April 30 - Excited & Anxious

I was so anxious and excited today. I got so much shopping done. I realized the kids would need some food while we were gone and didn't want to put the whole burden on those who had agreed to watch them.  So I went shopping for snacks and breakfast stuff.

I hope they won't eat my family and friends out of house and home while we're gone.

April 29 - Muloch

Today I was introduced to Zac's drawing Muloch. Wow a very detailed drawing of a demon. A demon? Yikes!!  Boys draw scary stuff sometimes. I think there's something really cool about it though. There is such detail in his face.

I really think Zac has quite a talent. I wanted to remember how often I find him drawing like this. It's at least once a week but almost daily sometimes. This is one of Zac's many hobbies and one of my favorite.

April 28 - Awww Bella

Yesterday I saw on Danette's facebook post that she got a new little doggie. The pictures of her are SO cute!! She's adorable. I asked her to please bring her to work tomorrow (meaning today).  Guess what?  She did!!

And I got to hold her and play with her a bit. She's so tiny and she's so cute. Makes me wish I would be a good pet owner because she's SO CUTE!!  But I know, from prior tries with a variety of pets, that I wouldn't be. :( boo cause it would be fun for a while. Sweet Bella sure brought A LOT of happiness to the office today.

April 27 - Oil Change

Today I had to get my oil changed. The car has been reminding me now for about a week. Since we're leaving on Monday we decided we better get it done before we leave. Today was the day.

I think getting the oil changed is a pain in the rump. But today it was pretty great weather and I decided that I'd go to Sam's Club while I was waiting. That worked out great! I'll probably do that again.

April 26 - Polka Dot Pleasures

Today I decided to spruce up my brown long sleeve t-shirt today for work with this little polka dot scarf. I received a lot of compliments. Isn't it funny how something so simple can make your outfit fun?

I really like polka dots. They are fun and happy.

April 25 - Strawberry Starts

Today Jeff's dad brought us some strawberry starts - over 100 of them! That was really lucky - huh?! when I got home from work today, Jeffrey was out on a walk, but he had started preparing the front  flower bed to plant them. That scene was very motivating. So I went inside, changed my clothes and got to town. Ripping out our dead mums and those crazy hyacinth's that seem to have babies each year even thought we ripped them out last year, they keep coming back.  It was looking so good when he got back from his walk.

He began helping me to form the flower bed and get it ready to plant all those starts. As I was planting the starts he continued working on the rest of our flower beds. Weeding and raking. He made them look so great. Love my Jeffrey!  Love it when he helps me, love that synergy that happens when we work together. Makes me wanna bust out in song "When we're helping we're happy and we sing as we go!"

April 24 - Easter Sunday

I keep forgetting to get my kids new easter clothes. I've wanted to do that for a long time now, but in preparation for Easter it always seems to go on the back burner. This year was no exception. Boo :(  But, I still took a picture of them all ready for church. They look so handsome don't you think.

April 23 - Dyeing Easter Eggs

We dyed some easter eggs this morning. The kids loved it. It's a fun tradition we have to keep. So we fit it in this morning while getting ready for our family to come over to celebrate easter here with an Easter Egg Hunt, lunch and the First Annual Egg Bashing Contest!! Wanna see how it fun it turned out? Go to my post here.

I can't believe how much we got done this morning before they came. We cleaned, organized, went to the store . . . . twice :) . . . .colored eggs, removed dandelions from the yard (front and back), raked up the yard and got things out to be ready for a party at our house. Oh. . . . I had a shower too!

How did I get that all done? I couldn't have done it if it weren't for Josh and Hayden. I was so happy with them this morning. I asked them to help me get ready for the party and they were so cooperative. Usually I get a lot of whining and grumpin around when I ask for help. But not this morning. They were AWESOME!  I kept telling them how great they were to help me. They were really making us accomplish a lot and it was going super fast. They were so grown up and very helpful today. I don't want to forget that part about today. Love those boys.

I think coloring the eggs must have been more exciting to them then I realized.

Josh's blue egg brings out the blue in his eyes :D

April 22 - Guitar Lessons Rock!

Well with Jeffrey feeling so sick he didn't feel up to taking Zac to guitar lessons today so I got to do it. It was pretty fun to watch him learn a thing or two. I think Jon humored me and tried to teach Zac a couple lines to a song. And the song they chose together?  AC/DC Back in Black. LOL

It actually rocked. He picked it up pretty fast and I was thrilled to be able to listen to him play something other than cords and boxes :D Guitar Lessons ROCK!!

April 21 - Doctored Up

Bless Jeffrey's heart he's so sick. I have been trying to come up with things to make him feel better. We've given him a bath with peppermint oil in it. He's done the sinus busters. I rubbed grapefruit oil down his spine. Anything to help him get over this cold/flu. He even took Claritin D last night. Wow, last time he took it he went on and on about how great it was. When I was sick though it didn't do diddly! This time when he took it. . . same thing (didn't do diddly for him)  :(  boo.

