Scott, Tonya, and the 4 greatest kids!

I know, I know two blog posts in one day, I must have a ton of time on my hands. Well, not really--let's see
*Christmas shopping--so not done!
*House cleaned for grandparents arrival tomorrow--nope!
*Nusery stuff for new year--sitting in a pile undone.
*Dinner, Dinner do you guys really want dinner tonight?
Here's the deal, 2 sick babies 1 on the mend the other just in the last couple of hours past the horrible part. My poor babies!!I am so tired that if I actually just sit down, I will fall asleep.

So, I wanted to post about all the excitement the last few days! SNOW, yes SNOW! T. was absolutely beside himself with excitement and O. thought it was pretty darn cool too. S. too sick to go outside and play. They actually cancelled school yesterday Scott was insensed because when HE was in school it only got cancelled if the temp. hit 55 below! Geez Scott this is not Alaska--do you see any moose in our yard? No, just annoying stray cats that the kids want to keep as pets! Anyway, T. was happy happy happy he has an obsession with building snowmen.

Oh my gosh, we were laughing so hard (he didn't see us laughing) he was soooo proud! What a sweetheart!

T. finally got to use his awesome snowball maker--it rocks, KoKo!
O. liked collecting little handfuls of snow and dropping it in a puddle.
Good brother, teaching your little sis how to make a snowball before you start chucking them at her...no worries she can hold her own, and she did!
The irony of this for me personally is that just a couple of weeks ago I was driving around in my car with the ac on, listening to Christmas music and thinking "good grief, this does not feel like Christmas!" NOW it feels like CHRISTMAS!!!

This is the tree after the kids decorated it on their own.



Well, it's that time of year when I get to shamelessly brag about how wonderful my children are and write about all the amazing things we've accomplished this year! Aren't Christmas letters a hoot! This year I decided that instead of guilting my nearest and dearest into reading all that slobbering about my perfect little kiddos, I would make it optional by putting it here. So those of you who are awaiting Christmas cards (because I still haven't mailed them!) wipe your brow with relief, you can just give that baby a quick eyeballing and throw it in the pile of Christmas cards.

Big T is 9, holy cow where have those nine years gone! He is a the perfect son, and brother, he NEVER fights with his sisters, except when they sneak into his room while he's at school and steal his stuff. He almost never throws temper tantrums anymore except when he doesn't get what he wants or when he has to unload the dishwasher I mean really, who can blame him. He is absolutely a model student his school and primary teachers gush about how kind and helpful he is (thank heavens because I pray every day that he doesn't' act at school and church the way he sometimes acts at home) T. has taught me that prayers for our children are truly answered! He's doing great at school and he has figured out that even though he is reading way above grade level, if given the choice, he can choose grade level books and it will take him no time at all to read through it and write a book report lickty split with only the slightest of effort--I told you he's a smart kid! T. dabbled a little in Tae Kwon Do this year and is most proud that he can now count to ten in Korean (how's that for you Uncle Scott--maybe he's going to Korea on his mission) he is trying to decide if he wants to continue--it kind of cuts into his free time! T. continues playing Piano (like he has a choice--everything is optional except Piano) He has a new teacher who is a bit of a perfectionist--he loves her and has actually asked if he can go a live at her house (not that kind of love, he doesn't even like girls, yet) she's the youngest of 6 and the last one at home and he says that her house is so quiet--he'd like to move in! Tomas is a great kid.

O. well she's perfect too, of course! She only rarely punches her brother and yanks toys out of her sisters hands--don't mess with her and you won't have any problems! L. is a collector of sorts, she collects anything she likes, even if it belongs to someone else, including the store! If she likes something she just puts it in her pocket or in her purse and it becomes part of her collection! We have discovered that she may have a bit of a hearing problem when we ask her to do something she does not respond even if we ask over and over and over again, however if we ask her if she wants to go to the park her hearing seems to be absolutely perfect even at long distances, hmmm! L. is a singing machine, she will sing for family, friends, guests and even perfect strangers. She's got a talent and by golly she's going to share it! O. loves to tumble, climb, and jump mostly off the furniture at this point. She is a great somersaulter! O. keeps us all laughing!

Oh little S. the perfect baby--if only she'd sleep in her own bed all night long. She can give a look that kills and she sure has fun teasing her sister by swiping the toys that O. is playing with and running as fast as she can to her favorite hiding spot under the table. She sweet and quiet except for that very high pitched squeal and as long as you don't have long hair that she can pull! S. is a little chatterbox at 18months, she tries to say everything she hears....be careful what you say! S. and O. sure love their daddy that's why they take his wallet and empty everything out, try and make calls on his cell phone and fight over his chapstick! S. is truly the exclamation point to our little family.

So, like I said before, our kids are...well...PERFECTly NORMAL!!! We feel very very blessed to be a family--their is no greater blessing!!!! We are working hard to teach them the true meaning of Christmas. We are thankful for our Savior and the peace he brings to our lives!

