Longneckers

Christmas 2011

2012-01-24T11:15:00.001-08:00

Christmas in our new house was a treat! We made gingerbread houses, watched a lot of Christmas shows, visited the lights at the zoo, looked to see where Elfie was hiding each morning, and loved every minute of being together!

Honestly, is there anything better than waking up each morning knowing that no one has to say goodbye to each other that day? We loved it!

JK was a delight this year as she "got it". She could not wait to see if she got her purple costume and kitchen Christmas morning.

The boys were thrilled about their new basketball hoop as well as their remote control cars and wii games.

I felt that this year the boys especially embraced the magic of decorating the house as well as the feeling of what Christmas is really about. We read Christmas stories each night and they couldn't get enough of them. We also read "the best Christmas pageant ever" as a family and loved it. I think our family time each night while we worked our way through that book and the Christmas stories will be something they always remember and want to continue each year.

We love Christmas!

Oranges and teeth

2012-01-09T06:49:00.000-08:00

Over the Christmas holiday Toby's second front tooth came lose. One night while eating popcorn (we're lucky we found it) it finally came out. We headed to the kitchen sink, cleaned it and his mouth and then set the tooth on the counter. How cute was Toby with his two front teeth missing for Christmas - CUTE!

But perhaps I should have told Lars that the tooth was there - but what were the chances that he would clean off the counters?

That night the chances were great.

When it was time to go to bed Toby went to get his tooth - not there. Lars and I realized what happened at the same time and immediately started trying to think of a way to calm Toby.

"Let's write a note for the tooth fairy" -

"I bet I put it someplace safe".... Surely, I am a good sentimental mom that has other teeth stashed somewhere - Yes?...Nope.

Toby was heart broken and so we kept looking. And it was at that moment that my lack of cleaning paid off BIG TIME. On the floor was an orange seed - a glorious whitish, oval shaped big ORANGE SEED!!!

"Found it!"

Orange you glad I'm not your mom!

JK turned 3

2011-12-07T19:25:00.000-08:00

Julia Karen - you are 3 now. You love the color pink, ice cream, cinderella and minnie mouse. You were Cinderella for Halloween and I don't think there was a day that went by from the day you got your costume until your birthday that you didn't wear it. You are beautiful and you love to tell us that you love all of us. We say "I love you" and you reply, "No I love Mommy, and Daddy and Cay (Trey) and Kerby (Toby)". For a long time you called Toby Poopy - so Kerby is an improvement. You have just really started to talk during these last couple of months and it is so fun watching you grow. You have learned to love nursery and your love for all babies makes me think you will always have the nurture bug in you (even if you do love to yell at all of us if we aren't doing things your way). To say your brothers adore you would be a huge understatement - sometimes they will say "isn't baby cute". Yes they still call you baby and I wonder if they will ever stop. I am becoming more comfortable with the fact that our family might be complete - but I know that it is because of you that I can feel this way. I have often said that Trey is my joy and Toby is my heart - you my girl are my smile and that has always been very precious to me. I love you JK! Happy 3rd birthday!

Remember the time when....

2011-12-07T17:12:00.000-08:00

Trey and Toby started school! It was a rough start for Toby who thinks taking a nap is for the birds (I kind of agree) he got into the swing of things though and both boys have been loving school ever since. Toby loved that Pa came on his first field trip to the fire station with him and that his daddy went with him to the Pumpkin patch. I helped run the "Indian jewelry" station for the big thanksgiving feast - needless to say this kindergarten class has been on the go and it has been fun watching Toby learn and grow as he has started school. Trey has been busy going on field trips to a corn maze and a gem show - he is working on multiplication and still loves to read - he makes us look like awesome parents who work with him as he works a grade ahead - but honestly it is all him. Enough of the blagging, right? But yeah for school!

Remember the time...

2011-12-07T15:39:00.000-08:00

When we went to Boise for summer 2011 and it was AWESOME!

We get to Boise and Lars and I can't get enough of the cool grass that you can lay on for hours - something I took for granted growing up out west but will never again! There are NO fire ants there and we spend hours in the grass for that reason. We can't get enough of cousins, aunts, uncles, grandma and PaPa - and that goes for all of us. I get to spend time with my cousins - JK and E even went to a princess camp that my cousins girls (who we LOVE) put on. We spent time on BSU's campus and the boys will do a sports camp there this coming up summer - we play outside - make crafts (you should see JK's pillowcase dresses that my sister 'taught' us to make)- every night is a slumber party - we swim - we laugh - we do photography sessions - we walk to Powells candy store - we get snowcones - we spend time downtown at the farmers market and at the fountain - WE LOVE SUMMERS IN BOISE! This year we planned a wedding (Kelsey I need some photos) and then added a new tradition - a reunion in Kanab! I think Kanab may be Lars' second favorite vacation destination now because of my family there - he thinks they are the greatest. My cousins take him on 4 wheel rides even if it is at 11pm. And then he gets to spend a day riding which is his favorite - weanwhile my kids get to do all the things that we don't normally do (shoot guns, ride horses, etc). Even now as I write this post - it is Christmas time - and I am aching for carefree summer days surrounded by those we love! Good thing it is only 6 months away, but who's counting!

Soccer 2011

2011-10-27T12:32:00.000-07:00

I NEED to post about this summer and our new house but for now - I have a couple of boys that are tearing it up on the soccer field. If you had told me last year that Toby (the boy that spent last season prancing around the field - honestly he could have put many dancers to shame with his sa'shes) would be the same kid sometimes scoring 6 goals a game this season, I would not have believed you. But there they are loving every minute of it. Our family spends 2.5 hours on Monday and Friday and 2 on Saturday at these soccer fields so I am glad they are liking it. The boys have also loved that the Tennessee Longneckers, Hall Family, Pa, Grandma and Aunt Natalie and baby Kenedi have all been able to watch them play - thank you all for coming, it really does make them so excited to play with you watching them!

Funny Toby

2011-09-21T19:51:00.000-07:00

Before I forget:

On the morning of Toby's birthday Lars brought out a new uniform polo for Toby to wear. Toby said, "You shouldn't have, No really daddy you shouldn't have"

Since Toby was little he has struggled with croup and always has to get a steroid shot. This week I had to take him to the doctor and he was HYSTERICAL about getting a shot. The doctor told him he doesn't give shots (technically true -- the tech does) Toby started yelling at him, "you're a liar, you're a liar. you're a liar!"

The next day Toby had to go to the dentist and on the way he started (in a sing-song sort of way)saying, "please Jesus please don't make me wear the gas mask". Good to know the South is rubbing off on him!

Heaven help me with this little guy - I am either laughing, screaming or saying my own 'please Jesus' comments with him nonstop!

Then and Now

2011-09-06T08:21:00.000-07:00

I can't blog about our summer without finishing up our crazy May. In the middle of school ending, packing up our house and moving all we had into storage space -- I flew across the country to hang out with these girls! Just thinking of it makes me smile and relax. Amanda kicked her husband out of their beautiful home for the weekend and us girl lived it up. Talking until 3am, laughing NONSTOP, laying out by the pool, EATING, shopping and JUST BEING TOGETHER was heaven for all of us. I am blessed to have each one of these women in my life and I can't wait for this years trip (watch out NYC:))

Last of the house

2011-07-23T21:23:00.000-07:00

Since we are currently homeless (I am in Idaho and Lars is bachelor padding it with a friend who's wife is doing the same as me in Montana) I felt I needed to finish the posting about our first home. Some memories of all these rooms include Lars redoing the kitchen and bathroom by himself (completely infuriating and impressing me all at the same time), the family bed also known as our bed:), the boys room and our nightly cuddle parties and the books we read on the bottom bunk together, and how awesome is that crooked tree in our back yard!

I'm not sure that we will ever be able to recreate the charm that our first home had on its own not to mention the boys' BFF's (the Campbells) right down the street. We are excited however and feel like we have another dream team of neighbors in our new location - so on to the new (even if I feel a little bit of sell-out for moving from a historical district to a new construction). We'll miss you old home but maybe not our 300 dollar heat bill in the winter....

Memorial day weekend

2011-07-11T23:48:00.000-07:00

After closing on our house we headed to the beach for a wonderful weekend with friends. The house we stayed at was fantastic (fantastic as in Tim McGraw and Faith Hill have a beach house in the same neighborhood - we sure appreciate our friends who made this house a possibility for all of us!). We saw dolphins each day, the kids got to try a little fishing at night, and only once did I put on something other than a swimsuit and pjs. It was heaven. Toby's favorite part was the outdoor shower, Trey's was the boogie boarding and JK liked the sand this year - progress! Lars and I loved being with friends and each other after all the craziness of moving.

Mothers Day

2011-05-06T10:50:00.000-07:00

It looks like all is a go for our house selling - which means we have 20 days to get ourselves out of our first home and into.... still don't know yet.

In honor of Mothers Day I am posting this room. Back when we bought this home we just had Trey and Toby - we knew they would share a room and so the extra room would be our guest room. At that time Lars' mothers cancer had come back and I wanted this room to be a room that if she ever needed a place to 'get away' it would be hers for the taking. It is bright and airy with tons of light looking out to a lavendar tree and our neighbors "popcorn trees". Although she did not live to use it more than 4 or 5 times, I constantly think of her and feel her love in this room. This room has also been a place where my own mom has stayed for weeks at a time - when she is here our own bed becomes so much roomier because the kids find their way into her and love to cuddle with her each morning. And now it is JK's room - and if I had a wish for her it would be to always know the greatness that she is named after. She bears the names of the two best women I have ever known - EVER. I hope that she lives a life full of love, happiness, and purpose just like her grandmothers have.

No Words

2011-04-28T20:13:00.000-07:00

My heart is full for so many people here in Alabama and in the South. I have been glued to the news watching as the number of deaths is rising constantly. I wonder if the rest of the country really understands the destruction down here. There are towns that are gone. People are still missing - it is overwhelming. Our thoughts are with all of those that are hurting.

More of our house

2011-04-27T09:50:00.000-07:00

Okay after only 3 weeks and 4 days on the market we have an offer and a signed contract on our home. I know that in this market this is very rare, so we are really excited - but there is a catch - we have to be out in exactly a month! So while the blessing of a sold home (it is considered contingent for another week) is wonderful, the timing of it all has left me in a state of confusion. Do we move to an apartment? Or maybe I should just extend my time in Boise and have Lars slum it while we build - lots of stuff to work through but while we do I need to keep my house posts rolling so that I can always remember our first home.

The living room is where our family does everything. Many Friday nights a mattress is pulled out for a giant slumber/jumping party complete with popcorn and movies. When there's no matress on the floor our serious regrets of buying a couch with removable cushions is always on display as the kids build a "pillow pit" in the center of the room.

The screened in porch is what kind of sold me on this house - it just seemed so southern and charming. The blue ceiling was the icing on the cake. During the first summer we lived here our AC went out over the 4th of July making it hard to get someone out to fix it. During that time we LIVED on that porch and it was AWESOME. We debated sleeping out there like they used to before AC and all my pre-teen love for the movie Man in the Moon seemed to come to life. During the summer it is called our popsicle room and I have loved throwing showers at our home and using it to set up a 'drink station'.

Easter 2011

2011-04-25T15:58:00.000-07:00

Easter was just right around here (does it get any better than 80 degree weather). It was the perfect combo of treats, egghunts and dying eggs, as well as a great day at church to remember what it is all about.

Hope your Easter was just as nice!

