Infections and Viruses and Bugs Oh MY!

About the same time our computer caught a nasty virus and CRASHED, our sweet little baby caught the croup and kept us on our toes for several days.

Both events came on so suddenly. One minute I was typing and blogging and surfing the Net and the next I was in complete lock down, not able to access any of our files! Luckily we have a friend who took a look at it for minimal cost and fixed it for us. It took a good week to get it all the way back up and running AND we lost every single document file we have ever had! At first we thought all of our jpgs were gone too, but luckily those have been recovered, minus only a few here and there. I have some of our files (mostly my preschool stuff) on a back up disc and I am currently trying to get all of that back onto our computer, but other than that-our computer trials are over. PHEW!

Poor Brayden on the other hand, his little cough sure is hanging on. His croupy cough came on SOOOOO suddenly. It was barky in the morning and by late afternoon I was in the doctor's office with him. He could barely breathe. By 6:00 that night, we were in the thick of breathing treatments and marathon nursing sessions. He was only content with me holding him for what seemed like two straight days.

Luckily babies are so resilient. He was back to his normal sleeping eating schedule within a few days and aside from the occasional cough-he is all but better. We are so glad. Croup is super scary:(

i hate technology

Okay. So I did something dumb, pushed some wrong button, made a mess of something on this blog?!? And, as a result, some of my pictures aren't showing up. So annoying. On the flip side, I was totally being lazy about updating my blog anyway, so maybe this is a blessing in disguise? I absolutely needed a reason to get going on the re-vamp of my blog. I have been planning to do something for almost a year now! I am so lame. Oh, and I HATE technology. It is so fickle.

Backwards Posts

So, today is the DAY! I am going to try and get some photos out of my camera and onto this here blog! It will be quite the undertaking. I have decided to start with our latest and greatest news and move my way backwards through my camera and remember some of the fun that we have been having so far this year at our house. So, in order to keep the posts in backwards order, I will have to rely on the trusty "post options" button, that blogger features, and change all the dates and times to keep it in order. I want to do this without messing up the actual dates of other posts though, so this will require a little math on my part, but I'll figure it out.
So, this post is the most recent and as you scroll back through previous posts, they will REALLY be bran new posts referring to days gone by! A little crazy but the only way I can think of to get CAUGHT UP. This might not be exciting to the general public, but it is definitely something I need to do for my "complete" family history look back on 2009. I am planning to print this blog into a book EVERY year that I blog so I better get it all down. My sister found a website that did "okay" on the whole process. It is called blog2print.com. She showed me the finished product and it was good. The company does all the work (which is maybe part of the problem, but also one of the perks at the same time). They don't always keep your pictures in the same place you've put them within your blog posts. But, another "perk" is that they include comments at the back of the book if you want to keep those on record too, so that's kind of cool. She had a few other gripes though too and frankly, I am waiting to see if one of these other companies can work out the kinks a little more before I do it. But, it is nice to know that if I get tired of waiting, this place did a decent enough job. I have another friend who has been on the search for a good company as well. Between the two of us, I am sure we will get this thing perfected!
Okay, here goes my attempt to make up for lost time. Feel free to stroll down memory lane with me if you'd like!

Cheap Therapy

I am not sure why it is so hard for me to get back on the blogging track?! I feel so much better about life when I can stay organized and up to date as well as get random thoughts out of my brain! Blogging is pretty therapeutic for me. I posted my last two posts after weeks of getting close to no sleep. It was funny, as soon as I got all those thoughts out of my head into the computer, I slept so much better and everything started to feel more peaceful around our house. Blogging is such good, cheap therapy. I had no idea! I just got done reading back over those last two posts and I am realizing they sound a little 'forlorn" (not to mention all the typos and word substitutions-I did go through and fix those). I probably need to do a quick post to give a more accurate picture of how we are doing now. So here goes:
We are pretty sure we are only going to be bringing home one new baby this spring. We have not even heard if the birth mother has given birth to the baby girl? It would be nice, for some more permanent "closure", if we knew some stats and details, but we have never been through this whole adoption backfiring thing before and are not quite sure what the protocol is? Do they just drop all ties with us? Does our case worker learn info and fill us in? I guess we will have to figure that all out, but anyway, we are just grateful to be back in a place where we are calm and content with how this whole experience is panning out. I truly think that a lot of our comfort has come from prayers and thoughts from friends and family. So thank you, everyone, for all you have done to help us get through it. We did have a little rough patch of sadness and anger, but we are finally back to a state of being blissfully excited and happy about welcoming our new little boy here in the next few weeks. We are so glad that this whole adoption thing is not taking away from the joy we still feel for our little boy. We finally have his room pretty much ready (I say pretty much because I tried "touching up" his paint, and it isn't matching, so we will need to do a quick once over the whole thing) but that can come later if need be. He has a bed, a dresser with a reasonable amount of newborn baby items in it and an entire family awaiting his arrival! We cannot wait to snuggle this little kid to pieces and just sit back and enjoy him! We have waited so long! I am excited to have Lewis an Conner be at such a helpful age too. It is going to be enjoyable rather than crazy and I am super stoked about that.
Well, this is our life right now. I STILL need to get my act together and download some photos of our last FOUR months of life (my camera is JAM PACKED)and get caught up. I thought I would get to that over Spring Break (which was last week for us) but I was too busy getting the NESTING stuff out of my system. It feels sooooo great to have our house in order and ready! And, it's a good thing too seeings how I am still having those blasted contractions! I have another appointment on Wednesday and they will do the labor tests again to see if I have another good two weeks of time to keep this little guy inside. We have our fingers crossed that that will be the case. We want him to come as close to delivery day as possible so wish us luck!

6 Random Things

1- Post the rules on your blog.

2- List 6 random things about yourself.

3- Tag 6 people at the end of your post.

4- Let each person know they have been tagged.

Random #1: I just finished peeling some potatoes for dinner and a little tiny speck of potato somehow got flicked up into my eye. I was able to get the tiny piece off my eyeball but I think it is scratched a little. My eye is all red and irritated. Hmm, how delightful!


