To Privatize or Not To Privatize?

That is definitely the question. What are your thoughts on the matter, readers? I am seriously considering it. I heard a sort of spooky story at book club tonight that weirded me out a little. But at the same time, I love when I run across a blog belonging to someone that I haven't talked to in a while, or someone new finds and comments on mine. Brandon says it would be in my best interest to make it private, but not because he's worried about freaky things with strangers. He has other issues. Ugh, I don't know what to do! And also, I admit to reading stranger's blogs, and I'm okay with strangers reading mine, as long as they aren't crazy weirdos. Just innocent blog surfers, like me. Your thoughts on the matter, please?

Luucy

Just so everybody knows, Luucy told me yesterday she was changing the attitude in her name, and according to her, it is now spelled Luucy.

The Wax Museum

What can I say, I'm star-struck! This museum in Vegas cost an arm and a leg, but we had a blast! It was way fun, the kids loved it!

Vegas!

So, this is my boy Lenny. I think we were both better looking in the 90's, but hey, at least we're growing old together. I don't know why he was carrying his guitar around with him, or why he doesn't look as happy to meet me as I was to meet him. All I can say is he is a babe, and I was thrilled to pose with him. Especially cheek to cheek. Watch out, Lisa Bonet. or whoever he's married to now. I don't even know if he is married. He's kind of short, too, but that's ok with me. I'm not really into tall men. You can't see, but I had my hand all caught up in his fro, too. I love his hair, but the long dreads from the 90's were my favorite. A happy moment for me. And thanks to Brandon, for so willingly snapping the picture. This was the second shot, it had to be perfect and the first one wasn't close enough. Pretty good job for Brandon, maybe his photography skills are getting better. And I don't think he was even jealous, even though he knows I used to swear I'd never marry a blond-haired, blue-eyed boy. He had dreads when I met him, remember? It worked. :)

Post-Vacation Blues!

We got home from Mesquite this afternoon, but I'm not yet in the right frame of mind to post about our fun trip! I decided I like to get home at night and go to bed right after trips, instead of getting home in time for a soccer game and 5 hours before bedtime for the hooligans. I am not a patient person, and after 6 hours in the van with said hooligans, I don't have any patience left to hang out around the house counting down 5 MORE hours until I can put them to bed! They were all so very over-tired and out of control...UGH! And my baby boy has a fat lip. I came home from Buddy's soccer game AND pictures (that was another trial on my patience for the day, by the way) and Brandon was standing by the door holding my crying little baby with a washcloth on his lip. I didn't witness the event, but the story goes something like he was running for Brandon and Brandon just thought he was running, not to him, so he jumped over him. Brandon jumped over Owen. I know, this does little to explain the fat lip, but that's the only story I got. and all Abby can do is laugh about it. I don't know if she was a witness or not. Poor Odie can't tell his story, of course, and Brandon, being Mr. Easy Going, doesn't feel it necessary to share any details. Weird. Oh well. He (Odie) ate some pudding and went to bed. All is well. Except I'm still in a bad mood. I think it has something to do with all the JUNK I ate all weekend long...buffets, etc. I need to do a cleansing diet thing. I searched for one at New Year's but didn't find exactly what I was looking for. Angie M. don't let me down...My mother-in-law should have some herbal words of advice, too...By the way, Debbie, any pictures of Brandon with dreads? We only had 3 and he lost 2 of them. I'm sick about it. OK, this is getting rambly, if that's a word...(Even more than usual)
P.S. Happy Earth Day!
P.P.S. How about them Jazz?

Where Are Your Shoes?