WE WISH ALL OF YOU, OUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY, A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

I hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving! Isn't Thanksgiving a great holiday and what a perfect entry into the Christmas season. We had a really good day. The Turkey, well.....it wasn't perfect! It was good but I lost track of time at the end and he overcooked by just maybe 20minutes. Everything was really good though and the turkey wasn't dried out, just not perfectly moist. My personal cooking success of the day was the cranberry sauce. So silly, right? Well, I have never in my life eaten cranberry sauce, my memories are all of that big lump from the can and I could not bear to even try it. Scott had once told me that he made fresh cranberry sauce and it was really good, and on a whim I decided to give it a whirl. I found a recipe that called for pure maple syrup instead of sugar, and I have no clue if that was the secret, but it was absolutely YUMMY! I always wondered how cranberry sauce really fit into the whole Thanksgiving meal, but now I get it!! So, overall I would say that the dinner was a success and I have many mental notes for next year! We had a great visit with our good friends Allison and Austin--it was loads of fun to have them for the big feast. We missed their cute kidlets who were with their mom this year. We have so much to be thankful for. L. has been asking us all week "what are you thankful for?" She always says that she is thankful for her family--it's very sweet. In the mayhem of food prep. and the relief of finally sitting down to dinner, I totally forgot to take pictures. However, I did get a picture at the very end of the day when we all sat down to watch Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving--I do love Charlie Brown. O. wasn't sure she really wanted to watch it because she didn't know who Charlie Brown was, but we talked her into it, and she was a riot. When it got to the part where Snoopy is boxing with the lawn chair, she was laughing so hard that she nearly fell off the sofa... the rest of us were laughing at her--she was so dang funny. Now she LOVES Charlie Brown, well she really loves snoopy and woodstock!



The next post is going to be all about those who I am most grateful for....my little ones and my cool hubby! And on to Christmas we GO!!!!

Poppi, you just may get your cowboy after all, but she may be a girl!

Those kiddos are nuts about the vampire teeth!
O. calls them her braces!



Okay, I have like 10minutes so I thought I should sit down and do a little updating. I really need to do some catching up--which I will get to. Maybe today, maybe later. Two days until Thanksgiving and I have got to finish getting my house clean (BIG JOB), grocery shop(the turkey is thawing--phew!), plus a bunch of little projects for Nursery and Scouts!

Lets regress a bit. Remember the cute little box of popcorn that I posted a couple of post ago? Well, the stake (not a tent stake, church again--I know we have our own language) hosted a dinner for the wives of the bishopric members, the food was delish because my friend Carol, who is my idol (side note, Carol gets more done in one day than I get done in a week, she is an awesome cook, outdoes herself at every church calling, does all this fab things for her kids and grandkids, works all year round as a special ed. teacher etc., etc., etc.,) she cooked the food for the dinner oh she just threw together some homemade pasta, a chicken dish and an incredible dessert bar with cute little take home boxes for our hubbies (Scott was sooooo happy!) So, the dinner was super, and the little boxes of chocolate popcorn were yummy AND cute, but the best part was that they had our husbands write all of us letters(imagine the job that was!!!) My fabulous husband wrote me a very sweet and funny, of course, letter!

Let's continue our trip backwards, to that cutie chocolate Halloween house. My kiddos had such a ball decorating that house, they did have a few disagreements on decorating technique but overall they LOVED IT! When T. was at school, O. spent the remainder of the following week sneaking up on the table and snagging the candy off of the house! I've already bought them a gingerbread house for Christmas and maybe I better get another one so they can each have their own! Make my own gingerbread houses from scratch you suggest--does anybody really do that?? Probably my friend Carol does!

Okay, back to the present and THANKSGIVING, have I told you that the Thanksgiving turkey is my nemesis?? Well he is! I am determined to cook a perfect turkey, I've done pretty good the last couple of years, but I really want a perfect turkey! I'm going to try brining again this year, I did that a couple of years ago and it really did a bang up job, but it wasn't perfect. Not because of the brine, but because of various other factors. Now that I've bored you with turkey talk, I must say I do love Thanksgiving. Scott's fam is having a big sha bang in Utah which, of course we were invited to attend as well as my fam in California, but of course we regretfully declined for reasons that all of you understand---no road trips until we forget the last one, two, three......! I do think we've beat that dead horse. We certainly have sooooo much to be thankful for, I feel like I should start my list now and maybe I'll be done by next year!! Really we are so blessed and without a doubt our family is our greatest blessing. I was cruising through Costco the other day with my shopping partners there was my little O. with all her stuff, purse stuffed so full that she can't close it (that makes her mad but she refuses to remove anything), sunglasses, phone, baby, pet (currently a not so cute beanie baby that she found at Nana's house that she calls fluffy), there she was chattering to herself, with S. riding next to her, S. was chattering at me trying out all of her new words (she tries to say everything), in that moment I just looked at them and thought these moments will be gone so soon and I hoped I wouldn't forget. I wracked by brain trying to remember T.'s little 3 year old voice and sadly it's gone from my memory (thank heavens for video cameras). Even though life throws a lot of crazy stuff our way, we are so blessed to have a wonderful family and to know that there is so much more to our existence than this little time on earth!

