The Sun'l Come Out. . .

So, the week started pretty rocky, but ended up being pretty O.K. Tuesday morning, Conner woke up sicker than sick. I got my substitute plans ready and prepared to stay home with him (how convenient that this would occur the day after the chipped tooth and broken dryer?!? I guess someone is looking out for me:)) I mean, NO fun at all for poor Conner, but I was able to get my tooth fixed and, at least, get started on figuring out what to do with the dryer thanks to this day off. Well, we had a guy come and look at it and as I was walking by the room, I noticed him pulling out layer after layer of lint. I asked, "Is that normal?" he said, "Well it is and it isn't." He proceeded to explain the whole process of what a dryer does and where the lint goes etc. etc. and then he showed me the BURNED pieces of lint and my dryer!


Apparently, there was a small FIRE in my dryer!!! Yikes! He said he has seen much worse damage but that it's a good thing it stopped working. Some people's dryers will keep on working, even when things start smoldering and that is when house fires occur. Anyway, we priced new dryers and decided getting this one fixed was the best deal. He changed some coil thingys, re-lubricated some other thingy and ordered a new seal (since the old one melted a little bit). He also cleaned out all the nasty lint build up and vents and assured me that it won't happen again, especially if I get my duct work cleaned in the next three years as is recommended (every 8-10 years you should have this done-just F.Y.I.). Anyway, crazy, craziness! But, my dryer is now functioning and it feels sooooo great to not have twenty gazillion piles all over the place!

Also, people have been asking me about that chipped tooth. I am embarrassed to say that it happened because I was trying to remove a staple out of some paper with my teeth. Now, I have done this a million times in my life. I guess it was time that fate stepped in to teach me a lesson. It really wasn't that noticeable to the onlooker, the chip was tiny off the front bottom part of the tooth. It was really just buggin' me. I couldn't stop messing with it. Anyway, fifteen minutes in the dentist chair (and $50 dollars) later, it is fixed! Take a look:

















Ha! Just Kidding! Those are some funny teeth Lewis won at his Pack meeting this week! Of course I have to be the cool mom who tries them on and lets her kid take a picture of it! Seriously though, here is the results of the dental visit. Good as new:


Also, Tuesday was the day Steve left for his monthly meetings out of town, so DENNY'S DAY for us (who can resist free food for the kids???)! Conner was still not feeling that great, but much better than he was earlier in the day. He ate applesauce and French fries. Lewis ate his entire meal (French toast sticks and fruit, the rest of Conner's (mini hot dogs) and even some of mine: Cinnamon-Apple French toast! He must be growing.

Hey-standing invitation to whoever wants to join us on our monthly visit to Denny's! Let me know and I'll keep you posted when we go next. There are always a ton of moms there with their kids (I'm thinking their husbands must be out of town or at meetings too)! Anyway, we always have a lot of fun!

First Football Practice!

So, once again, Lewis and Conner opted for flag football rather than soccer. Lewis had his first practice this week. He will be a Patriot this year! It looks like he is going to have a great time. This is a fun age group to watch. Most kids have played before so they kind of know what they are doing. Actually, they were all a bit cocky! Here are some of the statements I could hear from the sidelines:

"This is sooo easy! I do this EVERY day!"

Coach: "Which one of you thinks you're the fastest runner?"
(at least a couple of kids were being reasonable):)

"It doesn't matter if the grass is a little wet. I could play football in the sprinklers even.
Even in the rain!"

Well, even so, they did show signs of needing a little improvement in some areas. A lot of them were catching the ball with their stomachs (including Lewis). At least he was taking it like a man! I was actually REALLY impressed with his level of determination and how he stayed so focussed during the full hour of practice. When he was asked to run, he was always the first to take off and the first one back! That is really unusual for him. I am glad to see it! Looks like this will be a fantastic football season! Go Patriots!



Conner could not resist getting in on the action too. He had to show off some of his skills while we waited during Lewis' practice. Conner actually started his practice this week too, but I forgot about the camera. I will have to take pics at his first game next week. He will be a Dolphin this year. So GO Dolphins too!

What Punctuation Mark Are You?

This was a fun/fast little quiz! I always find these interesting. I'm not sure I would agree with the results I got, but fun nonetheless.
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You Are a Comma

You are open minded and extremely optimistic. You enjoy almost all facets of life. You can find the good in almost anything. You keep yourself busy with tons of friends, activities, and interests. You find it hard to turn down an opportunity, even if you are pressed for time. Your friends find you fascinating, charming, and easy to talk to. (But with so many competing interests, you friends do feel like you hardly have time for them.) You excel in: Inspiring people You get along best with: The Question Mark

What Punctuation Mark Are You?

