A Fun Family Night

We had a fun night, Monday night, decorating pumpkins "EASY, LOW-MAINTENANCE SYTLE." The kids each got to pick out a pumpkin the other day, so I decided that it was time to decorate them. I have had these little pumpkin parts that stick right into the pumpkin, so I decided...being prego and too tired to clean up extra messes, that this year was going to be easy and mess-free. So they each took turns picking parts for their pumpkin faces. It kinda felt like we were playing "MR. POTATO HEAD." But they all turned out cute and the kids were happy with their results. We usually add hair and all sorts of other creative things, but not this year.

We also had some fun Halloween treats that I bought for us to make, so I put Casen to bed...MR GRUMPY.... and we made some treats. We made brownies with frosting and decorations and we made Green Rice Krispy Treats and the kids formed them into Halloween shapes and decorated them. Pretty fun! But when it hit 9:30 PM, I was pooped and ready to get the kids in bed. I had been on my feet all day and I was feeling it. My legs felt like lead!

So funny story.....in the morning, while getting ready for school, Cade sat up for breakfast and asked why the counter was still all sticky and in fact why the kitchen was still such a mess. I told him that I was too tired last night to clean it up....And he gave me this look like....you could not have possibly been that tired? I was laughing and told him that "Mommies do get tired after a long day; especially pregnant mommies." I got thinking.... that he is already maturing into Manhood, where men do not understand how you could possibly be too tired at 8:00 PM to do anything.....and sometimes that anything that you are too tired to do, makes them irritated! HA! HA!

Fun Weekend

This weekend was a nice weekend. My kids had a few days off for UEA weekend and even though we did not go anywhere special with them, it was just nice being home and not having a schedule for a few days. And I think they enjoyed sleeping in a little too.

On Saturday, I did get to have a GIRLS DAY! I got to go to lunch with my mother-in-law Nan and all my sister-in-laws...Lynley, Mandy and Brit and also my neice Teisha. It is always nice to get away to eat when no kids are with me. I actually get to eat, enjoy my meal instead of leaving half of it untouched because of rowdy kids, and talk. It is relaxing, which I need right now and love!

Then that night, I got to go to SLC with Mandy and her sister-in-law Sherri to a REAL SOCCER GAME. We went out to eat first at the Mayan Restaurant which is a fun place. Me and Mandy were still full from a late lunch,so we just got dessert. Then afterwards we headed over to the soccer stadium. I guess it was a sold-out-game of 20,000. It was so fun. I use to play soccer, so I enjoy watching soccer the most out of any sports. They were so good. The ball went from one end of the field to the next so fast and they made it look so easy. SLC REAL won 2-0 against Texas. It was nice to get away for a night and leave Matt with the kids. Even one night away from kids and spending time with adults, can really rejuvenate the mind and body. So needed every once in awhile!

Oh and by the way...I look like a BLIMP in these pics. The FREE YELLOW REAL T-SHIRT was so not flattering on my prego tummy and my hair was half- way done....reason for the hat! So not liking these pics, but we had so much fun, I was forced to post them!

Weekend With The Cowboys

Had alot of fun on our KIDS FREE trip to Dallas/Arlington Texas. Of course our main purpose of going there was to go to a Dallas Cowboys Football Game, but we got to do a few other fun things too. It was fun to get away, and even though I am only 23 weeks pregnant, I feel like an old lady and so we couldn't do all the things I would have liked to do, if I was not pregnant....like go to a country line dancing bar or go to Six Flags Magic Mt. or go in the hotel hot tub, etc. But we still made the most of it.

Thursday night we flew in pretty late...11:30 PM, got our rental car and went straight to the hotel. Luckily we had a great map that helped us all weekend with directions. We are use to small down Cache Valley, not all these different freeways. Confusing!

Then Friday, we slept in till 10 and then went downstairs to breakfast....Ok so don't most hotels come with a continental breakfast, right? So we eat...muffins, juice, a waffle, etc. Well then this lady brings us out a bill for $30. WHAT? I guess breakfast is not included in the room rate. RIP OFF. And this was the Hilton for heavens sake. So we did not eat in the lobby again. Not worth $30. Later that day, we headed over to the Pro Shop and the Cowboys Stadium. Matt was ready to check it out. The tours were all sold out till Monday, early morning. So we just looked around in the Pro Shop, then walked across the street to the Wal-Mart and bought all of our Dallas Stuff over there....t-shirts, hats, etc. Later that day, we hopped in our car and went and explored Downtown Dallas and Forth Worth...we went to the local malls around there, shopped a little, had some dinner at the local BBQ place and went back to the hotel. All I can say, is they have a million BBQ places around here and them TEXANS dont believe in plates. They eat off of sturdy placesmats. Weirdness, but it was good food....meat, corn, potato salad, coleslaw, pie, potatoes, etc.

