TRAGIC LOSS!!!

As I am folding my laundry this morning I lift my favorite pair of gaucho sweats up and am literally saying "NOOOOO" I have bleach on them right in the front... I feel more disappointed than if I lost something like I don't know..my wedding ring??... I will never find another pair, at least not this year since they are making skinny sweats now along with skinny jeans!!! I'm so sad!!! How in the world did this happen? I am so careful with them, I love them.... There was not bleach on anything else... it was a dark load, I didn't even use bleach!!! Some of you may not understand my attachment... But alot of you will...And you know who you are the sweats lovers... My mom even classifies here sweats, she has her regular every day ones and then she has "dress sweats" Well, this is a sad day at my house.... I really do feel I have had a tragic loss!!!

New Tricks

For some reason Jack has developed this new trick... The past few months he has had such a hard time going to nursery; this is very puzzling to me because the nursery teachers in our ward are so great with the kids. This is our conversation standing in the doorway to his class

Jack: I not go to nursery mommy
Teacher: Hi Jack, come in here and see me
Jack: {eyes pinched shut} I not go see her mommy!!!

Then, we come home from church and are having a quick sandwich before nap and this is our conversation

Me: Jack, hurry up, I want to see you eating

Jack:{eyes pinched shut} I sink {think} no mommy.

I wonder what else he will tune out... Maybe I should just start shutting my eyes!!

Kindergarten

Abbie started school today and she is so so so excited. I'm glad that we got to start school here in Flagstaff, Abbie has great friends in her class already and I feel lucky to know the moms so I don't feel like the lame mom that is out of the loop!!She is most excited about her "knee socks" she thinks they are so cool!!

Almost really Bad...

I volunteered to be a coach for Abbie's cheerleading team, which I never intended to do, but oh well.... the only reason I did is because there were high school girls teaching them cheers and I thought they were a little to grown up etc. so I sign myself up... so we are ordering the uniform stuff for the girls and I find out that their hair tie is supposed to be a purple scrunchie; where do you even get purple scrunchies? {I feel like i'm spelling scrunchie wrong so forgive my mistake} Anyway, I don't like the scrunchie idea so I sign up to make 11 bows that I know will be cute... So, I'm in my living room ironing the fabric for the bows and watching the Olympics and I hear a weird sound in my back yard, I ignore it for about 15 minutes. Then I hear something eating Molly's food which is really weird because she is asleep right by me???? So I figure it's the neighborhood tom cat and I get my flashlight to spook it away. P.S. you should know that my dog's food is right out my back door, you could step in her water bowl if you aren't careful. Anyway, I open my screen door and shine the light and there is a massive SKUNK..... tail up, his tail almost went to my knees and I thought he was going to brush my legs with his nasty tail. I'm freaking out....I'm just thinkin' what if this disgusting skunk sprays and I have to show my house??? I slowly back away from the door, shut it and go shut all of the windows in my house just in case. I kept smelling for skunk, but he never sprayed..YEAH My little friend hung out with us until at least midnight... Lucky for me he was no where to be found this morning. I guess I won't leave Molly's food out anymore.....

Face the Judge

People who know me know that I love to cook, and those who are not so close to me are probably surprised by it... The Food Network is on at my house often and I love watching it and getting creative ideas. One of my favorites is Iron Chef America... I watch the new episodes on Sunday nights!!! Anyway... today I totally vegged out and didn't want to do much of anything, so when dinner time came around I copped out and make box macaroni and cheese, watermelon, and crystal light... a perfect meal for my kids right... My little Abbie is my food critic and when I called her to dinner tonight she randomly says, "Mom, it's time to face the judges...{I'm the judge, ok mom?}" and I said OK...

Judge: I can tell you put a lot of time into this dish....
Me: Yeah, I made it especially for you....
Judge: How do you get this so creamy
Me: lots of butter
Judge: This drink is wonderful, I detect raspberry undertones
Me: yes, crystal light is good like that huh, it really tastes like raspberry lemonade....
Judge:how did you think of this side dish? Watermelon is perfect and juicy
Me: I'm a genius mom and chef!!!