Tonight he made up some mullein tea (which "naturally" acts as an expectorant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antihistaminic and is also calming) and added honey and lemon (which is a natural suppressant). He was hoping that he could break up all the gunk in his lungs then quiet his cough so he could sleep.  I also got him some NyQuil hoping that this herbal and medicinal combination would do the trick to let him sleep a bit better tonight. Here's hoping that being all doctored up today will do the trick. Then we can both feel a little bit happier.

April 20 - Dad Can Bend Wood!

Jeffrey is amazing with his hands. He can do anything he puts his mind to. So. . . when he was telling me about a hammock stand that he saw and wants to try and make I knew he'd figure it out. He kept talking about how he'd need to build a jig to bend the wood. I couldn't understand what he was talking about. I am not great at envisioning his visions in my head. Once he gets an idea in his head, he can't let it go until he figures it out. This is what I came home to tonight. He figured it out. He never ceases to amaze me with his talents.

As soon as Hayden saw it, he ran right into his brothers and yelled. "Hey you guys, Dad can bend wood!"

April 19 - Scout Fun

Tonight was my first Wolf Den Activity. I was very nervous. The boys were a little rowdy at first but as we went along they did just awesome!!  They helped when they were asked. They covered their books so patiently. They had to take turns and they did awesome. They answered all of our questions about books they like and two of them even told us about a book they've recently read.

(Sorry 'bout the blurry picture - this one's on my phone, I forgot my camera)

Then to finish off the night they taught me a new game. We played four corners. I've never played that game before and they loved it. I'll have to play that with my kids at a party sometime.

April 18 - Wriggly Worms

Today it pretty much rained all day long. I learned to love the rain when we took a choir tour to Washington D.C. and Virginia. I remember it raining there pretty near everyday. But I loved it. It was beautiful. It always smelled so good and everything was green, green, green.  One of the other things I love about the rain is the worms always come out. They are all over the sidewalk. I think it's funny to see them wiggling around.

This little worm made me smile.

April 17 - Sunday Sundaes

Tonight after dinner the kids had ice cream sundaes. Did you notice the Rootbeer Float and Crush toppings. Yum-O!!

They loved every bite. Sunday's bring happiness. Especially when they end with an ice cream sundae :)  LOL!!

April 16 - Soccer Saturday

Today was full of soccer. Hayden's game was at 9:30a.  Josh's was at 2:00p.  This was their first game of the year. Hayden's team was down two within the first 15 min.  But they came back to win it by one in the end!  He said something like, "mom winning feels good." I would have to agree.

On Friday night, Josh heard that Annika had a game at 2:30p and his was at 2:00p, at the same field. He was excited to see her playing there. Then Saturday morning we found out that her game was really at 2:00p. At the same field. Then we started wondering if they were going to play against each other. Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later. It just so happened this was the one. Josh's team played against Annie's team. Oh dear, that would make it hard. We were wishing they would tie. But. . . . it wasn't so. Josh's team scored 4 then Annie's team scored 1 and then Josh's team scored one last goal.  They ended up winning.

It was hard for Josh to keep the smile off his face. He didn't want to hurt Annie's feelings though, so he concentrated hard until we walked to the car. He thought it felt good to win. Since last fall all their team seemed to do is lose.  He didn't like losing so much. But winning, that was good.

April 15 - Rock Creek Pizza

Decided to try out Rock Creek Pizza tonight. Outside of having to wait FOREVER for a table while all the time people that had paid AFTER us were snagging them up left and right, I thought it was good. It was fun to have an "all you can eat" pizza line up. You just walked through a buffet of pizzas that were quickly changing. I thought it was very good. They even had a salad bar (which wasn't a fabulous one, but it was tasty).

The mom vote was probably an 8 or 9 but the kid vote was probably a 10!  They had a great time eating from the salad bar - gummy bears, animal crackers and fishy crackers. LOL that was their favorite part.

It was fun to try something new. Next up. . . the Bomb Diggity!  We noticed on the way that it's finally open!!  Watch for it. . . . it should be coming to a post here soon.  :D

April 14 - Hammock Happiness

This is where I found Jeffrey today when I came home for lunch.

Doesn't he look comfy?  It made me happy. I had to snap a picture.  I don't get many opportunities for picture taking. He hates having his picture taken. Thank goodness for facebook. He has to update his picture from time to time ;)

He loves this hammock. Remember how I was saying I know that "things" don't make you happy. Well this is one "thing" that really, really brings us happiness.  I've seen each one of us and friends too, just be in the hammock and see how it changes their moods instantly and it doesn't seem so fleeting. It seems to last a while.

I think a hammock brings happiness.