Every single time that I leave the house with one or more of my children, we are suddenly missing a shoe. And it's always one that belongs to the child, sometimes children, who are accompanying me. I am a firm believer in giving a 7 minute warning, "Get your shoes on, it's about time to go!" but for some reason they don't believe me until I'm walking out the door. Then the panic ensues. "I can't find my other shoe..." We have a "shoe basket" by our back door. That is where shoes are supposed to go, if not in the closets where they really belong. But of course, that is generally only the home of half of the pair. Maybe it's outside...did I leave it at Gram's?...is it up in your room?...look under the couch... My sweet children all possess more than one pair of shoes, but just try to get them to swap for the pair that has both feet accounted for. This only works with Odie..."Let's wear your soccer shoes, instead" and he is happily singing "socco, socco, socco" as I put them on, or I say "Let's wear these shoes, the same-same as Buddy's instead" and he replies "weew, weew" which in Odie language means Will(..and is about the cutest thing in the world, by the way...) On the other hand, each of the other 4 have their own way of dealing with the offered solution of swapping for another pair. For Abby, it's blaming everyone in the household for losing her shoe, or maybe even hiding it from her? It's never her responsibility. Phoebe? alot of face pulling, eye rolling, and stomping of the feet. She knows which shoes she wants to wear, and is not about to sacrifice her outfit to wearing the Wrong pair of shoes. Willie does a whole lot of whining about it, right down to when the second pair is tied onto his feet, and Lucy, of course, wails. Unless she's in a good mood, then she says "I'll just wear a mismatch, then!" She thinks that looks cute. A giraffe rain boot with a sparkly red "dorothy" shoe. How many times has our poor bus driver waited for Will to find his shoe? She seriously sits in front of our house while we run around frantically. Lucy's most recent solution is "Let's just say a prayer" before she puts too much effort into looking. I swear I tell them every time we're searching "next time just put them in the basket as soon as we walk in the door" and of course "I did!" I don't believe it...sometimes we find the missing mate in the van when we get in to go! That really ticks me off! I swear, someday they'll be grown and I'll leave the house when I'm ready, all by myself, with both shoes on my feet, and no other little piggies to cover. That will truly be a sad day, won't it?

Soccer!

So we are now into the soccer season full swing! In our family, our kids have no choice when it comes to soccer. They WILL play, although we have not had any argument thus far. I had big plans to capture some action shots at the games on saturday, but then didn't remember to take pictures until after...(plus my camera is not so great at action shots.)
So the first game of the week was Will's. the picture is buddy with cute little Ellie from his kindergarten class. He is always so excited for his games, and half the time so far they have been cancelled...the game that this picture was taken at it actually started snowing before long, but Willie scored a nice goal! I think probably his first ever! (I was at work... :( his games are tuesday and thursday nights)
Then Saturday a.m. Abby's games are at 8:30. She looks tired, huh? She played goalie first quarter, which always makes brandon proud. Brandon is the coach of her team this year. Phoebe is jealous of her pink jersey.
Phoebe's game was also Saturday morning. She likes to play goalie, too. She has a cute little team. Brandon got to ref. her game. Notice him handing out donuts in the background? I think both the girls look cute in their goalie gear, but didn't get pictures of them in it...
And of course Brandon would be offended if I didn't post a picture of his glory days as goalie for CHS. He actually put this picture as our wallpaper on our computer! It's blurry, but maybe he thinks it will be inspiring to the kids? ...hmm...or is he more vain than I thought he was? I didn't know him in High School, but he played goalie at Weber State after we were married. That was actually my first introduction to soccer, besides the indoor games he played while we were dating. Alot of his siblings play, too, I guess that's why our kids have no choice...Go Team Arnell!

Will's turn!

Willie couldn't wait for me to do his Morph...he's going to be quite the pretty boy, i guess?

Abby

No, Abby doesn't wear make-up! She was at a dance recital, just the best picture I had of her close up. (Why this is underlining, I do not know!)

Phoebe Jane

Only Phoebe has blue eyes. I think the black and white picture confused the computer. Maybe she'll wear brown contacts?

Check This Out!

http://thegabblog.blogspot.com/2008/04/just-for-record.html
Angie M., whose blog is private, posted this link. It is an awesome post by some woman that I don't know. I wanted to share. I hope this woman doesn't mind. She's a good blogger! :)

Link Larkin

This is Abby my mom's computer assistant demonstrating how to upload a picture from the internet without it being blurry

I've Been Tagged!

Here are the rules:
1. Pick up the nearest book.
2. Turn to page 123.
3. Read the 5th sentence.
4. Post this sentence on your blog.
5. Tag 5 people.