I'm so glad that my kids appreciate total laziness on my part!!!! I should do it more often....

Pretty Girl

Here are a few pictures of Abbie loving loving loving anything girly... we have had some fun with her hair and nails the past few days and she is in pink girl heaven. I think that she thinks that manicures and pedicures and updo's are just a part of regular life?

Stinkers....

The past few weeks have gone something like this...
Today: I'm cleaning my house and my kids are playing outside so we can go to the creek... then I go outside and my entire herb garden is totally destroyed... no salvaging it; all of my parsley, basil, cilantro, chives, thyme, dill pulled up from the roots and strung from one end of my yard to the other... also I see mushrooms that have been growing in my grass all piled up... I'm like "Jack, what is going on??" and he looks at me like how can you possibly be mad about this... and he says very matter of factly "I play ratatoulli mommy"..... What do ya do???

Last weekend: I wake up on Sunday morning and I can tell that miss Abbie has been up already, she is my early riser, she gets up every morning around 6, if she sleeps until 7 I wonder what is going on... anyway, she gets up and eats a yogurt every morning... so she has been up, my silverwear drawer is open and i see a yogurt lid on the counter... but where is she?? I look in here room, nope... not outside eating at here picnic table in the backyard... maybe the front yard, no luck... then I get worried... So i throw on my slippers and go outside and start calling for her... where is my sweet 5 year old...Oh you know... she's just taking a morning walk around my block????? In her night gown, barefoot, with her yogurt????? I say, "Abbie, what are you doing??" "Mom. I'm just going on a nice walk".......

Years ago I signed up for weekly emails from Parenting magazine, they usually are something to do with effective parenting or handling your children etc.... I usually just delete these before I open them.. maybe I should start reading them...

So Fun!

Today we went to Oak Creek Canyon and played at the stream... it is so fun to go and do this stuff and I am so glad that I have had the time this summer!! Jack threw rocks the entire time and Abbie and I played mermaids(suprise??)... it was really fun and we are going to miss coming down here when we move!!

Confusion

I just wanted to post this conversation I had with Abbie , or I will forget it...

Abbie "Mom did you know we're actually 'sisters?"
Me "no we aren't I'm your mother
Abbie " No, were sisters and me and taylor, were cousins and sisters... isn't that cool?"
Me "????" at this point I figure she's just being a weird, and I have no idea what she is talking about
Abbie {2 hours later} "and Mom, me and Jack, he's my brother and my sister too"
Me "what????"

And then my mom tells me that in church yesterday they learned that we are all heavenly brother and sisters and that is why at chruch we say "sister so and so" anyway... Miss Abbie didn't quite catch the brother part and she is obviously confused about being sisters with her cousins... but how do I explain it now?? she's so sure of herself?!

4th of July

I love the 4th of July in Eagar... I don't think there is anywhere else in the world that is more fun for the 4th. It was so fun and relaxing. It's my moms favorite holiday and she goes all out!!! Seriously, what could possibly be better than....parades... ice cream... water slides... bon fires...pink marshmallows...fire crackers... cousins... family...I'm so Glad that my kids will have these great memories and that my parents still live in a small town!!!

Check out my Slide Show!

Lazy Summer Days

Today we went to Prescott to spend the day with Tess and her kids... what fun!! We just hung out at the pool all day and it was great. Abbie and Jack were super excited to get back into the pool.... I think they were having withdrawls from their week at Little America. Whoever says that girls care more about accessories than boys is very very wrong.... My little Jack is constantly wanting for something to put on... hats, jackets, noculars(binoculars) and the latest is swim goggles!!

GO***FIGHT***WIN***

Girls after my own heart!!! Look at these cutie pies all ready for mini cheer camp!!! This week all of the girls are at Grammies house for "Grammie Camp" and part of it is cheer camp!! I'm especially excited for Abbie since I went to the same camp when I was little then taught it for 4 years when I was older!!! I'm thinking I still want to be a cheerleader??? hmm.....

Cousins are the best!!!

