Parker

Parker is always wanting to do everything that his big brother is doing.

Parker & Pops

Spoon Please

Chloe loves to eat, and it is becoming harder everyday to feed her without making a mess because she is always trying to grab the spoon .

I am trying not to give up control because lets face it food in the hair, arms, legs, clothes, and everywhere in-between is just a pain to clean up without actually going directly to the tub. I know that she is not old enough to actually feed herself so I guess messes it will be for the next who knows how long. Chloe loves to eat anything that she can pick up with her fingers. Right now one of her favorites is Watermelon, and Bananas!

Steve’s Home!

Yippee, my Hubby is back home! After having Steve gone for the past 6 weeks, (except for a quick 2 day visit over Mothers Day), it is GREAT to have him back. During the last 6 weeks Steve had been training in Denver for his new job with Office Depot. We are really excited for him to start with this new company and hope that it will give him and our family more opportunity for growth.

Friday night the kids and I went to the airport to pick up Dad and it was kind of funny because we went into the airport to surprise him but we kept standing there waiting and he never came out. Luckily I had looked over towards the door and I see Steve walking out of the airport so I tell the boys and they both start yelling, Dad(which works because I am sure he was the only Dad in the airport). When we caught up to him there were lots of hugs and kisses! That night we went to dinner and then headed home.

Saturday came and after getting a few chores done we headed out for some Family Fun. When we asked the boys what they wanted to do the response was…………..Go to the Apple Store. Sweet for us cheep family fun, throw in the fountain at the Gateway and wooohoooo we are set for some fun!

Having Steve gone for 6 weeks really gave me a greater appreciation for all of the spouses of our military men and women. I am so grateful for the sacrifice that they make for me and my family everyday. The past 6 weeks definitely had its Great, Good, Sad, Bad, Crazy, Sick and Lonely Days but we all made it through and I am sure that this little sacrifice will have been worth whatever the future holds for us.

Glad you are Back Hubby!!!

One Crazy Day!

Most of our days are crazy but for some reason today just seemed more so than normal. It started with waking up around a normal  time for us which is 5:30 AM and me telling Tyson to turn on cartoons while I am still passed out on the recliner with Chloe, who decided she didn’t want to sleep very much last night. Then Parker comes up and climbs on the chair with us to cuddle for a bit.

6:00 AM – I want to ride my bike, me too, me too!

6:30 AM—(Boys almost in unison) Mom we want breakfast, (Me) I am not moving until Chloe wakes up (I will admit that was more for me than Chloe because lets face it I was still super tired.) I jinxed myself because guess who woke up 5 minutes later……yep, Chloe.

Pancakes for breakfast, but not just any pancakes, Pixy Stix Pancakes. This is a concoction created by Tyson this morning. So I poured the pancake mix on the griddle and the boys chose the flavor they wanted and then sprinkled it on the batter before flipping it over. The pancakes looked really fun and festive and I wish I would have taken a picture, but, I didn’t. They were a hit!

Push Parker on the swing.

Next on the list, never-ending laundry. I don’t believe there will ever be a time when the laundry is completely done, if there is a secret to completing laundry I would love to know it. Chloe is all over the place and has now figured out that she can pull folded laundry off the couch. As I am heading up to the kitchen I see Parker with the Syrup bottle, cap off, at his mouth with a look of, what Mom. Yes Parker had taken the bottle of SYRUP that was on the table from breakfast and was DRINKING it. The first thought that came to me was from the movie ELF.

“Do you like syrup”

“Is there sugar in Syrup?”

“Yes”

“Well then YEEEEES”

The bottle after breakfast was still at the top of the label and now, well just take a look.

At least it is light. This was not the end of the syrup for the day. A little later the boys decided to get the syrup out of the cupboard and pour it on the rice crispy treats that were on the counter and then sprinkle Pixy Stix on top of that. Tyson comes down so proud of his “recipe” telling me all about his 3 ingredients; Rice Crispy Treats, Syrup, & Sprinkles. Not something I wanted to try, and talk about a STICKY MESS!

Throw away poopy underwear…YUUUUUUUUUUCK...Love potty training. I guess he was to involved in the Syrup Concoction.

Push Parker on his Swing. I love to do this and really should do it more often because he will just talk to me about his day and it is wonderful.

11:30 Lunch Time—Mac-n-Cheese with hotdogs today. As I am preparing this gourmet meal I am constantly asking, then telling, then raising my voice telling Parker to stop stuffing cheerios in Chloe’s mouth. Lunch, done.

