Fending off boredom

Chris and I were in our room today trying to have a conversation without interruptions, which, of course, is pretty much impossible. Now don't try to read between the lines, yes, we were TALKING, and that's it. The boys kept coming in and bugging us. So Chris told them if they are that bored to go and clean the front room and kitchen. Well, a few minutes later we heard them moving dishes around. When we called out to ask them what they were doing they told us they were doing the dishes. We then said, "well, just make sure you take the clean ones out before you put the dirty ones in." Now, normally, we would have gone in immediately to supervise, but because of the importance of the conversation we were having, we decided to give them some responsibility and see what happens. In other words, we were being lazy.

I came in a little later to see how things were going, and just had to get out the camera to capture this moment.

Just a little FYI, the sink was completely full, and so was the dishwasher with clean dishes, so there was a ton to do. About an hour after they initially started they finally finished. I am actually quite shocked they lasted as long as they did, and they only came in tattling about the other one calling them names once! This was the finished product.

Needless to say, I will have to redoo their work of art. They weren't too happy when I told them they couln't put soap in it and start it. We'll see what they do when I start fixing things, hopefully they won't be too heart broken.

A few minutes after I started working on this post Brendon came in to me with the mopping soap and asked me to take off the lid because Jayden wanted to mop the kitchen floor. Um, yeah, I drew the line there. That is a disaster waiting to happen.

You know, I don't know why the heck I basically have to threaten them with their lives every other day to get them to do anything when it comes to cleaning , but today when we were pretty much joking about the cleaning thing, they take the request full heartedly. I have to say that's kind of messed up. Okay, so maybe the threatening with their lives is a little extreme, but sometimes that is how I feel!

Going at it!

This post is kind of late because it happened on Thanksgiving night, but I haven't had a chance to blog about it yet. But since it really has nothing to do with Thanksgiving I guess it really isn't overdue. We decided to stay at my parent's house that night and after we watched a movie we were further entertained by the boys. They decided to get out the boxing gloves and go at it.

I guess it's kind of a family tradition. Growing up my brothers would occasionally get out the boxing gloves and have some fun. My dad did the same with his brothers. They haven't been used for quite a while, but the boys found them in my parents basement and decided it would be fun to play with them. It was hillarious to watch them. After a few minutes Chris couldn't help himself and decided to join in. Here are a few pictures.

As you can see, most of the boxing was done on the floor. I guess it was more like wrestle-boxing. But that made it much more fun to watch! Oh, and don't pay too close attention to the feet of Jayden's pajamas. Yes, that is a whole, and yes that is his foot. Can you tell they are handy downs?

Occasionally Jayden would get lucky enough to get Brendon on the ground. Then he would sit on him and punch him anywhere he could get a chance.

FOR ALL UTE FANS, AND THOSE THAT JUST CAN'T DECIDE

Okay, so I've had a few days to recuperate, and cry it all out. I guess it's good to know that I am capable of getting over devastating things. For some of you out there you may be thinking, holy cow, people are so weird the way they get into this whole BYU-UTAH thing. Well, for those of you that don't know, I am a huge BYU fan because of the way I grew up. My grandpa worked at the Y for many years, and my brother and I would go to football and basketball games every chance we got. We grew up in Sandy, but the 30 minute drive was SO worth it. You can say that blue ran through our blood. And despite having a cousin that played for the U and my brother having a brother-in-law that plays for the U, our blood still runs blue, and will till the day we die. However, this year I will be a big girl and will congratulate the U. Despite the fact that if a certain someone would have played even a remotely decent game we might just have come out with the victory, I will give it to the U. They played a great game, and dare I say it, I guess they deserved the win. Yikes!! That hurt!! Ouch!!!



Anyway, as a tribute to all you Ute fans out there, and those of you who are undecided, or just don't care, I would like to share a little something my brother sent to me yesterday. Even I had a good laugh.



Introducing a new breakfast entree at the U:





And by the way, a little F.Y.I. Ike, no we are not related to Max Hall, so we won't see him at Thanksgiving to tell him thank you for you. And if we were related, he would not be invited anyway. :-)

Oh and everybody have a wonderful TURKEY DAY!!!!

Stay away!

I am in quite the crappy mood tonight. Nuff said.

TAG

So I guess with this tag from Katie I'm supposed to name eight things in each category, however, after doing this I realized that I can't come up with eight in all of them, so sorry, you'll have to settle with what I have.


1. 8 TV shows I watch:
a. The Office
b. Chuck
c. CSI- New York
d. The Biggest Loser

And that's pretty much all I watch on a regular basis


2. 8 Favorite Restaurants:
a. Texas Roadhouse
b. Cafe Rio
c. Olive Garden
d. Anything Chinese

We hardly ever go out to dinner at a restaurant, and when we do, these are pretty much the normal places we go. Does Little Ceasars count?