Our house

2011-04-18T10:07:00.000-07:00

Our house is on the market and I want to take time to blog about each room and the memories we have made here before it sells (it's good to be positive right?). And since we had three showings last week I am REFUSING to clean the house today - so why not blog about one of our favorite rooms. This is the room that my children bless the food each night and on a very regular basis ask God to "make this food taste good". I love that it is seperate from the kitchen and can be closed off to the rest of the house or open with it's three doors. Many dinners, showers, church meetings, conversations and crafts have been held in this room and I want to always be able to remember it.

And if I could, would you mind answering a question for me? Do you buy into the thought that I should remove all personal photos from the house while it is on the market? I really hesitate to ask a question on this blog - I never have before (if only 2 people comment does that mean I only have 2 friends? - neurotic thoughts like these keep me from asking more) but a friend recently told me that I should probably remove the photos and I am torn....

Thanks

Congrats!

2011-04-15T14:54:00.000-07:00

My baby sister is getting married. Let the party planning begin! Not that we need an excuse to plan a party during the summer (it's what we do best) but come on - isn't wedding planning the best! And as though Lars needed another reason to love BYU football she is marrying a BYU football player.

Congrats to Kelsey and Mike! Love you guys!

Conversations

2011-04-07T11:35:00.000-07:00

Lately Trey has been very interested in religion.

We have many conversations about people and what they believe.

The other night on our way home from soccer practice Trey asked us the following questions:

Can a Jewish person marry a Christian?

What is the difference between a Catholic and a Mormon?

Do Buddists read the Bible? What do they read?

He is only 7 and is constantly keeping us on our toes and proving the point that children have a desire to believe and know of something greater -

And in case you think that our family is always full of deep conversations like this, Toby and Trey ended the conversation with this little tid bit:

Is Jesus God? Trey answered Toby's question and then said:

And Toby did you know that God spelled backwards is dog.

Hard Day

2011-03-30T19:49:00.000-07:00

Being a mom brings me more joy than I could ever describe - but some days being a mom is hard. Yesterday I noticed JK was walking a little funny. Lars referred to her walk as a "hitch in her giddy-up". I took her to the doctor today and after watching her walk and examining her he told me he thinks she has an infection in her hip. I was not expecting anything like that and then when he wanted to look at her blood my world felt out of control. I cried in the waiting room all the while playing a rousing game of "I Spy" with Toby and JK because that's what moms do right? - we fake normal when nothing is normal.

JK'a blood work came back normal and to use the words of our doctor, "it's not leukemia" - he knows me that well to know that I went THERE immediatly (have I ever blogged about the time I was struggling with fears of SIDS and he asked if he could pray with me - I can not tell you how much we love him).

I write this post because I want my kids to know that while motherhood is my greatest joy, it is also my EVERYTHING during this season of my life and that sometimes means being a mom is scary. The only way I make it through the hard times of being a mom is having faith in God and knowing that he has a plan for each of us - and then I thank him everyday for letting me be thier mom.

The best sporting experience ever

2011-03-21T13:07:00.000-07:00

The boys played basketball this winter and I have never been so impressed. Not with their skillz necessarily but with the organization they played with. Every game the coordinators would start it off by turning off the lights, starting the fog machine (i kid you not) and the music would pump through the sound system as the announcer would yell out each kids name as they ran onto the court. How great is that - I practically wanted to run onto the court through the fog machine every game. At half time the kids would go into their room for a pep talk and a scripture while a pastor would give the rest of us a devotional in the gym. Yes - we are in the bible belt can you tell? And we are loving every minute of it.

Toby bought this bandana with some of his Christmas money and insisted on wearing it every game and in his team pictures - Holla!

Trey is now OBSESSED with all things basketball - March Madness has lived up to it's name around here with him entering his first bracket - one guess who he has going all the way....

A little memory from the bball season: The kids are matched up based on their colored wrist band. One day Trey was matched up to a kid with long and beautiful hair done in corn rows - honestly the most beautiful long hair I had ever seen. I yelled at Trey all game to, "stay with her Trey", "keep on her Trey" etc. At one point I asked Lars if he was sure the girl Trey was guarding was actually a girl - because I was being really loud. Lars assured me she was a girl. Nope - she was a HE and I was red for the rest of the season everytime I saw his parents. Awesome.

Waiting for Superman

2011-03-09T11:34:00.000-08:00

Have you seen Waiting for Superman? The movie hits a little close to home right now. Our own lottery happened on Monday and now we wait to hear about the future for our little guy.

We live in a historical district close to downtown and each day we wave to our neighbors as we pass each other driving to different schools (some going to magnet schools others to private schools) - each of us passing our local elementary without a second glance. As much as I want to take a second glance I know that I am not going to put my child in a failing environmnent. And yet that is our local school. For various reasons I struggle with the idea of ptivate schools and we decided a long time ago those were off the table.(and yes one of those reasons is the cost - 10,000 a year at some!!!)

So our children interview and test to get into a public academic magnet school here - one that feeds into one of the top 25 public high schools in our country. Only 80 are taken in the first round, 20 in the second round with an estimated 350+ applicants.

Can you hear my upset stomach from where you are reading this - because it is turning something fierce as we WAIT....

UPDATE: HE IS IN!!!!!!

ABCs

2011-02-27T19:07:00.000-08:00

JK can't say much but apperantly she knows a few things.... I know this video is a total 'blagging' post but honestly the girl can't talk, and yet...

Oh and by the way, just to minimize the 'blagging' - how about my awesome puffy allergy eyes? Nice.

Love

2011-02-14T15:07:00.000-08:00

Today is Valentines day and I am thankful for the love of my family.

Yesterday at church a man said something that has stayed with me and replayed in my mind multiple times today.

He said that he worried that as his children grew, saying 'I love you" would not be as easy to say to a 14 year old as it is to say to a 2 and 4 year old.

His wife told him that if he said I love you to them each day the only day that would be awkward/difficult would be the day that he didn't say it.

Here's to saying I love you each day to those we love!

Grrrr

2011-02-04T12:52:00.001-08:00

I blog for one reason - to keep a 'journal' of sorts for our family. Someday when I am oh so put together and not intimidated by all things techy I will even put books together from this blog to document our family adventures each year. This blog will make it easy for me to create albums for my kids to look back on when they are older and want to reminisce - although do boys reminisce? That is what I imagine at least....

But given the fact that my laptop has died and life (translation = my side business) during the holidays went CRAZY combined with the fact that I feel a great need to do all things in chronological order on this blog and now I am at a loss as far as this blog goes. Because of the dead laptop I can't upload Christmas pictures so I feel frozen - but I am not giving up - I am just going to tell myself that Christmas can be blogged about later and for now I will work with the things I can upload no matter how awful the pictures are - and they are quite awful thank you very much!

So sorry kids - here's to reminiscing over the Christmas that wasn't and the pictures that make you wonder if you grew up in the 70's....

Trey is turning 7

2011-02-04T12:16:00.000-08:00

Trey is turning 7! He is getting so tall and becoming smarter with each year that goes by. School comes naturally to him and even though he is working a grade ahead he has maintained all A's this year with not a lot of effort on anyone's part (someday I will have to post about the poem he was asked to work on and recite from memory - not my finest parenting hour - but he pulled that one off for all of us:)) He is currently OBSESSED with all things sports - honestly, I have never seen anything like it. Each morning he wakes up, comes into our room and turns on Sportscenter. This last year he has cried during many football games vowing to never watch football again only to return to it two days later (the Boise State Nevada game was heartbreaking for him - he cried himself to sleep that night). He plays soccor in the fall and spring and basketball in the winter. He reads non stop, his best friends at school are Saad and Patrick. He loves being with the Campbells down the street and if he could be anywhere it would still be with cousins!

Even though we have decided to only do friend parties when our kids turn 5, 8, 12, and 16 - we always celebrate on a weekend and on their actual Birthday in any way they want. Trey chose to go to Birmingham to the childrens museum and IMAX there. Here are some of the shots I was able to get with our flip camera.

The weather reporters:

Everyone's favorite, petting the sharks:
The water center was fun - JK and Toby especially liked it.
The distortion room:
The kids built an arch but couldn't wait to destroy it

Trey loves all things science:

Each kid taking a turn trying to see who was the strongest:

Trey has everyone beat!

Happy Birthday Trey - you changed our life 7 year ago and I have said it so many times, but I will say it again - because of you I know what true joy feels like! We Love YOU!

Giving Thanks

2011-01-25T11:57:00.000-08:00

This year we started a new tradition - A Thankful Tree - during the month of November there was a tree in our kitchen (a lovely not so martha paper tree but you get the idea). During Family Home Evening we added to our Thankful Tree by writing what we were thankful for on colorful leaves and then attaching them to our tree. I am learning as a mom that some attributes come naturally to some and not for others. Gratitude is a 'non-negotiable must learn' attribute in my book and so November is a great month to remind us all of the importance of always being thankful.
Doesn't JK look especially grateful here?
Toby's preschool did their feast and I am forever grateful for our preschool and his teachers. They all dressed as Pilgrims for one picture and Indians for another.

For our actual Thanksgiving break we headed to Atlanta and had a great time eating, shopping, eating and shopping some more! Kim is my day after Thanksgiving shopping buddy and we did really well this year. I really don't know what I like better Thanksgiving day or Black Friday.

When the kids were done playing in these leaves Lars set up a pillow pit at the bottom of the stairs at Pa's house. He told the kids that if they cleared their first jump they could move up a stair - ultimately making it so that the below kids were jumping from the top of the stairs all the way to the bottom. I am grateful for no broken bones!

Julia Karen turns 2

2011-01-25T11:34:00.000-08:00

JK turned 2! We celebrated with presents and donuts first thing in the AM. She LOVES donuts and isn't too interested in cake or cupcakes yet just like her older brothers (not her mom). We kept trying to get her to open her presents but all she wanted was to stare and eventually lick all the donuts. She is starting to communicate (demand) more and loves to play with her older brothers. She is my little attachment and happily goes everywhere with me - just not the nursery at church (those happy people, snacks and toys terrify her). We are excited for this next year to watch her grow!

A visit and Halloween

2010-11-08T20:00:00.001-08:00

a bathtub

a shark costume

pumpkin bars

carved pumpkins

a ceiling fan

another bathtub

homemade caramel

electrical outlets

more pumpkin bars

14 family boards

and homemade truffles

What do all of these things have in common? All of the above were either fixed or made when my parents came for a visit! I am convinced that if we lived closer to them I would no longer live in a fixer-upper and my life would be roses all the time - I have lived across the country from them for 8 years now - so I am allowed to believe what I want.

And life really is great when they are around. My kids were so excited for Halloween because it meant Grandma and Papa would be here - seriously, they were more excited for their grandparents to get here than for the festivities of our Halloween week. But, of course, most or our pictures were taken because of Halloween so here are some of our favorites from the week even if Grandma and Papa are missing from some of the shots

A Sprinkle

2010-10-16T19:16:00.000-07:00

A few years ago 6 of my friends moved away in a six month time period. The last one that left made things especially lonely for me (hi Nicole:)) I began to pray for friendships - I believe in the power of girlfriends. About a month later my friend Kathleen introduced me to a girl named Cindy and thus my prayers were answered. Seriously.

So when her third baby boy came into the world we celebrated with a "sprinkle" to show our love and excitement for her family.
Cindy and her mom.

I believe in two things at a shower: good friends and good food - I think we accomplished that!

Drinks (lemonade bar) were served on the screened in porch and the weather was perfect for it.
Thanks ladies for helping throw a great shower/'sprinkle' for such a lucky baby and his awesome mommy!