Random #2: Currently, I am obsessed with "nesting" and I am a little bugged that I have to be pulled in so many directions. I just want to buckle down and get things done! It is hard to have kindergarten still be my top priority when my heart is aching to get things ready here at home. But hey, I am a professional! I must perservere. In the meantime, I can be glad that slowly, but surely the to do list is getting checked off.


Random #3: My cravings for certain foods are starting to dissapear-yeah! No more urgent needs for taco salads every other day!


Random #4: I just sent the boys downstairs with my valentine sack from school. The school kids always give valentines to their teacher and it is always very sweet, but I have a dislike for certain candy in my old age. I have eaten all the good stuff (chocolate etc.) and there are a few suckers, pixy sticks and airheads left. Conner was soooo thrilled that I would give him my sack, he said, "Mom, you are the best mom ever!" Hey, just hearing that is worth a cavity or two!


Random #5: I recently developed the ever exciting pregnancy side effect of swollen feet and ankles at the end of the day. Actually, it starts occuring around 2:00ish in the afternoon and by about 5:00, it is down right excruciating! I don't remember having this with the other two kids-at least not this soon. I still have THREE months left! Heaven help me!


Random #6: I get to have a day off tomorrow! Yeah! Most of the day will be spent at various doctor appointments for different tests I have to get done, but at least I will get to sleep in and have a generally-peaceful (minus 25crazy-loud kindergarteners) day! AHHHHH!

Okay-Six people to tag. My heck. I am sooooo out of the blogging loop. I don't have near the opportunties I used to have to even sit down and check on my fellow bloggers. I am a little stumped as to who to ask, so I am just gonna tag ANYONE who feels the need to make a rondom list like this one on their blog. Have fun!

CH CH CH CHanges!

Okay, Okay! I know I have been TOTALLY neglecting this blog. I feel hugely guilty about it but for some reason I am not really doing anything about it! Steve has even been on my case. We have tons of fun stuff going on and I am dropping the ball on recording it in our history. Plus, I had such grand plans for this year and my little blog and it bothers me that I am just throwing those plans out the window! I pictured a makeover, not just in overall appearance, but I was going to try to post one little blurb every day. This was my solution to the sunken Project 365 plans (the Becky Higgins project that I missed the boat on). It is a way of recording sort of the little moments in life and I was stoked to get into that frame of mind. Especially since lately I have only been blogging like MAJOR events. I am forgetting to jot down the little moments and that was one of the reasons I liked blogging in the first place. Anyway, I wanted to turn over a new leaf and do just little snippets of what either happened in the day, something funny someone said or little thoughts and pieces of conversation. I even had the first couple weeks kind of mapped out and just NEVER did it! Now I am just finding myself completely dropping the ball all together. How pathetic.

I still really want to follow through with some of my plans but once my life completely changes in April, I'm not sure WHAT I will be able to accomplish as far as the cyber world is concerned? I still have not been successful with getting my blog "published" into a family book. The website I was going to use (blurb.com) no longer works with Blogger. Bummer. I haven't had time to shop around for anything else. Is there anyone out there that has done some research in this area that knows more than me? Please share your knowledge! I also have a huge "nesting" to do list that I try to chip away at every day, but I have such little energy (um, it will be nice when that comes back) I'm not making much progress.

Here is just a little list of what I need to get done:

1. Substitute plans for the entire last month of school
2. Prep for Kindergarten Graduation
3. Prepare all "end of year" stuff for the students
4. Preschool Stuff (I think I'm going to try and do at least one session):)
5. Re-arrange my ENTIRE house, practically! We need to move the boys downstairs and set up two nurseries upstairs. This will involve refiguring storage, hanging shelves, buying furniture, painting and on and on!
6. Clean everything! Simplify! Downsize! Declutter!

Oh the list could go on and on. Those are my top priority though, besides the stuff that is usually and constatnly on the "to do" list already! I keep thinking in the back of my mind, advice from a friend "rest while you can." But I don't see how that can be possible. There is too much to do and we are running low on time.

So, my apologies to the blog world, and my husband (who I never realized enjoyed my updated posts so much) for being such a major slacker! I know I will figure it all out soon and get the ball rolling. I look forward to being "on top of things" again! Oh, I will be SO grateful when that day comes and I am optomistic that it will!

Yup! It's time and 2 BIG Announcements!

Time to go private. Not for any reason at all. I just told myself when I started this blog, that I would let it be free and open for a year and then put a lock and key on it after that. I am not worried about crazy loonies stalking our family or anything, I mainly just don't like the idea of anyone being able to right click on any of our photos and do whatever they may with them. I have had a stat counter on it and that helps a little, but sometimes I wonder about those people visiting from far off countries!?! It is pretty crazy to think that I am accessible to the ENTIRE WORLD! Anyway, it just seems like the right thing to do and since I have some time over the Christmas break, this is when I will make the big switch.

SO, as you all have done in the past with other blogs, you will need to let me know if you want to be invited in to see the goods from now on. I realize my blog has left much to be desired in this past little while but I will say, I have a couple of major fun announcements that will only be made known to our biggest fans! I am also conducting a major blog makeover that will be unveiled at the time the blog goes private. So, hopefully that is enough incentive to get all you blog stalkers to make yourselves known and to keep my blog buddies checkin' in on us! We love getting comments and sharing our everyday lives with you! So, without further adieu, let the comments begin to flow-leave us your email! We will be OFFICIALLY private before the NEW YEAR!!!!

