Holey Mouth

Okay this kid has lost 3 teeth in the last month...not even a month...3 weeks. Pretty soon he won't have any teeth to eat with. We'll have to make Cinnamon Toast Crunch Smoothies and Corn Dog Shakes for him. Remember the book 'My Teacher is the Tooth Fairy'? The little boy has a plan to lose all his teeth at once so he can get money for a dirt bike...too funny. A wants to buy a huge Lego set so he's saving his tooth money.

Distractions

What is it with boys and their video games? F was doing so great at potty training. Then I let him play Lego Star Wars on the X-box. I would ask him if he had to go potty and he'd reply, 'No, I'm okay.' 2 min. later he pee-d and pooped in his underwear. I told him that if he did it again I would turn the X-box off. Well sure enough...he did it again and that was it for the X-box.

He had 2 accidents on Monday, 3 on Tuesday, 0 on Wednesday, 0 on Thursday, 0 on Friday, and 1 on Saturday. And why did he have an accident on Saturday? BECAUSE HE WAS PLAYING THE X-BOX, THAT'S WHY! Oh, I knew there was a reason I have always hated those things. He gets so into his game that he forgets everything else and it doesn't matter if he has to go potty...HE CAN'T TEAR HIMSELF AWAY. A was the same with the TV. Oh my.

Besides the X-box, F is doing such a great job. And he is so positive...'Good I didn't go pee in my underwear' and 'Good I didn't go poop in my underwear'. Oh I love him. He only pooped once in his underwear this week. He really is doing a good job. And besides having to stay home, this potty training thing is a piece of cake. I think he may be my easiest. Hurray! I'll give him one more week before I declare that he is potty trained...I don't want to jinx myself. Way to go, F. You are a super pee-er!

Mommy, What Can I Do?

I have forgotten how to entertain just one child. F has been so patient with me and with potty training. This morning he wanted to 'do' something so I asked him if he wanted to play a game with me. 'Sure' was his response. We played 'Photo Shoot'. He actually enjoyed it. And I got to practice on my depth of field. My camera can do it beautifully as shown below. I also have to work on f/stops. My brain shuts down whenever I try to read how to use this feature. I am so confussed. After F was done with 'Photo Shoot' he wanted to play a different game. So we played '123 Diego Counting Game'. F said, 'You are on the same team with these guys (his Lego guys).' F won. Then my team won. Hurray for all the winners. I think we'll have lunch now.

First Day of School

It always seems like the beginning of a new year for us when school starts. As Brandon finished giving all the kids and me a blessing for school, I thought, 'This feels like starting fresh, again.' So many things should revolve around the school year. New year resolutions, new primary classes, schedules. I always feel rejuvinated after a long summer. Anywhoo...The new school year has begun!

I love the first day of school. The kids were so excited...except A, and woke early. K had made her lunch and was dressed as well as M's lunch by 7:00am. She's such a big helper. M was dressed by 7:00 as well and that is amazing because usually she sleeps till 7:45. I was so happy that they were ahead of the game. A was another story. He couldn't sleep last night and it wasn't until 9pm that Brandon finally said, 'Okay now you really have to go to sleep.' He woke up at 7:20 and got dressed. Then it was his normal pace getting everything else done. It was a good thing they weren't riding the bus this morning because they would have missed it. They were ready by 8:10 and then it was pictures, scriptures, and prayer before school. It was so nice to start the day off with scriptures and a prayer. Somedays are just so busy and I feel like we are rushing to get things done. Those days will come and so I am glad that we started today off right.

We got them all to their new classes and teacher's didn't have time to chat or greet each parent so it was a hug and a kiss for the kids and off they went. I am excited to hear all about their day when they come home. K and A have brand new teachers to DES this year. So I will be interested in their teaching styles.

F will be joining a Preschool Swap this year. He is really excited and I am excited for him. I'm glad he'll have something to do besides hanging out with me. Boring. Today we started potty training...hard core. My plans always fail with this but I want to have him trained in a week. He's kind of excited because he can wear his new Transformer underwear and eat in my room...close to the bathroom. Hurray!

Maybe I'll make cookies.