For Julia

2010-10-12T12:05:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago my mom called to remind me that Julia's birthday was coming up. She wanted to know what we would be doing this year to honor her. We decided to participate in a walk and it happened that on the same day as Julia's birthday there was a walk for breast cancer - so we signed up. We didn't run, we just walked as a family. Before we left our house for the walk that day, the kids layed in bed with us and we told stories about their "munner". Mostly we told them about how much she loved them, what a great woman she was and that we should never forget her or the things she felt strongly for while she was living.

The next day, our cousins came for a short trip and together we had a dinner celebrating all things Munner. Each grandchild shared memories of her and Lars and Kim told stories about their mother. It was a wonderful weekend and although the loss of Julia is always painful, I love this new tradition of celebrating her each year on her birthday.

This tradition has sparked in me, probably for the very first time, (- gasp how am I a good mormon girl? -) the interest in teaching my children about geneology and their ancestors. As hard as it is, Lars has suggested a family night where we talk about my own dad - the life he lived and even the hardships that he faced before dying almost 7 years ago. I want my children to know and feel connected to those who have come before them. Family really is everything - and I hope I can teach my kids this.

What we are up to...

2010-10-04T11:50:00.000-07:00

Lots and lots of this.
Trey's coach is especially good lookin if I do say so myself - and I can since I'm married to him.

And most of my time is spent chasing this little thing off of the field.

What's for dinner?

2010-09-23T12:08:00.001-07:00

The other night at soccer practice another mom and I were talking about cooking dinner for our families. I shared with her my thoughts on cooking (a philosophy I learned from a great friend and cook in Chicago) 'I like to cook, just don't make me do it every night - it takes the fun out of it'.

But dang it - my family feels the need to eat dinner every night.

Part of the problem we decided is coming up with what to make - I am hoping this get's easier as my kids learn to appreciate more foods (I appreciate their velveeta shells, can't they pretend to appreciate my lemon asparagus without plugging their noses and making gagging sounds?)

Well, last night I found a new family favorite. So here it is - and it is SO GOOD!

Oh - if you don't have white wine - apple juice works great too, I even used a juice box - that's how we roll around here.

Ingredients

6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
6 slices Swiss cheese
6 slices ham
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon paprika
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions

Pound chicken breasts if they are too thick. Place a cheese and ham slice on each breast within 1/2 inch of the edges. Fold the edges of the chicken over the filling, and secure with toothpicks. Mix the flour and paprika in a small bowl, and coat the chicken pieces.
Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and cook the chicken until browned on all sides. Add the wine and bouillon. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.
Remove the toothpicks, and transfer the breasts to a warm platter. Blend the cornstarch with the cream in a small bowl, and whisk slowly into the skillet. Cook, stirring until thickened, and pour over the chicken. Serve warm.

Yay for Yars

2010-09-21T11:32:00.000-07:00

Today Lars went in to talk to Trey's class about his job. They are doing a social studies unit about communities. Parents were asked to come in and talk about how their jobs help the community. I guess Trey was beaming with pride as he introduced his dad. He said:

"This is my dad. His name is Yars and he is a Yawyer."

Oh, how I love this kid and his speech impediment. Recently he told me he wished that our alphabet was the same as the Spanish alphabet because their L's say ya.

In case you are wondering how "Yars the Yawyer" did with explaining to the class the importance of Judges and particularly the Judges on the State Supreme Court.... well, as Lars said, when you follow the lady who trains seeing eye dogs - there's really no competing with that.

Toby is 5

2010-09-19T11:35:00.000-07:00

Toby is five years old. We celebrated at school and then at home with some close family friends. He was so happy all day and so grateful for all of those who celebrated with him! We love our Toby!

SUPER!

2010-08-31T20:21:00.000-07:00

Our church always has one Saturday a year that is called Super Saturday -it's a day to actually make things and learn how to create even more things. I love this day, although I have had a few bad memories - like the time I taught people how to make these:

After everyone was done and proud of their finished product, I took all the boards out to spray a sealant on them and RUINED them all! Ahh, what can you do....

Anyways, here are a few of my favorites for this years Super Saturday ideas:
I made a sample of the above but changed it to a chore chart that has magnets on the back to put on my fridge - a tutorial is at inspiremecrafts.com. It's a magnet board and a chalk board and you can make it for under 5 bucks.

And how darling is this:
The tutorial is at lilluna.blogspot.com - but when I made it I had some trouble with the paper and ink and so my friend said it may work better to have it sent and printed as a picture.

I love these on a wreath stand with a hip wreath behind it. You can do the above saying or "please remove your shoes" My mom has hers outside next to her front door and I think she gets compliments all the time on it.

And now for a bit of a pricier, but still great one:I love these watches and I believe you can order the faces for pretty cheap making it a fairly affordable project.

And then, I always think these countdowns are fun - a 'Birthday Countdown' is also a fun one to make with cute birthday scrap book paper mod podged to the frame.

A while ago I taught a glass etching class and a girl had a fantastic idea to do a bunch of plates for your neighbors with their last name initial etched on the bottom of the plate. The idea being that when you took them their plate of goodies for the holidays you would be giving them a gift as well - notsoidlehands.blogspot.com has a great tutorial for this.

And although not on my list of super saturday favorites, I do have full hopes (dreams?) of making these two projects for my house before October 1st (if I set a deadline for myself will it happen?) I have been wanting to make this tree for the past few years
And how about this....
Will somebody please teach me how to sew? Please?

Happy crafting!

Back to school

2010-08-24T10:43:00.000-07:00

School has started and the boys are loving every minute of it.

Trey is in the 1st grade and doing well. I am constantly amazed at his little mind. He is a math wiz - he loves multiplication and division questions and can answer anything you throw at him. He is a fast little reader as well - this summer as we drove, he would finish a Junie B Jones book in an hour and start a new one. We love our Trey and can't wait to see him at the end of each school day!

And now for a funny story:

Trey's school provides a bag for each child. Each day a folder is sent home with homework and important papers to be returned the next day. Well 8 days in and surprise surprise, I forgot the folder. So that day when Trey got into the car I grabbed his bag to make sure the papers got sent home even w/o the folder - they did and low and behold there was a coke zero in there as well. Hmmm, then it dawned on me that JK (who is obsessed with Trey's bag and carries it around each day after school) must have put it in there the day before while she was in the kitchen - with the bag on her shoulder - "helping me cook dinner". I remembered that just a few days before I had found a pacifier in his bag as well. Then the dread set in and I had to ask:

"Trey, did your teacher see this?" Sodas are BIG NO NO's. Drinks have to be 100% juice, milk or water.

He replied, "Yes, but I don't want to talk abut it. It's too embarrassing."

Embarrassing for you or for me I asked him. To which he replied:

"For you - she said I need to teach you not to bring sodas for me!"

JULIA KAREN!!!!

So to review what this teacher knows about me.... I missed the open house when we were in Boise (and no one does that at this particular school), I forgot the folder within the first 8 days of school, and now I send my child to school with a DIET CAFFEINATED soda. I'd say we are off to an impressive start!

And now for my Toby! He has Mrs. Elizabeth this year and we are so happy for that. I believe she is THE BEST preschool teacher ever. It helps that she is one of my closest friends - but because of that, I know how much she loves her students. She has a masters in special education and we get to have her each day as our preschool teacher! We completely give her all the credit for teaching Trey to read. Already Toby is learning to spell words out loud and he loves going to school each day.

On the 2nd day of school Mrs Elizabeth told the students that the next day they would start using the green light/red light system (to help with behavior) to which Toby sang out in a dooms day kind of way for his whole class to hear: Duun, dun, Duuuun.

We love our funny Toby!

If you read this - you must like us, cause it's LONG!

2010-08-15T20:11:00.000-07:00

We spent a good portion of our summer in Boise again, and as always it was glorious! Someone recently told me to enjoy doing this while my kids are young because they will get older and it will become hard to keep up our summers in Boise. I sure hope not, because I will really miss them while I am there each summer!

We started out with a BANG - firework style to celebrate the 4th.

Can I just talk about the weather there - oh it is AWESOME! Perhaps you can only fully appreciate it when you come from the heat and humidity, but either way it makes for the PERFECT place to be in the summer. The weather AND the fact that it doesn't get dark until close to 10 each night. (To be fair I should include that while we love summers out there, we sure love our cozy winters here in the south:)
These guys were thrilled to be together, and together they stayed for 5 weeks - inseperable!

We tried to plan "adventures" for each day. Trips to the fountain downtown, picnics at the park, a day at the zoo, days at the pool, trips to McDonalds, bumper cars on ice were just a few of our weekly activities.

We were able to celebrate my cousin Kinzie's wedding in Eastern Idaho - it was beautiful. Being with cousins was a blast!

On our way home we stopped at Shoshone falls - who knew how awesome it was? I didn't, but it was!
This summer, us girls decided to take some time during the week to be together and have adventures of our own. Getting pedicures, going to lunch, and shopping were just some of our fun.

Celebrating Natalie and her baby bump made for one of those perfect days! We went to Cheesecake, then on to Motherhood where we made her put on one of their bigger bellies and try on clothes. She always looks great, but some things she put on made us laugh and laugh - she was a great sport though.Oh and another thing I can add to the long list of great things Tammy has taught me to make is this diaper cake - so fun to make, and cute right?

We also took family photos - if you want to see more check out Tammy's blog at tammyhawkinsphotography.blogspot.com. And if you live in Boise - she is by far the best! I didn't even know when she took some of my favorite photos - she just get's awesome shots and makes it seem easy (is that even possible when it comes to family photos?)

And then just because we always like to spice things up - our little girl fell down the stairs and broke her arm. She was a total trooper though. It was just a buckle fracture, but she was very proud of her wrapped arm. She even started using it as a little billyclub to hit her cousins with - aawww, that's our little sassypants.
(after noticing my double chin in this picture, I went to edit/crop it, but then I thought, "no that is just all the more proof of the fun I have in Boise" - 10 lbs in a month baby!)

Because of her arm, Lars and I decided to take her with us to Palo Alto to enjoy our friend Marisa's wedding! It was a wonderful weekend! Friends, travel, food, late nights - ahhh, it was great!She was beautiful and I don't know that I have ever seen a tinier bride - everything was magical.
This is how we all look when asked to say cheese, but really this is how we all are:
obnoxious and loving every minute of it!

While we were in SF, my parents had the kids - adventures continued and I think the boys loved every minute of having alone time with their grandparents. Trey recently told me (through tears) that he thinks he didn't spend enough time with grandma and wants her to come as quick as possible for a visit!

The below picture is of Toby and pretty much sums up how he handled the love/tease relationship that only our cousin little T can display so perfectly. Hug and then tackle was his way and JK learned it well - oh we miss you little T man!

Last but not least we celebrated D's bday at PoJo's - a fun place if you ask me, especially on a week night when you get double tickets and dollar rides - to bad this was the same night the kids had to say goodbye. A bittersweet night.All in all it was another successful trip! Did I mention we drove? I think I will try to do a post of the great things we saw as we came across the country. It's hard to believe our summer is over, but I hope and believe that we are making important memories for our kids (and us). We love our family - we love being so close to the the Longneckers and looking forward to our summers with all of these guys:

And these guys always make it hardest for me to leave:

(This pic was taken at 2am at a dive called Merots that Kelsey and Tammy woke my mom and I up to go to)

Thanks everyone for a great summer! It always goes by way to fast.