Happy Birthday Stephanie

So far I have been the silent partner in this whole blog game, but I wanted to take the reigns this once and wish Stephanie a Happy Birthday and list 5 things that I love about her (not in any order) and tell the world why she is such an awesome wife! Just so you blogging professionals know, this is completely out of my comfort zone and I don't have a very good idea how to do this.
#1 Stephanie is the absolute best mom in the whole world. She stopped teaching to be home with our boys and taught them preschool along with other kids in our basement, which was custom built to allow her to do this. As a result, both of our boys are fabulous readers, and have done really great their first few years of school. When I first met Stephanie she was teaching at my mom's preschool. All of the kids there absolutely loved her and I knew right away that she would be awesome! She has lived up to my every expectation and has exceeded my expectations in the mom category.
#2 She is a blast to be around and laugh with. It is so fun every night to watch something funny together on T.V. or play games or read something and just laugh.This is pretty much a nightly tradition. It is a great way to unwind and put an end to the crazy days that we have as educators.
#3 Stephanie is super supportive. Stephanie is so awesome. She left the confines of her own home and a thriving business to travel 25 miles every day across state lines to bail out her husband who wasn't able to find a kindergarten teacher at Beaver Dam Elementary. Every day she wakes up early, gets our kids ready ,and jumps into our car, eats breakfast and puts on her make-up on the way to school. She has not even complained once about doing this. She is a great teacher and works her little tail off to do everything she can to make the school thrive. In addition to what she does now, she supported me the whole time I got my masters degree and my administrators certificate, both of which took me away from home for long periods of time. She cheered me on as I delivered pizza for Papa John's in the evenings, worked summers doing tile, worked for Beacon Home Medical, and the many times I taught summer school. She was never embarrassed or disappointed that she didn't marry someone rich or famous. I could have never accomplished everything that I have accomplished without Stephanie and her support.
#4 Stephanie is beautiful. I don't know what to say about this one without sounding cheesy or weird. So I will just say that Stephanie is gorgeous and a lot of people who see us together are probably wondering how did he get her?
#5 Stephanie is non-judgmental and very forgiving. This is such an awesome characteristic. She never holds grudges. She forgives me and anyone else quickly when she could very easily be mad or offended. She just lets things roll of her back, smiles or laughs and moves on.

Wow! I think I did it? Blogging is pretty hard work. Not that it was difficult at all to choose 5 out of the many things that makes Stephanie great. But, it just took me a while and was hard. Kudos to Mindy (AKA: "Word to Your Mother" blogging queen) and to all others who take the time to post things for everyone to enjoy. And Happy Birthday to the coolest girl ever!

P.S. I have no clue how to put pictures on a post, so you will just have to look back into the archives!:)

I KNEW I was forgetting something. . .

Ya know how I just did a post about "Stuff I keep Forgetting to Post"??? Well, my sister just reminded me of the OTHER thing that I was forgetting! I was supposed to do a tag for her awhile back. I am a HUGE believer that if a tag is sent my way, I need to do it! So here goes. . . (and sorry I forgot):)

GREAT EIGHT!!!

8 TV shows I love to watch...
1. The Office
2. Mad Men
3. Flip This House
4. Designed to Sell
5. Um. . .we are never around a T.V.
6. We only get like ten channels. . .
7. America's Next Top Model (I know. . .guilty pleasure-so intriguing the life of a model!)
8. What Not to Wear

8 favorite places I love to eat...
1. Cafe Rio
2. Pasta Factory
3. Chili's
4. Applebee's
5. Olive Garden
6. Texas Road House
7. Taco Time (I love their veggi burritos with the sunflower nuts)
8. Bajio

8 things that happened yesterday...
1. I told a child in my class that if I saw her with the tape dispenser in her mouth again, I would have to send her home. This kid eats EVERYTHING!!!! Oh the germs!!!!!!!!
2. I died my hair purple (um, the purple was not intentional):(
3. I changed a flat tire (or at least got it started) on the side of the freeway. Luckily Steve was just minutes behind me and came to my rescue. He was towing our kids and two teachers and they volunteered to change cars with me so I wouldn't be late for my purple hair appointment (I should have just canceled the appointment).
4. I read a book to my class, part way in English and part way in Spanish, and those kindergartners (all of them speak Spanish fluently) thought I was hilarious! They were laughing SO HARD at me (with me)!
5. I ate a Pizza Factory salad-yum!
6. I read with my boys and helped them do their homework.
7. I watched Lewis play football.
8. I planned and prepared for today's school day.

8 things I most look forward to...
1. Having another child.
2. The last day of school!
3. The holidays!
4. LAS VEGAS with girlfriends!
5. Tranquil moments of pure free time and no guilt!
6. Spending time with my two boys and their dad
7. 2:45 every afternoon
8. Seeing those kindergartners read and speak English all on their own!

8 things I love about fall...
1. The changing leaves
2. School
3. Halloween
4. Thanksgiving
5. Cool, fresh breezes
6. Seeing family and friends
7. Wearing "warm weather" clothes
8. Burning spicy scented candles

8 things on my wish list...
1. A garage full of cabinets and storage units-NO visible clutter!
2. A completely FINISHED yard that actually looks good and functions
3. A baby
4. No visible lines or wrinkles on my face
5. A mani and pedi
6. To live in a world where everyone sees eye to eye
7. More space!!!
8. To be content with all I have and how I look.

8 People I am tagging...
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8. Anyone else who wants to.

Fourth File, Fourth Picture

Tagged again. I like it though; makes me blog stuff I'd never think to myself. This time, I was asked to go into "My Pictures" file and open the fourth folder. Then I was asked to open the fourth picture and talk about it! Here goes. . .

How awesome is that? A HALLOWEEN picture! My fourth file was ALL family photos we used for our adoption collage, so any of them would have been great pic. choices (non embarrassing). I am just thrilled that it worked out to be a festive, Fall picture. This is how we dressed up back in 2006. It just worked out that the boys wanted to be pirates and how EASY is that to pull together for parents?! Awesome. This year, we will be hodge podge again. Lewis will be the Joker, Conner is a clone trooper (Star Wars), I will be a witch again and who knows what Steve will throw together? It is fun to look back on this ONE Halloween where we were all coordinated and put together. Super fun!
K. I'm tagging. . .Jen (I'll keep buggin' you until you follow through), Kristi, Lindsay G., Erika, Marianne and ANYONE else that could use a quick, new post. Have fun!