Plan B and a Birthday Party

At the beginning of summer, we planned to go to Yosemite with the Workmans this past week. Well August rolled around and schedules changed. So we opted for Plan B. Camping in the backyard. It was GREAT! The Workmans came over at 6pm and the dads' set up the tents. The kids played...and the moms got dinner ready. We ate our yummy dinner in the great outdoors. The Workmans have a fabulous garden and were so nice to bring some home grown corn and tomatoes. Jenni also made a yummy pasta salad and added some of her zucchini. We has burgers and hot dogs, lemonaide, and dutch oven peach cobbler. Everything was so tasty. After it got dark and a game of flashlight tag...we broke out the S'mores. So tasty! As we cleaned up a bit, Wayne ran home to get their telescope. He showed us Jupiter and 4 of it's moons. It was so cool. They were all lined up and if you looked really close you could see 2 rings around the planet. Our universe is so amazing. Then it was lights out. Of course the boys were so excited that they stayed up for a LONG time after. Brandon enjoyed scaring them and I have to admit it was kind of funny to see their tent roll over. We had such a great time. Thanks for coming, Workmans!

(our feeble attempt at the 'sache pose')

M was invited to a 'Doll' Birthday party. She wore a dress and brought her favorite doll, party instructions. She was so cute that I had to take a picture of her. M had a lot of fun with her friends and their dolls. So cute.

Lake Tahoe

Our final trip to the Lake was really fun. We spent the afternoon with Brandon's co-worker, Brigette and her family, Tim and his family, Christine, Patricia, and Larry. Brigette and Joey own a boat and took us out to play on the tube and try their wakeboards. Brandon, Christine, and Chris all tried. And get major points for even trying. Brandon got up and went a ways before face planting it in the water. Definitely braver than me. Maybe next time I'll try. It was such a nice clear day and being on the boat was so fun. Thanks, Brigette and Joey for inviting us. We had a blast! Next time we'll stay longer.

Brandon and F on the tube.

Brandon on the tube.

M and Brandon on the tube.

Tim and Griff on the tube.

Tim on the tube.

Joey on the tube.

Tooth Fairy

A and K both lost teeth Sunday night. It was crazy. A hasn't lost any teeth since he 'yanked' out his two bottom teeth with bubble wrap 2 years ago.

The next day, K ran into A's mouth and loosened another tooth for him. Oh it was ugly. It came out the next day at the pool. He's keeping the Tooth Fairy busy. While loading up his piggy bank. Oh happy day!

Weekend Family Visit

Rachel, Leah, and Emilie have come to visit! We are so excited.

M asked me this morning, 'How many minutes till they come?'

'Well they won't be here for another 5 hours, M', I replied.

10 minutes later...'Now how many more minutes?'

'4 hours and 50 minutes.'

'Oh this is going to take forever!'

When they did get here, we headed up to Virginia City. We walked the board walk and made our way into the Bonanza Restaurant. Oh my gosh...the food was so good. Brandon ordered the Blackened Chicken Alfredo and the sause was so thick and creamy. It was so good. I ordered the New York Steak Sandwich and talk about mouth watering! I have never had a steak sandwich before and this was sooooooooo tasty. A and F ordered the yummiest cheeseburgers. M and K ordered tasty grilled cheese sandwiches. Everything was so good. Rachel and the girls ordered salads.

When we got home, Leah, Emilie, M, and I went to play tennis. M was the perfect ball girl. She had perfect form too. I told her next time I'd have to get her a little tennis skirt and pay her for getting all the loose balls for us. She was great. We had a great day.

Monday, we spent the day in South Lake Tahoe. We took the girls to Sand Harbor in the morning and stayed till about 1:30pm. The kids didn't jump off their rock today because of the windy and the waves. Something we are not accustom too. There was also a photo shoot for the new Olympus Underwater Camera. Kind of cool. We mostly basked in the sun. Which was nice.

Then it was off to Stateline to see where Brandon works. We walked into the Del Sol store for Emilie and the Nestle Toll House store where Grandma bought everyone a treat. Rachel and I got the Peanut Butter Cups...so good and really rich. Emilie and Leah got the Chocolate Chip Sandwich...filled with sugary cream. F, M, and A got sprinkled cover Sugar cookies. And K had the Butterfingers Brownie. Talk about tasty. We saw the Gondola, Cold Stone (Leah works at one), Cinna-Bon (the cinnamon smelled sooooo good), and the fountains where the kids ate their lunches and ice cream last summer.