Happy Birthday To ME

2010-06-29T11:36:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago my friend Tomicka told me she wanted to take me out to dinner and a movie for my birthday. So this last Friday when she picked me up I was surprised to see a few of my other friends were coming too. I was even more surprised when she handed me a card that told me they were taking me to dinner at the BEACH!

I just kept saying; What? Really? and Are you SERIOUS? Then Lars handed me a bag that was packed and ready for a night away! Tomicka had even packed a beach bag for me with a new towel, float and a picture of JK and I framed from our last trip to the beach.

And then I almost cried - I was so overwhelmed, surprised, grateful, happy and SURPRISED!

JK really wanted to go. But this was a NO kids trip.

This birthday may go down in the books as the most surprised I have ever been.

Thank you girls. Staying up until 2, sun-burning myself, learning how to do new things, California yogurt, and swimming in the ocean without a child in my arms - it was fantastic!

I am already getting excited for Time Out for Women in Atlanta this fall - whose in?

Oh Dear!

2010-06-27T18:11:00.001-07:00

Back when we first moved to Alabama and were pregnant with Trey we went to church one Sunday and I fell in love with three little boys sitting next to us in the pew. They were everything little boys should be: freckled, shaved heads and mischievous looking. Every time I looked at them teasing each other and squirming in their church clothes it made me more and more excited to have a little boy.

I have always loved a little boy and his shaved head during the summer, so as we are getting ready to head west for the summer it was time to get my boys ready! First up a hair cut - or shave. We couldn't remember which length of clippers to use - but given the way Toby screams during a haircut I thought the shorter the better.

As a side note, I honestly would not have been surprised if the police had shown up during Toby's haircut due to calls from concerned neighbors. He can throw a massive fit and haircuts put him OVER the edge! At one point during his hair cut he was in a crazed rage and yelled out "hot like bologna" we think he was referring to the clippers?)

So out came the clippers and off went their hair - the problem with hair clippers - there is absolutely NO GOING BACK! All I could say is "Oh dear" with every pass on Trey's head. A quarter of an inch would have been just right - NOT AN EIGHTH OF AN INCH!

OH DEAR!

What did we do? My little boys are BALD! WHAT DID WE DO!

Now of course I think my boys are beautiful no matter what - but yikes this is a far cry from Toby's fluffy head of hair just a day ago.

Oh dear! Hot like bologna is right!

To the beach

2010-06-22T13:56:00.000-07:00

I don't know what it was, but the second I heard that the oil was going to hit the Gulf I panicked - I felt like we HAD to go to the beach immediately before the oil washed ashore. Too bad Lars' work schedule and the Gulf's impending oil doom didn't seem to matter to each other because we were going with or without him we couldn't wait for the weekend.

So me and some friends loaded the kids up and headed to the beach. Aaaaaahhhhhhh - I have to say - the Gulf has the BEST beaches. White sand for miles, very few people and the cool water, what could be better?

Trey was WILD. He doesn't know how to swim well but with his boogie board he was fealess - which made me full of fear.

Toby is a little more reserved. In fact as we stated to walk towards the ocean he may have thrown a fit because he didn't want to get sand on his feet - all I could say is good luck with that one kiddo - he warmed up to it though and was happy to play and then all to happy to head to the pool at the condo.

Thanks friends - so sad the tar balls have started to come ashore now, but happy we went when we did!

Boot Camp 2010

2010-06-21T13:36:00.000-07:00

Boot Camp 2010 was a huge success this year full of fun and, as always a few miracles. We had 78 kids this year and I think they all had a great time.

Vacation Bible Schools are huge down here - in fact just today I heard of one with 800 kids in attendance (those Baptists sure know how to party:)) We are building each year and I believe getting stronger as we take what we learn from the previous year and add or subtract as needed.

I will share that I was worried that we didn't have enough boards for each child to paint in camo colors for "craft detail" one day. (They put vinyl on them after they dried, the vinyl read Did You Pray? and then they attached ribbon through holes so they could hang them in their rooms reminding them to pray each day.) I knew I had only cut 68-70 boards and I felt happy for the good turn out but sad that some kids would have to go without. At the end of the first day we had two boards left over. The next day two children came that were not there to paint the boards on the first day using the two left over boards. Ya'll I KNOW I did not have that many boards - every year something like this happens and I love to see it.

These little faces make all the work so worth it!

Kelsey's Graduation

2010-06-08T10:40:00.000-07:00

My sister graduated from high school and JK and I were able to fly out and celebrate with her. It was so fun to be there and to celebrate all things Kelsey!

We were a tad obnoxious as we watched her walk. She had matching glasses - these and our KELSEY sign may have annoyed those around us but we were having a blast.
Then we were able to party with our nephew and cousin for his first birthday. We LOVE these guys sooo much!This next picture just makes me excited for next month...

Giddy

2010-06-01T19:26:00.000-07:00

I may not have showered today, but I voted. I. LOVE. ELECTIONS. Just going to the polls makes me giddy. Local elections are the best. Perhaps it is even more "exciting" when our livelihood is on the line (not this election- but we've been there). I love learning about the candidates and watching the returns come in. What an awesome country we live in.

Goodbye Kindergarten, Hello First Grade

2010-05-21T18:54:00.000-07:00

I can do hard things... with my moms help

2010-05-17T09:51:00.000-07:00

This is what our deck used to look like. A few years back I decided to paint it (okay have Lars paint it) the color of our off white house trim. Not my brightest moment considering we live in an OLD part of town with massive (think take out your home in severe weather) trees ALL OVER. So after many failed - and broken - pressure washing tries this is what we were left with.

I have been complaining about this deck and our backyard for a while now. Well, after Lars spoiled me with the best Mothers Day shopping weekend with my mom and sister and an afternoon at a foot spa (so worth another post) with my mom, sister and sister-in-law I decided I needed to show him some love.

So I decided that I can do hard things... with my mom's help.

Here is our deck now:I know it is not the best picture, and yes the leaves are already all over it. But all of the spindles got painted and the deck floor is a chocolate brown (3 coats thank you very much) way more sensible.The kids' area also got washed as well as the area around our shed. Now our only task for this summer is laying down weed barriers and new mulch for the areas bordering our fence. Too bad my mom couldn't stay for another week because with her help I could probably finish our yard and maybe even our master bathroom - that's right, it's still not done!

Thanks mom - we miss you already and not just for the manual labor!

End of the school year already?

2010-05-17T08:41:00.000-07:00

The boys both had end of the year performances these last couple of weeks.

Trey made us promise we wouldn't take pictures of him in his chick costume. He was too cute, we couldn't help it! At one point in his performance he simply disappeared. All the kids were standing there and singing and Trey was no where to be found. I started to panic - Lars even got a little worried. I was convinced he had fainted. I mentally began to chart a path on to the stage to find out if my little boy was ok. Then about a song later he popped up. After the performance we asked where he went and he said he got tired of standing there so he sat down for awhile - can't argue with that.
Toby, on the other hand, was eager to shine. His class began there last song and Toby and another boy brought the house down. At one point he was singing so loud (determined to out-sing the other loud boy) that I thought he would pass out from straining so hard. People were in tears they were laughing so hard. A very proud moment if you ask me...And can you believe our luck - Grandma was here for many end of the year activities! The kids loved having her here - can you tell?

Mothers Day 2010

2010-05-05T19:56:00.000-07:00

I know in my heart of hearts that I am a good mom - but I believe this mostly because of him. It's because of him that on days like today when Toby tells me that JK has put a sock in the toilet (the same toilet he just pooped in), I just have to tell myself that the above guy will soon walk through the door and all will be right. The kids will run and squeal and I will breathe a little bit calmer.

So on this Mothers Day, I am grateful for my husband who supports me and helps me each day be the mom I am trying to be. I am grateful for the kids that bring me joy and happiness each and every day just by being them. I'm grateful for a mom who did it on her own for so many years and is still the best example I could ever ask for.

Happy Mothers Day to you all!

Bacon

2010-04-26T19:32:00.000-07:00

JK got tubes in her ears today - here's to no more ear infections!

Tonight Toby said to me, "you can stop your whining now"
His daddy told him that was a good way to get a spankin
To which he replied: "Did someone say bacon? Mmmm yummy bacon, I like bacon!"

Here's to kids learning to rhyme!

Just another day in paradise!

My new shopping buddy!

2010-04-12T19:24:00.000-07:00

The other day JK and I were in Target and I saw a cute jean jacket - Okay I had seen it before with a friend but I knew I didn't need it. On this particular day I tried it on and decided I would just put it in the cart to think about it. The thing is, Lars is very money conscious - not tight, just very conscious.

An example of his thoughts on money: One time when I was shopping with him I said that something was too expensive and that I didn't need it, to which he replied "I've never been so turned on!" - Nice huh?

Anyways, I try, really I do, to be more like him - I'm looking at clothes at Target aren't I? (I love target clothes by the way). But on this particular day I realized for the first time the joy that shopping with my little girl is going to bring me for the rest of my life. It's like she knew how badly I wanted that jacket when she spilled her chocolate milk all over herself and that glorious jacket. Sure there were tears and wet clothes to take care of and yes maybe a security guard came to talk to me when I stripped her down and put new clothes from the little girl section on her - but if you ask me it was the beginning of a beautiful shopping relationship between my daughter and I - I owe you JK!

Happy Easter

2010-04-05T17:58:00.000-07:00

Easter egg hunts at school and church are always a great start to our Easter celebrations.And when Pa comes to town there is always more reason to celebrate!
And then there is always the fun of the easter bunny - even if the egg dying smells!

FYI: Toby is still terrified of the idea of anything sneaking into the house at night - he insisted on sleeping with us in the "back room" if the bunny would be coming in through the front door - Poor kid still prays each night that none of his teeth will fall out because there is no way he is letting the tooth fairy near his head and pillow!

So here's to another Happy Easter - and since our church had its semi-annual conference this last weekend which meant a relaxing Sunday at home listening to services, I couldn't resist putting JK in this little get-up on Easter morning!

Good Things Easter Style

2010-03-31T18:33:00.000-07:00

How cute are these cupcakes? A friend of mine made these for her boys Easter party at school - she is the type that turns everything she touches into gold - she did tell me that all she did to make the "grass" was to add a Tbsp of milk to the coconut and then green food dye and stir it up. Add jelly beans and pipe cleaners and you are good to go. Cute and easy is right up my ally!

And aren't these darling! Clear icing bags, cheese puffs and green ribbon is all you need for these. We gave ones like these out at our Easter primary party after each kid did the "egg walk" (think cake walk) once their number was called they got one of these instead of a cake. Again - fun and easy and the kids LOVE them!

And remember these:
Just google ressurection eggs and you will get a few different ideas of how you want to fill your eggs to teach your little ones about the days leading up to Christs death and ressurection.

And if you need a GREAT spring cupcake recipe:

Cupcake:
1 White cake mix
4 Eggs
3/4 C Oil
3/4 C Milk
1 3oz pkg Strawberry jello
1 C chopped strawberries (I use frozen that are completely thawed)

Mix all and fill cupcake tins 3/4 full. Bake at 350 for 20 Min.

Frosting:
1 8oz pkg cream cheese (room temp)
4Tbs butter (room temp)
3-4 C powdered sugar
1/2 C chopped fresh strawberries

Cream the cream cheese and butter then add sugar and strawberries. My frosting is always more like a glaze so it works great as a cake as well.

Happy Eastering!

