Firsts.....

Our first child has experienced "3" of life's BIG firsts in 1 weeks time!

She took her first driving test and passed, getting her first license!

She was put under anesthesia for the first time, and had her wisdom teeth removed!

She bought her first car, (with help from us) and drove it all by herself!

I think Rick and I aged a lot this week....kind of weird watching her drive off for the first time by herself.

Makes me realize how grown up she really is and how much closer the time is coming that she won't be in our home for much longer...makes me want to roll back the clock to all the smaller firsts, first smile, first tooth, first laugh, first step, first word...

The $5 Tooth Fairy

This past week has been filled with teeth and more teeth! After most of the summer plans had come and gone it was time to get down to business! Aubrey (16) needed her wisdom teeth extracted and Ashton (12), in preparation for braces needed 4 healthy big permanent teeth removed!

Being the scheduler I am, I scheduled them for the same day, on a Thurs, so we had a long weekend for recovery. We decided to let Aubrey take a "nap" during her ordeal, and Ashton decided he was going to let the world's best dentist pull all his teeth on the same visit! Ouch!

The night before I could hear them both talking, and they came to Rick and I and made us "aware" of the fact that the tooth fairy that "comes" to our home brings $5 a tooth, and they did the math and figured out that they each get $20 from the tooth fairy! These kids know how to work the "system" and believe in anything that will truly benefit them!

Ashton's appt ended up being more difficult than Aubrey's and was upsetting for him. It was sad to see him hold back the tears through the whole appt only to let them ALL fall out as soon as he was in the van. I know what that's like, I still do that....

So, both kids came home, and took their pain medicine and went to sleep. As for their recovery, Aubrey literally slept in her cave for 4 days. Ashton bounced back after 1.5 days. They ate tons of the best pudding, Swiss Miss, Jello (the kind made with REAL sugar) ice cream and applesauce! On day 5 I ruined Aubrey's life by putting her on plain advil and real food!

I am happy this is over with for them and that they are now back to feeling 100%!

P.S.
For those of you who didn't know, YES, there IS a toothfairy and that next day they were smiling with a few less teeth and $20 extra bucks in their pockets!

Blogging Failure 101

Note to self: Never start a blog just before summer vacation starts. You will feel like a complete blog failure after 4 weeks!

So this Summer has caught up with me and I haven't had enough hours in the day to make an entry. We made a quick trip to Cali to visit good friends, eat tons of fried foods at the Del Mar Fair (San Diego Fair~new name) and the beach!!!

We just returned from my first ever road trip without Rick to see my family in Colorado. Thanks to my folks for being my travel companions!


I love this photo of them. It is sincere, unposed and the parents "I" recognize.

We missed Rick tons, but enjoyed the layed back schedule and just hangin' out at my sister house with all of the family visiting! It was such a great trip and so many great memories. The best keepsake was these photos that my sister in law took of my kids (yes, Shauna Thompson, you are MY sister in law :0) I am a huge fan of her skills and talents and was so thrilled that she found the time to take us to the park and capture my cute kids! (Here is her blog) blog

We survived having our #1 helper, be gone for most of the summer, 1 week girls camp, 1 week pioneer trek, 1 week drivers ed classes, 1 weeks drivers training and now she is out for the count recovering from wisdom teeth extractions!



Ashton enjoyed his first ever week long scout trip! He earned 6 merit badges and had so many great adventures! I can never thank the scout leaders enough for giving up there week to spend with my child! He is recovering from 4 teeth extractions just in time to get braces the week before school starts!



Carter loved every minute of the Colorado trip hanging out with Tristan! His favorite boy cousin! Getting to have a full week of sleepovers was a real treat! We have chosen to not do sleepovers as a rule for our family and so this was a big bonus for all our kids! My sister has kids about the same ages so everyone got to have a sleepover buddy while we stayed with them! He has spent all summer riding bikes and playing the wii with his friends. He has loved keeping up on cub scouts and can't wait to be in 4th grade!



Parker has muddled through the summer always wanting to play with his best friend Merek and "surviving" his little vacations. He is a homebody, except when it comes to school! He loves school and our bus driver Moe and he can't wait to be in school all day and eat lunch at the cafeteria! (For those of you who know him, this will be a challenge, he doesn't like most foods and eats fewer....this kid makes me really question my validity as a mother!) He did love having his pictures taken and this is why I love him so much....



As for Hunter, my official 2 1/2 yr old, he is my baby. He loved Colorado and being able to have me all to himself. Without Dad around he didn't have to share snuggling at night and always made sure his hand or foot was touching me in the night. He doesn't like being alone. He likes to know you are there...reminds me a lot of the way I feel about the Savior, knowing He is always with me, IF I live my life righteously and do all that I ask. When I see Hunter I am constantly reminded of that knowledge. It brings me peace. Here is a group shot of the kids, and this is MY Hunter, 90% of the time....he brings so much joy to our home!