Stuff I Keep Forgetting to Post. . .

#1. My friend Wendy, who used to be a Stampin' Up demonstrator, is getting rid of some of her inventory. All sets are $5 each! Click here to check it out!

#2. My neighbor is friend's with the artist Al Rounds and he is doing an exhibit, demonstration at her house on October 18th. Everyone in the community is welcome to come to this event. Click here and leave her a comment if you'd like more info about this. Here is an example of one of his beautiful paintings. . .


#3. I was "Husband Tagged" and I already did it awhile back, but I will repost it here so it can be enjoyed again! K. I hope that is all I am forgetting. Hope so!

Husband Tag!


What is his name? Steve
How long have you been married? In just about one month, we will celebrate our TENTH big year! We are going on our first cruise EVER to celebrate and we cannot wait!
How long did you date? GEEEEEZ. Our dating/courtship was such a soap opera. It went on for over a year and was completely crazy and intense and exhausting! It was definitely meant to be though. After going through all that, you know you're in it for the long haul!
How old is he? 32
Who eats more? Might be a toss up. He definitely eats healthier.
Who is taller? Steve for sure. He is actually the perfect height for me. I don't have to kink my neck to look at him when we hug/kiss!
Who sings better? He would say I do, but let's be honest, neither of us would ever win American Idol.
Who is smarter? We all have our different "areas of expertise." I would say he is, on paper (especially trivia-my heck he knows EVERY unimportant fact possible), but I am a quick thinker, problem solver type.
Whose temper is worse? Probably mine.
Who does the laundry? Actually, that is all Steve right now. We take turns with the two worst chores; dishes and laundry. While he's better about getting the laundry clean, dried and put away, I am much better at making it look nice and tidy. So, even though the laundry is kept up, the kid's drawers are a disaster (Lewis' clothes mixed in with Conner's), and sometimes my socks and shirts end up in the kids' room. But, you gotta love a man who is willing to help out and can actually seperate the darks and the lights and remove stains! Yep. He's a keeper.
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I guess it is Steve, now that I am thinking about it.
Who pays the bills? Definitely my penny pinching Steve!
Who mows the lawn? The maintenance guy (I wish I could talk Steve into a "cleaning lady" too).
Who cooks dinner? We are pretty equal with this task. Seeings how we both get home at the same time, we usually work together to get dinner on the table.
Who drives when you are together? Steve, almost always (how else would I get my makeup on?).
Who is more stubborn? Haha. That's a funny question. We are both so stubborn it isn't even funny!
Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Steve. But I am faarrrr better about NOT holding grudges.
Whose parents do you see the most? It's about equal.
Who proposed? Steve did. On Christmas morning. Wearing his jammies and his sister's new ski hat. And with most of his family staring at us. Classic Steve.
Who has more friends? We have both been lucky in the friend department. We are both pretty friendly and make friends easily. I'd say it's a tie.
Who has more siblings? Steve wins with his seven sisters!
Who wears the pants in the family? Steve would probably joke that I do, but we all know that isn't true! He wears 'em and he's good at it! He keeps our family clicking!

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?

Picture Tag!

I love a good tag. This one was pretty fun and easy and I was happy to do it so I could get a quick, new post up. Make sure you scroll down to see if you're "IT" for picture tag next! (P.S. NO party poopers allowed)!

The only rule with this tag is you have to take the pictures of everything AS-IS. Luckily, I found out about this tag just after some company left our house, so my house wasn't a total sty and whatever debri is out and about, I can blame it on the company-right? Okay, here goes. . .

Picture #1- Self Portrait

This is what I am looking like this very second after the days' makeup has worn off and the tiredness is setting in.This is also proof that I did not do my hair AGAIN today. I really hate doing my hair:(

Picture #2- Kitchen Sink

I just loaded the dishwasher and these were the leftovers that did not fit. This is proof that I did actually cook a meal today. We had chicken, salad, watermelon, corn on the cob, fresh veggies, rolls and squash. Plenty of food, just not enough room in the dishwasher, exhibit A.

Picture #3- Favorite Room

My favorite room is probably my preschool room since it is one of the few rooms in the house that is actually fully decorated and organized to my liking and has had the most thought put into it. My friend Wendy helped me paint the clouds on the light blue ceiling (which I am just now realizing I forgot to snap a picture of). We also pasted little wooden stars around on the ceiling and it is pretty cute I must say! Sarah sewed up the curtains for me and Megan made the cute star pegs that kids hang sweaters and backpacks on. A lot of the furniture was donated by my awesome mother-in-law who used to own her own Montessori preschool. I am lucky to have all that I have in this room. I love how every thing has a place and it is easy to keep clean. It took me a few years to get it this way, lots of trial and error, but it is now fully functional and just a fun room to be in. It has been such a magical little place, the backdrop for lots of fun with my kids and many of my friends' kids too. I look forward to spending more time in it next year with more sweet little preschoolers!

There's even a cute little bathroom for those little tike's and I love the green color of the walls in there. It's called "Rosemary."

Picture #4- The Laundry Room

Not much to say about this tiny little closet of a room. When we built this house, we were only envisioning about five years tops. If we'd have known the housing market would have been so crummy and we would be here a few years longer, this would have been one of the first rooms we would have added square footage to. It is very hard to keep up on the laundry in such a tiny space, but-at least it is something. It could be worse. One of those closet door situations like our last house. I guess this is a bit of a step up.

Picture #5- The Fridge

I really am OCD about the fridge. It has been hard to train my husband to keep things in the proper lo-cal of the fridge. The main rule is there has to be a "beverage only" shelf. I don't want to see any bottles of ketchup or pickles stacked up next to the milk or juice or other items that are in and out of the fridge so often throughout the day. I also like things to be stacked neatly and the shelves have to be clean. I clean out my fridge EVERY time I go grocery shopping. I like to know everything that is in there, no mystery left overs please.