Spring Break

2010-03-25T11:23:00.001-07:00

Our spring break week started with a great party for our friend Amber's 30th! Can you tell she was born in the year 1980?

We had so much fun, a night away from the kids was a great way to start a full week of energy filled days that were coming our way.

My cousins Kerry and Hannah came to visit all the way from Kanab Utah during our week off! So far I have had 2 of my cousins come and see me here in Alabama from Kanab, how lucky are we that they have had trips that happen to bring them to the South and then they are willing to drive and see us! We had so much fun just visiting. Thanks for coming to see us guys - the boys miss you!

Then as always it was time for a little of this:

Which mad Lars HAPPY! Especially when BYU won their first game on his birthday.

Then we were off to Atlanta to celebrate birthdays with a trip to the Auto Show. The boys loved it, and I will admit it was quite fun even for me.

So even with the cold weather our spring break was a success full of birthdays, pump it up play days, visitors, a short trip and even a corned beef cook off to finish out the week. Hope your spring break is fun and warmer than ours was!

Sick take II

2010-03-08T10:39:00.000-08:00

Does this picture melt your heart or what!

If you read the previous post you know we have been dealing with a nasty virus in our house and JK struggled with it this last week. By Thursday I could tell she had lost weight so we took her in to see her Dr. She was admitted to the hospital from their offices - she had lost 2 pounds since her well visit 4 days earlier. She needed an IV to be rehydrated. We were told we could leave depending on the results from her blood work. We ended up staying there 2 nights and 2.5 days.

I wish I could say JK was a delight and handled everything in stride - NOPE! She screamed anytime someone walked into her room. The poor housekeeping people - they did nothing to her and still they got an earful. The nurses were sweet to keep saying that it was a good sign that she could scream at them. With every scream and groan of "owwie" I would cry too. In all fairness, it didn't help that the Dr.s kept saying "she's worse than we thought" Hospitals and I are not on great terms and I really lose all perspective when I am in them for more than a happy newborn baby visit.
By Friday afternoon we started to see her spark come back - still no appetite though, but she could do her piggy face so we knew we were on the mend...

The day I was checking out and dating paperwork I realized that exactly five years to that exact date we were checking in to that same hospital for Trey while he was having a siezure. I am trying to feel blessed that we have stayed out of hospitals for that long, but really I am just praying that we can keep our visits to the hospital AT LEAST that far apart as these kids grow - my heart ached (that is an understatement) for those parents who have children with serious illnesses, hospitals are no place for kids - or anyone for that matter - but I am thankful for them.

And now just because it is always fun to see the back of a hospital gown....

Thank you to everyone who helped with our kids, called, came to visit, picked up the pieces and kept us in your thoughts. We love you all!

Sick

2010-02-24T08:19:00.000-08:00

Toby threw up 10 times on Friday night.

He thought he was going to throw up again Saturday night. He had NO appetite.

JK woke up screaming Sunday night.

I may have told Toby I would give him 5 dollars if he would just eat a banana on Sunday.

Lars had to come home from work on Monday while I thrashed and cried in my bed and felt for Toby.

The Dr. said JK needs tubes in her ears. She has had constant ear infections since November.

I thought I was better but then I had to call Lars home from a church meeting last night while I went round 2 with this bug.

You couldn't pay me enough to eat a banana....

Rise and Shout

2010-02-16T20:54:00.000-08:00

She posted it on facebook - so now I can scream it as loud as I want on my blog! My sister is a Cougar! Provo will never be the same, neither will she for that matter. CONGRATULATIONS KELSEY - we love you!

Mardi Gras 2010

2010-02-08T11:48:00.000-08:00

Three years in a row and still lovin it! Who knows how long we will live in Alabama - but as long as we do you can catch us celebrating Mardi Gras. We had a big crowd with us this year - anyone want to join us next year?

I'll warn you now - I am kind of loud. And she is pretty cute so the stuffed animals will be flyin!Toby took extra caution this year and insisted on wearing a helmet just in case he got hit in the head by all the beads - my kind of kid. (I realize that this picture makes Toby look extra "special" and that the helmet only adds to that - it makes me smile every time I look at it). I felt Toby's wisdom when I was smacked by something heavy. It hurt all the way back to the car and the only thing I could think about was how mad I was that I didn't find what hit me - judging by the weight of it on my head it must have been great.

The kids loved the parades and being with cousins, aunt Kim and uncle Donnie as well as Pa and Connie. We love you all - thanks for making this trip so much fun.

Saturday we went to the beach - it was soooo cold but that didn't stop the kids - can you believe the white sand?
Seriously - doesn't it look like the kids are playing in the snow? We have to get back down there when the weather is warmer. All of this so close to home - only 3 hours away (not to mention some kickin outlets as well).
After the beach we had lunch at Lamberts - the rolls were hot and flying and the fried potatos and apple butter were yummy!More parades Saturday night followed by the worlds best custard and our trip was almost complete!But this year we had a special treat - we were able to celebrate Trey's birthday! He was so excited that it was his birthday. He told everyone we talked to that it was his day! I can't think of anything Trey would love more than to spend his birthday with cousins. He loved his day and the weekend of fun that went with it. As with most things, we are still celebrating - one day is never enough. But here are a couple of pictures from yesterday. We love you Trey and our world would not be complete without you as our boy!

January in review

2010-02-01T18:59:00.000-08:00

So I have been meaning to do a post about goals and hopes for the new year, but as always the time has come and gone, so here's a recap of the month (since it is a goal of mine to keep this blog up to date):

I have decided to focus on monthly goals instead of a years worth and this month my goal was to limit the amount we ate out and it was a success! Total money spent on eating out this month was 51 dollars! Now for February I have got to decrease the amount of money I spend on groceries. This means I have to cut back on my Costco and Target runs. For the life of me I can not leave either of these stores w/o spending at least 70 bucks. It's sad and happy all at the same time!

Also in January

I cut my hair, it was timeTrey has started taking multiple AR tests each day and doing timed addition tests at school. He is looking forward to his birthday and has been excited about his schools' "Hearts for Haiti" project. He told us the other day that his school had 1000 hearts (translating into at least 1000 dollars) to send to Haiti. He truly believes that his school will be able to make everything better there.

Toby has been so fun lately. I have officially found his 'currency' and it is the Wii. He has gone from terrible 3's (oh and I do mean TERRIBLE) to fantastic 4's and it's all thanks to the Wii. He loves it and will do anything to be able to play. I even got him to wear jeans instead of basketball shorts all with the promise of Mario Kart not to mention learning his alphabet, address and cleaning his room.

JK has started walking - when we get excited and clap for her she hurries and squats down and then giggles to herself. She LOVES to be naughty - seriously she thinks it's so funny! She can say hi and night night.

Remember that bathroom that we started in November... Lars told me today it would for sure be done by Mothers day - Awesome! 5 of us in 1 bathroom has been quite the treat!

So that's what we have been up to around here. Oh, that and a 491 dollar gas bill, a broken car, a broken arm during an activity I planned and ear infections to boot. Ahhh, goodbye January catch you again in 2011.

Hunger Games

2010-01-15T13:03:00.000-08:00

I am always looking for a new book. Right now I have four checked out from the library. I love to get lost in a book so much so that sometimes I worry it's my kids who will get lost while I am reading! Thanks Heidi for the blog post recommending this one. The other three books I have checked out are going to have to wait because I NEED/HAVE/CAN'T WAIT to read the next in this series. To the library I go.

Fiesta Bowl

2010-01-04T18:35:00.000-08:00

I understand that we live in Alabama and that same state's university is playing in the National Championship on Thursday - but tonight is our night and we like people to know it.

(Although Lars is giving me the cold shoulder right now because I said that if BYU and BSU played I would of course cheer for BYU but I would be happy for BSU if they won. He said I wasn't a true cougar and he hasn't spoken to me since.... someday I'll have to post about the time I said Utah State has a pretty campus. Don't cross Lars and his cougars!)

It's over - and I am OK with that

2009-12-30T18:28:00.000-08:00

So Christmas is over - are you ok with it? I am. Don't get me wrong - I love it when it is here, but I am itching to get everything back in order. But before I do, here is our Christmas in review...

Toby was Fantastic in his Christmas pageant at school and at church. He can't remember all the words to the songs but he can hold onto the last word in each song and belt it for everyone to hear.
I didn't get any pictures of Trey at his class party - but it was fun as well. I have to say - I love school holidays. We started out the break by staying in our PJs and lounging around. The Monday before Christmas we had friends over for dinner and Gingerbread houses. We do this every year and let me fill you all in on a little secret I have learned from doing this a few years in a row. Costco puts their Gingerbread houses on sale (usually the Monday before Christmas) and they go from being 10 something to 4 something. Sometimes it pays to purposefully procrastinate. The next night our neighborhood gathered for caroling and a bonfire. It was great and I even got Lars to join us. The drink cart and hot chocolate was a hit with the kids and they loved being with friends and being allowed to run through the street at night while singing Christmas songs. I hope to add pictures soon - they are on my father in law's camera.

Christmas Eve was nice. We had a big dinner and the kids opened their pjs and then a few pictures before we read the story of Jesus' birth in Luke. Here are a few of the kids:We told Trey to stop harassing JK or we would take away one of his gifts...

A couple things I want to remember. When we were talking about leaving a plate of goodies for Santa and his reindeer Toby asked us if we could leave a plate for the Indian. Hmmm, not so sure about that, but the next day when we saw that Santa ate his goodies Toby was broken hearted because we forgot to leave something out for the Indian. We still are confused but can't help but to laugh at that one. Also, I kept asking Trey if he thought Santa was going to come if he was naughty and he would tell me he didn't care because he would just open Grandma's gifts that were already under the tree. Nice.

Well, Santa did come and we all had a wonderful holiday.Oh the joy and fun of seeing a child's first Christmas.

By the way, Santa brought me (among other things) a chocolate bar with bacon in it - eat your hearts out! He knows me well.

Christmas day we went to Calaway Gardens for their light show - it was wonderful. Having dinner at their lodge was a bonus too! Thanks Jan - we loved having you here with us.

Trey announced that the day after Christmas was a holiday. He called it Gingerbread Smash Day. He was soooooo excited to destroy the gingerbread house (should I be worried). Here are some highlights.So now on to New Years! Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. And from our house to yours - happy cleaning and taking down, and organizing...

It has to be said

2009-12-10T12:45:00.000-08:00

She is the best baby in the world. A week ago I found out she had a double ear infection. I found this out at her well visit. She never even acted like she was in pain. Now this sweet little girl has RSV. On top of that her body has broken out with a terrible rash. The doctor says it is from the RSV. But she keeps on truckin' and laughin the whole time - the same way she did when she had Swine Flu, seriously this girl is a CHAMP!

Speaking of CHAMPS - have you checked in on my cousins little girl lately? She is the ULTIMATE! Check in on her at teganlyn.blogspot.com

It's that time of year

2009-12-10T12:15:00.000-08:00

Toby is a little nervous about Santa coming. The other night he wanted to go over a couple things with us. He wanted to make sure that when Santa comes he will not come into his room while he sleeps. (He also wanted to make sure that Jesus won't be coming into his room when He comes again, but that is a whole other discussion....) So we made our annual trip to the BassPro Shop to see Santa - it really is the only place for a true Southerner to say "Hey" to Santa - Toby decided Santa was all right after all.
We did this for Family Home Evening and met up with some other friends from church. Dinner with 22 of us was quite a treat - especially for our waitress

In other thoughts, the house is decorated and I am checking holiday traditions off my list one by one. We have decided to stay here for Christmas this year, it will be the FIRST Christmas Lars and I have ever celebrated in our own home. We hope to have his dad here to celebrate with us. The only problem is now I have to talk Lars into doing our neighborhood caroling and bon fire - he has already told me no way - rude. Jan are you in? We can leave scrooge home by himself to be visited by his ghosts of caroling pasts - I know he has them!

