See the resemblance...

I keep trying to make time to blog and other things...dinner, laundry, and sleep keep getting in the way.  Anyway, I had to share this funny story.

A couple Sundays ago my son came out of his church class with some homemade playdough in the shape of a person. 

So, I asked him, "So, who did you make with your playdough?" 

He responded with, "Why, mom, it's you!" 

"Oh, I didn't see the resemblance."

Then, without missing a beat, he says, "See, mom, I even tried to make boobs."

Then imagine a small eruption of laughter from myself and about 4 other kids who were hearing the conversation at the same time, in a place that should be calm, respectful and reverent. 

Oh, how I love that my son makes me laugh, even when I'm not supposed to.  Hehe.

Thanksgiving...good intentions

So we decided to host Thanksgiving at our house this year.  I know how to make a turkey and so it can't be that difficult, right?  I think the hardest part was making sure the assignments for 18-19 people were going to fuse together properly.  Who was bringing what and how much of it.

Anyway, I had grand visions of a wonderful before and after picture of the turkey.

I did manage to get a good "before" picture.  This beauty was 21.1 pounds.  Could be the biggest one I've cooked, yet.  I was looking forward to the "after" picture with the crispy goldenness, and the oozing out of stuffing, but no...alas, I was too busy making sure all other food groups were represented.

So, instead...here's the "after" picture.

Nap time

I laugh at this picture because my son, SO has a crush on his Aunt Kayla. 

Ok, so just imagine a nicely cooked turkey, and THAT'S what mine looked like!!!

Conversation

This is how a conversation went with my husband and son yesterday:

Dad: Ok, son, let's get ready to go.

Son: Oh, Dad, while we are out can we go to Home Depot?

Dad:  What do you need at Home Depot?

Son:  A small nail.

Dad:  A small nail?

Son:  Yeah, a pretty small nail.

Dad:  What are you going to do with the pretty small nail?

(Wait for it....)

Son:  Well, ya know the screw that goes in my glasses?...yeah, it came out and I was thinking if could find a small nail, then I could use that so my glasses stay together and the lense stops falling out.  (said so matter-of-factly)

Dad: (somewhat holding back bewilderment)  How about this?  How about we swing by the eye doctor and have them fix your glasses for you?

Son:  I guess so.

I have too applaude my son for practicing some problem solving skills.  He did seem like the air was let out when he didn't get to use a pretty small nail, though.

Multi-tasking and a good laugh

I feel like today I was the master at multi-tasking!


Laundry, 2 freezer meals, built a bookcase with a desk attached, and packed for a trip.


It doesn't seem like much when you write it all out, but it was a beautiful thing.


Now, I don't feel like cooking and would like to relax. Nothing better than a good laugh, too.


I thought this was too funny not to share.

I thought weekends were for relaxing...?

What happened to lazy Saturday mornings and lazy afternoons snacking on ...well, snacks? How did my weekends turn busier than my weeks? Now they are filled with working in the garden, cleaning the house (which never really got clean, except for the kitchen), shopping with my daughter because that's the only day we can go together, arranging play dates for son (because he's decided every Saturday he needs to have friends over), football games (BYU, of course) (mind you, I only got to see the last quarter because the shopping took longer than planned), church duties, cooking for church activity, attending church activity, crashing on the couch (because that was the only time I stopped to sit down that day). Phew!

Then you would think that Sunday would be so much more calm, right? Wrong! Perhaps, just as busy!

Showers, practicing song that family is singing for program, helping kids memorize a scripture so they can have them passed off before the end of the year, getting ready for church (why has this turned into such a chore?), getting part of dinner prepared before we leave for church, singing in program for church, teaching training during Sunday school, leading music during Relief Society (which I didn't really stress about because they asked me on the fly), preparing and serving dinner for missionaries only a half hour after church go out, so that we could all attend choir shortly after that. Then we returned home, it truly looks like a dust devil has entered my house tousling items to lay willy nilly on every surface imaginable. I guess I know what I'm doing Monday morning...yup, blog about it!

I need a vacation! Oh right, I have to get ready for that now!

A creative invitation

My daughter came home from school with this creative "letter" invitation. (Names, #'s and info have been omitted for privacy).

It reads:

You are cordially invited to the premiere viewing of my new movie, New Moon, in celebration of the birthday of XXX on Friday. Transportation arrangements from the school to the theatre have been made. Please gather with XXX after studies have ceased. An overnight bag is required as a sleep over following the movie is planned. Late-overs may be arranged as well.
Please call with your confirmation by Friday the 13th.
The Cullen Family, the Pack and Bella are eagerly anticipating your company.