3. 8 Things that happened yesterday:
a. I woke up
b. Put in my contacts
c. Used the bathroom
d. At food
e. I accompanied Pansy in her ward
f. I was very entertained by our ward's primary program
g. I went to choir
h. I went to bed


4. 8 things I'm looking forward to:
a. Watching the Jazz game tonight
b. Watching the holy war this Saturday (Go Cougars!!!!!!)
c. Turkey
d. Finding out Katie is having a boy!
e. Christmas
f. The boys being old enough to watch themselves so Chris and I can go out without worrying about a babysitter.
g. Getting our car paid off, we're almost there!!!!
h. My brother coming home from his mission

5. 8 things on my wishlist:
a. A girl, eventually

And that's about it, if I ever get a girl, I'll be satisfied.

6. 8 things I love
a. The gospel
b. my family
c. my friends
d. basketball
e. coaching
f. Having that 9:00 weekend sugar craving satisfied by a willing husband that goes on a store run for me
g. music
h. Having something to do so I don't have to sit at home and do nothing

7. 8 things I can't stand
a. Liberals
b. Greed
c. Squash
d. Outspoken people
e. Cooked vegetables, with the exception of corn
f. Dresses
g. cleaning my boys bathroom (a gas mask is recommended)
h. Noisy eaters

Chris' blog

I have to tell people to check out Chris' blog with his airplane of the week. This one, I will admit, is a pretty cool one. He's done this one before, like when he first started his blog, but it didn't have the video with it, so I didn't pay much attention. Make sure you watch the video. What's even cooler, is that this airplane will eventually replace the F-16 that Chris works on at Hill and he will get to work on the new F-35. Of course, he has a few years before the change takes place.

Some family fun!

On Sunday my family came over to our house to celebrate my parents 29th anniversary. It also happened to be my little brother's 20th birthday, so we had some cake and ice cream and some fun. My brother is on a mission in Indiana, so he unfortunately couldn't make it.

As usual, when my family gets together the boys usually end up wrestling or doing some funky things with Jason and Laura. Sunday was no different. Most of the night was spent on the floor goofing off. What a blessing it is to have younger siblings to help get some of the extra energy out once in a while.

Jason and Laura were both doing push-ups with all three kids on their backs

...and this was the result after a few reps.

Yeah, the leg thing seems much less tiring!

At least Ethan's not shy for the camera, like he seems to be with everything else!

This is Ethan and his cousin, Dylan. They are 7 months apart, but Dylan is so big, they look like they are the same age. He's definitely my brother's son! (Not Jason, who is holding them, my older brother Matt. Um, yeah, he's a little bigger.)

Chris- why is it that when our picture is taken together, 99.99% of the time you are sticking your tongue out in the direction of my cheek?

And, I guess I am a retard, but I forgot to get a picture of my parents together on Sunday, so here's the most recent one of them together.

Happy Anniversary!! You are such an amazing strength to me. I could never have asked for better parents because of your faith, testimonies, and example. It seems like in the hardest times of life, our true faith and testimonies stand right out. My parents have definitely experienced some hard times in the last 29 years, but during each of those times they have come together, relied on the Lord for strength, and endured. May the Lord continue to strengthen, and bless you guys through whatever else life has in store. I love you guys!!

Here's some proof of the fruits of your labors!

Toni is pregnant with Dylan, so he is not pictured, but add one to the family.

Better late then never! Here you go Scott!

Okay, so my brother-in-law told me that I am a slacker for not posting pictures of the boys from Halloween on my blog. I will admit, I didn't really think about it until after he said something. For those of you that know me well, you know that I don't really care for Halloween, and I was so happy the moment it was over. So maybe that would be the reason I didn't really think about it, subconsciously, I probably didn't want to. I guess all of the neighbors out there already saw the boys from trick-or-treating, but I kind of forgot that family didn't see them, so I'm sorry for being a slacker, and here they are!! Enjoy!

Chris and I went to a neighborhood Halloween party and this is what we dressed up as. We were twins. You can't see it but we rolled up our pants to our knees and wore orange and blacked striped socks up to our knees.

What's wrong with these pictures?

What's wrong with this picture?

1. Ethan knows he's not supposed to get into things in the drawers in the kitchen.

2. I guess I forgot to tell him not to get INTO the drawers either.

What's wrong with these pictures?

1. The boys were supposed to go right to sleep. Apparently they had another idea.

2. They must have been extremely quiet, because Chris and I had no idea they were playing until we went in to close their bedroom door. Luckily for them, they were asleep at that point.

3. They told me the next day that they were decorating for Halloween. ....Um, ...yeah, okay,... whatever.

If you're wondering why Brendon is not in his bed, he is sleeping on the floor. Yeah, he's a little different, and he prefers to sleep on the floor more than in his bed.