Picture #6- Master Bath

We do not have a luxurious master bedroom/bathroom situation. It is functional, but not very beautiful. In fact, Steve and I were laughing the other day about the ceiling in the toilet room. It still has painters tape around the ceiling edge from FIVE years ago when we first painted this house! How completely pathetic is THAT? We have never really finished our master bath. I am getting the bug to do it though. I really want to tile half way up the wall and repaint the whole thing. Sure wish money grew on trees!

Picture #7- Closet

These are some very sad pictures for me. I love an organized, clutter free closet. Seeings how this was the first week back at school, it is not possible for my closet to look any better than this. Most of the laundry is on my bed ready to be folded and put away and therefore, most of my hangers are empty. This also shows signs of a manic mornings looking for something to wear, tossing things to and fro. It's chaos. Our closet is small too. I am not a huge clothes horse so it really makes no difference to me. Steve actually has more clothes than I do. Too bad he could care less about how his closet looks. No matter how hard I try, I can't keep his stuff contained. While my side usually is more put together than this, I must say, Steve's side pretty much always looks like this:(

Picture #8-Favorite Shoes

Okay. This is another sign that I am really not much of a girly girl. Aside from the fact that I hate to fuss with hair and makeup, I also don't have the huge shoe fetish that many of my girlfriends suffer from. In fact, I actually keep my shoes out in the garage! I know-Laura would never treat her shoes in this way! I don't even stack them neatly on a shelf (I tried), I just toss them in a laundry basket before I walk in the house. I'd rather have a clean floor than an organized shoe rack-I know, it's wrong on so many levels. Anyway, seeings how I really don't have a favorite pair of shoes, I will snap a picture of the ones I wore today. I like these ones. I'm not sure if wedges are really in style anymore? but these fit my criteria for a good Sunday shoe. They are quick and easy, painless, closed toe so I don't have to fuss with a pedicure and they have a bit of a heel so my legs look a little bit leaner. I also like the denim and brown color combo. I think they're cute?!?!

Picture #9-Favorite part of my house.

Hands down my favorite thing are the plantation shutters. Our house is not big and elaborate and these shutters just add so much to make it cozy and complete. My favorite thing about them though is how easy they are to clean. I can wipe them down as often as I dust my coffee table rather than two or three times a year (that's about all I could tolerate with blinds). I'll never be able to go back to just any old window treatment after having the shutters. I love, love, LOVE them! (I like my light fixtures too).

Picture #10-Dream Vacation

Since I've never really been on my dream vaycay yet, I'll have to hop on over to the good ol' internet and find a picture of Fiji. A friend of mine went witha huge group of people a while back and she has just raved and raved about it. It is now tops on my list of places I want to go. Someday. . .again, if only money grew on trees!

OKAY! I am "Picture Tagging" Jen Statham (I've always wanted to see your Pennsylvania house), Jessica N., Sunnie and Sandi, Erika, Sunny R. (make sure you tag your mom and Allison) and anyone else who wants to participate! Have fun!

Five is for. . .

I have been a huge slacker with the blogosphere this past week. I hate it when I have an entire week between posts. I am secretly glad that I feel this way though because it means that blogging is working for me. I am actually keeping track of our family happenings and memories and I am thrilled that I feel the desire to stay caught up! So now, I just have to figure out where to start? We had a jam packed week. Steve's been back to his regular grueling principal schedule for the past couple of weeks and it has been a little weird not having him home. I guess to make up for the weirdness, we kept ourselves pretty busy, maybe even too busy! Anyway, I should have posted about our days as they were happening because I have a feeling this will be a long post, but no turning back now. I think I will do our FAVORITE FIVE, but with a twist. I'm gonna make each item its own separate post (so it's more like it would have been if I'd posted more this week). Plus, I am usually long winded so this will help make it seem less long:)

So, here's what we've been up to starting with number FIVE:

Five is for the FIVE hours (plus two more-so SEVEN altogether folks) that we spent at FIESTA FAMILY FUN CENTER this past Thursday! SEVEN hours! How is that even possible? Laura had a bunch of these "buy two get two free" coupons and she was so gracious with both me and Dani. It was a little confusing trying to figure out all the logistics of it all (it didn't help that Fiesta Fun was terribly understaffed) but we ended up with so many passes, we were there the whole day trying to use them up! We did it ALL! Bumper boats, kiddie cars, go carts, miniature golf, pizza for lunch and on going arcade! The boys were in heaven (there were 9 boys in all) and boy were they rowdy! At one point, one of Dani's little boys, Landen, got whopped in the face with a golf club and had a heck of a bloody nose! His shirt had a nice big red stain on the front of it for the rest of the day that looked like tie dye after a trip on the bumper boats. On that same bumper boat trip, I got MAJORLY soaked (never let a six year old drive while the fountain is on)! I might as well have jumped in a lake, it was that much water and I didn't get fully dry even in the 110 degree heat! Laura was awesome about taking a million pics, so here's a little slide show of the eventful, hot and LONG day!

LAST Week's Five

I usually try to have my "week in review" (a.k.a. fave five) list up and posted by Sunday but it didn't happen this week. Instead of blogging, I found myself hunched over the royal throne for the worst half of an hour of my life and then the next couple hours laying around to recover. That's what I get for trying to cook a real dinner (not just meat and potatoes, I actually followed a recipe)! I don't know why I got sick? Steve ate the same thing and was fine. I've only had food poisoning one other time in my life (Cheesecake Factory on a girl's weekend) and last night was almost identical. Anyway-I've already thrown out the chicken enchiladas. What a waste of time that was! Okay, so back to the post at hand. Here are LAST week's top FIVE!!!!