Edward Cullen

I thought this was a pretty cute idea. I knew about the party beforehand, but the invite was very cute. And it was printed on nice paper in a flowery font. Very creative.

My new thing!

I've recently got into digital scrapbooking and quite enjoy it. BUT! I also enjoy doing the tangible scrapbooking, plus I have so much scrapbook stuff that should probably keep working with what I have, right?

So, I keep looking at these really cool personal die-cutting machines and thankfully they've been too expensive for me to purchase, until I had a weak moment. And I purchased THIS! A Slice!

(They are usually a sea blue/green color, but mine is a special edition for Breast Cancer Awareness Month...I mean c'mon, it's PINK!)

I have been having a lot of fun adding die-cuts to my scrapbook pages that just needed a little bit more to finish them off.

Then I discovered that I could cut vinyl with it! And I created signs for my kids' rooms. They were thrilled.

Now I realize how those companies really keep sucking the money out of you...you have to buy more design cartridges, if you want more options to cut. Curse you, wretched scrapbooking companies! (J.K. I wish I had the creativity and business sense to have started one 10 years ago, so I could be filthy rich!)

In the meantime, I will enjoy my new play toy and create more die-cuts for items that never thought they needed it. And I'll love every minute of it!

So the garden begins...

If you follow my blog or on facebook, you'll know that last winter we planted a "container garden." Well, we were so pleased with the results that we decided to get rid of the grass that the old one was sitting on and utilize the space better for the upgraded garden.

Now, the grass is gone on that side of the yard, the rock and step stones got laid, the containers are set, the drip system is ready and waiting for...plants and seeds.

In Arizona, we have to wait until after October 15 to start planting, it's still just too hot. We almost couldn't wait until it was time. John went and got some new plants; peppers, tomatoes, lettuce, and broccoli. And they are now planted. More will be added hopefully each week. Yeah, in a few short weeks we hope to be enjoying fresh veggies to add to our meals. And after that, come on over because there's always some to share!

Do you see what I see?

You can't believe everything your kids tell you, until they keep telling you the same thing, over and over and over and...

Hayden kept telling me that he got moved to the back of the classroom, and that he couldn't see. At first, I honestly thought it was an excuse to not get work done, (he usually comes up with a couple a week). After a half-dozen times of saying he couldn't see very well, I decided it wasn't just a cop-out. Off to the eye doctor we went. And it looks like he is near-sighted, of course. And possibly color blind, but I'm not convinced of that just yet.

After we had him try on every single pair of frames in the store, we came out with this:

Now, everyone is asking how he likes his glasses and he says he likes them very much! Love this kid! I guess the stigma of wearing glasses doesn't phase him...he would rather see!

We're all related.

While driving, my son and I were talking about different things when he tells me of a conversation between him and his best friend.

Friend: You know that we're all related to each other, right?

Hayden: Of course, ...because of Adam and Eve, ...duh!

Too funny!

My Sweet Sister

As some of you may know, my sister passed away on September 17th. This passing is bittersweet. She battled breast cancer since May 2006. She is an example of fighting with all you've got.

Colleen Marie Hahn Newton was born April 1, 1959. She was the oldest of 3 brothers and 1 sister (myself). She is survived by her husband, Dave Newton, and 4 sons; Chris, Skylar, Sean and Casey. They are some amazing men!

She had an incredible affect on people. She always asked questions to find out more about...everything and everyone. She really loved life. She liked to take great pictures of flowers, people, art,, scenery. She was very creative and artistic, she had a unique sense of style.

She won't get a chance to see her boys get married or have children, but she left a wonderful legacy because they are great young men.

While she was 13 years older than me, she loved being a sister and mother-figure. We missed out on sharing clothes and talking about boyfriends, but we shared many stories and struggles as mothers. She was sincere about her interest in me and my family.

She was one of those that when she called to talk it wasn't just for a minute or two, it was more like an hour or two. And we could easily laugh, talk, cry and share together.

I will miss her terribly! She was my only sister.

I am relieved she doesn't have to suffer any longer with her physical body, it was too small to hold her strong spirit, anyway.

Until we meet again, Colleen Marie, I love you.

What's your maiden name?

Ok, I'll try to be succinct with this funny story, but not leaving out important details.