Times up! Happy Thanksgiving prep.!!!

HALLOWEEN(I know it was a week ago--but time is short!)
was a little crazy. The kiddos were so excited! I found out last Tuesday that my Uncle Dale passed away. He was a great man who lived a full life. I just loved he and my Aunt Eunice and they're wonderful children and grandchildren. They were our only family in California so we spend ALL of the holidays and family events, dinners and lots of great times together. What does this have to do with halloween? The funeral was Saturday and we had Friday off of school. We decided that we wanted to be at the funeral. So, with much hesitation (fear!) we loaded those babies into the van and set out for Utah.
Do these look like kids who are excited about hitting the road??

It only took us an hour to get from our house to the freeway(less than a mile). I'll skip the detailed travel log! Here's the summary T.-Happy, O.-once we hit the freeway--Happy, S.--after the first 3 hours and a ring pop--semi-angry! I knew that if we did not make it to trick or treat my kiddos would never forgive me. Somehow, we made it and they had fun trick or treating with their cousins. They had a ball at Aunt Paula's house playing with the kids, in fact they were very upset that we only got to stay for such a short time. On the way home, they were all HAPPY! It was a miracle.




No pictures of those cutie pies together--Forgot...I was just relieved to be trick or treating!

The funeral was very touching and Uncle Dale will be greatly missed. There is great comfort in knowing that his suffering has passed and that someday he will be reunited with his fabulous family! We love you Uncle Dale, Aunt Eunice and all the rest of your awesome family!

Well, as usual more to say but out of time! I'll get to it all eventually--maybe when my kids are in college!

Good Grief--where does the time go?? You're not going to believe this one. In fact I'm still in shock. So, last Saturday Scott had a couple of appointments with people in our ward(church not psychiatric!) About 45 minutes after he left he calls me and says "you're not going to believe this." Oh yes, I believe almost all craziness these days. "I was here for 15 minutes and someone stole my car!" Yes, that prized possession that I just complained about 2 weeks ago on this very blog, that little punk car that I have never loved but sunk a chunk of hard earned money into. That car is bad luck, I tell you bad luck! Here's the kicker, about 2 months ago we changed insurance because we were paying way too much so we switched, took all but the minimal coverage off that11 year old jurassic park, blue beauty. So, you know what that means, no car, no rental car, no reimbursement (heck I would have taken a couple hundred over nothing!) Anyway, hopefully we'll get it back, but it could be in a million tiny pieces right now. Can you believe it? Surprisingly, I've been pretty mellow about the whole thing, I figure it could be a lot worse. Everybody's healthy, at least it wasn't a terrible accident that took that punk car out of commission. There are a lot worse things, but I still hope they find those hoodlems and put 'em in the slammer!

Life goes on! Halloween is just a short week away. I have had really bad luck finding a cute costume for S., so she may wear Tomas' elephant costume. It's really cute, but a little big. I thought about putting a McCain/Palin button on her, but I guess that may be going a little far, maybe just a flag in her trunk. Subtle!

Talk about time flying....I started this post like 5 days ago and I'm going to post it tonight so just ignore the date it's actually the 29th now. ANYWAY they found the car today! A very nice guy called me and said "are you missing a blue honda civic" oh yes let it be in one piece I thought. He proceeded to tell me that it had been parked in front of his house for like 4 days and he finally figured it was stolen. After he went out and took a good look, he knew! The police called about an hour later and I had to go id it. It wasn't okay 4 slashed tires, the little punks jumped on the roof and caved it in, tore the ignition to shreds and put a few dents in it. The worst part about it is that they'll get away with it. I have friends who are police officers and they feel bad that there is just so much crime and sooooo many stolen cars here that unless they catch them with the car, they get away with it. We have such nice neighbors who went with Scott to check it out and try to tow it. The verdict---donate to charity! Well there is a little bit of a bright side, Scott got his church bag back, they rifled through it looking for cash but left it in the car it had lots of stuff he really wanted back, they were nice enough (sarcasm) to put the car seat in the trunk, and they left the university parking pass in tact which is probably worth more than the car! Well, at least I'm not on pins and needles about it anymore. So, were off to find a new reliable economy car!!

I have more to write but no more time. Despite the car theft, there is loads of fun and happiness in our lives. We are so very very blessed. Here's a hint of things to come!

DARLING! No, no I did not make this cutie, but I will be taking that box and eating every last kernel of white chocolate popcorn. Probably right now!

Cutie, cuties! They had such a ball with this little house! More about that later.I can't help it--I have a lot to say! So thankful for these sweetie pies and the one not pictured who is dying to tear that house to bits! I just love 'em!

I know it's hard to believe that I have more to say after the last post just two days ago (I know it says Tuesday, but obviously I posted on Wednesday)! I do! Okay, don't worry none of my political opinions in this post. Let's look at the bright side of all this economic turmoil. Gas prices are finally going down--can you believe we're relieved to be paying $2 something for gas, but thank heavens we're not paying $5....yet! I bet there are going to be GREAT deals at Christmas. I may have to go out the day after Thanksgiving--the thought of voluntarily getting up THAT early and shopping with hoards of crazy Christmas shoppers sends chills up my spine, but the deals---oh the deals . Don't get me wrong I LOVE Christmas shopping just not quite like that....you know what I mean! I'm starting to psych myself up and it's only October!