Goodbye Fall

2009-12-10T12:04:00.000-08:00

Christmas time is here and so that means goodbye to fall. Around here though, it seems as though we are just hitting the peak of leaves turning and falling. We had some fun saying so long to fall and now we are ready to celebrate Christmas! Thanks to the Longneckers for a wonderful Thanksgiving! Did anyone get pictures? That must mean we were too busy eating and laughing. And maybe we were a little too busy shopping....

Thanksgiving

2009-11-19T19:51:00.000-08:00

Trey's school does a fantastic Thanksgiving feast for the kindergartners. The children spend the day learning and participating in activities that teach them all about the pilgrims and Native Americans. Our class was in charge of "Indian Music". The kids made rain sticks at our station and then four of us parents led the kids in songs and chants around the fire. We danced, chanted and sang for two hours straight! I loved every minute of it! By the end I had lost my voice and it was so worth it! The kids went to a trading post station, a basket weaving class, jewelry making class, popcorn and story time and a game stop as well as ours.

A funny story - I thought for sure I was suppose to dress Trey up like a pilgrim. So yesterday I got everything to make him a pilgrim costume.... thankfully the principal sent out a phone message telling students what to wear (just their filed trip shirts and jeans). If it weren't for that message Trey would have been going into school today with black pants tucked into white knee socks with a big white collar and a black hat on - I can't help but to laugh when I think of how close I came to seriously scarring the poor kid. So then today as I got ready in my "Indian" costume Lars said how funny it would be if I was the only parent who dressed up. I told him no way - I was sure they had asked parents to dress up. Well as I walked through the park and saw parent after parent NOT dressed up all I could do was giggle. Finally I got to my station and another girl had dressed up and the room mom had brought head dresses for everyone - whew now only my singing and dancing around a fake fire doing politically incorrect chants would embarrass me.

The kids LOVED this field trip. In the spirit of Thanksgiving let it be said I am thankful for the schools my children attend and the teachers who teach them and love them each day!

One Year Old

2009-11-19T19:13:00.000-08:00

Julia Karen - you are one year old. You are beautiful. I am so happy and sad to watch you grow. You are wild and love to climb. You have three teeth and love to play with your brothers. You adore your daddy and rarely leave my side. You can say Ma ma ma, wave hi, blow kisses, clap and when I say peek a boo, you cover your ears. You are adored by so many. I told your daddy the other day that sometimes I just stare at you and can't believe that I am so blessed to be your mommy. I love you, I love you, I love you.

Toby wanted to give you a new baby for your birthday (your brothers are sad to see you grow but they love every new thing you do). We settled on a doll and you give her hugs and kisses and then throw her aside to try to climb on anything close by.

Homemade strawberry cupcakes were a must. Our friend Mrs Cindy made you a cake too. I love you JK more than you will ever know. I can't wait to watch you grow - I just hope time goes slow.

Won't you be my neighbor

2009-11-12T19:18:00.000-08:00

If you were my neighbor you could see this each day. It's even better at night. That's when we spotlight it for all to see.
But if you were my neighbor you couldn't borrow my master bath because this guy will be living in it until Christmas.
I thought for sure I had married a lawyer....

Halloween 2009

2009-11-10T14:30:00.000-08:00

We had a great Halloween around here. Trey was a SWAT member, Toby was Optimus Prime and JK was the prettiest little frog ever.

Treats were devoured, doors were knocked on and pumpkins were picked. We partied at our church on Friday night and with neighbors on Saturday.
Can't wait for next year!

Life on the Farm

2009-10-27T17:29:00.000-07:00

October is one of my favorite months around here. I am not exagerating when I say there is a Fall Festival going on weekly and towards the end of the month daily. Churches in the south are big business and that means great holiday gatherings that communities turn out for.

This year we have not had a free Saturday to make a trip to our favorite pumpkin patch, so instead we headed out last week to a farm festival that was held during the week.

Animals were there for the petting

And apparently Toby was there for the wiping

mmmm cow snot. But a little snot was not going to slow my boys down

They LOVED the horse rides.

Later a horse dance team (?) performed. And I have to say they were quite impressive. I even had the thought "I wonder if JK will want to do something like this when she gets older....
I think she might. I'll let you know. Of course you have to have a horse which brings us back to the animal snot you saw earlier. Good old fashioned ballet studio dancing is going to have to do.

So on to a week of Halloween fun. Our church is having their Fall Festival on Friday - all are welcome - I will be in charge of the photo area and a story room for the kids. My sister asked if it was going to be a scary story room. Not really, but now I can't get the thought out of my mind of the poor kids running from the "sweet" story room because Sister Longnecker scared them half to death. Why is it so fun to scare people - why?

OK I promise to you all coming to the party this friday - the story will be about a sweet pumpkin. No escapee prisoners on the lose, no men in the back of the cars and definetly no phone calls to babysitters will be mentioned in my story room. Although all of those are classics are they not.

Happy Halloween to you.

Grandma came to visit!

2009-10-13T10:08:00.000-07:00

My mom came to visit last week. She makes everything better and more full of life. We started our weeks adventure with a trip to NYC. One of my best friends from high school was married there and we thought it was a great excuse to go to the Big City together. We had a blast - can you tell?

My mom's brother and his wife are serving as mission presidents for our church in the New York New York North mission - we loved visiting with them and seeing their world for the next few years. The missionaries in New York are lucky to have them, and we were lucky to stay with them. Here are a few pictures...They live in Scarsdale and it is FANTASTIC. A real escape from the city. Notice the license plates? You can take the man out of the farm, but you can't take the farm out of the man.... It really was a treat to be with them and hear about their adventures.

Stay tuned for more pictures of the wedding - it was beautiful.

After our adventure in NY - and it was an adventure filled with planes, trains, subways, taxis, getting lost, street vendors, and a transformation in the H&M mens bathroom, we came back to Alabama for my mom to spend a week with these guys.Oh how they love her! Trey told me just the other day that if he could sleep with anyone it would be grandma. Every night the kids would run into her room instead of ours. She took them to school, ate lunch at Trey's school with him and made sure to spoil them rotten any chance she got.

She also spoils me with energy. Seriously she is like the energizer bunny and I swear I do more in a week with her here than I do in a month without her. Here are a few of our projects:

Our kitchen began to look complete with her help. She whipped together the decor on top of our china hutch and helped me pick out the rug.
Flower bows anyone? She and I made these one night.

And now JK has her very own chair. My mom gives each grandchild a chair for them to enjoy as they grow.

All of these projects and treats taken to friends, boards painted for an upcoming trunk show as well as a fun day of shopping complete with a new scarf, plaid shirt and a halloween outfit for JK.... whew I need her around all the time!

Another thing that my mom did that I want to always remember; she planned a special night to honor Julia, Lars' mother. She made her favorite dinner of hamburger gravy and we decorated the table with Julia's favorites. Then we toasted (with Julia's favorite drink) to all of our wonderful memories of her. My mom told the kids how much she loved their other grandmother and how special she was and how much Julia loved each of them. Then we all went for a walk - the boys were told to look for things on the ground and wouldn't you know that my mom had 'planted' money along our route for them to find, another one of Julia's favorite past times. We talked all about how Julia would walk and walk collecting money as she went - the boys LOVED it.

We will keep this tradition alive.

We love you Grandma - we miss you more than you know. Thank you for spending this last week with us. We can't wait to see you again - LOVE YOU!

Mother of the Year

2009-09-29T08:15:00.000-07:00

On Friday part of Toby's tooth fell out. The sad thing is, I saw it coming. Neither Trey nor Toby has had enamel on their front two teeth. I liked to tell myself that this must be bad genes because it couldn't possibly be bottle rot, especially in Toby's case - he never took a bottle. I also liked to secretly pat my own back when it came to Toby - you see I nursed him until he was 22 months old. I know, I know, that is A LONG TIME - but don't you think I could have been named La Leche League's Mother of the Year? Turns out while I could win an award with their organization, I am probably on the American Dental Associations list of Worse Mothers. Who knew that bottle rot was just a name given to teeth that rot because the child is going to sleep while drinking or drinking during the night.... Interesting. So Toby now has 2 new front teeth. They are beautiful and shine with a guilt free sparkle every time I look at him.

Now, I need to win back the approval of the dental association. Perhaps I should stop taking my children to places like this....

Hmmm, something to think about while I nurse JK - I need to hurry because my cookie brownie is almost ready to take out of the oven.

It's time

2009-09-22T12:27:00.000-07:00

It's time for lots of these - I can eat a whole pan by myself

And a bowl full of this...

While the smell of this is in the air...

Happy Fall Y'All!

4 years old

2009-09-15T11:57:00.000-07:00

To My Toby,

You are four years old now. You are so sweet and thoughtful. You always say thank you and are always willing to help clean up your messes. You adore your baby sister and think the world revolves around her. You are very smart and very athletic. Your teachers at school say you are an angel. With this sweetness is also quite the spark. I sometimes say you have a temper to match your red hair. When you are naughty you are the naughyest - someday I will have to tell you all about the "adventures" you have taken me on. (You are the reason child locks were put into cars, and yes, because of you I know that spanking is not the answer - your daddy once decided it was time to see if a spank would reform your naughyness and your response to that first spank was to look at your daddy and say "that didn't owie"). You keep me on my toes constantly and you ALWAYS make me smile. You are beautiful, wild, loving, strong, happy, and our family would not be complete without you.

We Love You!

PS - The below picture is of you opening one of your presents. You thought it was socks at first, you yelled: "Socks? What the - I'm going to throw you in the trash". And that my boy was a direct quote.

My Sisters Wedding

2009-09-02T12:35:00.000-07:00

My sister Natalie was married on August 22nd. It was a wonderful day. Everything was beautiful - especially her.

The boys were back together again and rocking their matching shirts that my mom dyed twice to get just the right color.

The backyard was beautiful and ready for a party! The colors were awesome. Everything POPPED!

Just in case this fountain wasn't big enough there was a smaller one for white chocolate - the food was fantastic!

Being with family and seeing old friends was wonderful. Everything really was magical...

Some of the behind the scenes prep work...

And now for some of the partying...

Congratulations Ben and Natalie - We love you both! Have fun at your party in Utah this weekend! Wish we were there!

really?

2009-08-12T11:39:00.001-07:00

My little boy is now a full day kindergartner.

My thoughts?: Scared, worried, excited, nervous, happy, lonely.
Trey's thoughts?: Great (that's the word I get everyday when I ask him how his day went)

On the 1st day Trey looked shocked when I picked him up and didn't want to talk about his day. Thank heavens for our neighbors and Trey and Toby's best buddies the Campbells - after letting them play together after school, Trey finally started to warm up and tell us all the great things about his school. He seems to love his teacher and the school. He is a big fan of playing outside, going to the science lab and anytime he get's to go upstairs at school. He is eager to buy chocolate milk for lunch but I am trying to keep things simple this first week. Unfortunately he also seems to be falling asleep during rest time which means he has been staying up until 10 the last few nights! Grrr especially since lights are out for them at 8:15 - that makes for a long time of complaining that he can't fall asleep.