When it Rains, It Pours! Or is it. . . Raindrops on Roses?

I saw a cute post on Tanja's blog and I think it is just the therapy I need for this awful Monday I am having. (To give you a little idea, here are a couple of the top annoyances: broken dryer and a chipped tooth-AWESOME)! So, to RE-FOCUS my attention to happier things, here are a few of my favorite FALL things that are taking my mind off the inevitable (and expensive) cruelties of life!

I love driving up to the house and seeing the Fall colors on the door!

My favorite fall scent. . ."Autumn Walk" candle by Gold Canyon
(Kristin, you don't still sell these do you?)

Crisp, clean, fresh air, day and night! I love that the windows can be open all the time now!

A stocked pantry thanks to the Harmons Case Lot Sale (every Fall and Spring):)
Dinner is served thanks to Signature Suppers baby! This place was invented for families like ours! I've been going crazy since we used up our last meal a few weeks back. Thank heavens I've got some meals in the freezer again:)

I have been LOVING this salad dressing lately. Nothing fancy or super terrific about it, I just love that it is all natural and tastes soooo delish!

Speaking of food, I have a strange Fall craving. It is Cream of Wheat. I don't know why, but as the weather cools down, nothing sounds more satisfying, as a late night snack, than a yummy bowl of this stuff with a little butter, sugar and a pinch of salt! I know, weird!

Planning for the upcoming Halloween festivities! I love helping the kids decide what they want to be for the big day and this year, I get to be in charge of the Halloween Carnival too! Luckily, I live next door to the clone of Martha Stewart and she is helping me with her sketches and ideas and genius. I love having these fun thoughts bouncing around in my brain!

Some good, mindless reading to sink into after the kids go to bed, which is earlier now because it gets darker sooner! YEAH!
I LOVE FALL!!!!

So, this has been pretty helpful. Aside from the fact that I keep running my tongue over my chipped tooth and I keep looking over at the mountain of laundry that won't be getting dry anytime soon, these favorite things of mine are balancing out the day. Here's to a happier Tuesday, tomorrow!

Take Me Back Tuesday!

Today I have been missing my little sidekick Conner. Last year, he was permanently attached to my hip! This year, when I see him in the halls, he tries to pretend he doesn't see me and acts all BIG and TOUGH! I have to sneak up behind him and grab him up for a quick snuggle! He tries to break away (but secretly, I know he loves it. . at least I hope he does)! He is too big this year and I miss having him in my class to look at and talk to all the time. Last year, he was my little lunch buddy. He would eat his lunch with me before he headed out to recess with his friends. I miss my lunch dates with my little Conner. I am so glad I have this full time Kindergarten job this year to keep me busy and occupied so I don't have to be home eating my P.B. and J. by myself. At least I know that I can sneak a few glances and even some sneaky hugs, when the opportunity arises. But, if I could, I'd like to go back to the days when my little Conner boy was with me all the time and he still acted like he loved it as much as me!

Our Faves This Week, in a Nutshell!

5. Survival of the Fittest- I'm sure everyone is tired of hearing how terribly busy we are! I swear that is all I have been writing about lately. Wish I could say I was exaggerating or that it is slowing down, but it still isn't! Luckily our bodies are starting to adjust to the faster pace of school life and we aren't feeling quite as drained as we have been. So, this week, I am just grateful for this! Grateful that my job is getting easier, the kids are adjusting and becoming more capable, Lewis is complaining LESS about all his homework, Conner is finally falling asleep at a decent hour (he is our night owl) and Steve seems less stressed with his responsibilities. Things are less chaotic all the way around and it feels great! PHEW!