Just this last May we made a trip to Utah for a family wedding. Whenever we are in Utah we try to get together with John's buddies from high school, Chris and Stanton. We've stayed close over the many years.

Chris had been divorced for a few years and said that for our get together he was bringing a friend. MMMMmmmm, interesting. We found Janelle (the friend) to be absolutely delightful!! She was full of ideas, personality and opinions. (It is necessary to stand on your own when these boys are in a room together.)




Here we are at lunch on that very day. We are having a superb time. It was during a bathroom break that Janelle told me that she and Chris had only been dating a mere 2 and a half weeks. Granted they knew each other for 2 years in the same PhD Nursing program.

We continued talking back at Stanton's house on the back porch. Catching up, laughing, getting to know Janelle a bit more. When out of my mouth came the following sentence..."So, what was your maiden name?" At the very moment it slipped out I knew that I my brain and mouth were not working in sync. She had eluded to many points that I knew she had never been married. What was I thinking? Needless to say, everyone got a very good laugh about it, and I think Janelle handled it very well in telling me what her current and maiden name were. And the moment was relived when Stanton's wife got home later.

Now, jumping ahead to the first weekend in September.

Here is Janelle and Chris at our next get-together, they look pretty sweet on each other, right?

Here is Stanton and his wife LaRayne at the same little get-together, which happened to be the night before...

THE WEDDING!!!!

John captured this precious moment between the couple on the temple grounds of the Oquirrh Mountain temple. Sweet, huh?

Here is Chris and Janelle with his 2 children. They make a nice little family.

And what's a wedding without some cake, which was absolutely delicious, by the way.

What I just realized, in hindsight, is my ability to predict the future. I just need to work on my timing. I should have waited until after they were married to ask her maiden name, right?

It all turned out very well in the end.

I have a feeling they won't let me live it down, though.

Senuous Sandwiches

Do you have a favorite restaurant that you'd love to go to, but it's located several hundred miles away? A restaurant that provided comfort food? Or a place that just had great food, but you can't reach?

I have such a place. This place is not in the state I live in; it's in Utah. One of my roommates used to work there. They have great sandwiches. They have really great sandwiches.

This place is unique not just because their sandwiches are good, but because of the names of their sandwiches. The restaurant is called Senous Sandwich. And the names of the sandwiches sound like this: the Stimulator, the Enticer, the Tantalizer, the Bodasious, and of course, the Sensous Sandwich, just to name a few.



I haven't tried all the sandwiches, in fact, I've only tried 3. I stopped trying because I found my favorite. It's called the Spicy Enticer. It has pastrami, pepperoni and Italian sausage with your choice of cheese, and then whatever fixings you choose. It is so good. It's one of those sandwiches that is all juicy from the moment you pick it up, until your very last bite (probably because I like the oil and vinegar).



The picture really doesn't do it justice, it just looks like part of any old sandwich.

It's probably a good thing that Senous Sandwich doesn't have a restaurant closer to home because I would probably go there once a week.

So, if you are ever in Orem or Provo...just stop in...it will be worth it!

It's time for school...

It used to be that EVERYONE didn't start school until the day after Labor Day. Now, school's start clear in July even! Well, today was the first day of school for Sidney and Hayden. They got up and got ready without incident, and had time enough for pictures. It will just be this year and next school year that they go to the same school, and then not until Sidney is a senior in High school, so I hope they know how lucky they are to have each other.

Here they were this morning:

Alright, all set with their backpacks and everything.

I like this one of the both of them. Real candid.

Sidney gets nervous I think when she gets her picture taken.

Hayden is pretty photogenic.

Another of the both of them.

It looks like there isn't anyone else at school, but it was truly packed with people, I guess I got lucky without anyone else in the shot. Hope they have a great first day.

Part 4: Utah

After a pretty good night's sleep, we packed up the van and left the hotel to head to Utah. Another six hours in the van was starting to wear on all of us, but we made it, just barely. John arrived to let us all know that his ear has been hurting for some time. He went to an urgent care and sure enough...swimmer's ear! We're all glad he got it taken care of pretty quickly though.

We relaxed with family that Thursday and just visited.

We got up early the next morning to head out to West Jordan, UT for the second to the last day of the Oquirrh Mountain Temple Open House. It was so awesome! We did our best to try to explain to the kids what they would see and the importance of it, I hope some of it sank in! It really is a beautiful temple. The celestial room was especially bright with the morning sun coming in! At the end we got to sit in one of the sealing rooms and just take it all in. The irony is that some great friends will be getting sealed there next month. Cool, huh?