Brandon beat us home and Rachel decided that I shouldn't have to make anything for dinner because we were all so tired from our long day...so she went to Pizza Factory and brought home dinner. Thanks, Rachel.

This was a short visit but we really enjoyed having the girls come and visit. Next year we hope they can switch out their Timeshare for Tahoe. That would be so fun. Thanks again for coming, girls. We had a lot of fun with you and will miss you when you leave.

We HEART Sand Harbor!

Okay so we can't get enough of this place. And going with friends is always better. Today, A, Kobey, and Oakley showed me their secret hideout. Wow, was all I could say. They had a beautiful view of the lake from their rock fortress. And if blogger would let me upload them you'd see too. Thanks, boys, for sharing this with me.

Temple Dress and Zucchini Bread

Oh the joys of sewing! I have been working on my temple dress for the past...few months. It's not difficult but the instructions aren't detailed like Simplicity or McCall patterns. I found my pattern on the 'Regency' website. On this website, they have dresses from the 'regency' era. You know that era...'Emma', 'Pride and Prejudice', 'Becoming Jane', etc. I have always loved these dresses. Making on is another story!

I cut my pattern out, pinned it to the fabric, cut the fabric, and sewed it all together. I had to sew the sleeves on 5 different times, the skirt back 2 different times, change the pleats in the front 3 times, unpleat the front 1 time, unstitch the entire front of the dress 2 times, change the angle of the bodice 3 times, sew on hooks, hem sleeves and the bottom 1 time. I was so close to throwing this dress out today. What a nightmare.

But...now that it's done...I really love it. My favorite part is the back. I heart it. Now Brandon and I can go to the temple completely outfitted. I am embarrassed that it has taken me so long to finish this dress but I am so happy that it's done and that I didn't give up.

While I was busy working on my dress with Shana, thank you a million times over, K wanted to make zucchini bread with the fresh zucchini Jenni gave us. She got all the ingredients out and mixed it all together. While she was waiting for me to help her with the next steps Rhonda came with her own famous homemade zucchini bread and a huge bag of Jelly Bellies. She'd gone to Monterey, Ca and had visited the Jelly Belly Factory. I told her to send me a postcard and she gave us goodies instead. Thanks, Rhonda. These we much better than a postcard.

Anywho...K's recipe was yummy too. Nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and brown sugar in a yummy zucchini bread was so tasty. Thanks, K! I think K and I ate most of all three loaves of zucchini bread. Y-U-M.

GINORMOUS ROLLS

Feeding the missionaries is always a good time. Normally we serve lasagna, rolls, and salad...today we decided to change it up a little. I bought a Tuscan Tri Tip at Costco, pre-seasoned, threw together a green salad, mashed potatoes, and rolls. K has hit the 'baking' stage. When she gets bored she wants to make something in the kitchen. Today she wanted to make the mashed potatoes and rolls. So we pulled out 'Emilie's Yummy Rolls' recipe. K followed the directions and added all the ingredients together and after letting it rise...we layed it out to roll, cut, and shape. Placing them on the baking sheets they looked slightly bigger than mine but we had plenty so I didn't think anything of it. And while they rose for another 45 min. she counted out 11 potatoes, washed, peeled, and cut them. After rising, we uncovered her rolls, to put them into the oven, and they were GINORMOUS! Here are her finished rolls. They were SOOOO YUMMY and the missionaries loved them! We all did. Thanks, K! You make the best rolls.

Beijing 2008

These drummers were simply...AMAZING. 2008 drummer all synchronized. And just when we thought they couldn't be any more amazing....all the lights went out and all you could see were their red sticks. WOW!

We love the Summer Olympics! Swimming and Gymnastics are by far our favorites and this year...the US athletes are phenominal!

Micheal Phelps has us blown away with his Olympic and World Record setting. He is amazing.

Phelps winning the 200 meter freestyle.

