decor, huh?) It also looks like Mrs. Luck is choking a student. It's okay though, I think he is one of the bad kids.

This was Ashley learning the ropes with the instructor. The kids got to shoot arrows for about 45 minutes and it was pretty fun to watch. At first I didn't really think the field trip sounded too fun, but even Mrs. Luck and I got to try a few and it was pretty fun (in a redneck sport kind of a way).

Here's Ashley doing it without any help. She's got her game face on and everything - check out that form!

It came as no surprise that Ashley was a pretty decent shot (yawn) I don't think there is anything that this kid isn't pretty good at and I continue to wonder who her parents are.

Ashley got invited to a swimming party over the weekend, and the location was just far enough to be a pain in the butt to drop off and pick-up 1 1/2 hours later...so we decided to just tag along and do our own thing while she partied with her friends. Addison had never been to an indoor pool and Nattie always asks if we can go to one, so everyone was happy that night. Here is Addie the ham and Nat chillin' in the tunnel. This was at Gene Fullmer indoor pool. It was actually nicer than I thought it would be.

Ashley and Lanie

Us girls. It was nice to give our new swim suits a trial run and also just to hang out with Natalie and Addison for most of the night. They had a blast and even though their lips started to look blue (indoor pools are always a little too on the cold side) they didn't want to go home! Now we are all so ready and excited for summer!

And lastly, Emmy tried avocado for the first time this week and loved it! She liked it so much she wouldn't even open her mouth for me after the first bite. She enjoyed it so much that she felt she needed to spit it at me so I could taste how yummy it was too. After several delicious mouthfuls she even did the Jim Carrey gag complete with sound effects for me. Okay, I get it. Quit being so dramatic already!

Merry Eastermas?

Our Easter weekend started off Double Dippin' at the South Jordan Easter Egg Hunt and the Riverton Egg Hunt one hour later (hey, we're hispanic what can I say?) Here are the girls with the obligatory Bunny pic...sorry Emmy, we ditched you this year just in case you were wondering where you're at. The weather was cold and rainy on Saturday, but the girls were so cute and excited they didn't care.

Last year Addie looked a little unsure about all the commotion...

Not the case this year! Addie was a seasoned pro and kept asking me if it was our turn to go yet. She made a pretty good haul!

Easter 2007 - Look how little the girls were!Ashley appears to either be constipated or trying really hard to get to her loot (probably both!)

Easter 2008 - Addie was so little, and oh so innocent back then. I sort of miss that Addie, now she is #1 instigator at our house and is always making Nattie (and sometimes Ashley) cry. She is becoming very familiar with the "time-out" couch but you'd never know it by this picture though...

Easter 2009 - Wow my girls look so grown up! Welcome to the family Emmy! It's hard to believe that Ashley and Natalie are 2 years apart in this pic, they look about the same age! Ashley is all legs and Nattie has a way long torso. Addison appears to be all cheeks and so far, Emmy is all melon. Dave jokes that she looks like a dum-dum sucker with her big noggin and skinny body. Yes, Emmy that's what your dad says and that's why I'm your favorite.

I could say we didn't do Easter dress this year because we were being practical...or I could just fess up that I never got my act together to go look for any. The girls got some new tops and such, but mom was a bit of a slacker this year in that department (and in lots of other areas I don't have room to mention).

Easter morning Eve the girls decided it would be nice to leave the Easter Bunny some carrots and water and also left out all of the Easter baskets and bags they could find in hopes they would be over-flowing with gifts and candy from the EB...??? I am not sure where Dave and I went wrong that our girls have this misconception that Easter is like Christmas part deux. Ashley even asked if we had to go to church on Sunday (she gets that from her pappy). When I asked her why she was asking she replied that they might still be opening presents when it started. Oh silly, silly Ashley you are sorely mistaken.

Easter morning Ashley woke up at 6:30 am, woke up the other kids, and they all came into our room to let us know the EB had arrived! The EB brought them candy, toys, some clothes, and toothpaste (the EB is a practical fellow round these parts) The girls loved all of it and were very gracious, even if the gift opening lasted all of 5 minutes. That is one thing I love about our girls, they are always appreciative of the gifts they are given and I hope they always will be.

It's funny, this year Ashley kept asking me questions about the EB. I tried my best to ignore them, but I have a feeling it is going to become harder to do that. I was talking to some friends about it and we kind of feel the same about the dang EB and how odd the whole thing is. I just hope it's not him (and the mysterious tooth fairy) that spill the jellybeans!!

Grandma Janet sent up Easter bags for the girls. She is so awesome to remember every holiday and make it special. They got candy, work-books and coloring books, a cool sand-art kid, and some "bling". Thanks Grandma Janet - we love you!