Once again, we forgot the camera during the tour, but we drove up next to it after we were done.

We came home, played games with John's parents, brother and sister-in-law and the kids played with their cousins.

Then, John and I got ready to go to his 20-year High school reunion. We rode with John's good friend, Chris and his fiance, Janelle (the ones getting sealed next month), to the reunion. It was held in Salt Lake at the Grand America. All-in-all, it was pretty darn fun. Easy for me to say, though since I wasn't the one seeing people I haven't seen for 20 years. I knew a handful of people that John has kept in contact with, so I didn't feel left out. It seemed to go on for quite a while since we didn't leave until about 12:30 in the morning. Lots of people did some catching up and reminiscing.

Here's a capture of some of his graduating class of '89 from Alta High. John's up near the top row with his friend, Chris to the left.

They played some games, relived some good and bad, laughed at old photos, and had some pretty good food.

Saturday was much relaxed with family; another of John's brothers, Trevor and his new wife, Kayla drove up from Orem to spend the day.

Check out the kids getting into the tickle tackle with Trevor!

We drove over to an aquarium nearby and saw lots of cool things with all the kids. An octopus, a couple different kinds of sharks, got to pet some rays, and see some big tarantula.

Sidney got up close and personal with the rays.

We headed back home for games and then a barbeque. Some more games out on the lawn. We all tried to show our best bocce ball game.

I thought this was a nice capture of our bocce ball game, mid-throw and everything. Here they are from L-R; Brittany holding Xander, John's dad, Allen, Ryan's in mid-throw, John's mom, Pat, John, and then Trevor.

The cousins had fun watching videos and playing with each other. It's nice they can be instant friends when they are together.

The next day was Sunday, so we went to church, had a nice dinner and visited and played more games with the family. It's really nice to have these times together, they are some of my very favorite.

Later that night we headed south to Lindon, UT for a mini-reunion of sorts. Some people that John grew up with in high-school that really were a tight-knit group and they all just seemed to fall right back into step with each other. Four girls and 3 boys that some had crushes on and some didn't, but they all just were a great group of friends. John had brought a video that they made while they were extremely bored one late evening in high-school and it was a riot watching with them to see the old styles and how much they have or haven't changed. The evening was a blast! Most everyone was able to bring their spouse (or future spouse) and their children, so that everyone could meet and get acquainted. Then each person took a turn catching everbody up to date of what they had been up to since graduating. The kids seemed to have fun, and I know the adults had a blast recalling funny moments and teasing each other. It was great!

Here's the crew: Marcia, Stanton, Chris, John, Kristin, then in the front, Leanna, and Stacey. They are a pretty unique bunch!

Ok, we are nearing the end...hang in there!

Monday...we went to .....Lagoon! The kids almost didn't earn the trip, but they squeaked by and got to go at the last minute. It was very hot, but pretty fun.

There was a new ride added 2 years ago called Wicked and so we got on pretty soon after we arrived. At first, Hayden said he didn't like it, but after 2 more times and some distance, he liked it well enough

We are far away, but here we are just before getting on Wicked.

Here are Hayden and Sidney on the Dinosaur Drop.

Then John and Sidney are on the Rocket Blast Off......they both seemed to like it...afterward.

Probably because it was hot, but that seemed like the longest day on the trip up to that point. Little did I realized that 11 hours in the van the next to drive home would seem longer, much longer.

We traveled many miles, we saw many people and visited some very fun places and got to each some great food. That seems to be a pretty good vacation.

Part 3: Las Vegas

Ok, I have to apologize right off the bat because we didn't take a single photo in Las Vegas. Nada, nothing, zilch. We spent the most money here, but nothing to show for it. Only memories.

Alright, on with the story. We drove Wednesday to Las Vegas from CA, and thank heavens it was only a little over 4 hours!!! We got to our hotel, checked in, and had some down time. So, John took a nap, I read a book and the kids watched a little TV. Then we got hungry, ate at the Mexican restaurant there at the hotel (it was only so-so). Then we came back to the room and got all fancied up to go to the big show --- "O"! We had to pick up our tickets by a certain time so we headed over to the strip, valet parked (the only way to go at the big hotels), and got in line for our tickets. When we realized we had a little time to kill we went the front of the Bellagio to watch the water show. After which Hayden asked, "That was it?"
We walked through the shops a little, checked out some of the Cirque du Soleil paraphenalia, and looked at the sculpture exhibit outside the theater. We seemed to wait forever in our seats for the show to start, and before we knew it, the hour and a half was over. "O" is a great show, I recommend it to families. It really is like watching a circus since there are some many things going on at once. I felt like I was missing out on some of it because you couldn't watch everything at once.