Saturday, we slept in again....then we went and checked out a Swap Meet for a few hours in Grand Prairie. Matt was in heaven. It was all junk! Good thing we were not close to home and had to get on an airplane or he would have been there for hours, buying junk....tools, tires, t-shirts, shoes, car accessories, etc. and bringing it all home to clutter my house and his garage. Later that day, we went to a movie, ate out again, and went back to the hotel to relax for the night. Being pregnant and all the walking we were doing.... I was worn out. I hate feeling like I am 80 years old. You know you are getting old, when you crave going back to your hotel to watch TV and just vegg.

Then Sunday, of course was GAME DAY! So we slept in again, got ready and left our hotel around 11 AM. We headed over to the stadium and come to find out...anywhere to park and use the Cowboys Stadium parking lots was $80 and sold out. Can you believe that? So we found a bank parking lot that was charging $20 and so we parked there and had to walk a little distance, but not too bad. Then we headed over to the Wal-Mart for a few last minute things. And then we headed over to the stadium. They do not let the fans in until 2 hours before the game. I was laughing because Football is like a religion here. Everywhere you went....it was blue and cowboys gear and people were tailgating all morning and afternoon. So we walked around the stadium to find out gate to enter and we ended up running into the players...coming to the game. I guess they have to be there 2 hours before the game. So we got to see a few players...but it was crowded, so we did not get very good pics and no autographs. They arrive in their cars and they get them valet'd and people are all standing around trying to get signatures and pics, etc. Really neat. Then we got ready to go into the stadium....it was AMAZING! We walked around, took pics, ate some lunch, found our seats, and just watched the jumbo tron, the pre- game show and were just taking it all in. Pretty awesome! We got to see the cheerleaders, the game and everything on the jumbo tron. It was a great experience. I am not a huge football fan when it comes to watching games on TV, but in person, I love it. I was into the whole game, which is why I was so frustrated with ROMO their quarterback. HE LAGS! The game went by way too fast. It was so close until the very end. They always give it away in the end. FRUSTRATING. Matt was bummed they lost 34-27, but I think because it was such an awesome experience, he was OK with it. After the game, we went back to that same area to see the players come out. We got to see them again, but not many of them were giving autographs, after losing. I did get one autograph, SEAN LEE, not a starter player, but the cutest one I saw! Then after the whole DALLAS GAME DAY, we headed back to the car, went to another BBQ place for dinner, and then back to the hotel. Matt and I kept joking, that we both probably gained 2-3 lbs. from the trip, just from eating out too much. We were both food'd out by the end of the trip.

Monday, we woke up pretty early because we had that tour of the stadium at 8 AM. It was awesome. We got to see where all the rich people sit, all the nice bars, the suites people rent....we got to see where the owner Jerry Jones sits. We went into the Cheerleader Locker Room, the Cowboys Locker Room, and onto the field. It was a 2 hour tour and well worth the $25 per person. Fun to see. A $1.4 billion dollar stadium......and the jumbo tron is $40 million alone. Craziness! Then we had to go and return our rental car and catch a flight. Bummer that the trip was over, but we were both missing the kids. A long day of travel...but we got home around 5 PM and it was so good to see the kids. You could tell they were happy to see us too. And they liked all of our gifts. I think I just sat on the couch all night and gave them kisses and hugs and listened to all their stories. It was fun, but I am exhausted and need to rest from my vacation. So grateful for Winnan, Matt's mom and that she was able to babysit the kids. They did so well....no fighting and they both played mommy to Casen while we were gone. Such a relief that everything went well. I think we might have to make this an every year trip...

I was not super impressed with the scenery of Texas.....really flat, no mountains, no beaches, kinda boring....we had fun because of the Cowboys and the game and all that, but I would not care to return, unless we were going to a game.... But the stadium was so awesome. I would love to go to another game, and just stay for a shorter period of time. Loved it! And now we are back to reality, but I missed my kids, so I am glad to be back!

Spotlighting Funny Casen Moments

I wanted to do a little spotlight on Casen, because I was feeling bad the other day. Our video camera has been broken for a year now and I have missed so much footage of Casen. I have gotten little videos here and there on my camera video camera, but we really need to get a real video camera and start getting some of the funny things he does on tape. So I wanted to make a list of some of the funny things he does, so that at least maybe 15 years from now I can remember these things and laugh about them....