Change Laundry

12:15 Kindergarten Assessment—Tyson was so excited to go to his new school and tell the Teacher everything that he knows. It is so crazy to think that our little guy is going to Kindergarten in the Fall. We are definitely headed into a new chapter of life and I am really excited to see what lies ahead. When we get to the school he wanted to have his picture taken and then Parker had to have a picture with his brother like always.

It was so fun to see Tyson sitting in the hallway with a huge smile on his face just waiting for the teacher to come out and call his name. When he came back he had a present from the 6th graders, which included an ABC book that was written by a 6th grader and a kindergartner along with another book about crayons. He did great and just has a few letters to work on. He was also really excited to find out the school mascot is a Rattlesnake.

Change Laundry

Put Chloe down for a nap, cuddle with Parker for a few minutes before Chloe wakes up 15 minutes later (queen of cat naps lately.)

3:00 --- Practice T-Ball with Tyson, then little brother wants to hit the balls as well, move Chloe away from the flowers because she loves to eat dirt. continue to play with the boys and pick Chloe up again from the flower box. I think she has consumed more dirt in the last few days then both of my boys combined.

Change Laundry

Push Parker on the Swing.

4:30 -- Feed Chloe and head out to the Ball Fields. The boys wanted to go early today so that they could play before his game at 6:00. Tyson is loving T-Ball and was so excited to be able to play tonight. Due to all the rain this year his little team has had more rain-outs than games played. All day long Tyson kept hoping that the rain would stay away so that he could play his game, his wish came true. Tyson Loves his sunglasses!

During the game Parker had to go pee twice so we made the mad dash to the bushes that are about a football field away. The bathrooms are much further so, yes I am the mom that lets her kids go pee outside if needed (to a certain age of course.)After the game the kids get a ticket that they can take to the snack shack. This is what the snack shack looks like after every game. Tyson #4 was at the back of the pack today.

After the game the kids play for a little bit longer at the playground,Chloe was done.

Once we got home it was time to call Dad on the computer (SKYPE.) This has been a great tool for us to use while Steve has been working in Denver for the past 5 weeks. Almost every night we have been able to get on the computer to tell him about our day.

8:15 PM – Bedtime for us can sometimes be easy and used to mean kids were in bed by 7:30 sometimes 8:00. Lately with it being light so late I am having lots of complaining about going to bed and usually end up getting down to beds between 8:30 & 9:00 not good.

Tonight we read books and then headed down to read scriptures. Happy to say we are currently in 1st Nephi chapter 13 verse 7. This is after reading almost every night since Christmas, we are rocking and should be done with the Book Of Mormon in the next few years!!!! We read 2-3 verses a night before the boys are done.

I then tuck the boys in and sit next to the bottom bunk to feed Chloe. Tyson remembers after getting in bed that he needs to go to the bathroom. As I am sitting in their room I hear the toilet seat slam down and then Tyson whimpering, then crying. As he walks in the room I ask him what happened and the answer he gave me is not what I was expecting. I hurt my head. How did you hurt your head? The seat fell on it. As I try not to laugh I ask how the toilet seat hit his head. “Well Mom(still crying), I have to have my head looking down to make sure my pee is in the toilet.” What was I thinking. After holding him next to me for a minute he gets in bed.

As I was holding Chloe in the glider I was able to hold Parker’s hand as he fell asleep. Tyson was up on his bed having a conversation between iron man and blue bear until all of sudden the conversation stopped and he had fallen asleep. I normally would have quickly left the room, but tonight decided to just sit and enjoy the quiet with my 3 beautiful children. I love them so much and as I have said many time before feel so blessed to have them in my life.

GOODNIGHT!

Finally A Nice Day!

We finally got a nice day to be outside playing, so we did one of our favorite things……..Picnic at the park! I decided that we would have a treat so I picked up a pizza from Little Caesars, can you really beat $5?

Tyson taking pictures of himself

One of Tyson’s many talents, blowing spit bubbles.

Boot Camp Week 8

Wow, I can’t believe that it has been over 8 weeks already! This has been such an amazing adventure for me and I would highly recommend it to all. I am happy to report that even while being sick I was able to loose an inch, Woot Woot! The menu this week has a few new items which have been fun to tryout as well. My kids are even liking many of the things that I am eating!!