Grandma America came over after driving home all day from visiting my little bro and sis-in-law in AZ. That was so nice of her, afer driving all day I just want to veg and relax. She brought the girls some cute Easter baskets filled with goodies like puzzles, books, toys, and more candy. The girls loved her gifts and played with the puzzles most of the night. A visit from Grandma was a perfect way to end the day.

Happy Easter 2009!

Spring Break Fun!

I couldn't figure out why Emmy kept having up-the-back blowouts until Dave said "I think she may need bigger diapers". Duh! problem solved. I think having 4 kids home from school all week has made my brain mushy. I can't believe My baby is in size 3's now!

Where does the time go?

The girls were so excited to go eat lunch with Dave during their break. Nattie suggested McDonalds (which Ashley and I call McNasty's) and we were all quick to veto (sorry Nattie!) so we ended up at our new favorite, Rumbi Grill. When Ashley was younger and McDonalds was her very favorite I told her that one day she was going to get sick of it and that I coudn't wait for that day. She informed me that she was NEVER going to get sick of it...I really thought that was true and now just the smell makes her gag. It makes my heart proud...1 kid down, 3 to go.

The girls had so much fun this week with their friends. Ashley had her friend Savana over for an all-day playdate and they made Bendaroo art, played "girl stuff" with their door closed, listened to their Ipod, and suckered me into playing with them on the trampoline. We played Duck, Duck, Goose and the girls thought it was hysterical that I called them silly names like Dorky, Stinky, and Nutjob instead of Duck...talk about an easy audience.

The girls had a sleepover with their best friend Kathryn, who just happens to be our neighbor as well. They got to stay up "way late" and had fun watching Transformers, eating candy and popcorn, and goofing around until past 11 pm. Ashley is on a quest to see how late she can stay up. I think her record is midnight, which is pretty impressive for a 7-year old! I remember doing that as a kid and being SO excited to try to stay up all night. It's funny, nowadays I get SO excited if I can make it to bed before midnight. The girls started out in the basement thinking they were brave enough to make it the whole night...but I heard them whispering ever so quietly up the stairs before making a run to their bunkbeads!

Addie likes to say that

Cookie Monster

lives in the basement. She will come up screaming

bloody murder when the girls ditch her in the

basement...I'm starting to wonder if the older girls aren't

scared of him too!

I promised the girls we would try to do something fun every day of their break...so we finished off the week by going to see Escape to Witch Mountain and it wasn't nearly as cutesy or innocent as I remember the original version I watched a ton as a kid. This new one has a ton of violence, guns, and shooting (oh my!) It was PG so I figured it was safe. Oh well. I hated it but the girls claim they liked it. My star rating: 1 maybe 1 1/2 stars. Definately more of a boy flick.

To make up for it, we went to see Monsters vs. Aliens on Saturday as a fam and the even though it was just okay, the kids liked it...probably because they shared a bucket of popcorn bigger than all their heads put together!

Even Emmy got into the 3D fun! *

*Too bad that I really don't enjoy the 3D movies. I feel like the glasses are a pain in the butt, they are always dirty and cloudy, Addison won't leave them on, and to add insult to injury the ticket price is like $2 bucks higher than normal. No, I am not a fan.

Even though we would have loved visiting our family in Arizona, we had a fun Sring Break despite the weather not being so "Springy". It was almost sad (almost) to send the girls off to school today after having so much togetherness this week. I won't miss the fighting and the whining, but I will miss my silly girls who are getting so much easier to hang out with...it's amazing how much more I like my kids when they can wipe their own bums. Love you guys!

We sort of thought you were kidding...

Jenn called us last Friday and asked if they could come visit...that same day! She packed for everyone in about 3 hours and then they were off! Lucky for us Uncle Steve and Aunt Jenn are gluttons for punishment and endured the 11 hour trip here...so that we wouldn't have to. It was fun to see them, if only for the weekend, and the kids all got along great.

Look at all these cute cousins! I hope they all grow up to be great friends.

Colby was so funny about the trampoline, he didn't want to get off! He jumped on it more in 2 days than my girls have in the last month.

You can tell Brendan and Dave are related, who else wears shorts when everyone is wearing jeans and long sleeves?

Addie is so dang cute and happy, her smile is contagious!

What a great smile! Ashley you are gorgeous!

Avery is so cute with Emery and got to play "Mom" while she was here. I am going to miss your help kid!

Always late to the party

Hey I'm finally getting around to crossing off one of my New Year's resolutions (only 2+ years late!) I saw a picture of a published blog book and it inspired me to attempt to capture the fun moments that just fly. This is for my girls, I hope you enjoy the memories.