FIVE: This is going to oust me as the worst launderer ever, but oh well! Seriously, one of my favorite things that happened this week was making it to the bottom of the laundry pile! I kind of dropped the ball on the laundry last week (just so tired of load after load-especially emptying out suitcases). So, we spent the week searching for clean clothes from piles of laundry baskets instead of folded neatly in drawers (actually, who am I kidding, there is always at least one basket like this in my bedroom). This week certainly took the cake though. I think I was in denial. School is starting again, right around the corner! I just want a FEW completely LAZY summer days! Well, finally on Friday, I snapped out of it and decided to take charge. The sad thing is, at this point, my only motivation for getting the laundry put away, was to have a few new items to hang up with the old. I took the boys to JC Penny's to buy their backpacks and a few shirts and pants. Laura also filled my trunk with some clothes for the boys and me. This was great motivation! I am happy to say, that by Saturday, all the clothes were carefully folded and put away. The old haggered and too small clothes were packaged up and sent to the D.I. and all the world smells of Downy freshness! Ahhhh. (side note: I just finished burning Conner's breakfast-dang blogging-so the Downy freshenss is now replaced with charred breakfast burrito).

FOUR: One of the WORST things that happened this week was tuning in to SYTYCD and seeing COMFORT IS BACK!!! I was so glad to say bye bye to her. For some reason, she was just bugging me! I was especially tired of seeing her solo routines (she was always in the bottom) so two weeks ago when she finally left, I was a little relieved! THEN, this past week, I see that she is back in the running (Jessica broke some ribs or something)! Ughhhh! But then, outta nowhere, Comfort actually did something I didn't think she'd ever do. She entertained me! She paired up with Twitch and they really danced their socks off with this number! It was awesome. Actually there were SO many fabulous dances this week. At least four that come to mind (not to mention Gev's solos). It was a relief because the last couple of weeks, SYTYCD wasn't WOWING me like it had done in the past. I actually resorted to looking up some of my favorite dances from season two (this and this) reminiscing about the good ol' days! But, last week's shows revived me! It is just wayyy good T.V.! Okay, one more favorite: THIS ONE!

THREE: We survived an ALMOST car accident this week! I can honestly say I am so grateful for anti-lock brakes and seat belts! I was just driving along, minding my own business driving straight through a green light at a four way intersection. There had to have been at least two or three cars that went through ahead of me, it was just a NORMAL green light situation!!! So, what explanation does the crazy lady who almost rammed us have for herself? She was trying to make a left hand turn right in the middle of the green light! There was no arrow for her! It was not her turn by any means! Was she just trying to sneak by? Are you kidding me? Well, luckily I slammed on the brakes pretty hard and she sneaked on by mouthing the words 'I'm Sorry!' as she floated past in slow motion (ya know how it all happens SO fast while you're living it, but it replays in slow motion as you think back on it?). Anyway, my kids tried to blame it on me at first. They were like, "Mom! What was that for?" and blah blah blah. I said, "Are you kidding me boys? I just saved all our lives! You should be thanking me!" All I can say is, maybe it is good to have near misses like that. Makes you realize how fragile life really is and how unimportant some things are. I think my boys have a greater appreciation for seat belts now too. They really felt them hard at work this time! Phew!

TWO: Our ward primary did a cute little service project on Saturday morning. We met at the church and walked to the nearby rest home and sang songs to the elderly people. It was very sweet and a great way to start off the morning. But, I had a hard time convincing the boys that it would be. I had an especially hard time getting Conner to cooperate. Actually, I practically had to drag him out the door, kicking and screaming (well, not literally, but he was being a brat about going). He was saying things like, "You're the meanest mom ever!" and, "Why do I EVEN have to go, it's not fair!" To these statements, I was calmly replying (trying hard not to giggle actually), "Conner, yes I am the meanest mom and life isn't always fair." Flash forward to about fifteen minutes later and that boy was lined up next to his buddies singing these words,

"If the Savior stood beside me
Would I say the things I say?
Would my words be true and kind
If He were never far away?

Would I try to share the gospel?
Would I speak more reverently?
If I could see the Savior standing nigh
Watching over me?"

It was pretty precious to get a glimpse of him singing this song with his coy little smile, looking at me as if to say, 'mom, quit looking at me having fun. I'm still trying to be mad at you.'

ONE: The best part of LAST week was simply being home! No real agenda, not much to do besides summer camp and shopping for school clothes and watching the laundry pile up! It was so relaxing to just sit next to Steve and watch our boys play and play, or hang out in the basement and watch movies as we all worked on little projects. Indeed, it was a pure and true summer week! Not many of them left, so enjoy them while you can!

We Need a New Camera-PRONTO!!!

Here are some pictures I would have taken last week, had our camera not bit the dust:

Conner and his friends running around in the rain without shirts and yelling, "Rain harder! Rain harder!"

Lewis at his scouting activity at the park. He and all his little scout friends gathered 'round the flag in their little outfits, it was so patriotic and unexpected. Conner and I arrived a bit early to get Lewis and we would have missed it if we'd have come any later.

All the summer camp kids on the teeter-totter at one time (all nine of them)!

The cute primary kids singing songs to the elderly people in the rest home on Saturday. It was the sweetest thing. Not one person had a camera with them. I asked the front desk lady if they had a camera and they didn't! Crazy! I was pretty bugged because normally, I just have my camera in my purse. Anyway, I guess they want us to come back at Christmas, I will definitely have a new camera by then!

Conner wearing my black, strappy high heels while kneeling down next to Steve and helping take the dry fruit off the fruit dryer. In this one moment, so much of my six-year-old's little personality shined through. He is masterfully quirky and one of the best helpers I know. He loves to be involved in work and projects (just like his parents) yet at the same time, he knows how to have a good time! (BTW, the heels looked AWESOME with his soccer shorts)!

Lewis and Conner bopping around the yard with their umbrellas. Sunday's evening rain looked beautiful up against the black mountain. Our kids played and played in it! Finally they asked for umbrellas and ran around until after dark. We did get some footage on the video camera, but I am a still life kind of girl. I want to have boxes and boxes of still shots to look through when I'm old and gray. I hope I can remember the image of my two sweeties linked arm and arm and bouncing around the grass with their little umbrellas!