We thought we might have to get a new car the other day...not good! Love new cars, hate car payments---cars are money pits. That crazy little Honda--which I have never loved, mostly I hate the color; I know that's so silly. Anyway, it overheated when Scott was driving to work. The major problem is that he works out of town and I mean out of town--no mechanic in that little town, consequently that bugger had to be towed 33miles back to town.. you can imagine, furthermore the closest dealership is the one that I always feel like they're ripping me off, there's just something a little shady about that particular group. ANYWAY, we decided we better just pour a few more big bucks into that money pit and try to get through one more year with that beauty. One thing that I did not mind at all about living out of the country was the great public transportation. It's so good everywhere, but here in our beloved country. Oh well, we can't be perfect! Okay, onto the next thing!

More happiness with these great kiddos!! L. and S. are so much alike it's crazy--they are a dangerous, destructive, fearless duo. So, here's how I caught S.
the good news was she had taken every last thing off of that filthy shelf and motivated me to clear off every last one of those hummers and give them a good scrubbing eww were they dirty. I also got rid of those dust loving somewhat pathetic fake plants, not that they aren't good quality fake plants, they're just....fake!

Is it just a genetic disposition for girls to be obsessed with shoes of all types??? She is JUST like her sister!

Those are O.'s shoes note that they are on the wrong feet. Same day different shoes, those two girls change their shoes every half hour!

My kiddos are so funny about Halloween. I know I already wrote a little about that. I took T. to party city to get his costume and I didn't even notice the HUGE creepy monsters all over the ceiling, but you can bet that he did. He was much calmer than in past years, but he would NOT walk underneath any of those creepy monsters. He just doesn't like creepy stuff which is fine with me cause I don't really like it either. I hate all those gross Halloween movies... I like Halloween to be fun! The girls are a riot when we go anywhere O. is a little hesitant like I said before, but I would call her a Halloween rubber-necker she doesn't really like it, but she just has to see it. S. on the other hand isn't old enough to be scared yet so she just growls at all the scary stuff--it's pretty darn funny!

So many, many things to talk about. Sit down, get a soda and a snack and stick with me!

First things first! HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my little--not so little anymore--T.!!! I cannot believe that he is 9 years old.

This is the state of his presents after his little sisters tried all day to open them!

Why no cake and ice cream pictures you ask. The cake and ice cream are to come.


It was a great weekend it was so awesome to watch General Conference. I definitely heard more this time than last time. T. sequestered himself in our room for several reasons. It started about 5 minutes into the first session on Saturday, he and his sister got into a battle. I sent him to my room to watch conference, and he decided that was a pretty good gig so... he stayed. At one point I said to Scott "should we have him come out and be together as a family." We both looked around, the girls were playing quietly, T. was happily snuggled in our bed actually LISTENING--- nah! I was really proud of him and the girls were as good as they are at church which is really quiet at home--not so much in the chapel! The conference was great and very uplifting especially after listening to all the craziness and stress in the world. It was good to focus on the things that are REALLY important and to remember that there is a plan and Heavenly Father is absolutely aware of all things both temporal and spiritual! For my non LDS friends who are wondering what in the heck I'm talking about click here.

In between sessions we went to the pumpkin patch--a REAL pumpkin patch. It was quite the adventure, as are all our family outings. The kids LOVED it!!! It's actually not just a pumpkin patch it's an orchard. You can pick apples and veggies, watermelon and pumpkins. Well, they close at noon so we were on a bit of a time frame but we figured we had almost an entire hour. We walked into the orchard, and the pumpkin patch is at the opposite end of the orchard, probably about 1/4 of a mile. We get to the pumpkins, S. was like a caged cat who couldn't wait to get out of the stroller so we let her loose, and just as we start looking for the pumpkins, O. starts doing the potty dance. Who forgot to take her potty before we left the house????? I loaded her back into the stroller and we walk all the way back to the entrance and have to use what can only be described as the most disgusting porta potty I've ever seen--mind you I have never actually used one, but what is one to do with a 3 year old who has to go--I held her up and let her go! Luckily we both stayed dry, but I really thought I might puke!! We raced back to the pumpkins--I had broken a sweat by that point--I am soooo out of shape! S. was filthy, sunburned and having the time of her life, it only took O. about 5 minutes to be equally as filthy and having a ball. T. loves all things agricultural so he was in hog heaven. We actually tried to grow pumpkins last year, we grew a long vine with lots of flowers but nary a pumpkin. We have since learned that you must have 2 plants to cross pollinate. We'll try again next year. We picked a slew of apples and some delicious, giant zucchini. All in all it was a blast.


What happened to her hair? She is in charge!!

How sweet are those little pumpkins of mine--not the orange ones!!