Funny things about Casen...

* He loves music. He is like Cade..whenever he hears a beat or a song, he has to dance to it.

*He loves to sing too. He is not shy. His favorite song to sing his "Soul Sista" by Train. And he thinks he knows all the words too. So freakin funny!

*He loves to copy the older kids. Anything they are doing, he wants to be doing too.....whether it is swimming in the hot tub, riding bikes, sitting at the counter playing, etc.

*He is a phone Nazi. And I know it is because of Matt. I do not answer my phone that great, but Matt always answers his. So whenever my phone rings, Casen either brings it to me, or he comes in and lets me know...with some grunts and other noises that my phone is ringing. I call him the phone Nazi.

*He is also obsessed with shoes. Once I put his shoes on to go and run errands...good luck getting them off. I have to make everyone take their shoes off for him to take his off. And when we are getting ready to go somewhere, he goes and picks everyone elses shoes out for them. And I have to admit, he does a pretty good job of matching them too.

*He loves to be outside with Matt, when Matt comes home at night or on the weekends and is working in the garage or in the yard. And he loves to be downstairs with the kids too, if they are down there playing. I think he gets CABIN FEVER, on the main floor with me all day.

*He also loves to snuggle with his favorite green silky and brown silky blankets and a "babba" right before naptime or bedtime. This is why I am not ready to take him off the bottle yet....I love snuggling with him.

*I love it when he wants to get in the bath at night with the kids...so I take off his clothes and diaper and he runs to the bathroom naked. I just laugh because he is this minature little thing, with this minature butt, but all this butt cellulite. So freakin funny! I love it!

*He loves to play with Cade, even though Cade is so rough with him. Cade treats him like he is another 5 year old. So Casen knows he is not suppose to bite, but when it comes to Cade teasing him, it is his only defense mechanism...so he threatens Cade with this CHOMPERS. It is so funny!

*He also loves popsicles. The minute you say the word POPSICLE, it is all over from there. He cannot forget about it until he gets one. It is the same way with Candy. We have to hide our candy at our house now. OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF MIND.

*He is also obsessed with the counter.....which is actually scary for me. He wants to sit on the barstools like the kids, up to the counter. So I cannot keep him off the counter. He has only fallen a few times, with no major injuries. Lets hope it stays this way.

*He gets so excited for the kids to come home. He goes and meets them out at the fence everyday, where they walk home from the bus. It is so cute to see him run out there and give them loves and kisses. He is also very affectionate and loves to give soft kisses. (JUST ASK NANNY.)

*He can also be very hyper, if he slept too long or if he is just excited to see dad after a long day of work...it is almost impossible to sit on the couch and relax if he wants to play. He is all over the place....jumping on you, jumping on the couch, etc. I try to keep him off my pregnant belly and it is hard.

*His new word is FART. So hilarious. And he knows it is embarrassing too. The other day, I farted and said..."Oops, mommy farted." And he just kept saying FART and laughing. Then he farted later and so did Matt and he would say FART and SMILE and GIGGLE. So funny how he only knows like 20 words and one of them is fart.

*He totally understands everything I tell him to do too. Matt will always say, " I think he is smarter than a dog now." And I always laugh because he is WAY SMARTER THAN A DOG. It is amazing at 21 months, how much he understands.

I love my Casen and have to get some of this stuff on video, but at least it is written down.

Happy 34th Matt

Yes, Matt turned 34 yesterday, and no this is not a new pic. Of course, yesterday with dinner and dessert and balloons and presents and all that I forgot to take any pics. But yesterday we did celebrate Matt's 34th birthday.

The kids had a day off for some Bus Furlough Day, whatever that means, so they were home all day. So we decided to start the morning off with some crepes for breakfast, before daddy had to leave for work. Turned out good, even though it was alot of work and took 5 minutes to eat. He is worth it and the kids love to get a REAL HOMECOOKED BREAKFAST every once in awhile, instead of just cereal or eggos.

Then while Dad was at work all day, we made some cards, wrapped a few little presents, went and bought balloons and bought a pie this year instead of cake. Matt is not a huge dessert person, so he is no fun to make cakes for. So we tried a new Reses Peanut Butter Pie from Village Inn. It was pretty good. Pies are not our families favorite dessert, but still pretty good.

Then after I picked up Corey and her cousins from soccer practice, we decided to do dinner at home this year with the whole family, since Matt and I are leaving for Dallas in 2 days and will have plenty of dinners without the kids. So we made daddys favorite....Ribs, baked beans, salad, and some awesome Deseret Industry Rolls. It was a good dinner and the kids even ate. The ribs were awesome. I just bought these pre-cooked pork ribs from Lees....so good. And so short to cook, since they were pre-cooked.