April 13 - Happy Feet

Have I ever told you that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE fun, cute, colorful socks?  I have to say that it's been something of a secret obsession of mine. Mandy usually has the cutest socks ever. I remember many a time when I'd look over at her sock covered feet and smile. She has great taste in fun socks. But I haven't had cute socks for a long, long time now. So, around Christmas time, I splurged and bought myself some cute socks I saw at Costco.  Then in February, I bought another pack. Ü Ü

Okay, okay, so I know, they say "things" don't really make you happy. Most of the time I realize that's true. . . the happiness you get from "things" is fleeting, but really, truly, something like these silly, cute, colorful, striped socks make me happy over and over again. They really do! Seriously, they do! All I have to do is look down at my feet and I feel a smile spread across my face. These socks bring me happiness (even if it is fleeting).

I have cute, happy feet Ü Ü Ü

April 12 - It was Bound to Happen Sooner or Later!

On Sunday they announced that I'd been called as the Assistant Den Leader to the Wolves. Hayden looked at me and said, "You're going to be my scout leader?"  I'm not too sure if he's all that excited about that. Okay. . .so I knew it was bound to happen sooner or later. I just was not really ready for it yet. After all, I'm a teacher in Relief Society right now too. Seriously? Two Callings? I didn't see that coming!!

Anyway. . . Tonight I went to my first Pack Meeting as the Assistant Den Leader in the Wolves. AND Now I'm wondering what in the world was I thinking?  I'm really scared!!

Let me just tell you, there are 10 wolves in our group (including Hayden). Did you hear me? Ten 8 year old BOYS!!  Can I just say that saying they are rambunctious is the kindest word I could come up with. Another kind thought is that they are ALL FULL of energy!!  The truth, on the other hand, is that they are ALL completely Out of Control! :D LOL

I wouldn't be so scared if I knew that the current leader and I would be doing it together, but that's just another scary point. She is Big and PregO!! :) She's so cute and being induced on April 25! Which means I'll be doing it by myself for 8 weeks until she comes back from maternity leave.

Can I just ask you now, "What in the world was I thinking saying yes to this calling?!" Yikes!!  I'm a little freaked out right now. These boys are going to be a handful and my new challenge.

Like I said, with three boys in our family, it was bound to happen sooner or later, I'm just not sure I'm ready for this yet. I hope it will all turn out fine. In the meantime, I'm asking for suggestions on how to get these boys under control without handcuffing them all to their chairs. Cause that's what I'm thinking it going to need to happen to get it through another meeting with them!!

April 11 - 40 is Fabulous!!

Today is Jeffrey's Birthday. He is turning 40! I think he's decided that 40 is Fabulous!!

This particular birthday has been a hard one for him. So. . . he decided he wanted to celebrate in a big way by going out to eat at Market Street Grill!  Oh ya, love that the birthday boy gets to choose the place that he wants to eat at for dinner. What a great choice, eh?!!

He ordered the PRIME New York Strip and One King Crab Leg. It was so much fun watching him eat the Crab Leg. He shared with me and I must say they were both delicioso!!

Here's to hoping 40 will bring big changes. Good changes. Changes he's been looking forward to. I love him so much and I'm glad to have him in my life.

I think that turning Forty for Jeff really did turn out to be FABulous!!

April 10 - Studying on Sunday

Decided that studying on Sunday is okay. It's educational. You're improving yourself. You're learning. It's a quiet activity.

Hayden is struggling with times tables right now. It seems to me that they aren't really learning them other then taking a timed test. So. . . I created one he could practice with at home. Hayden and I are going through them together and learning them too.

He doesn't love it. . .but I hope it will help him get through all the times tables by the end of the year. As you can see he's only on 4's and we only have 2 1/2 months to go. Yikes. . .that's coming up fast!! Wish us luck.

April 9 - Mikelle's Baptism

Mikelle was baptized today. It was fun to be there for her special day. It brought back many memories of baptism days for our family too. She looked so pretty dressed in white.

She was very nervous. I loved learning a little bit more about her. We found out that she's taking Irish Dancing right now - how fun is that. We also found out that she is a girl who knows what she wants and when she needs to she makes sure that you know. I was glad we were there it was a special day.

April 8 - A Baby Girl

Today I got to hold a baby girl.  Ken brought Kayden by to visit with Lynda and I got to hold her :D  Oh that just made my day. Babies always have a way of bringing such happiness.  She brought such a smile to my face. I got to hear her coo and see her sweet smile. She is still so little and she smells so good.

What a sweet baby girl and a special visit. It made me smile.

April 7 - New Glasses

After much anticipation, we finally picked up Josh's glasses today. I had to have him pose right away. They put them on him and made sure everything was adjusted correctly. It was sort of funny to see the Dr. pull them out of the case. The ear pieces were straight. They rounded them after he tried them on. Then they adjusted the nose pieces and Wah-La!  A perfect fit.