US 4x100 meter freestyle relay team: Phelps, Weber-Gale, Jones, and Lezak win Gold

Natalie Coughlin is a favorite as well, winning the 100 meter Backstroke! She's so cute.

We are keeping our eyes on the US Gymnastics team this year and have high hopes for them to win the gold. I have also been watching May-Treaner/Walsh in Beach Volleyball. What a great team they have been over the years and I hope they win gold as well.

Swimmers!

Swim Lessons came to a close on Thursday and what a fun last day. F and M went off the diving boards and K, A, and M got to go down the waterslide! What fun.

K learned how to do the breaststroke kick 50 yds, backstroke 50 yds, swim under water 3 body lengths, shallow dive off diving block, 10 min. swim all strokes 50 yds each, sidestroke 50 yds, front crawl 50 yds. Way to go, K!

A learned to do the breaststroke, beginning butterfly, backstoke, swithcaroo (don't really know what that is), front glide 2 body lengths. You did great, A!

M learned how to dive from the side, jumps into deep water, beginning back crawl, front glide 2 body lengths, 15 bobs, jellyfish float, 'monkey, tree, rocketship' arms, retrieve objects under water, combined stroke on front, back glide, front glide, flutter kick, jump in and turn to grab wall, diving board. Super swimming, M!

F learned to do the back float, jellyfish float, 'monkey, tree, rocketship', retrieve objects under water, turning over front to back, combined stroke on front, motorboat, motorboat, submersion to chest, get out of water at side of pool, blow bubbles, kicking in front, front float with help, stands up from float, hump in and turn to grab wall, bobs. You are an awesome swimmer, F!

After swim was over...we headed to Sand Harbor. AGAIN.

We love this place. Especially when our friends come. The older kids got enough courage to jump off the smaller rocks today. They were so pleased with themselves.

We had a great time with the Heussers and Workmans. Thanks for coming with us friends!

Breaking Dawn

WARNING

IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THIS BOOK OR ANY OF THE TWILIGHT SERIES AND INTEND TO...AND YOU REALLY SHOULD GIVE IT A TRY...DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER.

Okay...so book number four. 'Wow'...'Ummm'...and 'What' are the words that pretty much summed up my thoughts about this book. I admit that I had a hard time putting it down. I heart Edward. In Eclipse, tucked under the back flap, there were two iron ons. One said, 'Team Edward'. And the other said, 'Team Jacob'. When I go see the movie...I will be wearing my team's colors.

Okay so the book...I wasn't sure about the format she chose. I didn't really like how Stephenie switched perspectives in the middle of the book. Since she's coming out with Edward's perspective in a book all it's own. So wasn't thrilled about that. Having said that...it really made me appreciate Jacob's character and empathize with him in some ways. I thought the timing was bad because I would have loved to have Edward's perspective during Bella's pregnancy with all the risks involved. And I also, would have liked Bella's perspective of how strong her motherly bond grew for this child that was killing her. I think that may have been interesting.

I really liked that Bella and Edward were able to get married right off the bat in book four. Usually in the movies...there's always something getting in the way. So I was happy with that whole event. And I will admit I thought the 'honeymoon' part was riveting. I thought it was interesting that to keep some control of himself during intimate moments...Edward had destroyed things. The down pillow! LOVED it. I thought it was cute in a way. And found myself wanting more destruction...for her. The whole Edward-having-to-keep-control was... endearing to me. Kind of like 'brideling our passions'. Interesting.

Wasn't sure about the whole baby thing. In book 3 I wondered about it briefly...one of the things that she'd have to sacrifice. And at first, I was with Edward and Jacob, that this unborn child should be killed. At this point in the story Bella was my least favorite character. She was getting everything she wanted and I thought she was being super selfish and acting like a spoiled brat. Edward had given her everything she'd ever wanted and she never once returned the favor...the marriage thing doesn't count. If you love someone enough to even think about sex...then you do it the right way. Married.

I really thought that the Volturi and the Cullens, and all with them, were going to fight. I wanted so much for the Volturi to be defeated. I wanted Bella to prove herself, more than I thought she did, with her new talent. As she was practicing with Kate...I figured Nessie would be brought into the picture to show the power a mother can possess in protecting her young. I really liked that part.