Then we had dad open our cards while we were making room for dessert. This year the kids each gave dad $5 of their own money to spend in Dallas on something he wants to buy. And Casen gave him the new Iron Man DVD he was wanting. And I am saving his present for something I know he will want to buy in Texas. He is so excited for this trip. I am excited it is falling around his birthday, because this is something is has always wanted to do..... Then we made some room for dessert. By this time of night, it was 9:30 and the kids had school the next day. So it was time for the kids to get off to bed and me and Matt to have our "Craved for" alone time after the kids go to bed....no noise, no confusion...just relaxation. It was a fun birthday and we hope he feels special and NOT ANY OLDER....34....WOW HE IS GETTING UP THERE.....CLOSER AND CLOSER TO 40.

Challenging Daughter

Since I have come to the conclusion that my blog is like my personal journal, I need to vent this morning about my children....especially my daughter. Why is it that kids care so much about what other kids say or think? It is so frustrating to me. So frustrating that I was kinda depressed the last 2 days about it. First of all...I am getting ready to go on a trip this weekend and have to make the last minute preparations to go. Well Friday is "Crazy Hair Day" at school and because I am not going to be here, I am trying to make it as easy for Grandma as possible, but my kids are being difficult.

We have had issues all week about what to wear during dress up week, to where it is wearing me out. I finally just give up and REALLY DONT CARE. In fact, last night, Matt had to go in and show Corey the cold weather forecast on the Internet, so that she would wear a long sleeve shirt to school today (Field Trip today...outside alot). Kids think they know everything....starting at such a young age, but if only they would listen to their older and wiser parents...Oh gosh, I am sounding like my parents. But it is so frustrating to me. And I don't know if being pregnant is making it worse because I am tired and have less patience. But it is making me sad too.

Dont get me wrong....With finding out this new addition to our family being a boy.....I am so thrilled. I have enjoyed Casen so much and he is so fun....especially his age now. But it is starting to hit me now, that Corey is going to be my only girl and she is already 7 and has a mind of her own. I have no say in what she wears or how she wants her hair now. It is a constant battle. So I keep telling myself that boys will be easier to deal with. And I really don't want anymore kids or to be pregnant ever again, to try and have another girl. But I just realized the last couple of days, that it is hitting me that she is my only girl and already so old and independant. I am kind of sad and kind of warn out because already she is a PILL.

Back to the question of why do kids care so much about what other kids think? It is so frustrating to me. And maybe we were all like that at their age and have just forgotten, because now we dont care what others think as much and we are our own person. But I just feel bad that their everyday actions are based on what others think. Going back to this Crazy Hair Day thing. I shopped for an hour one day, trying to find my kids CRAZY WIGS they could wear for this dress up day....something that Grandma could manage at 7:30 in the morning. And after all this trouble, now they dont want to wear them because they think people wont think it is crazy or cool. And they want Grandma to do these complicated hair styles. I AM SO OVER IT. I WILL BE ON VACATION AND GRANDMA WILL JUST HAVE TO DEAL WITH IT AND COREY WILL JUST HAVE TO GO TO SCHOOL HOWEVER HER HAIR TURNS OUT. SO OVER IT. SO TIRED OF KIDS BEING STUBBORN. WHY CANT THEY JUST DO WHAT I SAY TILL THEY MOVE OUT OF THE HOUSE AT 18?

Just venting and trying to come to grips that my kids are growing up and forming opinions of their own, but how do you instill confidence in your children...so they don't care so much about what their peers think?

Fun Videos of Kids

Some of you might think these videos are boring, which is fine, but I am posting them for my parents and my siblings who do not live close by and do not get to see my kids grow up. These videos are mostly of Casen because he is at such a fun age right now and his personality is coming out so cute! He wants to be like his older brother and sister so much...he wants to do everything they are doing. He loves music and dancing and he loves Cade and Corey. He just lights up when they get home from school....he lights up when they invite him to come and play with them and he lights up when they come and get him out of bed, after a nap.

I posted 5 videos...They are...

1. A video of the kids dancing...well Casen just doing somersaults.

2. A video of Casen meeting Corey at the gate in our backyard, after she has just gotten home from school, on the bus.

3. Casen trying to dance in the car....this one didn't turn out quite how I had hoped.

4. My favorite...Casen singing to the song "Soul Sista" by Train.

5. Bored at the Dr.'s Office with Casen