AHHHWWWW! How sweet! What is wrong with this picture?

1. There were kids around.

2. Um, who knows what was going on behind the newspaper. -Chris and Katie, my house is a "G" rated house around the children, I would like to keep it that way!

3. Couldn't you guys have waited until you got home?!!

...By the way, Katie, I showed my mom this post today and she said you look just like me. I had to assure her that, no, I am not kissing your husband. -Not that that's what you guys were doing or anything...wink, wink, nod, nod!! :-)

What could be wrong with this picture?

1. When it's Brendon's turn to play the computer, he chooses to play online monopoly? What the heck is the matter with my child?

2. 2 of the 3 of the other players, which are more than likely adults, are getting their butts kicked by a 6 year old, and he's not far behind the third player.

3. He's using Chris popular game name of LAXMAN. Ummm, I'll be nice and keep what I'm thinking to myself.

4. He's following after the footsteps of his dad. Yes, he learned about this game from watching Chris play it. BOOORRRRINNNGGG!!!!!!

What's wrong with these pictures you ask?

1. Ethan thinks he's a cat.

2. I hate cats, sorry, no offense Becca, but they have never been my favorite, although yours is pretty darn cute. Oh, and no offense Connie, yours never make me suffocate, so I like yours. Oh, and I should probably mention Scott and Emily's cats. Since I never see yours, I guess they are okay as well. Man the things I say so I'm not known as the cat hater of the family or neighborhood!!!

3. Ethan has his Binky, which he knows is a no no during the day when he's not napping.

Okay, there are many things wrong with these next pictures!!

1. I got in the shower with my boys unsupervised. Okay, I'll admit it, I do that pretty much every day.

2. They are using mine and Chris' pillows which they know they aren't supposed to touch.

3. They are both in their underwear.

4. I told them to get dressed after they were done eating breakfast. Apparently that didn't happen.

5. They are using my couch cushions. Which again they know they aren't supposed to touch unless it's with their cabooses.

6. They are sliding down the stairs, which could possibly get them hurt.

7. I'm not worried about them getting hurt.

What's wrong with these two pictures?

1. Ethan snuck in my room while I was taking pictures of the boys on the stairs.

2. He's not allowed to touch the computer.

3. He's looking at me like he's not doing anything wrong.

What's wrong with these pictures?

1. I'm kind of teaching my boys that what they did was okay. What a great example!!

2. I put a 6 year old in charge of taking the pictures, that could have been a disaster!!

But really, I thought it looked like fun and what the heck, I'm only 26. I feel like a kid most of the time anyway, so I might as well act like one once in a while, right!!!

The Love Tag, Thanks Sarah, it was fun!

*What is your husbands name? Chris

*How long have you been married? 7 years.

*How long did you date? Lets see.... 7 months

*How old is he? 29

*Who eats sweets? Both of us, we live for them!!

*Who said I love you first? Chris.

*Who is taller? Again Chris, that was a requirement

*Who can sing best? Um, yeah, I would have to say me. The first time Chris joined my family for family night when we were dating, my brothers later asked me if he was really singing or just trying to be funny. Sadly, yes, that was his real voice. And I always said I wanted to marry a good singer. :)

*Who is smarter? I would have to admit, Chris, in most areas. Although I do have the upper hand in a few.

*Who does laundry? Definitely me. When Chris does it he leaves everything inside out, and doesn't know which clothes belong to what boys. So it's pointless to have him do it.

*Who pays bills? Once again, me. Actually I really don't mind it, as long as we have enough money to pay them all, which, thankfully hasn't happened yet. (Knock on wood) :)

*Who mows the lawn? It's a toss up. When my allergies are driving me batty, Chris does it. But any other time, I do it. I love to mow the lawn.

*Who drives? Mostly Chris, unless someone is trying to follow us. Yeah, that's a long story, but he's been fired when under the circumstances of someone else relying on following us to get somewhere.

*Who is first to admit they are wrong? Me! He has yet to admit to any wrong doings. We still argue about the location of our first kiss, even though I wrote about it in my journal that night, and my whole family is are witnesses to where we were. He still thinks he's right, whatever.

*Who kissed who first? It was pretty much mutual.

*Who asked who out first? I asked him. He was too wimpy to ask me first, although he uses the excuse that he was going to ask me out the next weekend. Um, yeah, right.

*Who wears the pants? Probably me. Not because I'm controlling or anything, but whenever I ask him his opinion about something he always says, whatever. I don't care. Do what you think we should do. It's actually pretty annoying sometimes, especially when I don't know what to do.

Thanks for the idea Sarah, it was fun. And now I will tag who ever wants to do it. It's actually kind of fun to find out little details about other couples, and how things work with them. So I think all you married people out there that read this should do it, but no pressure!