Toby misses Trey the most and is so excited to pick him up each day. We seem to be falling into a routine after school of unwinding/playing for an hour and a half and then working on homework while I cook dinner - it's funny because Toby is all about doing this with Trey. Yesterday we were working on penmanship with Trey and Toby was right there with him trying to write letters. I wonder how long this will last?

Ode to Boise

2009-08-11T11:52:00.000-07:00

Boise Idaho, oh how I love you. It really is a great place to live and to visit for that matter and that's exactly what we did this summer.

Here's a peak at what our summer consisted of:

Lot's and Lot's of fun with our cousins. When I say LOTS I really mean it - I think the 4 older cousins may have separated from each other for a total of 4 hours one day (I was there for 5 weeks), and that was a traumatic experience for them - especially Trey who seems to think the sun rises and falls around his older cousin D. In fact just yesterday I asked Toby who was in charge and he told me D was. Nice.

Trey cried on and off the entire two leg flight home and then part of the next day. It breaks my heart. He told me he wants to move to Boise and have all the Longnecker cousins move there too so he never has to say goodbye to any of his family!

So like I said, we never really separate when I go to Boise - I am all about a slumber party every night - not just for the kids but for me and my sisters, tammy and my mom as well. So this is what we look like when we go places:
Here we are shopping on our way back down the elevator from taking a nursing break - that's right - can you imagine this group in a restroom. Word to the wise - stay away from the Boise Dillards restrooms while I am in town because there is a good chance me, my mom, tammy and my sisters will want to go shopping and that means we ALL go ....
We also like to go to a few of my favorite restaurants when we visit, the kids are just so darn good when we eat out - can't you tell?

It seems like we are always planning a party or an adventure when I go home and my partners in crime are always my mom, Tammy and my other sisters . We planned a kickin shower for my sister Natalie who will be getting married this month to this guy
We are so excited to have Ben be a part of our family. And since we LOVE planning a party having her wedding to work on was fantastic! Did I mention we are going back to Boise in just a week? I told you I love it and I love these two and can't wait so see them get married.

So thanks to great parents, siblings and family members who make Boise such a wonderful place. I love seeing my cousins and being close to them every time I visit out west and that is what makes traveling with my kids for such a long time so worth it. I want them to be close to all their Grandparents and cousins just like I am with mine. I want them to feel proud to be a part of the Longnecker/Hawkins/Glover/Smith families and have great memories with each of those families. So here is to the showers, parties, swim lessons, sleepovers, movies, eating, and shopping fun we had each day. I think I accomplished my goal!

Our trip to Utah

2009-08-09T19:53:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Boise on the 4th of July at 8:30 in the evening. Grandma and Papa / Tammy had a cake ready for us and fireworks ready to go... all to celebrate our arrival - I mean the birth of our country.

We had a great night - anyone have pictures? I need them.

The next morning we hopped in the car to head to Utah - here are some of our adventures...

We had a blast with our cousins - Ella Hazel's blessing day was beautiful. Fireworks, swimming and shopping were also great and the kids just loved being together. Thanks Scott and Heather for a great time. Look forward to some cute posts on ideas for decorating JK's room I got from Heather - she is so creative!

Then we were off to stay with some of our best friends from Chicago who now live in Utah.

Erin, I miss you just writing about you. We had so much fun with you guys and loved being with your family. How is it that we all stayed up until 2am and could have kept going? We really needed like three more days just to go shopping together like old times. Chicago's got nothing on SLC! Thanks for a great time.

Then on to the Y (BYU) where life is beautiful all the time - really it is. We loved being back on campus - why did I want to put a back pack on and walk around all by myself (sorry family) and pretend that I was a student again just for a day (or 2 or 3). Don't get me wrong, I love my life now - but that time of my life really was magical - how could it not have been I lived in this house

Doesn't it just lure small children into it with it's cuteness? Really though, the gals and I that lived here (see previous post) loved it so much that we nicknamed ourselves the Log Cabin Girls and made ourselves t-shirts that said so. We still refer to ourselves as the Log Cabin Girls.

Then Lars and I took the boys to see some of the beauty around the Y campus

Bridal Veil Falls proved to be one of the boys' favorites.

Last but not least we were able to visit my sweet aunt, cousin and her daughter.
Tegan we are still praying for you everyday. How is it that this sweet girl could be going through so much right now as well as my aunt and cousin and yet I left them feeling so full of sunshine and happiness. Ang and Aunt Jacque, I know you guys are constantly saying how much you are learning from Tegan, but I want you to know that the rest of us are also learning from you. You really are amazing in the truest sense of that word - I love you thank you for letting me visit!

Fasten Your Seat Belts...

2009-08-09T13:08:00.000-07:00

Because I've got some updating to do. Some people "summer" at the Hamptons - we summer in Boise. So I have now returned home from our summer of fun and it is time to do some updating.

The first of our trips across the country was for this lady:

Julia Karen, a friend and I flew to Arizona to celebrate with Amanda at her wedding. It was wonderful, beautiful and overall a magical weekend. Can you tell that I spent most of the weekend laughing?
I am still anxious to find more pictures - ones that include Katie Allred and all of us with the beautiful bride. Thank you to all the log cabin girls for being you - Joy is the word I will always use to describe the feeling I have when we are together!

Also a shout out to Brett and Jeremy - thanks for being JK's pseudo daddy Brett! And Jeremy, you have opened the world of texting to me (Lars has shut that world down until we get a new cell phone plan but still my eyes are open and the next wedding we attend I will be right with all the fellas playin with my phone!)

8 Years

2009-06-30T20:52:00.000-07:00

8 years ago today Lars and I were married. 8 has always been my favorite number - so here is to a great new year of celebrating our life together.

Oh and if you have the urge to write a comment telling me how young we look, fight it, I like to pretend I still look like this....

Old Navy

2009-06-26T19:27:00.000-07:00

Tonight we went to Old Navy to find out if they were in fact selling shorts for 5 dollars. Sure enough shorts, swim suits and tees were 5 bucks. Lars printed a coupon for 15 percent off on top of that and so by the end of our little shopping spree we bought:

2 shorts for JK
1 puff sleeve onsie for JK
3 uniform worthy (nice plain front khakis) shorts for Trey
1 swimsuit bottom for Trey
1 rash guard top for Trey
1 pair of board shorts for Toby
1 rash guard shirt for Toby
1 tee for me
1 board shorts for Lars

For a grand total of: $54 - that's with 10% sales tax included.

Happy shopping tomorrow - I know you will want to go after this post! Oh and the puff sleeve scoop neck tees are darling for ladies but they do shrink quite a bit....

Fathers Day

2009-06-25T12:35:00.000-07:00

While JK and I partied it up in Arizona for a friends wedding (pictures and blogging posts on that later), Lars and the boys spent Fathers Day weekend in Atlanta with his family. Our family celebrated Fathers Day earlier in the week with some friends, a steak dinner and new Wii games. I also wanted to do a special post for him - we'll see if he ever actually sees it....

I asked the boys their favorite thing about their Daddy and here is their responses (direct quotes):

Trey - He's Great! He let's me watch shows even if it is like 7:59. He plays with me.

Toby - He play a game. He play video games with me. He gives kisses and secret at night. (secret is when Lars tells the boys he has a secret to tell them - he gets real close and then bounces their beds right after tucking them in - they giggle every time.

If JK could talk I am sure her answer would be - he thinks I am the cutest thing in the world!

My thoughts on Lars - I don't think there could be a better dad. He is hands on and always has been. He loves, disciplines, sets boundaries, hugs and kisses, and completely adores his kids. I have seen him emotional 3 times in our marriage. The first was with worry for me after Trey was born. The second was regarding the pain and sadness that came from his mothers cancer and death and the third was when he felt his boy had been wronged. He loves with an intensity that can not be described. He is loyal and the best word I can think of to describe him is integrity. You know we adore Lars in our home because 5 o'clock rolls around and we are all out in our front room looking out the windows waiting for him to get home. The boys ask him each night if tomorrow is his day off.

We Love you daddy!

Love you Lars. Happy Fathers Day

labor of love

2009-06-14T16:09:00.001-07:00

Last year our primary presidency was approached about doing a sort of vacation bible school for our children at church. This is a huge undertaking and quite overwhelming, but we pulled it off. Our theme was BOOT Camp (Building Our Own Testimonies) and the kids LOVED it. Each age group was a different platoon and they would march from classes that ranged from Spiritual Training to Craft Detail to Physical Training. Lunch was served in the 'Mess Hall".

Honestly, the kids have SO MUCH fun with this - they look forward to it all year and so this year we might have gone a little overboard but it was so worth it!
Our theme this year was "Putting on the Armor of God". We extended our camp to 3 days and added a water day complete with an awards ceremony, slide show and pinata. Oh the fun!

When all was said and done (yes we even hand made clay CTR shields for the kids to paint and take home) seeing these kids feel the love that all of their leaders have for them is more than worth it. We have kids from ALL walks of life that come together each Sunday and I love them so much. I feel sincerely blessed to serve them.

Julia Karen and I matched in green and black army gear on the firs day - she was a trooper, 3 straight days of no morning naps and being at the church from 9 to 2 on some days.

Funny stories I want to remember *readers be warned one is about nursing*

-On the first day of boot camp I snuck away from my class to quickly feed JK. I hurried into the mothers lounge and not worrying about keeping covered I started to nurse her. All of a sudden I heard a platoon marching closer and closer - turns out that they were doing a scavenger hunt and a clue was hidden in the mothers lounge right where I was nursing - awesome!! Poor kids, they got more than a clue in that room that day! Thanks Tomicka for stopping them before they all were sent into post traumatic stress disorder from a church boot camp!

- the whole week I had a dull and rather painful ache under my left rib cage. Turns out I have a cracked rib (not fractured - but still painful). I just kept thinking I can make it until the end of boot camp. Yesterday I went strait to a pri-med place for an x-ray when boot camp finished up and there you have it a cracked and painful rib - but at least I made it to the end. I always knew I was military material....

Miracle for Tegan

2009-06-02T12:52:00.001-07:00

See this little doll - her sweet little body is fighting cancer right now. Her name is Tegan and she is my cousins little girl. My cousin and her husband tried for years to get pregnant, they were finally blessed with this little girl just two years ago and now they are fighting for her life.

My heart has been breaking as I read and hear updates about little Tegan and her struggles with this battle. I know that many of you don't know this family, but I know that you know what it is like to be a mother and to fear for your little ones. Please follow Tegans story with us and pray for her and for her family. I know that prayers ease pain and strengthen us during our darkest hours.

Follow her story at: teganlyn.blogspot.com

6 Months Old

2009-05-28T18:44:00.000-07:00

Julia Karen is 6 months old. She is 17.1 lbs and 27.5 inches tall. She is rolling all over the place and starting to sit on her own. She loves her family and laughs all the time. She is the sunshine of our days.

I can't stop laughing

2009-05-22T11:55:00.000-07:00

http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com/

Go there now - you'll be happy you did.

Schools Out For Summer

2009-05-21T13:13:00.000-07:00

Let's swing, eat popsicles, and play with water as much as possible.

Trey's Preschool Graduation

2009-05-15T18:45:00.000-07:00

Today Trey graduated from preschool. It was a great day. We will miss his teachers and friends so much as everyone heads off to different schools next year.

I am very devoted to this little preschool - I worked there as a music teacher when I was pregnant with Trey and today he walked the stage five years later.