4. Kitchen Closed!- Well, it's official. We finally did what I didn't think was possible. . .we ate out EVERY night this week! Um, we didn't plan for this to happen, it just happened. Am I ashamed of myself? A little bit, but really we had late nights every night this week. The only home cooked meal we could have feasibly enjoyed otherwise would have been chicken nuggets or something else that could be popped in the micro. Anyway, here's how it all went down. Monday, we tried the new "Players Sports Grill" for the first time. It seemed like a fun "Family Night" sort of meal and it was just right there on the way home for us, we couldn't resist. It was really good, inexpensive too. They are gonna have to raise the prices I think, we got a TON of food (really fancy and delish too) for not a lot of dough. We'll definitely be going back. Then, Tuesday, Lewis and I had a few mucho important errands to run and Conner stayed with dad at the school, so they ate left over Player's food and Lewis and I grabbed some Wendy's while we flew all over town. Wednesday we did Wendy's AGAIN (let's just say Conner wasn't too thrilled that Lewis got a kid's meal without him). Thursday, another crazy errand day plus Cub Scouts and Bajio was just right there, so I used our free meal coupons and got us some great food on the cheap. Friday was leftover day! Can you believe that?! Kitchen was closed all week! I'll definitely have to step it up this next week.

3. No "Waste" of Time- I'll spare you the gory details, but Lewis' scout troop took an interesting field trip out to the city sewer/water plant. Since it was on our way home from school, we met the troop there and Conner wanted to stay and see where all the "business" goes. I tell ya, you gotta have a TOUGH stomach to handle walking around this place, let alone work there. It is a crazy process. I had never really thought about how the whole process worked before. I mean, I know you flush and it all goes to some place, I just never realized it ALLLLL went to ONE big place-at once! Also, I didn't know that waste eating bugs are bread and kept thriving and they are the first step in the purification process. Did you know that? They take a trip around this HUGE lazy river type thing (that is MEGA deep) and they just eat away like it's a huge buffet. Anyway, I said I'd spare ya the gory details and here I am dishing it all out. Trust me, it is gross. I think I was better off not knowing. I do have a greater appreciation for the municipal water system and the people that keep it going though. It is a multi million dollar establishment and it runs very well. I couldn't believe how clean the water looked from the first step to the last. I am, however, going to be even MORE freakish than I already was about what water I will drink. Gotta say, I did NOT need to be more paranoid about that. But, this was an interesting field trip, very informative and the kids learned a lot.

2. Eagle Scout Project- We love that this kid wanted to do his Eagle project at our little school. It needs some TLC and the kids are going to be stoked when they see the new makeover that was done on the Eagle playground. First he got templates to paint 4 square and hop-scotch courts (he and his crew painted 6 of each to be exact). Second, he installed a tether ball pole with adjoining rope and ball. Next, lines were burned and drawn out on the soccer field. Finally, he made sure that new nets on the basketball hoops were installed. It looks awesome and they seemed to get it done in no time! What a cool kid!

1. A Relaxing Weekend- We had no real agenda, no time frame. It was nice. On Saturday, the boys played with their cousins and went swimming in the afternoon with Steve and I finished organizing the preschool files for Marcy (she is the friend of mine who has been teaching my preschool for me while I've been fulfilling my kindergarten responsibilities. She does a great job and I'm so glad she was willing to take on the challenge). Saturday night we got to watch Sunnie and Quincy's little ones and as a trade, Sunnie (homemaker extraordinaire') provided us with dinner! We totally had it made (one more night to keep the kitchen closed) and those kids of theirs were a blast!
Sunday was great today. I was little ornery this morning with trying to get ready and out the door by 9. I don't know why this is such a challenge. We manage to be out the door by 7:30 the rest of the week? Anyway, it was great to have all the negativity washed away as I listened to the wonderful messages and sang the hymns. I was especially touched by the fifth and sixth verse of "Come Follow Me." We usually only sing verses 1-4. I don't remember ever singing the fifth and sixth, but it was just the reminder that I needed and I know I'll keep it with me as I face another challenging week. It says;

We must the onward path pursue
As wider fields expand to view,
And follow him unceasingly,
Whate'er our lot or sphere may be.
For thrones, dominions, kingdoms, pow'rs,
And glory great and bliss are ours,
If we throughout eternity,
Obey his words, "Come follow me."

Ahhh. Isn't that great? And, to cap off a fabulous Sunday, we had our fun neighbors over for some peach cobbler and some laughs. Oh, life is good! Hope next week brings more fun and less stress- to you too!