Birthday Parties, from a guys perspective

Today Chris did a birthday party for Brendon. Yes, he did it by himself. We debated as to whether or not we should do one for him this year, because we resolved a while ago that we would only do friend parties every other year. Chris pointed out that he will want one when he turns 8, so we should do one this year. He volunteered to plan it and I had absolutely no objections. I was, however, a little bit anxious as to how it would turn out.

He did the invitations over the computer. They were in black and white with a batman symbol, and on computer paper. Very creative. (Hence the sarcasm) He handed them out on Tuesday, which as a mom I would like to have them at least a week ahead to make scheduling easier. When I asked him about a theme and decorations he objected to the ideas. "We don't need them," he said. Then I asked about party bags, and again he objected. Then I asked about planning games, and once again, nope. Whatever, I thought, it's his party to plan, I'll let him do it.

He planned it from 12:30-1:30, between conference sessions. We learned from last year that having a two hour party at this age is a huge mistake!! Don't make it yourself!!! He had the whole party planned out. The first 15 minutes the guests would arrive. The next 15 minutes we would eat cake. The next 15 open presents, and the next 15 let the boys play. And that's pretty much what happened. It worked like clock work. The last guest actually arrived exactly 15 minutes late. It was the easiest party ever planned. Just make the cake, print invites and your done! The boys didn't even ask about party bags when they left. I was actually kind of shocked. But I must say that as a parent, to me the things inside party bags annoy the crap out of me. They're either noisy beyond tolerance, or they end up all over the floor to get stepped on or broken. So I guess it was a win win situation for us and the parents of the boys. My designated job was to take pictures, it was wonderful.

I definitely learned a lot from this experience.

1. That women spend too much time, money, and planning when it comes to child parties. Heck, when it comes to anything. We go all out when we don't need to. The kids don't even care.

2. Kids are more happy when planning isn't involved. Let me explain. Last year when I did the party I planned a few games to play. Two of the boys were off doing their own thing and didn't even care. Plus it was annoying as I'll get out trying to get the boys to stay focused on the game. Their attention spans are next to nothing at this age. They were much happier today just being able to play and do their own thing together.

I guess in the area of planning parties men seem to have the right ideas for the most part. Keep it simple and keep it cheap. So I told Chris that he DONE GOOD! His mom will be so proud! And from now on I'll let him plan the parties!

Here are some pictures.

Once again, Chris made this cake from scratch. Great job I must say!

Ethan didn't really care about the cake. All he wanted was the frosting, and he licked the plate clean of it.

Happy Birthday Brendon!

Today is Brendon's sixth birthday. I can't believe it! How the years have flown by. He had a fun little party in Kindergarten today. He made a cute birthday hat, and all the kids made him a folder with cards from them in it. He said it was a great day at school.


For his present this year we got him a bat-mobile car. Inside the mobile there is batman on a motorcycle. When you push a button it raises the top of the mobile and when another button is pushed batman rides out of the car on his motorcycle. The boys have spent the last little while playing, or should I say fighting over it. He seems to like it, so I guess we done good again this year.



Tonight after Brendon's soccer game Chris' parents are taking him out to dinner. It's a little tradition Chris' grandparents started with him, that after they turn six they get to go out with grandpa and grandma. They also get to choose where they eat. It's a fun tradition, I'm glad his parents decided to carry it on to the next generation. It will be fun for the boys.

We have been so blessed to have Brendon in our family. He is a very loving big brother. Yes, they have their moments, but he loves his little bro's to peices, and would do anything for them if it really came down to it.

Brendon is always the one to come up to me and give me a hug and kiss for no reason at all. It melts my heart, and makes me feel like a million dollars. He definitely has a good heart, and loves others around him so easily. As a mother the first child always holds a special place in your heart, just because they're the first. The first to learn to say mama. The first to hold your hand. The first to give you a bedtime kiss. The first to say "I love you." The first to go to school. It's just one new experience after another. How blessed I am to be Brendon's mother!

I LOVE YOU BRENDON!!!!

On a different note, today we went over to Chrystal's house to play. When we got in the car to go home Brendon said, "Mom, look at the note I made." I showed it to Katie and she said I needed to blog about it, and I couldn't help myself.




They had a Little Caesars pizza box sitting in their kitchen and that's where he got the message from, but I have to say that it was hillarious! If he only knew!

It seems like I just posted about this.

Brendon and Jayden are doing the soccer thing again this year. We had kind of a rocky start this year with Jayden, because he doesn't do well with change, and wanted to play with his team from last year. But now he's adjusted fine, and is enoying it. In last weeks game Jayden scored 5 goals! It was awesome! Brendon has also scored at least one goal in every game he has played. It's so much fun to watch them get better and better each year, and enjoy it more each year. They definitely love soccer!

So, anyway, here are some pictures of them. Once again, I would post videos but it takes too long, sorry. Jayden is red, and Brendon is blue.