Songs were sung, pictures taken, food devoured, presents given and smiles all around - maybe a few tears. (Lars mockingly kept saying "I told myself I wasn't going to cry" all the while laughing with the boys like they had a private joke)!

Here are a few pictures from our day.

Trey's biggest fan and best friend - his little brother. Toby also performed today, but it took a little coaxing. Alright it took a bribe of a water gun. Toby started crying as soon as he saw us and started to refuse to go up on stage. Lars said quietly but firmly - "no water gun then" I looked at the people sitting next to us, embarrassed that we were bribing/forcing our child to perform. I was relieved that it was a Korean couple that don't speak much English. As soon as Toby was done performing he ran to us and the Korean man leaned down and asked Toby "Was it worth it for a water gun?" Busted. We bribe because we love....

Trey can't wait to sleep with his "friendship pillowcase".

Crazy

2009-05-12T13:06:00.000-07:00

So - I love to create things. For some reason I get a high from cleaning my house and making things. I have had a little home decor boutique (can I call it that? - hmmm, that reminds me I am 11 days late on rent...) for about a year and a half now and it is fun, but a friend recently talked to me about taking this passion and stepping it up a bit.

Step it up a bit we did! You can check out our business at lfhvinyl.blogspot.com. We have been nuts. In the last 6 weeks we have had 4 events going on. We have more scheduled for August and September already.

If you had stopped by my house last week you would have seen a dining room table and hard wood floors that looked ruined from paint as well as multiple jeans of mine covered in vinyl scraps - I was loving it! Honestly at one point my dining room had 30+ boards in all different colors flanking the walls and chairs and I'm pretty sure I went quite a few days without a shower and my hair tucked under a baseball cap all so that we could get people their orders by Mothers Day.

So that is what has been going on around here. I'd love to hear any comments or ideas on things we should add to our catalog.

Confederate Memorial Day

2009-04-27T14:19:00.000-07:00

Happy Confederate Memorial Day!

Perhaps some of you didn't know that such a thing existed -well it does and in honor of it and this glorious state of Alabama that gives Lars this day off each year I would like to post some things I love about the South (ok Alabama specifically) - Good and Bad.

Shoes are optional - rockin! I loathe socks! Oh wait, it's really just the kids that don't wear shoes down here...

Lemonade and sweet tea abound- doesn't it just feel like you should have a tall glass right now and come swing with me on my screened in front porch - you know you want to.

The words "Bless Her Heart" allows you to say anything. For instance; while I was pregnant many people would say: "Bless your heart you look like you are going to explode" Nice. or another favorite "Bless your heart you just can't get anywhere on time can you?" Awesome. Thank goodness my heart has been blessed before you stabbed it!

Yes Mam - good ol' southern charm at its finest. I even like that my kids are being taught to say it.

Wednesday is church night for EVERYONE down here. Seriously nobody plans things on Wednesday night because it is church night for all religions.

Sweet Home Alabama - the song that is. Once I was waiting in a doctors office and a woman was called back while the song was being performed on a TV talk show - the woman said "not until our anthem is finished".

Now any of you true southerners add to this list and Happy CMD to YA'LL (you like that, don't ya).

As good as it gets

2009-04-17T12:13:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone had a great Easter - this picture is as good as we could get after church this last Sunday. Oh, and remember my ramblings on how to stretch out a holiday - yah well, I'm Eastered out - seriously, were four Easter egg hunts really necessary?...

What is it with moms and over-doing things - I have learned my lesson! I am not even going to tell the kids about our next holiday coming up - sure it is Confederate Memorial Day, but I think instead of going to some sort of North vs. South re-enactment we will go out to lunch and sleep in.

I'm laughing at any of you who actually thought we would go to a North vs. South re-enactment. Although, I've heard they are quite entertaining....

Easter so far....

2009-04-09T12:20:00.000-07:00

As with all holidays and little kids - one day is so not enough time to fully celebrate. Here are a few things we have been up to...

Kissing JK's cheeks - way better than eating Easter candy

Resurrection Eggs - by far my favorite Family Home Evening of the year - the kids love finding them and then learning about the real reason we celebrate Easter.

Easter egg hunts at school are always a hit.

Trey's class got bunny ears to wear - he was not having any of that! (Seriously, he walked in and saw them on everyone and froze. Pink and cartoonish on his body - no way. Thanks Mrs. Elizabeth for knowing right away to tell him he didn't have to wear them) We found a great place to put the ears instead!
Happy Easter so far - and just think we still have two parties before the actual day gets here. Now that is how you celebrate a holiday!

4 months

2009-04-07T13:54:00.000-07:00

So I am almost five months and here are some of the things I can do.... I can bring my hands together and play with the ball in my jungle gym. I love to play with my toes and sit up like a big girl in my exersaucer. If my mommy puts all her weight next to me when I am laying on the bed, I can almost roll over - and she gets really excited for me! I giggle through my nose and I even sleep through the night (just depends on my mood). I ADORE my brothers except when they try to do 5 way kisses at night after family prayer - they make loud slobbery noises in my face - they think it is funny but it scares me to death! Just today I got upset with my mommy for covering my view of my daddy - he is so fun to look at! Oh, and I am so past the sit and rock with you phase - that was so last month - now I need to be up and walking in my parents arms.

Sometimes my mommy acts like she is going to eat me.
Sometimes I worry these two really will eat me...

I wonder what I will do next month...

Soccer

2009-04-05T11:33:00.000-07:00

Trey has started soccer and we are loving it. In fact the other night Trey's first game was moved indoors because of the rain - Lars and I learned something about ourselves that night.

While we were waiting for Trey's game to start we listened to these parents yelling at their little girl. They would yell "Follow the ball Rose", or "Kick the ball Rose", and "Run Rose, Run". The whole time I was thinking to myself - 'these parents need to calm themselves down, their just 5 year olds'.

And then Trey took to the field (or gym floor that day) and I honestly don't know what happened but seriously I could not shut up. The whole time I was yelling "Kick it Trey" or "Run Trey, Run"! I knew I sounded like those parents and I knew that others were probably thinking that I needed to calm myself down but I just couldn't! I am embarrassed to admit that at one point I heard the words "Take it from him" come out of my mouth. What!?

When Lars and I got in the car that night we just kind of looked at each other.

Hmmm, next time maybe we shouldn't stand next to the net while Trey is being goalie, no matter how helpful we think we are being....

Proof he does like it even if his parents are nuts!

Look at Lars' face, he is seriously sizing up the competition - what is wrong with us?

At least all of our "encouraging yells" are followed by treats, the real reason kids play.

Birthday wishes

2009-04-04T19:51:00.000-07:00

It's my sister's birthday so here is a shout out to her and some of the things I love about her -

A always beautiful
M motivated to learn and create
O open to trying new things
R really loyal to those she loves
A a blast to be around with a great smile and laugh that can make anyone happy

I love you Aimee - Happy birthday

Inspiring

2009-04-01T20:39:00.000-07:00

welcome back My Boys - I've missed you!

2009-03-31T21:21:00.000-07:00

Toby and his talk

2009-03-30T14:24:00.000-07:00

Toby spoke in primary this last Sunday. He showed pictures of different homes that we either drew or cut out from magazines last Monday for family home evening. In his talk he said that we all live in different kinds of homes but that we should all try to have Jesus in our home.

So the funny part of this was that we had turned on the mic for him and for some reason the kids thought it was hilarious every time he spoke into the mic (ok his lips were right up on it). I thought for sure this would embarrass Toby - nope he was on a roll up there, the more they laughed the more he loved it and smiled the above smile. Lars came in to listen and one of the 10 year old boys turned to him and said "You've got a comedian on your hands." I don't know if I will ever figure this little guy out.

Another funny church story about Toby I want to remember: One day in his Sunday school class I was sitting with him because he was not a happy camper - he wanted to say the prayer so I helped him. I said into his ear: "say thank you for your teacher" and he yelled out, "but I don't like my teacher" Nice Toby - she and I both laughed. Things have changed though and now he won't stop talking about how his teacher is coming to our house next Friday (I am hosting our primary inservice). He really does keep us laughing - and sometimes screaming....

I love you, I love you, I love you

2009-03-29T20:27:00.000-07:00

Say what you want about the movie and the bad acting - I love it. This weekend a bunch of friends had a Twilight party complete with vampire food and even Twilight chocolate bars. I wasn't able to attend the whole thing so I downloaded the movie to TiVo and made Lars watch it with me. I told Lars ahead of time absolutely no mocking during the movie so I wasn't totally surprised that he seemed into it - but my ubber picky ubber smart husband really liked it. I think I almost have him talked into reading the books. He can read a 400 page book in a day or two so I won't miss him like he missed me for most of last summer while I read the series, but hey who knows maybe I will start reading them again this summer (so long house work, see you in the fall!)

spring is here

2009-03-25T19:42:00.000-07:00

And so are my allergies! Sure our screened in porch is covered in a yellow powder of pollen and bees are swarming our azalea bush - but I'm lovin it, itching and sneezing aside!

I told the boys our goal should be to color each brick before summer - I wonder if the rain will wash away our goal...

I even busted out the pedicure splurge - Has anyone ever seen bigger toes? Perhaps red wasn't such a good idea...

And now each day is spend outside with sidewalk chalk and the bubble machine along with a few good sticks - my boys' favorite toy.

The Haps

2009-03-19T13:37:00.000-07:00

It is spring break around here and we are livin it up. On Monday we started the week off with a 'Bracket Family Home Evening' at our friends house. Six families gathered, had a spiritual message, ate, and filled out our brackets - the winner will get tickets to a baseball game - thanks McEwens!

Then our friends came into town and we had a blast. A Girls Night Out and a day/picnic at the zoo were just a few of the things we did. - Thanks for visiting Nicole, Nora and Audrey!

Then someone around here turned 33! A group of us went to dinner to celebrate and although EVERYONE had been told absolutely NO singing - someone told the waitress - when they started clapping Lars was able to shut them down with one wag of the finger and a look! It was HILARIOUS, but needless to say I doubt I will get him near a restaurant ever again during the month of MARCH!

Since I don't have a pic of Lars, enjoy this one of JK and the boys - doesn't he make darling children? The boys are posed in front of our family mascott (get it Giraffes and Longneckers...)

So, here is to a fun Spring Break week where the weather has been in the high 70's and friends have been eager to celebrate the fun of it all!

Girls weekend

2009-03-09T14:25:00.000-07:00

So this weekend Lars took over so that I could spend a weekend with these two. How fun is it that my best friend and sister-in-law became so close when they both moved to Tennessee a few years ago. They really are so close and so when we all get together it is a blast! Our weekend was filled with late nights, eating out and shopping - could anything be better? In fact we sat and talked in Macaroni Grill for over two hours - I don't remember the last time I was able to do that. We were especially loving our husbands who were taking care of sick kids - yep that's right we all got a weekend away (Al has since moved out west) while our husbands took care of the puke, diahrrea and sore throats. Thanks Lars, Matt and Erik because of you guys I am rejuvinated.

On the drive home I thought 'I need to do this more often - I am better for it and I remember the Candi before kids who is a huge part of me and she needs to be remembered more often!' So who's up for the next girls trip? (Nicole, we'll just have to make it feel like your girls are part of us when you come next week - that's what I did with her...)

Dance Party

2009-03-05T11:54:00.001-08:00

This weekend we made the most of having family over and spent some time having a dance party - on the wii that is. How fun are my parents to bust a move....

Also - I am pretty sure you can catch some great video clips of my sister in law Alison on the wii fit hula hoop - just check it out on facebook