So the nearest book is Utah Curiosities by Brandon Griggs. My mom just gave me this book last week, because she knows I absolutely love this kind of crap. This will go on my bookshelf right next to Best Hikes in Utah with Kids. I love living in Utah! Abby and I are fighting over this book, it has a lot of fun stuff that makes you want to get out there and explore our awesome state! Anyways, the 5th sentence on p. 123 is:

"But regular folks can use it, too."

I'd say that's a pretty fun sentence to post. You have no idea what it's referring to. Should I leave it at that, or should I explain? ... it pretty much goes against my personality to leave it at that, so I'll tell you. it's a page about shredding and sledding in Park City, specifically the Utah Olympic Park. Ever been there? We went a few years ago, but didn't do any of the events available except for the museum devoted to Utah's Olympic history. I'm a big fan of the Olympics, too, by the way...
I tag: Tiffany J. Angie M. Aleesha Jenny K. and Diana and anyone else who hasn't done it.
And if anyone knows why the pictures I upload from the web turn out so blurry, a little help would be appreciated. :)

Lucy...Again!

This is the type of outfit Lucy would wear every day if her mean mom would just let her! She loves stripeys and tank tops. Can you say Punky Brewster? Anyways, today has been one of those days with little Buggy. I was in a bad mood from the moment I opened my eyes. Notice I didn't say "got out of bed". this is because I layed in bed from 7 until 7:30, dreaming about the whole wheat waffles I needed to be up making. Of course Lucy was asleep by my side, and when I finally willed myself to get up, she popped her eyes open, too, even though she could have done with about 2 more hours of sleep! It is so hard for me to get up in the a.m. sometimes. When Lucy gets up with me, she won't leave my side, even to lay on the couch while I make breakfast. I wasn't in the mood for whining, (like sometimes I am...haha) so I let her sit where she wanted, which happened to be Abby's seat, then when Will came out he thought he should get a different seat too, and what do you know he wanted the same seat as Lucy! Go figure! I have to add, Abby and Phoebe have a marvelous sense of when mom is in a bad mood, and jumped to help any way that they could all morning long. Phoebe and I decided that I would teach her to start the waffles so she can help me that way in the mornings, sometimes...So we got the girls out the door, and went upstairs to get the littles dressed. You know from previous posts, this is a battle waiting to happen with Lucy. I felt ok about it, because I had picked out a pretty funktified outfit for her, including stripeys and dotties and a skirt, but of course I hear "Whine whine I don't wanna wear this whine whine I want my whine monkey whine shirt!" To which mommy replies "I don't know where your monkey shirt that is 2 sizes too small is" ( I should add "grinding teeth grinding teeth") and exits stage left. Well, soon the whine whine turns to scream, wail, scream, wail "Mooooommmmmyyyy! Mooooommmmmyyyyyy! Mmmooooommmmmmyyyyy!" I am already so grouchy that it takes every fiber of my being to ignore her, but the girl is so stubborn she usually wins this war and she knows it. I can only ignore noise at this decibel level for so long. Will adds "she sure is happy" which is just a testament as to the amount of sarcasm that abounds in our household. Turns out we both win. She screams until I come to her rescue, but by rescuing her I get to put on her the clothes I had out. except we switched the stripey sweater for a flowery tank top, with the promise to put the sweater on when we leave the house. I can only hope this wardrobe thing will get easier when the weather warms up. Anyways, long story longer, after she was dressed but still sad, I held her and rocked her for a minute, and I was in tears because I don't know how I 'm going to get this girl from the little stink she is now to a successful adult. I'm scared to death that I'm not up to the challenge of raising her! She is so stubborn and sassy, but she is also super smart, and funny, and cute as a button. She brings alot of joy to our home, but also ALOT of the opposite of joy. She's only 3 1/2. What are her teenage years going to hold? I know a strong will can be a good thing, but it has to be used the right way. How do I reign it in and teach her to use it for good? My mother-in-law once said she thinks Lucy could run a large corporation right now. Here's to my little corporate executive...or should I say watch out Hillary...

conference weekend

I feel so inclined to share one of our traditions on conference sunday...delicious blueberry-lemon pancakes!

