Sucker For MoSo

This is Sonny...

He is the newest addition to our home. After the whole Zoe Incident I was hesitant to introduce a new kitty to Monte but I just had a feeling it would work this time. I am glad we tried again because now this is what we see every day...
Can you see Monte behind Sonny? They love each other. Monte treats Sonny like his little brother. They wrestle, they snuggle, they even bathe each other. It is really cute.

My kids want another one but I promise I am done adopting cats. I don't want to become a cat lady. Two was even pushing it for me but when I see how cute they are together, and how in love my kids are with them, I am glad I did it.
We love MoSo.

Morbid Ella

The other day Ella said some rather interesting things.

Ella told me of a dream she had where her "friend" was murdered in the forest by axe wielding Indians. First of all, where did she ever hear the word "murder"? Second, why in the world is she thinking of such awful things?

That same day I made Ella a sandwich and cut it into four squares the way she likes it. As she picked up the first square she said, "Who was mean to me first? Oh yeah, I'll eat Emma first." Second was Eva. I thought third was going to be Ben but I was wrong. That would have been way too easy. As she was going for the third piece of her sandwich she stated, "Next is me because I always slap myself and it hurts."

Ella's morbidity thankfully lasted that day only, but days later I am still left wondering what in the world goes on in that girl's mind? Truthfully, I must confess that I think she gets it from me.

I remember telling some interesting stories in my day. When I was in first or second grade during show and tell I told the class that my Grandpa who had died was buried in the cemetery across the street from our school and his ghost came and visited me during recess. I had interesting stories for my class every week and my teacher was always so good about it.

So, I guess I shouldn't be surprised when I hear Ella's imagination at work. Maybe I am not surprised, but I am certainly entertained.

Why Wait?

I just signed myself up for the Ogden Half Marathon and started my training this week. It's not 'till May but I need all the time I can get.

Do you have a goal you want to work on but are putting it off until the New Year?

Why wait?

Start today instead!

Booger Monster

Warning: This post may cause your stomach to turn. And remember, I warned you!

Lately, as I having been trying to clean up a little around the house, I have noticed random slimy boogers wiped all around. I've seen them in bathrooms, on walls, on our fireplace, wiped on the floor, etc. It seems as though the booger monster has invaded our nice little home. Has this happened to you? If it has you know that slimy dried-on boogers are very difficult to remove.

Now, who exactly has become the booger monster is still in question. I know it is not me and I am pretty sure it is not Lee. So that leaves four more little ones that are keeping very tight lipped about the subject. I have yelled, I have threatened, and I have bribed the booger monster to come forward. It has not happened just yet. I am not sure what else to do. Maybe if I start wiping my snotty boogers all over their stuff they will realize how totally disgusting this practice is.

I know I realize I should be blogging about all the many things I am thankful for or catch up on the many wonderful things that have been going on with our family, but quite frankly, all I care about is catching this nasty, nasally, noisance.

I have one thing to say to this so called booger monster: You can humbly come forward and admit your guilt, or I will track you down and expose your guilt and your name on my blog for all to see. It's your choice.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

I'm Alive

I can't believe it but I actually got my 3 remaining wisdom teeth pulled...and survived! Aside from really wanting crunchy food, I am doing great. What was I so afraid of? I went to sleep in the chair and when I woke up I had three less teeth. Go figure. I have had no swelling and no pain. It really couldn't have gone any smoother.

I was so terrified the night before. I started thinking of all the ways I could get out of it. Then I would remember the pain I had been having and all the gagging I was doing trying to brush those cotton pickin teeth.

I decided at the last minute, I would be brave just like my kids had been and just do it. There was a tiny part of me however, that was convinced I was going to my grave.

But I didn't, and now I am celebrating the conquering of one more fear. My kids want me to put the teeth under my pillow to see how much money the Tooth Fairy leaves me. I think I will do just that.

Open Wide...

Do you remember this memorable day at the Dentist from last year? I couldn't believe how smooth everything went. I want that day back. We recently went in for our checkups/cleanings and, let's just say it was not as pleasant. Since then, we have spent just about all of our extra time at the dentist:

Last week Emma had one cavity filled and Eva had two. Eva also went to the orthodontist. Looks like she will be needing braces sooner than later.

This week Ella had her first cavity filled, Eva had to have three more cavities filled and Ben had one cavity filled and two teeth pulled.

Next week I will be getting my three remaining wisdom teeth extracted, Ben has one more cavity to be filled and Emma has a turn at the orthodontist.

A few things I have learned from this:
Nitrous does not work on Eva.
Nitrous works really well on Ben and Ella.
You better believe we'll be flossing more often.
My kids are the toughest, bravest people I know.
Giving blood, getting shots and other yucky doctor stuff does not phase me. Going to the dentist scares me to death! I am SO nervous about next week. I am feeling like I need to hurry and update my will.

All I am seeing are dollar signs whenever I close my eyes.

Dental gods, have mercy on us!

Boo!...and Holiday Thoughts

This Halloween was a difficult one for me. I struggled to get into the spirit of the day. I have gotten myself so busy that I am struggling to slow down and enjoy every moment of every day. The kids drew faces on our pumpkins. But because our carvers broke and because I am super paranoid about my kids using knives, I was the one carving all the pumpkins. I am SICK of carving pumpkins.

It wasn't until the morning of Halloween that I woke up to the warm sun streaming down on me and the smell of the holiday season in the air. That was all I needed to get into the Halloween spirit. The kids got all dolled up in their costumes and headed out bright and early for some tricking and treating. Ryan and Cheryl and the kids came over and we had a really good time. I even thought of a new rule of the house for Halloween: For every candy wrapper that fails to make it to the trash can, that person owes me one piece of their candy. It has worked like a charm. They remember to pick up their messes and, every now and then, I get a little goody as well.

kids, cousins, and friends

spooky and sweet

the girls look extra devilish thanks to photoshop

I am now officially excited for the hustle and bustle of the holidays.