So these are some of my thoughts as I close the fourth and final book of the Twilight Saga. The movie will be interesting but at least I will be with friends. I am glad I am not the only one who is in an uproar over the casting. My sil, who lives in California, said her friends there were so angry at the casting too. So hurray. I think I will just picture Orlando Bloom as Legolas, in Lord of the Rings, as the handsome, beautiful, and dazzling Edward. Even though, technically, Edward has light brown hair. Orlando Bloom would be perfect for the role of Edward. Yum.

Long Week

This week the kids started swim lessons. For 2 weeks we head into Carson and swim for 30 min. This week...every day but Monday, we ran errands right after. So fun to be in town. The kids love their classes. Even F. It always takes him about 5 min. to warm up but then he's off swimming like a fish.

Brandon was out of town this week. He called me from Palm Springs...'I have been sitting in front of my air conditioner for 20 min. and I am still sweating! Why do you want to live here?' Oh, I love the heat!

Thursday, we went with friends to Sand Harbor again. It is so beautiful up there I just can't get enough of it. We decided to go up right after swim lessons. So Wednesday night I got all the dry foods ready in a bag...you know like goldfish, pretzels, chips, etc. Then Thursday morning I got all the food that needed to go in the cooler packed. I made my list of things to pack...towels, sunscreen, extra swim suits, camera, cellphone, money, etc. I checked everything off my list and we were off to swim lessons. We were running a little behind and when we got there...Arianne told us that she had forgotten her cooler of food and needed to go back to get it.

So Jenni and I told her to go back and we would take care of her kids till she got back. As she was walking out the door I remembered that I didn't pack the life jackets. I caught up with her and asked if she wouldn't mind running by my house to get them. I gave her my keys and she was on her way. 30 later she calls to tell me that she could only find 2 and that she would stop on the way back from her house to look one more time. I told her that we would take her kids to Wal-Mart, Jenni and I had to buy beach umbrellas, and would meet her in the parking lot. Swim lessons get over at 9:30. And it was 9:45.

Meanwhile, I went to get cash from the ATM and was on my way back when I thought, 'Ask Kennidy if she packed the life jackets.' So when I got back to the pool, the kids were all playing on the lawn at this point, I asked Kennidy about the life jackets. 'Yeah, we packed M's and F's.' she said. Oh did I feel horrible. Arianne was on her way back to my house to have another look. It was 10:00 and Jenni and I quickly called anyone we could think of that would have Arianne's cell number. No one had it. Finally we got a hold of my neighbor, Emily, and asked her to keep an eye out for Arianne and to let her know that we had the other life jackets.

We got all the kids loaded in our two vans by 10:15 and were on our way to Wal-Mart. By the time we bought our umbrellas and found Arianne it was 11:20. Jenni kept saying, 'It's a good thing we have all day!' The day was swiftly running away from us. If any of our husbands had been there they would have been so mad at all of us. Good thing they were out of town! So then we were finally on our way.

The drive was slow up the mountain because of construction and when I thought the slow was over...all three of us got stuck behind a semi hauling asphalt. Remember that primary song about the pioneer ox carts moving 'OH HOW SLOW!' That's what came to mind as we inched our way up the mountain.

We finally reached Sand Harbor...an hour later. Connie had saved us a spot in a nice cove. Thanks so much, Connie. After getting settled, reparking the car, putting sunscreen on everyone...we could relax. The kids had so much fun playing in the water with all their friends. I think we stayed almost 5 hours. It was so nice to be there with friends.

Friday, we had our carpets cleaned, M and F played at the Evans', A played at the Workman's, K and I went to Costco and Wal-Mart, and K had a sleepover at Emma's house. They were going to sleep on the tramp until they heard coyotes. She had a good time with her friend.

Saturday, Brandon came home from Palm Springs and his Roman and Melissa came to visit on their way to the Idaho Cabin. The kids love being with their cousins. They are all such good friends.

What a week we've had. I am so happy that July is over and we can now enjoy one more week of swim lessons, one week of no commitements, feed the missionaries, enjoy having Rachel, Emilie, and Leah visit, and then it's back to school. We have had a great summer.