Balancing Act

Well, it has been officially 16 days of school and I am still trying to find an equal balance in my life. Obviously, my blogging fun has suffered. I have missed checking in on everyone! I am also surprised that some people have actually sent me a little hate mail for not updating in over two weeks. Funny to see that I have some "regulars". So, I am taking the initiative right now and forgoing my plans to do a little light reading and getting this new post up. It is all about the balancing act! Trying to find a way to work hard, see results with my students at school, keep up on daily chores, and spend time with loved ones doing things I love! I am actually proud of myself today for taking the time to visit with neighbors instead of hurrying inside to get dishes put away. I'm also proud that I spent time watching my boys and reveling in them and the joy they bring. I remember when they were littler and Steve would suggest that our family should go to the park. I would just cringe at the thought! They were still little and needed help on the monkey bars, being pushed on the swings and being reminded not to eat the sand etc. I know it sounds terrible that I wouldn't want to go, but I was always taking the boys to the park on my own and I looked at that time that Steve was with us as a family to do more relaxing or productive things. I had a really hard time just relaxing and enjoying family moments because I was always thinking about the next thing I needed to get done. On one particular trip, I told Steve I'd go if I could bring a "project" to work on so he could hang with the kids. I look back now and realize how silly I was. Why couldn't I have just enjoyed the moment as well as my husband and just revel in our boys? Life is so fleeting and these are the moments I am already regretting. So, lately I have been trying to be less "project driven" and more "quality of life driven"! I am also learning when to say 'when' and, not bite off more than I can chew. I'm trying harder this year to not please everyone because you can NEVER please everyone! My motto, "do my best" that's all I can do! So, here is a little sneak peek at some of the ways we have tried to fit fun and enjoyment in to the mix of endless, busy, back to school work and not feel guilty about the enjoyment of them.

Broadway in the Desert!

This was an AMAZING play! The music was mesmerizing and could not have been done any better! I think the Tuacahn plays just get better and better every time I go. Steve and I were so appreciative of our neighbor Carolyn for letting the boys sleep over so we could see this play (we didn't get home until 12:30) but it was worth it. We needed this date night and how can you get any better than Broadway in the Desert?

Fishing on Monroe Mountain-

This ended up being a "father's and sons" escape with Steve's parents and Aunt Pam, Uncle Dale and Grandpa Staples. I felt a LITTLE bit guilty about not going, but it did not last very long! Steve was very aware that I was exhausted and needed some time to decompress. This break away from all worries and strife was just what I needed and to know that the boys were having the time of their lives made it even better!

Girls Only Brunch!

While the boys were out fishing, I had some "girl time!" This was supposed to be breakfast, but since the Bear Paw (the most fabulous breakfast food around) was so stinkin' crowded, by the time we ate, it was brunch! These are some of my favorite people whom I work with and we all decided to live it up and meet for this yummy and relaxing meal. The fun did not stop there though! We saw Mama Mia later that day and now I can FINALLY know what everyone has been raving about! It was awesome and fun and I can't wait to see it again (mom)! Also, Pearce Brosnon (spelling?) wasn't as bad as everyone made him out to be.
I thought it was a perfect movie, Pearce and all!:)

Two (TOO) Cute Boys!

Top three reasons I love this picture:
1. His smile!
2. The fact that he's loving his new chore!
3. The little towel tucked into his shorts, just like dad:)

Okay. Picture four crazy kids, in a tiny room, with the lights off, the piano keyboard cranked with some jazzy ditty and the Lite Brite holding its own as the disco ball! A sight to behold for sure! Too bad this was the only picture that turned out of Lewis, Conner and their friends Courtney and Makenzie!
(I think the disco Lite Brite was pretty genius!)

Hangin' with Old Friends!

Everyone should have friends like these guys! They are the salt of the earth and we were so lucky to be in the same ward with them back in the day. Steve and Jeremy became fast friends and it turns out, I've known Wendy since she was a little girl (she was in my home ward growing up)! The point is, these guys would go to the ends of the earth for you and they are so fun to be with too! Their cute kids add a lot of fun to the house when they come over. I realize it is important to make time to be with friends, even if your house is a total disaster, it doesn't matter, invite those friends inside! They fill your cup every time:)

Snuggling. . .Need I Say More?

How adorable are these two boys? Kirk, my twelve year old bro is the coolest kid I know!
And Little Grant, they don't come much sweeter than this!

How adorable are these two boys? Kirk, my twelve year old bro is the coolest kid I know!

And Little Grant, they don't come much sweeter than this!

Ya know what? This post took me less time then I thought! I think I might actually be able to squeeze in that little bit of light reading! I am re-reading the book "Simple Abundance" as mentioned by my cute neighbor Nancy. She's got me all excited about doing my gratitude lists and finding the positives out of life rather than dwelling on the inevitable negatives. So, let's all go out there and have a wonderful week! Here's to the balancing act! Good Luck and hopefully I can check in on your blogs soon. Thankfully, life is beginning to balance out!