I know! I said there was a lot to talk about, and there's more. So, if you are not interested in my political views, stop reading. Wait! If you're going to stop reading just one thing VOTE and do not be deceived by the candidate who will not wear a flag pin or cover his heart during the pledge, hangs out with terrorists, who's wife thinks America is a "downright mean country," who thinks are wrongly accuses our military of "air raiding villages and killing civilians, who will destroy this nation!!! Okay if you don't want to know anymore about my political views, you can stop reading now.

I hope I make it through this election!!! For the first time in our lives Scott and I actually made a cash donation to a political candidate, we will be walking our neighborhood and phone calling California voters to encourage voters to vote YES on Prop. 8 I cannot tell you how I hate phone calling, but this issue is so very important. For those of you who think it's not a big deal please read this. It is absolutely vital for the protection of our religious freedoms, how are children are taught about family in school, adoption rights, etc... There are a bunch of studies and research (not religiously or politically based) that show how important it is to protect the definition of marriage. Please make sure you understand the issue in fact it is so very much more than it appears on the surface. If you are in California please vote YES on prop. 8.

The debate last night....what a joke! The media is so biased and protective of their candidate. Where were the real issues--the questions were silly. Oh how I wish Mitt Romney would have been our candidate, he could have cleaned up!! I am so sick of the lies on the other side and I'm so tired of our side trying to be "non-partisan." I don't want to compromise with those who would destroy our freedoms. Furthermore, this ridiculous bill that those crooks passed last week is absolutely unbelievable. I could hardly stomach watching those thieves on TV, those wolves who have already ravaged the hen house, in charge of protecting the hen house--I don't get it!! Where are the congressional hearings, why aren't those crooks in prison??? And WHY if this is the biggest crises since the great depression, was that bill loaded with PORK? Boy they're lookin' out for us aren't they? I cannot wait to campaign against that despicable Senator Reid!!

Now, if you haven't decided who to vote for or if you're going to vote at all. Let me just say you must VOTE! If you would like to live in a socialist bordering on communist country, if you don't give a flying fig newton about national security, if you think that paling around with terrorists says nothing about your character, if you don't give a darn about the constitution of the United States, if you think that infanticide is perfectly fine, and if you think that being the president of the US is a great place for on the job training, then I guess you had better vote for Barry! However, if you love this country, if you believe in the constitution and are proud of this nation, if you are proud of the incredible sacrifices and hard work of our military, if you hope to keep our country safe from terrorists (as it has been since 9/11), if you believe that all life is precious from the moment it begins at conception, if you believe in capitalism, if you believe the government needs to get out of the way and let people pursue the American dream without being taxed to death, if you believe in freedom of religion and freedom of speech and all the other freedoms that we now enjoy, then you better vote for JM(thank heavens he had the presence of mind to pick a fabulous running mate)!!!

If we lose this election and we have not done everything we can to influence our friends and neighbors then I guess we get what we deserve.

Now, get out there and do your part. Let's fight for this great nation and the freedoms we have been blessed with.

I am not kidding when I tell you that every day that little O. makes me laugh! We were reading today while S. slept. She's a little chatty so we don't always get many of the words in we mostly just talk about the pictures...this girl does love to talk. ANYWAY, In the beginning of the book there was a picture of a family, and of course, O. is always IN the book. So, she quickly pointed herself out--the little brown haired girl "that's me, Violet(yes, we are the "incredible family."), "there's brother, Dash" (the red-head but the only boy) " there's Scott, daddy incredible"(Yes, she called him Scott) "there's you mommy and there's Katie" (friend from church, the other little girl in the picture.) "So where's S.?" I ask. "Oh there she is" O. responds "she's the dog." Poor S. her sister thinks she's a dog. This goes on throughout the book naming people etc. So later on I point to another little girl and I say "so is this S.?" "No, mommy" O. responds "S. is the dog." She is a total NUT!

S. is saying a few words, NO is her favorite followed by HI and MAS(T.) She has finally sprouted a whole mouthful of teeth. Speaking of which what a difference those braces are making for T. holy cow were those puppies a mess, and thank heavens the tooth fairy FINALLY decided to show-up after 2 very busy nights; she must have been swamped or just a little dingy--phew!

And finally a great big HALLELUJAH O. has finally decided that she is ready for the big girl underwear---let me say it again HALLELUJAH, and I pray I haven't spoken too soon!!!!

Okay, here is a little snipet from the life and times of Scott; those of you who know and love him will appreciate this!

It so wonderful when the kidlets are all getting along and playing nice! L. and S. are so much alike it's crazy. S. was in nursery with me yesterday and every time I turned around she was standing on a chair, and when I was teaching the lesson she was behind me climbing up on the table--I swear these girls are like little monkeys. No worries about S. holding her own when she's actually old enough to attend nursery. L. made me laugh the other day when we went to Target (we went to look for Halloween costumes, we left with a Halloween costume and new shoes not for S. who needs them for L. who couldn't live without them.) Anyway, she was scared to death of the Halloween stuff and insisted that we leave as soon as she saw the creepy stuff, so we did (should have been smart enough to stay away from the shoes... but eagle eye saw them.) After she picked out some new shoes she said "okay, we'll go back and find a costume...as if I had insisted." Then she couldn't take her eyes off the creepy stuff...I think she's a bit of a rubber-necker! She's a brave little thing. Tomas was scared of the Halloween stuff until just this year--we'll see how he does on Halloween.