Go to the website and watch the trailer. It's very cool.

Sorry again about the no pictures. Guess we were just really out of it!

Part 2: California and the beach

After only one day to do laundry, tie up loose ends, pack for several venues, plan a menu for a couple meals, we headed out on Sunday morning to Carlsbad, CA for some fun on the beach with great friends.

Even though I did not drive the leg to CA, I was so done being stuck in a vehicle. I wanted to be outside, or walking or doing anything else! We got to our hotel room, unpacked a little and then headed to our friends campsite that overlooked the beach.

They fed us a great meal! And then we took a walk down to the beach. Already we were feeling rejuvenated by the wind and sand. Here's the motley crew down at the beach:

We played a rousing game of Mafia with all the kids. I think the kids enjoyed it more than the adults, but we all had fun regardless.

The next day, we were all pretty anxious to get to the beach and play! The kids had a blast boogie boarding, making sand castles, playing in the water, and finding sand crabs, some even tried surfing.

Here some of the girls, Sierra, Sidney, Peyton and Kaylee made a fancy sandcastle!

Sidney and Tanner were logging in quite some time on those boogie boards. And they were plenty water-logged to prove it!

Hayden and Haylee were working together to combat the waves. So sweet!

After a full day at the beach, we got cleaned up at the hotel, and returned to make dinner for everyone. Then we sat around and visited, laughing and telling stories and jokes, and then John taught the kids some of the games he learned in Korea.

The next day was pretty similar, except we went to a different beach just a couple miles north of where we were before. The water was a little choppier than the first day so the kids could only swim and boogie board in certain areas and the water seemed a bit cooler. The beach, though, was nicer. Less rock and seaweed and the kids teamed together for a good hour and half building a fortress in the sand. There was a lot more sunscreen applied on this second day since many of the kids got s little sunburned the day before.

This is what was left of the sand fortress. When they knew we were heading out they had just as much fun stomping on it as they did building it!

Our friend Craig got some good naptime in, but unknowningly got caught in pictures. They put sand on him and even a sand crab, but he took it all in good spirits.

The adults went out to dinner to a super-yummy place called Rockin Baja Lobster. It was sooooo good!

We got some nice pictures at the pier during the sunset.

Then we came back and got the kids to head over to Cold Stone for yummy treats. We took another night-time walk on the beach and got some cool pictures with the kids twirling their glow-sticks in front of them. Check it out:


We said our good-byes to our friends that night since we were headed out in the morning to go to Las Vegas.

The Way Round-about

Miles traveled: 3248

States visited: 4

Days gone: 12

Calories consumed: too many to count

Fun Had: lots and lots

We are home, we are tired, and we survived probably the longest vacation we've ever endeavored upon.

So to make it easier to post, I'll go in stages so that no one gets confused.

Part 1: New Mexico

Early on a Thursday morning, the kids and I left to drive to New Mexico. Why there you ask? My brother was moving his family there from Dallas. He had been staying alone at the house in NM for a little bit, while his wife was in Dallas waiting for the arrival of their 3rd child. My mom flew to Dallas to help them pack and help with the kids. Then, we she was a little older than 2 weeks they flew the family to Roswell and drove to Artesia. Then my brother had to fly the next morning back to Dallas to drive the moving truck to the home. On that same day I drove from AZ. Sidney and Hayden got some good playing time with their cousins in a near empty house.

My brother arrived after 12:30 am with the truck and hit the hay for a little rest before unloading the truck in the morning. My kids did their best to keep the little boys out of the way of the movers. I tried to help as much as I could by putting the boys' beds back together. At about 12:30 pm we had to be on the road with my mom in tow or we'd get back home really late. It turned out to be an almost 10 hour drive each way. PHEW! Totally worth it, though.

Here's some snapshots of the kiddos.

We got to play some games in the living room before the furniture got loaded in.

And my sweet little niece, is just adorable! Can you believe that hair?

We hated to come and go so quickly, but we had to get back to pack for our next bigger and longer part of vacation.