1 3/4 c. milk
1 T. baking powder
1/2 c. oil
1/2 t. salt
2 eggs
1/2 t. grated lemon peel
1 3/4 c. flour
1/4 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. blueberries

1. In med. bowl, beat together milk, oil and eggs. In large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, lemon peel and baking powder. Pour wet ingredients into flour mixture & stir lightly just until blended. Stir in 1 cup blueberries.
2. Heat griddle or large skillet over med-high heat. Lightly brush with oil. Use 1/4 c. batter for each pancake. Cook 2-3 min. Flip and cook 1 min more. As each batch is done, keep warm in oven until batter is finished.
3. Garnish with remaining 1/2 c. blueberries.

makes 14 pancakes, about 4-5 servings.....So very yummy!!

I've been making these for years on conference sunday. One year we were out of town during conference and my kids thought they would die without them!

We love conference weekend at our house. The kids seriously look so forward to it for weeks. It is probably the time we have the most family traditions in our little family. To me, it always feels almost like New Years, because after hearing all the counsel from our general authorities, I always have a renewed commitment to be a better person, mother, wife, etc...it's a new beginning in a way. I'm so thankful for the gospel in my life and the guidance it provides. Great to be reminded of how we need to be, and that it is indeed possible.

I'm smart

so i was beginning to worry that i couldn't string any thoughts together except those involving my children. i did not want this to be just the dreaded "mom-blog", but everytime i sit down to blog, guess what's on my mind. well, you don't have to guess, if you are a regular reader, you know, it's my children, especially lucy, apparently. so last night at work i tried really hard to figure out if that is really all i ever think/talk about. i swear, i listen to talk radio! i read! (not just children's books) i even have adult conversations, every once in a while! more than half of my co-workers don't even know i have 5 children, so, i asked myself, what do i talk with my co-workers about, besides work. i decided that i choose very interesting people to chat with, so i mostly listen. for example, my buddy bill that sits by me was telling me on saturday about his days when his children were young and they had dairy cows. well that got my attention right away. at our house, we remember fondly the days of leon's cows that my dad was responsible for. brandon's glory days as a cowboy! so bill actually only had 2 or 3 cows at a time, but he had more milk than he ever needed. milk fresh from a cow grosses me out. i don't think i could drink it, but then he tells me he used to make YOGURT! at first, that sounded even more gross, but no, he had a yogurt maker, he described the whole process, very sanitary, etc. i was fascinated, and a little jealous! how great would that be to make your own organic yogurt! he also had honey bees...fresh honey, too. what a life. that is so mine and brandon's dream world! so does this conversation make me sound smart? no. but it does prove that i have a few brain cells left that are capable of learning new things and talking about them. funny. this is too long already, so i won't even get into the woman i used to sit by who's husband was actually a gold prospector...

random thoughts

Just a few random things going on in my brain today...
1. The GOOD thing about this weather (rain/snow) is that my little Odie's room stays nice and dark all morning and he sleeps in. He's a really happy boy, but when he gets an extra hour or so in the a.m. he is sooooo happy he is my own personal ray of sunshine.
2. To go along with that, an 18 month old doesn't know that it is supposed to be warm and sunny this time of year. He still loves to stand by the window and watch the "nows" fall.
3. None of my 3 little ones can hear my voice today. Minding is just not happening. I find the volume (and tone) of my voice raising rapidly, but they still don't hear it...weird?
4. Some days, I can't even compromise a way to make Lucy's choice of outfit work out to make us both semi-satisfied. Every day we have a battle. Most days, I can figure out a way to make it ok. Some days, like today, it is just completely outrageous, and she is not even wearing one piece of clothing that I can deal with!!! (even though she's wearing several layers) I'll post a picture later, hopefully.
5. Which brings me to #5...I am very frustrated with my camera today. UGH!
6. I should have left the positive thoughts for last. please reread #s 1 and 2. :)

What I Learned Today...

Today I learned that it only takes 30 seconds to paint a 3-year-old's little fingernails, but the joy in the 3-year-old can last all day! I'm always telling Lucy Maybe later, or when I'm done with this...but today, even though I was in the middle of sorting laundry, and had a zillion other things to do, I sat right down and painted her nails. It truly didn't even take a full minute, and we both felt better about the day!