I finally wrote another letter to our favorite missionary---Kameron. It has been such a blast hearing about all of his experiences--he's SUCH a good boy. It has totally brought back all of my missionary memories. There is absolutely nothing like a mission...it impacted my life in so many wonderful ways. It certainly cemented my testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It's such a blessing to have a part in seeing someone's life change. I do regret losing contact with the wonderful people who I have such tender memories of. It would be so cool to be able to return to Chile someday... I always thought I'd go back within a couple of years after being home, but life didn't work out that way....someday!! For now I'll just enjoy hearing about Kam's great experiences!!! We sure love him!!!

T. has earned his wolf badge--1 down a whole bunch to go!!! I'll tell you what...this scout thing is a lot of work! He worked really hard and loves, loves, loves scouts.


O. is still full of funny lines. The other day she asked me, with great concern, "Mommy where's your brain?" I didn't really have a good answer for her... I've wondered the same thing myself! She is so darned smart. She was making letters out of a straw the other day, and she is so friendly. She yells hello to all of T.'s friends when they pass us on their way to the bus as if they're her buddies...they at that little cutie!

S. is a climbing machine! There are no longer chairs at our kitchen table because we got tired of taking her off the table. She cannot be left alone in the living room because I had to take her off the wall between the kitchen and living room...thankfully I was standing right on the other side of the wall as she climbed up--I did almost have a heart attack on that one!

I have to confess that I have been absolutely glued to talk radio the last week and I actually watched c-span because I didn't want to miss the speeches! I'm just going to say--HOW EXCITING!!! Of course Scott can hardly contain himself with a VP pick from Alaska and she was a star BB player--HOLY COW! I know, all this from the girl who was happy to earn a C in American Heritage. Enough Said!!

How cute is this kid???
He was cool as a cucumber on the first day at the new school. He saw lots of friends, but my favorite was when he saw this little girl who was in his class last year--she is the total opposite personality from T. Chatty Cathy, she knows everything, not shy, 8 going on 21--anyway, T. yells hi to her and is excited to see someone from his old class, she comes racing over, arms open ready to give him a huge hug and I glance over to see absolute terror on his face. She ends up just putting her arm around his shoulder....I had to fight to keep a straight face! Phew, at least he's not girl crazy yet.

On to the next thing...how about those CUTE dresses!!
I know it's a totally goofy picture--they refuse to let me take their picture--it's like trying to herd cats! BUT I love these cute dresses. O.(the queen of pink) informed me after church that she wanted the brown dress NOT the pink one! I was going to get her the brown dress, but she wasn't with me when I bought them, and I thought the pink dress was the safest bet, but I forgot that she is the one who insisted on the brown polka dot swimsuit!! She's 3 and already I can't shop for her unless she's there. I know....it's only just begun.

Note to self---when your car battery dies, replace it....NOW( I stand corrected by Scott, who is peering over my shoulder, have SOMEONE replace it)! Yes, it was the hottest day of the year, in fact there was an excessive heat warning. I was just running to the store for a few minutes and sure enough when L. and I got back in the van to go home, it's dead, dead, DEAD!!!! Scott with all his auto prowess stood out in that blazing and I mean BLAZING heat jumped that battery and jumped that battery and jumped that battery and...no go! So, he took the battery out and we folded ourselves up and squished into that Honda Civic which is a great car for commuting, but not built for passenger comfort or HOT weather even with the AC on high. Thankfully we were only about 5 miles from the house AND the auto parts store! It's all better now--works like a charm with it's new battery!! Lesson learned.

Summer is almost over--WOW! We've had a great time!! T. is excited to go back to school--new school again that's 3 in 4 years. I was afraid he might have a melt down like he did on his 2nd day of first grade when he went from a school of about 100 kids to the insanity of 700+ students. He was totally fine after the melt down on the playground where he attached himself to my leg screaming and crying I'm NOT GOING! While I was holding L. who was only about a year old at the time(side note..I never went onto that playground without a stroller after that little incident). After I convinced him to peel himself off my leg we made it to class and he was happy as a little clam the rest of the day and the rest of the year. That little cutie pie psychs himself out, and it's never as bad as he imagines it might be!

On the other school front, Scott's working on psyching himself up for the new year. He's a little concerned about facing his portable which that crazy school district didn't tell him he would not have access to all summer because they're tearing the place apart so they can put in some new softball field and some other hooo haaa--who knows... major budget crises and we're building a new softball field--go figure. Anyway, poor guy is going to have to face his beloved fish tank full of stinky dead fish--I'm gonna have to load him up with some serious febreeze and a boatload of candles!! I'm so glad he loves his job!