Pounds lost - 0 - Total 11lbs

Inches lost - 1 -  Total 46.5

Body fat lost – 0% - Total 6.9%

Hard Is Good!

Boot Camp Week 7

Week 7 is off to a Great start. The menu is great like always and I continue to feel stronger and more confident all the time! I was pleasantly surprised at my results today since I wasn’t able to attend on Monday. Monday I used my Billy Blanks Boot Camp video and it pretty much kicked my behind, which is always good! I have been trying really hard to keep up with all my extra workouts and I have been following the calorie count as close as I can and apparently it is paying off.

Pounds lost - 1 - Total 11lbs

Inches lost - 3 -  Total 45.5

Body fat lost – 1.5% - Total 6.9%

Hard Is Good!

 

911

Our first 911 call was made on Monday from the Maverick by our house. We were at the Red box using our free coupon code when Tyson comes over to tell me that Parker called 9911(I did type that correct) on the payphone. I should have believed that Parker really would be able to do that, but, I didn't. I finished picking out our Red Box and then noticed the pay phone 

was not hung up so I hung it up. As we were getting ready to go in and get a drink for movie night the Nice Maverick lady comes out on a portable phone asking if everyone is OK because 911 is on the line. You can only imagine what I was thinking at that moment. I apologized and said that my little boy had been playing on the pay phone. 

Needless to say we have been having many conversations about when it is right to call 911 and when it is not. Also we have been making sure that my boys know that the number is 911 not 9911 although 9911 might go through, I'm not willing to try. 

 

Newest Boot Camp Results

After 5 Weeks of working out this is what I have accomplished.

Pounds lost - 5 - Total 10lbs

Inches lost - 4 -  Total 42.5

Body fat lost - .5% - Total 5.4%

Hard Is Good!

Today Has been a Great day for me! I have not really felt much of a change even though the numbers are showing otherwise. As I was walking into my house I actually felt taller, stronger, and more confident in myself, which for me is a huge accomplishment. 

For today's workout she named it "The 100's"

That means every movement that we did today was in repetition of 100! This was such a hard day but so satisfying to know that I pushed as hard as I did to make it through the entire workout without stopping!!

I am so glad that I am having the opportunity to change my body, & spirit while going through this 10 week program. I would recommend something like this to everyone, it has been an amazing journey thus far and I am excited to see what the future holds!!

Wonderful Easter Weekend!

We had such an amazing Easter this year, being able to spend it with Cody and Paige being sealed in the Logan Temple. I am so happy for them and their family, knowing that we can be an Eternal family is such an amazing GIFT from our Heavenly Father!

The Van on the way to the Temple, 4 car seats, only because I couldn’t fit another one in the back seat.

We headed to Logan Friday night for an endowment session and of course to stay at the hotel because that is just a fun part of going on a trip. We stayed at the magnificent Super 8! Indoor swimming pool & continental breakfast what else is needed? I think Parker tried everything at breakfast, Tyson loved making his own waffle and twisting the knob in the cereal dispenser. The pool is always a highlight, the kids had a great time even though Tyson wouldn’t let me get a picture of him having fun he did have fun!

After the Temple on Saturday we went to a yummy luncheon and then to Paige's Grandmas for a Easter Egg Hunt! The kids were so excited and I was amazed at the amount of eggs that all the kids were able to find, the word that comes to mind, “Motherload!”

Binkie Babes at the Luncheon

Parker waiting while the eggs were being hidden

All the kids waiting patiently for the word GO!

Ending with Full grocery sack of Eggs full of CANDY!

On Thursday before we left for Logan we dyed Easter Eggs.

Easter Sunday

We had a wonderful Easter Sunday except that Steve wasn’t home with us. The Easter Bunny came Sunday morning to our house since we weren’t home on Saturday (which is when he usually comes). Tyson & Parker received Kites, peeps, a chocolate bunny, and money in their eggs. I would like to thank the Easter Bunny for not over loading them with candy!

Chloe received a little bear, but I think she liked the purple grass the best!

The kids and I went to church then after taking a few pictures headed to Pops & Yammas.

Once we arrived at Pops & Yammas we had Easter Dinner……..Hot Dogs & Hamburgers. Everyone's normal Easter Dinner right. We were actually celebrating Clay’s Birthday and that is what he requested. Yamma had a surprise present for Parker since they were in Hawaii for his Party.

Pops & Chloe

Yamma’s Traditional Bunny Cake

A Great Ending to A Fantastic Weekend!