Snow in AZ???

I don't know that you could call it snow, but it did look like we had snow yesterday. It was stormy all night. When we woke up it wasn't raining anymore, but it was wet. David, Michael and Ryan were preparing to leave for the Nascar race and the rest of us were getting ready for church. Not 5 minutes after they left, it starts pouring! But not just rain. It is hailing! After a couple minutes the hail turned to slush. The kids were screaming 'Mom, you have to come see this!' I had sent the camera with David to the races, so all I had was my phone. I snapped a few pictures. We should have been leaving for church, but none of us wanted to go out in the storm. So we sat and watched, hoping it would let up. Sure enough, it did. We were just a tad bit late for church, but there were a lot of other people that, I think, had the same idea we did.
The trampoline looked like it had a blanket of snow on it.

Amanda and Tyler were trying to catch some in their hands.

The front yard had a blanket of white as well.

A friend at church told me her son wanted to stay home and make a snowman! When she said no, he asked if he could make one when they got home. It was funny. Of course, when we got home the sky was clear, no more rain and no more 'snow' on the ground.

Lost Tooth

Ryan lost his first tooth on Sunday Jan 16th.


He has been wriggleing his tooth for weeks trying to get it out. Sunday he asked David to 'Please pull it out Daddy!' David grabbed a napkin and pulled, pretty hard and finally said -again- 'Sorry, bud. It's just not ready.' Well that was not good enough for Ryan. He grabbed that napkin and pulled and yanked and pulled some more. Then he looked up at me with a look of shock on his face 'I pulled it!!! I pulled it!!!' He started screaming and laughing. He was so excited that he had finally pulled his first tooth out of his mouth.

Housewife?? Hardly!!

So I have come to the realization that I am NOT a housewife! I receive NO pleasure in cleaning up after my kids, doing mountains of laundry, scrubbing toilets or cooking dinner. Now, this is not a new discovery, just a public one now. I am coming out and declaring 'I AM NOT A HOUSEWIFE!!!!!' I'm not trying to be perfect at it, not even trying to be good at it. Just trying to DO it! When we moved here, I told David I wanted to stay home. Thought it would be 'fun' to hang out with my kids all day, go to the park, hang out with other moms, go to the zoo... Well, give me a job ANYDAY!!! See, that is what it was like when I was a nanny. It WAS fun! We did all kinds of fun things. Why is it different then? Oh, maybe because I am also paying bills, doing ALL the housework, oh and I don't get off work at 7pm to go have 'me' time. You know, hand the kids over to someone else to take care of. I have a friend that likes being a housewife. She even says she is really good at it. I know she is. Why can I not even begin to even resemble a housewife?? Well, maybe this is why. I have come to realize a few things over the last 2 years...

First... I HATE running errands!!! Really, I do. I have never run errands before. Don't be shocked at this. David always ran the errands. Remember, he was a stay home dad for 10 years. I hate the Post Office, I hate the Gas Station, I hate the DMV, I hate shopping, I really don't enjoy any and all errands that must be done. The only thing I don't hate is going to the Grocery Store - but only late at night when I don't have kids with me and I can take my time wandering up and down the isles, meandering through the store while thinking about whatever I want uninterrupted. But then I buy a whole bunch of stuff I don't need. So, I hate running errands.

Second... I am LAZY!! I must be. I have no idea what I have accomplished in my days at home. I REALLY need to snap out of this. Another friend recently sold her business to stay home with her kids. She said something like 'I hope I can keep doing the same amount of stuff in a day that I did when I had the business.' I laughed. I use to do so much when I had my business. I was always running! ALWAYS!! I was so busy! But now I feel like I don't do anything! I can make a list of things I need to do, but by the end of the day, only one or two of the items are crossed off. Must be laziness...

Third... My brain is MUSH!! That list I just talked about. Yeah, the list only happens when I remember all the things I need to do (ok, not ALL). I usually only think of them as I am snuggled in my bed half asleep. 'Oh, I need to do ---- tomorrow, oh and ----, and I can't forget to do ----. Really, why can't I think of them when I have pen and paper in hand? I try, but alas, the thoughts are gone when I try to make a list. I cannot remember a THING!!

Fourth... Why Clean??? Really! You've heard the saying 'It's like shoveling snow in a snowstorm'. That would be my house! Why bother?!?!? I get it clean, spotless! Kids come home from school and all of the sudden, I can't see the kitchen counters or the carpet because there are wrappers, papers, schoolwork, notices, fundraisers, backpacks, shoes, socks and all kinds of -who knows what- all over my nice clean -or use to be clean- house! So why even try???

Those are just a few. Another question that comes to mind... Why is it that when I am sick I can't call in sick? I still have to be the Mom, housekeeper, cook, dutiful wife, nurse, taxi... I was not feeling well recently and I laid down to take a nap. When I got up the house was a wreck, the kids were out of control, dinner wasn't being prepared and everyone was yelling at me to do something! And where is their dad? Sitting in a chair, reading!! Really??? What's up with THAT??? Oh, and never mind that I WORK A JOB TOO!