Boy, did we have an adventure this past weekend. We've been having sleeping issues--it seems to be an ongoing situation. I don't know why we can't teach children to sleep through the night. Yes, I've read the books, tried the suggestions, etc. S. is sleeping 4-5 hours at a time--I know it seems crazy for a 14 month old to not sleep through the night, but she goes back to sleep pretty easily....in our bed!! That's the first issue. O. wanders in a few times and sometimes scares the living daylights out of me when I wake-up to those little eyes peering at me in the dark. Then there's T. he's started sleep walking---EVERY NIGHT! Which also freaks me out a little bit. I walked in my sleep as a kid, but it's just such a strange experience chatting with your child about the most bizarre things when you know he's asleep! Needless to say, Scott and I are not getting much sleep. What I wouldn't give for a good solid 8 hours---someday!

Well, that's the background to the events of the weekend. It was a typical night up and down at one point the baby was up, and O. was up, it was 3am, Scott had to get up a 5am. I had baby in one arm and was walking around the bed to get O. and put her back in bed. I was totally groggy, it was dark(of course!) and I forgot that Scott had put together this shoe rack for the closet that day, it didn't fit so it was on the floor--yea you can see where this is going. I did not even see that crazy thing and fell flat on my face on top of it... it survived. The baby never touched the ground, however my leg was totally bruised with a big gash down my shin (looking good with a dress in just a couple of hours!) I was more irritated than hurt, but we finally got everyone back in bed. Scott got up at 5 as did S., what does she care, she can nod off whenever the urge arises! So, after a short few hours of sleep, Tomas throwing a fit because he could not find his white shirt even after I had reminded him no less than 5 times the night before to lay his church clothes out, we were ready for a day of worship! I got all those kiddos loaded in the van, we were on time, I hopped(maybe not hopped, dragged myself) into the drivers seat and turned the key and NOTHING. I was sure it was just my imagination so I tried again and again---it was really dead as a dodo bird! I took three deep breaths, began repenting of all the things I had said and not done over the past 24 hours ( I knew I was getting a knot jerked in my tail, and I admit I needed it). Unloaded and reloaded into the giant stroller, of course I was teaching nursery that day and had a boatload of props for the lesson--ya gotta keep those little hands busy. We walked to church in that blazing 90+ degree heat, T. was a great sport, O. is always a good sport and S. was her usual self trying to harass L. by pulling her hair! I was so grumpy when I got ready for church, I pulled out the oldest baggiest dress I own, and I admit, as I walked to church I was sure that some hidden cameras were probably lurking around the corner and I was going to end up on What Not to Wear, I could just hear Staci and Clinton saying "What were you thinking in that horrible thing." So I've decided it's time for all clothes that are more than 10 years old to go to DI! Like my friend Marianne said to me when she found out I was pregnant at 39, Heavenly Father certainly has a sense of humor doesn't he? Another good reminder to be thankful for what we have. I was certainly thankful that we had morning church that day and that the church is less than a mile from our house!

I wish I had pictures of that adventure, but you'll all just have to use your imaginations!

Here's some totally unrelated pictures.

A typical summer day at our house when we're not in the water!!

I was reading my friend Angela's blog and she just had her first baby---yeah!! What fun! Anyway, she inspired this post. She was saying how very "lucky" she is to have such a perfect little baby, wonderful husband, great family.....Well, I have to say Ang--it's not luck. It's part of a wonderful and divine plan, laid out by a loving Heavenly Father. Have you ever wondered how anyone could experience having a newborn baby placed in their arms and wonder if there is a God? Every child born into this world is absolutely a miracle! When I was in college I had an awesome physiology teacher who would get so excited about the amazing human body and would often explain it as celestial architecture!! I always tell people that if they don't believe in miracles to please come and chat with me and I will share with them three miraculous stories! I am soooooo grateful for my three little miracles, and I can't imagine a husband more loving and patient than Scott. Most importantly, I'm so thankful for the blessings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which teaches us the purpose of life and that these people that I love so very much can be with me for eternity.... eternity---what a Blessing!!! So to my sweet friend Angela, I say you are not lucky, but you and I are very, very blessed to have been given the sacred title of mommy!! What an awesome and sometimes daunting responsibility and trust has been placed upon us when these perfect babies were put into our care from God's arms.

It was time to break out the slip and slide---the water bill is going to be crazy, but it's summer and it's the best way to stay cool and have fun! Aren't they so cute?

Yes, she does her own outfits!
And...her own hair!


On with this crazy, wonderful life. Sofie has learned to climb on the sofa, she climbs on boxes, drawers and anything else she can get a good foothold on. The problem (one of the problems) is that she likes to stand on the sofa and has no idea that one little bounce will find her upside down on the floor. She and Livie are the monkey's of the house. Livie is constantly balancing and swinging on everything. It's time for that girl to go to gymnastics! So the other day Tomas had his friend over to play and they decided to go outside and play squirt guns. Well, his friend hadn't brought swim trunks, but they're boys, they can just get wet in their shorts and dry off. Right before they start getting wet, I go out and Tomas, Livie and friend are ready to get soaked and I say, "you guys better take your shirts off" and obediently, Livie starts to take her shirt off. Funny Girl!!! The boys were about hysterical over it, and of course my sweet little Livie has no clue what was so funny.