Just barely, Conner had me turn around to see what he was doing. I looked behind me and saw two umbrellas perched above a sleeping bag and a pillow and my little Conner inside the sleeping bag. All I could see was his little face beyond the umbrellas. He said to me, "Look! It's an umbrella house!"

I'm so buying me a new camera TONIGHT!!!!

Loose Talk

Some things the Peterson's said recently:

"Mom, there's about 166 days left until Christmas, I counted them." -Conner

"Yeahhh. This is the life!" -Conner, just before taking his first bite of an enormous cheese quesadilla from Irmita's.

"I'm so glad I'm not allergic to girls. If I were, then I couldn't be next to mom. But I'd do it anyway if I were allergic, even if it gave me an allergic reaction, I'd still do it." -Lewis, just completely out of the blue, can't think of anything that would have sparked this conversation.

"Mom, ants have a hard life. . .they have to dig and find food and carry stuff. . ." -Conner

"Now that I'm in my thirties, I'm finding I really don't care any more." -Steph, discussing the perfection trap with girlfriends.

"This is the best day of my young life!" -Happy as a Clam Conner, as we were driving away from Blue Bunny Ice Cream.

"This is super deluxe, thank you!" -Steve, after taking one bite of his Stauffer's lasagna. What a great husband to be so appreciative of even the tiniest things.

"No! I can't look. It's too sad." -Conner, on not wanting to watch as his mom threw out is old backpack.

"Man, I'm glad I was wearing my seatbelt!" -Lewis, right after some crazy lady pulled out in front of us on the way to Target!

"No. I am not trying to cover up a hickey. I had another mole removed and have to keep this band aid on it until it heals." -Steph, a sentence she stated about twenty times over the course of the last two weeks since her dermatologist appointment.

"I wish I got bags of hand me downs from my friends." -Steve, upon watching Stephanie tear into yet another fabulous bag of great clothes from Laura. Then he said, "Actually, I can't think of any friends of mine who dress as well as Laura."

"Mom, you are ruining all our fun!" -Conner, on not wanting to go to the primary activity this morning.

"Seriously, this summer has booked by quicker than any other summer of my life." -Stephanie, upon realization that summer is quickly coming to a close.

This is who I am!

You Are Cinderella!

Dignified and hard working. With a gentle and soft-spoken manner you have something many people don't. Patience. Even through the moments of heartbreak you're still able to hold onto all of your hopes and dreams. Bide your time; your dream will come true.So far I know I am friends with an Arial, an Aurora and a Snow White. It would be fun to know what some of the rest of you are!
Which Disney Princess Are You?

And the award goes to. . .

YOU and ME (but first me, hmmm, hmm)! To start off, I'd like to thank the academy, blogger.com, my family and all my fellow blogging friends who, without them- this award would not have been possible! And blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah! Apparently, I have a BRILLIANT blog (according to one of my favorite fellow bloggers, Tanja,) and I received an award for it today! It was quite the surprise as I'm not usually so fortunate as to win ANYTHING! It was fun to read her ultra nice shout out about why she frequents my blog. I have never met Tanja in the flesh, but I feel lucky to have bumped into her here on the web. She's great! I like visitng her blog because I feel like she GETS what blogging is all about and does it all so well. She has a great way of mixing family memories, fun insight and general wit and wisdom into her daily posts (see an example here). I can always find something inspiring, helpful or fun on her blog and she's a loyal comment giver which I LOVE!!! So, I decided to pass the love along by sharing it with some of MY fellow bloggers. With this award, there comes a small to do list. Here goes:

This award has rules:

1. Please put the logo on your blog.

2. Add a link to the person who awarded you.

3. You must nominate 7 fellow bloggers for this award.

4. Add links to the recipients.

5. Leave a comment so the recipients know they have received an award.

Here are my seven picks for great blog reading, whenever the mood strikes!


Okay, here's the low down. I don't spend a WHOLE lot of time on the blogosphere, other than recording my own memories. A lot of my favorite blogs are friends and family who have "private" sites and I visit just to keep up with their lives. So, the fact that some of my faves are private, I can't really post their link (which is one of this award's requirements) so private blog friends, here is a shout out to you too! I love your blogs! But, for the sake of the 'Brillante Weblog Premio 2008', here are my 7 choices and why I chose them:

For Inspiration: These gals are ultra talented and I hop on to their corner of cyberspace just to get a glimpse of the "creative" life.

Morgan makes me almost want to be domestic. She seemingly is good at everything, from cooking, to quilting, to decorating and even her photography is gorgeous! I must confess, I have no idea who she is and she wouldn't know me from Adam. I just happened on her blog one day (when I was trying to figure the whole blog world out) and she has remained a favorite stop for creative energy.

Erin is actually a friend of mine whom I've known since high school. We went through college together, taking just about the same course load the entire time, so that is where I grew to love her! She has a gazillion talents and makes them all seem effortless. I love to visit her blog not only because her photography is amazingly beautiful, but because her words are equally inspiring. She really knows how to stop and smell the roses and appreciate every little moment and she captures it all so wonderfully on her blog.

For a Heck of a Laugh: These are the "GO TO" sites when I'm looking for a good chuckle! Steve would never want the world to know this, but occasionally he can be found checking out the blogosphere as well and when I see him buckled over laughing at the computer, I know he is looking at one of two sites; either Shane's or Mindi's.

Shane and I went to the same high school and we graduated the same year. We had some mutual friends but I didn't know him all that well. I was aware that he was funny, but I had no idea to what extent until I saw his blog. The second shocker, once I got there, was his amazing drawing ability. He actually makes his living drawing, that's how great he is. My little Lewis is a huge artist and loves to check out Shane's blog to see what new material he's come up with. He also includes tutorial videos that I have to drag Lewis away from at times. He's very motivated by Shane. It's pretty addicting once you get started looking at his art and reading the witty text that goes with it. We can't get enough of it at our house!