It was hard for him to hold back the smile when he put them on :D  He kept looking through them and lifting them to his forehead and looking again. Then putting them back on and looking through them. I was like, "why do you keep doing that?!" The Dr. said, he's probably comparing how much clearer everything is. Of course, I thought and laughed at myself.

He had to wear them all the way home. He looked at me and said, "mom, you know what, I can see so much better. See the dash board? Without my glasses it just looks blurred. But with my glasses on, I can see it has texture."

Love that boy. Think he looks so handsome.

April 6 - Happy Reminders

Do you have happy reminders around your home? I do. I have pieces of other places that bring me happiness when I sit and look at them.

These are a great reminder of a beautiful place.

April 5 - Fancy Feet

Jeffrey found himself some fancy new shoes. He probably wouldn't like me calling them that. . . . . . but seriously that's exactly what they are!!  F - A - N - C - Y ! ! !  Don't you think so?

Say hello to Jeffrey's new Men's Salomon SpeedCross 2 Trail Running Shoe

He got them for hiking on our trip. He's so excited. He has to break them in. I like them a lot, maybe have to find the "female" version and get me some too :D

April 4 - Uprooted

So. . . had to uproot and replant some of Jeffrey's plants today. They were getting too big for their little home.  I wish we could put them outside in the garden, but you all know how much it snowed over the weekend. So. . .that's a no go.  Until then, this will have to do.

Can't wait to put them in the garden.

April Fool's!! . . . . . Oh Wait it's April 3

Jeffrey woke me up this morning by saying, "So, were you the one that ordered the 7" of snow out there?" I was like, funny but don't you think it's a little late for an April Fool's joke?  He insisted he wasn't kidding. He asked me again and I asked him again if he was kidding. He said I'm not kidding and wondered if I'm the one that ordered it?  NO, BOO! :(

He said that I better get a picture of it because it wasn't going to last. He thought it would be gone by this evening. So. . . .that's just what I did.  I'm glad that I did because most of those 6 1/2" melted, but we still have snow on the ground. It's just not as pretty as it was this morning though.

April 2 - Conference Weekend is Here :)

I love conference weekend. I love all of it. I love being able to watch it on TV. I love having the family together all day long. I love making a big breakfast. I love seeing them on TV. I love it when they "make a funny" during their talk.

Dallin H. Oaks gave a wonderful talk on DESIRE.  He made great comments like "What we insistently desire over time is what we will eventually become."  "Begin with a desire. . . and call upon our loving Heavenly Father for help with our feelings."  This picture was just after he had talked to the single men.  "Single men, please consider the challenge in this letter written by a single sister. 'The men seem to be blinded and confused as to whether it is their responsibility to seek out these wonderful choice daughters of our Heavenly Father and court them and be willing to make and keep sacred covenants in the Lord’s house.' She concluded, 'There are many single LDS men here that are happy to go out and have fun and date and hang out but have absolutely no desire to ever make any kind of commitment to a woman.'  I’m sure that some anxiously seeking young men would want me to add that there are some young women who’s desires (Audience breaks into laughter here – we did too. It made me smile big) for a worthy marriage and children rank far below their desires for a career or other mortal distinctions. Both men and women need righteous desires that will lead them to eternal life."

I love making traditions. For a long time now I've wanted to do something fun in between the sessions on Saturday. This year we got donuts from Beyond Glaze in between conferences. Next year I'd like to go get ice cream or a shake or even out to eat in between. This year we did a little b-day shopping for Jeffrey. We found some great things he is very excited about.

Then, Jeff, Zac and Gpa Quick went to the Priesthood Session. I want them to start a fun tradition of going out for dessert afterwards. I'll have to convince Jeffrey to do that though. So, we will see.  And when Hayden's 12 - I'm going to have to have a girls night out. Anyone wanna plan that one with me?  :D

April 1 - Tom Foolery

This year I totally remembered. I created all sorts of Tom Foolery around our house. It was fun, the kids thought it was so cool and they began coming up with their own ideas of what to do to their teacher, or the kids at school.

I changed out the cereal in their cereal boxes. In the Cheerios box was Fruity Pebbles, in the Honey Bunches of Oats was Cinnamon Buns Cereal and so on.  :) They also thought they were drinking strawberry milk, but it was just food coloring that made the milk pink.

In their shoes was an Idaho Spud. . . not a real potato (which would have been funny too), but a candy bar spud and in the other shoe a Push Pop. I thought the kids would stick their foot in their shoe and find it, but they saw it before they put their shoes on.

When the kids got home, I had a few more.  I wrote a funny message on toilet paper in the toilet and put a little piece of tin foil under the faucet for a funny surprise.

I put a note on their door from the "Health Department" that everything had been destroyed because it was deemed a health hazard.

All this tom foolery brought a lot of happiness around these parts.  :)