Some of you may have noticed that we are already turning on our Christmas lights every night. There is something to be said about leaving your lights up all year long. A very sweet neighbor recently came to my door and went on and on about how on top of things we are because we already managed to put up our lights. For a split second all I wanted to say was thank you. Then the honest engine kicked in and I confessed that we actually just never took them down from last year.

One reason why I am excited for the holidays is because of the fact that we have no money. For many of us having no money around the holidays can get a little stressful. I have decided to make the most of a stressful situation and think about the teaching moments I will have with my kids and most importantly, focus more on the true meaning of Christmas like never before. I believe that if I can pull it off, and with a little prayer in my heart, it will be the best Christmas yet. I want my children to understand that having a great Christmas is so much more than getting great presents.

Let's all have fun and enjoy the holidays and not get caught up with our busy schedules which is so easy to do.

Organic

One thing that happened while we were in Cali that I feel deserves it's own post was when we went to Old Spaghetti Factory for a big family dinner. It has become tradition since Lee's father passed away three years ago to continue to celebrate his birthday by everyone going out to dinner together. So that is what we were doing. All of my lovely children decided they needed to use the restroom at the same time so I took them. While the kids were washing their hands I noticed another mom staring at them. She asked me if they were all mine. I said Yes. She got a shocked look on her face. She then said,

"Wow! They all look so healthy...so organic!"

I immediately thanked her, assuming it was a compliment. But the more I thought about it the more I wondered if it really was a compliment or not.

Help me! What did she mean? We've never been called organic before. Was she saying that my kids looked like hippie kids...like plain Janes? Lee thinks she may have meant they were natural beauties. I am not convinced that's what she meant.

Is being called organic a good thing?

Cali Fall 09

For UEA Weekend we decided to pack up and head on down to our old stomping grounds. We had a blast and didn't want it to end. Here are a few highlights of our trip:

We got to visit Lee's 85 year old uncle, Leon. He has been battling skin cancer for quite some time. In fact, his doctors told him over two years ago that he had 6 months to live. Turns out his once black, death like arm is looking better and even starting to regrow hair. Leon believes it never was cancer and is confident he is on the road to recovery. It's pretty crazy to think that the doctor's originally wanted to amputate his arm.

Surf City USA aka Huntington Beach, California is where I was born and raised. Lee was raised in just the next city over, Fountain Valley. Although it was a little chilly we couldn't NOT go to the beach. Here are some pics...

Our nephew, Scott was our 5th child for the trip. We absolutley loved spending time with him.



We also spent some time with Eric and Julie and kids. We watched a little conference, swam a little and Julie made the best, yummiest dinner we've had in a long time.

Another thing we did was go to Togos for lunch. This is where Lee worked as a teenager.

As a teenager Lee worked with this guy, Greg. Now Greg owns the place and he let Lee make all of our sandwiches.

Lee said it was just like riding a bike. The kids thought is was SO funny that Daddy got to make their sandwiches.



We also went to Disneyland:

We didn't have to wait super long for the rides which was nice and it was so fun because for the first time everyone was tall enough to go on all the rides. Ella even went on Space Mountain, although I don't think she will go on it again for a long time. Disneyland really is a magical place...an expensive magical place. I could dedicate a whole post to my thoughts on how expensive Disneyland has gotten. It makes me mad. I remember when Disneyland was $24 for one person. Now it is over $70!!!! I am glad the kids had a good time because it may be the last time we are able to go with those prices. Thank goodness for Nani who helped us with the outrageous fee. We couldn't have gone without her.


The girls loved meeting Tinkerbell and her friend, Iridessa...

While us girls were meeting the fairies, the boys were over at the Jedi training. Afterwards Ben and Scott made their own lightsabers...

It is really fun going during this time of year when all the Halloween decorations are out. This was part of a big Dia de los Muertos display they had...

The Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer's Island...

Ella taking a quick break...

It's not every day you can see these guys at Disneyland so I had to get a picture. Sally and Jack are also one of Ben's all time favorite charcters so I am glad he was able to see them.

We also spent lots of time with Lee's family and got to meet our new adorable nephew, Cashton. We had so much fun. This little vacation was a much needed trip away from our reality which is a little stressful at the moment. Thank you so much, Nani and everyone else for making our stay amazing. It was exactly what our family needed.

Sick

I am sick.

Fevers.

Raw nose.

Voice...gone.

Cough...definately not gone.

It's no fun being sick.

While we were driving back from Cali I could feel it coming on. The next day it reared it's ugly head and has been wreaking havoc on me ever since.

It's been four days since we have been home and I haven't unpacked.

I haven't even done the dishes. Ben told me this morning the dishes smell really bad. Sorry bud.

Lee has been trying so hard to pick up my slack. I love him for it. It's times like these when I realize just how lucky I am to have him, even if he doesn't want to sleep in the same bed as me. He is my Prince Charming.

But we all know the family doesn't run nearly as smooth when Dad's in charge.

I realized just how sick I was when I had to run to the store. I hadn't put on a stitch of makeup, I hadn't run a brush through my hair, I wasn't even wearing a bra. I know one day I will be mortified thinking back to that, but right now I could care less.

Yesterday, Ella played Polly Pockets for two hours by herself next to my bed while I slept. I feel like a real winner for that one. I have the most patient, understanding children. I love them.

Thank you T and C for the yummy dinners. You saved the day.

I am hoping that the worst is in the past and soon enough I will be back to my old self. But as for now, I need to go lay down...