Sooooo, I got another new calling at church. I'm still in Nursery, which I just love. It's definitely the best calling in the church. Can anyone tell me why people get so freaked out about nursery??? I just love those little kiddos, and we have such a blast AND we get to teach them the Gospel in it's most simple form. But now I have two callings hmmm maybe they should have just left me as the Primary President! The good news is that now I not only have nursery with Liv, but I also get to be one of Tomas' den leaders. If I would have been called to cub scouts 5 years ago, I would have freaked out, but it is so fun. I loved going to day camp and those little boys are really so sweet. AND the fun continues......Summer is going by too FAST!

We're finally back from a great vacation to California. We had a fantastic time. The road trip was an experience not to be soon forgotten. We learned several things from those long hours in the car together! Here are some things learned on our summer road trip!

#1We learned that Olivia is prone to car sickness--one big puke on the way there not particularly close to a town, and only about 3 hours into a 9-10 hour drive (should be 9 closer to 10 even 11 with the drama). The poor baby soaked herself. Luckily the car was spared except the seatbelt. Tomas managed to only gag a few times and continue his pursuit to conquer the new star wars game on his gameboy before the trip was done. Sofia was engrossed in her own anger about being strapped into a carseat. On the return trip the 1 puke was more minor. Thankfully she knew it was coming and we were all on stand-by with bags, towels, baby wipes, new clothes, etc. She hit the bag and decided that she couldn't sit in the very back anymore, she would have to sit by Sofie.
#2 Tomas is a very smart but very dingy! So, there's this fly in the car we're trying to kill him, Livie is swatting at him even Sofie tries to catch him. At least 20 minutes into this fly thing Tomas from his boy cave in the back seat yells "Hey there's a fly in here!"
#3Mapquest, Mapquest, Mapquest!!! Day trip all planned to six flags, tickets pre-purchased, baby bag stocked etc., etc. We head out, pay the toll,cross the bridge, pretty sure we know where were going and then the highway ends and we're not there. Appearantly we missed the interchange so, we backtrack to the interchange. There we have choice A and choice B--I'm thinking this should be easy I grew up here, I'm sure it's B, we choose B and here we go back over another bridge, not good, I knew we were not supposed to cross a bridge again. SO back we go pay our toll again, A was the right choice, and I should have got a map and a stupid sign!!!
#4 Olivia learned that it's not a good idea to blow bubbles in a full bottle of soda. It all started with Sofie pooping her pants--no big deal that's what babies do. I looked back saw her red face and we started heading for the nearest gas station (maybe 5-7 miles down the road). I look back maybe a minute later and see brown fingers pointing in the air---not a pretty sight! We finally get that mess taken care of, diaper changed hands washed, sanitized and deodorized. Looked for a second gas station because the first was too disgusting to actually use--I can't go into details because it's just YUCKY! SO, we find another less disgusting bathroom to use we're ready to get back on the road everyone is settled, Olivia has a 7-up to keep her tummy settled and before we leave the parking lot she decides to blow bubbles in the full bottle of 7-up and BAM Olivia is now covered in 7-up!
#5 In a battle of wills between Olivia and Sofia vs. Mom and Dad. The girls will win hands down! We learned that it is absolutely possible for these two little darlings to scream inconsolably at the top of their lungs for well over an hour EVENTUALLY (not as soon as anyone might imagine) they will drift off for a short nap, and miraculously wake-up happy.....for a while.
#6 Sofia hates, hates, hates riding in a car seat for more than and hour. Furthermore, she will NOT sleep in that thing no matter how exhausted for more than an hour and a half! She has strong lungs and is persistant--she will WIN!
#7 Tomas is the #1 traveler in the family better than both sisters and Mom and Dad! He is totally self sufficient and can sleep in a car like nobody's business--I am unbelievably jealous!
#8 It is precisely these events which drive parents to say things they don't really mean, like--"We will never, as long as we live, go on a roadtrip again!!!!

Scott said if we didn't write this down we might forget--who is he kidding!!! We are already laughing, but not ready to strap in for a long trip for a while!

In between all the adventures in the car, we had an absolute blast!!!


Tomas was totally wacky when he saw wiley coyote, Olivia , however, not so much!! She warmed up though and gave him a hug and a high five after the picture.They loved, loved, loved the rides at six flags. Tomas was not quite ready for the big rides yet, but I think he'll be ready next time.

The aquarium was awesome, of course, and they had a ball collecting shells on the beach. Sofie liked playing in and eating the sand! Tomas was like a little marine biologist--he's such an animal lover.

This was a little train ride which was so much fun in the park. They also had a little petting zoo.
It wasn't all play. Tomas and Scott helped poppi put in a sprinkler system on the hill and we planted a bunch of plants. Hopefully, this will help them sell their house soon--wish we could buy it!!
It was a fun fourth. Yes, we have to have 4th of July shirts every year (I let Scott off the hook this year.) And yes, Olivia insisted on pink!
The zoo was great--Tomas loved the Alligators and other reptiles. Olivia liked the Giraffes.

Who is that mutant ninja turtle??