So, I don't mean to complain. I just don't seem to be getting the hang of this whole housewife thing. Do women really find JOY in being a housewife?? Do you really enjoy doing housework? Cooking? Paying bills? I just don't get it! Maybe some of us are wired to be housewives and some of us are wired to be in the work force. I have wondered what things would be like if I did find a full time 'career' type job and David were to stay home again. Hmmm... Would it be better? Would I be happier? Or do I always want what I don't have?

Probably the last one.

We are a Foster Family!

It all started last Sunday. We were invited to our neighbors house for a Christmas Open House and while there we got talking with another neighbor. She was telling us how they are fostering a liter of 6 rotweiler puppies, only 12 days old. We asked a lot of questions, told her we thought it would be cool to do that and she invited us to come over and see them. Well, Monday night she came to our house and asked if we were serious about the possibility of fostering. We said we hadn't really discussed it, and then she told us that the Rescue she was working with was looking for more families to foster more dogs/puppies. She told us that there was a liter of chocolate labs, a liter of chihuahua's and a few others that needed homes. Unfortunately the labs and chihuahua's were scheduled to be put down the next day if they couldn't find someone to take them. We said we would take the labs. Unfortunately, we were too late. So on Tuesday she showed us a picture of a liter of black labs that were just dropped off at a local shelter that needed someone to take them. We said YES!! But, once again... too late. I'm not really even sure why they were put down, they were only at the shelter for a day! They were only 3 weeks old. :( So the lady called us today and said she had just pulled 7 dogs out of the shelter and had 2 boxer mix puppies. We said YES again. Well, about 2 hours later she delivered our little foster puppies! They are so stinking cute!!! The kids are so excited to have these little guys.







The black one is male, the brown one is female.


The brown one likes to get in the bowl to eat!

So, what does fostering mean? Well, we are still learning, but basically you agree to take on a dog/puppy or a liter of puppies and care for them until they can adopt them out. They have puppies as well as older dogs. While we have them, we can try to find people to adopt them by word of mouth or craigslist. The potential owner then is screened and if everything checks out, they get to adopt the dog. Sometimes there is a re-homing fee of only $50-$100, and they have to agree to spay or neuter the dog before a certain date. As a foster family, we care for the dog/puppies. Basically just love them and make sure they are healthy and fed. The Rescue pays for all the vet visits and will reimburse for dog food (or you can pay for the food and call it a donation). You keep the dog/puppies until they are adopted, or until you feel you can't keep them any longer. We felt like it would be a great experience for the kids. They want a dog so bad, but we don't really want the long committment of having one, paying for vet bills, food and all the things involved with having a dog. We have had dogs before and know they are expensive and a huge committment. So we thought this would be a great way to get a puppy fix and teach the kids how to care for animals and help rescue them. So if anyone out there -locally- wants to foster a dog or puppies, let me know. The rescue is called Helping Orphaned Hounds. Or, if you want to adopt one of these little guys, let me know. Besides the 7 she pulled froma local shelter, she had 17 more coming in from So Cal. All of them needing a foster home.

I'm sure we will be posting more pictures of these two cuties, as well as others yet to come!

Happy Birthday Christina!

Today is Christina's birthday. She is 13, a teenager. Christina is such a beautiful girl. Both inside and out. I am so happy she is my daughter. She makes friends easily. She has a heart of gold. She is so helpful around the house. She cooks, cleans, babysits and is willing to do pretty much anything I ask of her. She is a loyal friend. She just wants to make people happy. She has a great laugh. She loves to have fun. She loves baking. She is a great swimmer. She is creative and crafty. She is active - almost never sitting still. She is entertaining. She gives great foot massages and back rubs. She is sweet and kind and giving. She is thoughtful. She truly is a blessing in our lives. I love you, Christina! Happy Birthday!

Since I don't have my camera, and can't figure out how to get pictures from David's onto my computer right now, I thought I would post some past pictures of Christina.














Love you sweetie!! Happy Birthday!

Catching up, again...

Ok, I started that last post back on November 8th, I guess, and never finished it. I sorta forgot about it. I went ahead and published it, but thought I should probably do a new one.

Still haven't found the camera. Grrr... So no pictures of the house yet. I will have to use David's camera and get some posted. There just won't be before and after pics. Oh well. We have been so busy! We have pulled out almost all the shrubs and plants in both the backyard and front. Ahhh... I have wanted to do that since before we moved in. It looks so different without them. I can't wait for David to work his magic with the landscaping here. We have 6 trees in the front yard. Yes, 6! Wait, maybe 7... Anyway, trying to decide which ones stay and which ones go. I have my opinion, but I don't think David and I agree. I'm sure the shade in the summer is nice, but it would also be nice to see the front of the house from the street, I think. Although, the privacy is nice too. Ugh... Like I said, trying to decide how many stay. Haven't made much progress with the painting. But, all the Christmas decor is up and the boxes are gone, for the most part. Not put away, just shoved into closets! But... we got some FURNITURE!!!! That is soooo exciting!! You have no idea. To be without furniture for 2 1/2 years, it's so nice to actually have a kitchen table to eat on. We also got 2 leather club chairs (love them!!!), a coffee table, bar stools and our couch is ready to be picked up! Yay! It's starting to look like we actually live here! Now, if only I had stuff to put up on the walls! Working on that...