Now Mindi on the other hand is a site I'm not so sure I'd turn my child loose on! It is absolutely hysterical but on a more PG13 level. She is not afraid to say what most of us barely dare think and I LOVE how she keeps it so real yet has me in stitches every second. She has her own lingo and an amazing knack for finding outrageous photos and general "web-lore" (um I just made up that word, not sure what it means?) that occasionally might cause orange juice to come out of your nose. Anyhoo, for a good time call 555-WORD (to your Mother)!

My Girls: These are my girls. When I click on to their blogs, it's hard to tell if it's their's or my own. We think alike and we have similar takes on life. I know I can find some great ideas, complain a little, or just browse through their posts and nod my head up and down because I so can relate! I actually have QUITE a few of these blogger friends, but I chose to give this award to the gals that I KNEW would appreciate it and send the love along! So, here's to you girls! Thanks for keeping me entertained and enlightened when I log on to cyberspace!

Amy is as ON THE BALL as they come! She's the gal who is always pulled together, totally optimistic and loads of fun! Her website is as full of energy as she is. What I love most about Amy is how awesome she is as a wife, mom and friend. She's one great girl and her family happenings are pretty fun to read about!

Laura is the BOMB! She's another one of those ultra talented gals that makes everything look so simple (why do I have so many of these kinds of friends?). She's been my scrapping buddy for years now and she's the most organized,"get 'er done" scrapper girl I've ever known! She sets up these systems for herself and actually sticks with them! She gets more accomplished in one hour than I could ever hope for in an entire day. She's that way with scrapping and EVERYTHING else in her life! She's spunky, athletic, a devoted mom and has fabulous fashion sense! When I grow up, I truly want to be like Laura!

Teresa is one of my most intense and exciting friends EVAH! I've told her time and time again, I've never known somebody so 'passionate'! She takes the bull by the horns and does not let go! I've learned a lot from this girl in the past five years or so that I've known her. She really knows how to live life honestly and without regret. Once again, beauty, talent and overall awesomeness exude from her. I LOVE how adorable she is with her sweet girls and I'm motivated to be a better mom every time I'm around her, or even when I just happen by her little place in cyberspace!

So, there you have it! Those are my choices for awesome blogging goodness! Thank you for filling my sometimes mundane days with insight, humor and overall fun! I'm so glad I jumped on the blogging bandwagon. It adds a whole new dimension to my life and I feel I appreciate it more now. You all are the bestest!

P.S. Bloggers, I FINALLY did some BE-LATED Tags! Check out the below Tag action! Who cares if they were sent out a bazillion weeks ago! At least I FINALLY cooperated! And, once again, they were fun:)

Three Tags for the Price of ONE!

I have been neglecting some of my blogging buddies and their requests for me to do a simple TAG (something I usually enjoy)! Sorry it has taken me so long. Here are the goods. I can't remember which gal requested which tag, so just scroll down 'til you find the right one! P.S. I love reading all of your blogs and feeling like I know what's happenin' in your lives more! These tags are for YOU girls!

#1- THREES TAG!
3 Joys- Coming home to a clean house after a long trip, tucking my two healthy boys into their beds each night and hearing their sweet little prayers, hanging with my funny and fun husband!
3 Fears- Sudden tragedy in the family, the dark, being trapped in any way!
3 Goals- Adopt a baby or have a baby (either or both :)), finish up these summer classes, get some digital scrapbooking under my belt.
3 Obsessions- Organizing, cleaning, reading magazines and catalogs.
3 Surprising Facts About Me- I have played canasta with girlfriends for about 7 years now and I still don't quite know how to play (without a cheat sheet-I think we get together more for the gabbing than the playing)! Also, I buy a new toothbrush way more often than is recommended (I love new toothbrushes-for some reason they clean better)! and the last non-important fact about me is, I would rather spend money on books and school supplies, than clothing!

#2- LUCKY FOURS!
4 places I go over and over.
-Church
-Wal Mart
-School
-Little Caesers (I have been a lousy cook this year! Help me please)!

4 places I like to eat.
-Olive Garden
-Cafe Rio
-my mom's
-cruise ships

4 places I would like to be right now.
-bed
-on a beach in Hawaii
-at the spa for a massage, facial, mani & pedi, hair, makeup, the works!
-BED (I am tired)

4 t.v. shows.
-So You Think You Can Dance (no, I have absolutely no professional dance training, I still love it)!
-Felicity (Ahhh! We finished it a couple weeks ago, I miss it terribly :)
-Any show on PBS (I love all the kid shows they have on there now).
-????? We're not ever really around our T.V. lately.

4 Books I've enjoyed (most recently).
-Diary of a Wimpy Kid
-Uglies
-The Soft Spoken Parent
-(Do magazines count?)
4 people who will respond. ( I am tagging you)
-Lindsay Frei
-Jen Statham
-Wendy Rowlette
-Marianne Shaheen
#3- MINDI'S MEMORY LANE! This isn't really a tag, but I thought it would be fun. (I copied these words straight from her blog, which is one of MY FAVES for a great laugh! Here is her link: Word To Your Mother. You gotta visit at least once, you'll be hooked)!

"i got this idea from amy's blog and i thought it would be fun to give it a whirl. as there are only about 5 of you that know me from real life, this could be interesting, but i think we can all make this happen if we PULL TOGETHER, PEOPLE!!!

this is how you play...

1. as a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and i had together. it doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot--if you are only my "blogging blesbian bff" then you could leave the first memory you have about "meeting me" or whatever pops into your head. (if you have repressed this memory, or wear scary masks, please move on to the next blog of your choice.)

2. next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. it's actually pretty funny to see the responses. if you leave a memory about me, i'll assume you're playing the game and i'll hunt you down and wax fondly about our good times. if you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, i'll leave my memory of you in my comments.

3. play nice. remember, blogging is all about our "mutual -love-admiration society"--i would really rather see something like this:

than something like this:

if you are a blurker, NOW is the time to take action! don't be shy!

ready! set! GO!!"