Cleanliness Is Next to Godliness

 My grandpa calls me "Mrs Monk". In reference to the show Monk. I recognize that I have classic signs of OCD and germaphob tendencies that continue to get worse and worse as the years go by.

I don't really know when it started. I was raised in a large family and we never had a house big enough for all of us to have our own spaces and rooms, but I never remembered living among clutter, filth, or chaos. You would never come into our home and think a tornado blew through or that we didn't care for our things.

I  think it was always important to my mom that we learned that everything has its place and that just because we were a large family living in small areas didn't mean we needed to fit the stereotype. We were always clean, groomed and presentable and our home reflected that too. 

I can remember we would have heavy cleaning days and all work together and the only thing that made it go by fast was to listen to music. We all got along better if there was music playing.  We each had our assignments and areas to clean.  I am sure I reacted as all kids do and complained and grumbled about having to do it, but I can look back and realize that I was comfortable in my surroundings and enjoyed our home.  (side note: I don't care how other people keep there homes, it is just how I need to keep my surroundings in order for me to be at peace)

So I find myself now a mother of 5 living in my own home and constantly not feeling Ike it is "clean enough" or organized enough or sanitized enough!  Last night I started the nightly routine of getting kids fed, bathed, to bed and when that was all done it was 9pm. As I walked through the house, completely clean and organized I still managed to find an hour and a half of "clean enough" to do. I bleached the sink drains and the scrub brushes, the water dispenser and the bathtubs, cleaned Rix packaging office and refolded the swim towels in a more "neat" fashion. I really can't sleep or go to bed until everything is done, I cant leave something for the next day, because I can't start my day behind.  

Do I realize that all of this is insane and too much?   Absolutely!   Do my kids think I'm crazy? Certainly!  I know the Lord teaches moderation in all things, EVEN cleanliness. So I guess I post this to remind myself that while some may look at these habits as a problem, I realized what these habits provide for me...INNER PEACE. When I have peace I can be a better wife and mother.  I feel closer to the Lord (stop laughing, you know who you are) and I feel accomplished.  So I applaud the logic that Cleanliness is Next to Godliness.  

Today was a very Holy Day!     

Happiest place on earth!

So we recently returned from a wonderful vacation to So Cal with the kids and enjoyed a day at Disneyland then a family day for Aubreys birthday, then a day at Raging Waters. It was great to get away from the heat and enjoy doing stuff that we don't usually do. The kids all had great fun and we enjoyed watching them make memories. It is always nice to get away, but it is always nice to be home!

So I got to thinking about the happiest place on earth and there have been moments in these past few weeks that have helped me to see what is truly "my happiest place". So here are a few of my places...

Wherever and whenever my family is together eating, laughing and reminiscing about good times.

Being at Target when something I really want has gone on sale and I have $ in the bank to buy it! That is a happy place!

Going to Costco and checking out only to have Rick pay for my shopping spree! THAT is a happy place.

But mostly I have realized where my happiest place is and knowing that I will have my family forever and that there are
No Empty Chairs and thinking about my dear friend Don, and looking forward to the day when he will greet me... That will be the happiest place for me.

Why I love Kohl's

So. I happened upon an advertisement that showed that right now the toys for the Kohl's Cares for Kids program was Toy Story. I woke Hunter up from his nap so we could get to town and back before the school kids got home. He is obsessed with toy story and repeatedly watches the DVD's every day! I love their stuffed toys because they are big, but not too big, and machine washable! These are perfect for their sleeping buddy! I was happy to support a great cause and get great quality books and toys for a screaming deal. If you ever need a great, affordable gift, I would always check here first! Each item is always $5 At our store they are right in front by the check stands.

The other reason we love Kohl's is their great clearance prices. 80-90% off is a price I can live with!

To potty or not to potty

With every child I go through this great dilemma of when they are "ready". Problem is I'm always ready long before they are. I try to trick them into a successful potty visit, and sometimes I'm lucky, but mostly I end up frustrated that I have to put another diaper on. Nevermind that I'm spending $40 on diapers! I always start about 18mths and get frustrated, insane and exhausted. By the time they are 3 1/2 they are completely trained and never have accidents or need pull ups. So with hunter i decided I'm not even going to start yet. However...

I personally always feel the pressure of all my other friends and their amazing potty training skills and how their kids are much younger and more intelligent, that I think i should be able to do it too! You could say boys are harder than girls, but I have a great friend Linnet who is amazing and patient and will have an under 2 yr old trained in 1 day she has all boys! Rock on girl, but i never have the staying power to use her methods and it involves a naked baby running around and well, my germaphobia takes hold and i just CAN'T do it!

So once again i begin to charter the rough waters of potty training! We have purchased a training seat, although this froggy potty is just the cutest! He loves it! Maybe it will motivate him:) Heaven help us! Wish us luck!!!!