Amanda turned 8 in November and was baptized. It was such a wonderful event. We had 11 people come and stay with us - in our new house. It was great! They all stayed here and we weren't on top of each other. We played games every night -haven't done that in YEARS! That was so much fun! It was so nice to have everyone come from far away to help celebrate with Amanda. We really had a great time!

David's parents stayed until Thanksgiving. It was really nice to have them here with us for that. I actually baked my first apple pie. It was so easy (thanks to my firend Markelle, for the easy recipe). And it was so yummy!!! It was a dutch apple pie, so it had the crumbly top. I also used fresh apples that my mom brought me from their trees. It was a very yummy dinner.

Michael made the High School Soccer team. Yay Michael! He plays keeper and does a great job. He really enjoys it. With practice everyday after school, he is a bit more tired every night. They have played 2 games and have another game this week. I don't think they have won one yet, but they will. He started the last game and no goals were scored on him. But then they switched out keepers and 2 goals were scored. He was a little bummed, but it's all good. I think they tied that game.

Amanda was in a 2nd grade Christmas Program last night. It was such a cute program. She was a reindeer, Cupid. She took her part very seriously and listened to every instruction given by Ms. Wilson. She memorized her lines (and everyone else's!!), she practiced the songs (nonstop for 2 weeks), she practiced her dance moves (the reindeer had a dance scene) and she did a great job. I think she may have enjoyed being on stage more than I ever thought any of my children would. She absolutely loved it! We may have started something with this. Time will tell...

I don't think I mentioned that Ryan had a birthday back in September. He is now 6! He loves kidergarten and is doing really well. He is so excited to go to school everyday. So excited that he is up and ready to go, usually by 6am!! He has made many new friends and is learning so much.

Tyler is enjoying pre-school. He will be 4 next week! Crazy! He has come a long way in his speech. I pretty much understand just about everything he says. He is talking nonstop!! David often tells him that if he keeps talking so much he will run out of words byt the time he is an adult. He tells him that we are only allowed so many words in a lifetime and he's going to run out. He and Ryan love playing with all the boys on the street. We pretty much don't see them from the minute we get home from school until it's dark. There are LOTS of boys on our new street.

Christina... Today is Christina's birthday!! See next post that is all about her!

I guess that pretty much does it. Looking forward to a Merry Christmas and a fun visit with family in the snow!

Hello World

I have been hearing, a lot lately, that I need to update my blog. I guess I do. It's been a little while. Why does my life seem so boring? I have thought about things I could blog, but then I get busy doing... who knows what, and then they just don't seem so important. But I guess a couple of changes need to be mentioned.

We have moved! It has been one crazy month! We moved a whole half mile from where we were before, but alas... it means a new ward, a new stake and a new elementary school. It seems so crazy, but we jumped to the other side of Recker and our entire world has changed. It has been a bit of mixed emotions. We are so excited to be in our own place again! It is much bigger than the rental we were in. I am not stepping on Lego's strewn throughout the house. We can paint, decorate and do whatever we want to the place! That, in itself, is thrilling. But I was very sad to leave our ward. We really felt we belonged there. We made some great friends and I know that they are still friends, we are still very close, but you know how it is... So close but yet, it sometimes feels like so far.

So, we moved over Fall Break. We grossly underestimated the painting that needed to be done. We thought we would be able to get it done in 2 days. HA!! 10 gallons of primer, 5 gallons of white, I think we are at 10 gallons of various colors, and we are not done yet! The downstairs is almost done -a bathroom and guest room is left. We still have Amanda's room, bathroom, bonus room (aka The Bunk House) and the Master bedroom and bathroom left to do. Amanda's room is next. It is so overwhelming. There are soooo many things we want to do with the house. I have to try to focus on just one thing at a time. Which I do not do very well. I tend to look at the whole big picture, get completely overwhelmed and just shut down. Ugh... Not to mention all the boxes that are still all over the place. I hate moving! Luckily, we don't plan to move until all the kids are done with High School. Unfortunately, with all the chaos going on, I have lost my camera. I took 'before' pictures, 'during' pics of the kids painting and have now lost my camera. It's highly annoying! So, when I find it, I will be able to post pictures.

The other big 'event' that has happened is David got promoted! Yay!! He has worked so hard and it has finally happened. I am so proud of him and excited for this new change. (I think...) His hours will change a little, they will be a bit better, I think. He has worked with the Store Manager of his new store before. They get along very well, so I think he will be happy in this new position, or at least with this store manager. He will be working longer shifts, especially with Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner, but I think it will be alright.