This week we are all at Grammies house!!! Me and my kidos, Jill and hers, and Brian and his!! We are having so much fun. Jill and I took all the kids accept for Mia and Clayton to see Kung Fu Panda.... we had 5 kids and we thought we were so busy.... that's when we decided that Andrea must have been totally out of her mind having us all in a row.... All of the kids we had with us at the movie were exactly how it was for Andrea when we were little.... Taylor 6, Abbie 5, Avery 4, Max 3, and Jack 2...... How did she so it when it was Brian, Chad, Me, Shane, and Jill??? all in a row just like that!

Summer with Grammie

We had so so so much fun at last week at Little America!! Every year my parents come and stay for a few days at Little America here in Flagstaff... even though we live here it still feels like a vacation. This year was the best because I wasn't working so I actually got to go and relax with my mom, sister, and Shannon at the pool. It was GREAT!!! Even after we move we are going to have to continue this tradition. Abbie waits all year for this time with her Grammie... as soon as it's over she asks when we are going back!!! We Love It!

Happy Birthday Grandma Sorensen

I am finally posting the pics of my Grandma Sorensen's 80th Birthday party. She is the best Grandma!! I had such a fun childhood with so many special memories of her and with her. Just want to say how much we love her!!!

Really??

So, what's up with kids?? I have had the strangest, funniest, eye-opening, mommy week...it starts off with a conversation on Sunday with Abbie as we drive home from church.....
Abbie: Mom, some people work on Sunday and we aren't supposed to
Me: Abbie, Yes, some choose to work on Sunday and some people don't have a choice they may have to, I think you should just worry about making the right choices for yourself.
Abbie: I know some people who work on Sunday
Me: Who??
Abbie: the people at Sonic... We should go there huh!

So then I had to launch into the keep the Sabbath day holy talk..... and consider that maybe I go to Sonic to much??? now let's move on to Sunday night....
I am on the phone with my dad whom I have not talked to for like a week and we are just catching up. My kids were all cleaned up and ready for bed so I left them to their books and stepped into my room to relax and finish my conversation. Well about 10 minutes later I get off of the phone and realize that my kids are no where in the house.... but oh!!! they are for sure running through the sprinkler in their jammies, soaking wet!!! So I'm ticked because getting ready for bed is the process I don't want to do twice in one day so I put them on speaker phone with their dad... so the funniest part is clint's solution to the problem is that they should just sleep in their wet jammies...NICE so abbie's comment is
"I'm glad mine are silky... they dry faster"

Also, why is it that kids love the strangest things??? for instance, I have bought Abbie some really cute nice toys.... you know what I'm talking about like the Bitty Baby, and the really great wooden doll house that is totally adorable... are these her favorite things... NOOO my little abbie loves all the toys she has ever received from the Happy Meals?? she loves them, she packs them around and she hides them from me so I wont throw them away.... She loves all things tacky.... I wonder where she got that?? HA

Watch out Martha???? Maybe

So, here is my first attempt at being the crafty, fun, person I know is dying to come out, she has been hidden deep down inside me for so long... like 30 years or something so it's about time... this is not so hot but it's what I did. My sweetie niece Avery came over today to play so I decided to be the fun aunt and make ice cream cone cupcakes.... and here's the big reveal..... oops uploaded 2 of the same picture...

Jack is a dirt bug 

Abbie Jane 

Max the waterdog

cutest boys around!!

We had so much fun at Grandma's house, it's so weird to just be able to take off for a week and not have to think!!!!! yeah, not working is great!! The kids has so much fun playing in the irrigation ditch while Papa watered his lawn... we are so glad that Jill was here with her kids too. Looks like we're off to a great summer!!

we miss our DAD

Clint has been gone for 5 weeks, I think... time has just flown by and we have been in a whirl wind of changes..... Things are finally slowing down for us, and we can hopefully enjoy our summer... if it ever gets here!! I am re-committing to the blog situation.. everyone knows that I'm not the best but I am going to try again since I finally remembered my password!!! ha wish me luck!!!

Baby Oh Baby

Will the real "baby bump" please stand up?

My first time...

I am not a varsity blogger....
so this is a test run... I decided to
put a pic of Shane incase
I didn't do it right!
Ha Ha