quirks

• despise fruit flies-can't get rid of them once they show up and they make me crazy
• i floss all of the time - several times a day - i can find used floss in way too many places
• i've read a lot of books this year but i say that i'm not a reader. i walk everyday but i say that i don't exercise. guess i need to work on that.
• can't change other kids stinky diapers - makes me gag- somehow my own kids are okay but someone else's poop stinks worse - really i'll start heaving
• nothing better than a long hot bath
• can't eat sausage - if i get a hold of a chewy sausage gristle thingy i will freak - same with any meat - the gross chewy fatty parts cannot enter my mouth

Alright Michelle and Trish - this is a little game of tag (you're it ) now what you are to do is get on your blog and write six quirks about you then you can choose to tag someone else or not.

Sweetest Gift

There was a knock at my door tonight. Our little buddy John was there holding a bag and a box. The box had been sitting on our doorstep and he came by to bring us some other things. The box contained Two Loaves of the Greatest Bread! My sweet girlfriend, Tara McGown, mailed them to me! Tara thank you, I can't believe it!



So I told John to stay and have the best PB&J he's ever tasted. As I was making the sandwiches, Charlie and John had their way with my camera. Here is some of what I discovered after he left.

I think this is where John took the camera from Charlie, not a good move.

All in all one great night. My sandwich was so delicious. This great event could have happened sooner if only Drew had listened to his sweet, kind daughter Adria. Maybe next time Drew.

Play

Alright, alright. It really isn't that big of a deal. Mike is in a Stake production here in this area. They are putting on "The Savior of the World". The one that played at the Conference Center a couple of years ago. He plays the roles of Malachi and then Andrew (one of the twelve Apostles). Then he is expected to do a whole lot of choir singing. Mike was really trying to go for the role of Jesus but apparently they think average height chubby guys can't play Jesus. How do they really know?

I'm surprised you all didn't know how talented he was. When he was younger he was in a "Bounce Back" (really funny) commercial and he was also in a church video called "How Rare a Possession" (Okay so it was really just the back of his head) hee hee. Mike's Father, Ivan, was a Professor of Theater and Film at BYU. Ivan has a big old slew of things he has done. Most of you would be interested to know that he is the voice of God or Jesus in all of the animated scripture videos.

Anyway, that's that and now you know. Mike will be performing in December. I'll make sure to include some sweet photos when the time comes.

Pantry Pizazz

Giggling and laughing behind a closed door at our house can never be a good thing. So first step was to get the camera before I opened the door. They are way above my head in this photo. It's getting harder to really know who the instigator is. And this time I didn't even yell.

(sorry about the undies, it's really all he ever wears)

Fall

Fall here is so beautiful, but the truth is that there isn't a picture good enough to capture it. These are just some trees in the neighborhood but really it's the treeline far off that is so amazing. Doesn't make for a good picture though.

The Boys

I love my boys. I find this picture irresistible.

(Mike's beard is being grown for his role in a play that's on in a couple of months.)

Playgroup

Playgroup this week went to the Seely's house. The Seely's are members of our church and live just a couple of miles away. They were kind enough to let all of us overtake them for a couple of hours.

They don't know it but this is where I'll be heading in a disaster. They've got it all. Milking cows, chickens that give them yummy eggs, over 20 goats (more milk), turkeys (delicious thanksgivings), ducks, dogs, puppies, cat, and a huge fenced in yard. We had a blast and they were so nice to let all of the kids touch and "help" with the animals.



Charlie was a good little helper in getting the eggs out of the coup.




Just one of the slides in their huge yard. We had such a good time that I'll have to invite myself over there more.

Hooray for Sisters

Moving far away from family has been an adjustment but having ten sisters makes it a little easier. Two of my sisters surprised me with a visit this week. Nancy and Debi (all week they were doing their convincing to have my children call them Aunt Heaven.) Those of you who caught my previous posts, my sweet sister Michelle was lovingly called Aunt Hell by Janey.

They came to help and play with the kids. Here are a few pictures to show what we did the last few days. You know, if my family organized it just right I could have a visitor every month. That would be great!



We made cinnamon rolls. Charlie was a big helper but managed to turn the mixer on too fast after we added the flour.



Aunt Celestial and Aunt Heaven spent a lot of their time playing with the kids. This was the favorite game. "Toss the children"

I heard a lot of "just one more time".

They cleaned up Mike's office and moved in some furniture from the garage. He now enjoys being in there much more.

I am so lucky to have such loving sisters. It has been nice to have family come and it feels so good to have people love my children as much as I do. I will miss them and only hope for more great surprises like this one.

Not Pretty

Yesterday I was not in finest form. I lost it on my children, full blown yelling, it wasn't pretty. And to make it worse, it happened twice. First one came when both Charlie and Jane pooped on the floor (on purpose!) and were running cars through it. Why? Why does this happen? At the time I could hear them laughing and giggling in the other room and I thought "I love that they can play so well together". When I saw what they were doing I yelled, LOUD. You know those crazy moms in the grocery store that yell inappropriately at their kids and you think, "I want to take those kids home and away from their mom". I was that mom. I called Mike to tell him about it and all he wanted to know was, had I taken a picture? Not this time. I found no humor in it this time.

Later, I heard Charlie, in a firm loud voice, say to Jane "Look at me right now." That was my voice.

The next one came about two hours later when they were supposed to be eating lunch. They were walking on the table through their lunch and barbecue sauce and running all around. Not good. Lost control again. There was yelling, loud, uncontrollable. I stripped both kids down, put Jane in a highchair and put Charlie on time out while I cleaned up. At this point I'm pretty steaming mad. Then when I was about to feel the guilt for losing it on these little ones, I notice that the front door was WIDE OPEN. That's right, open. So instead of spending the day feeling bad and guilty for what I've done, all I can think is "Did the neighbors hear?"

Now I'm that mean crazy lady in the grocery store.

Our House

I guess that I forgot to inform everyone about my house woe's, so here they are. Mike and I were getting frustrated that the home in Bealeton was taking so long. We decided to put a low ball offer on the home we were renting. The only bad thing was that the home we are in is also in the "short sale" situation and so we knew it could take months. We decided to just go with whichever house would give us results. Our realtor called us two weeks later and let us know that the bank accepted our offer on the home we have been renting. Crazy and great that we don't have to move our stuff a second time. This home is closer to Mike's work, closer to shopping, better schools, more space and the list goes on. The ironic thing is that there is no way we could have afforded this home 6 months ago when we placed an offer on the first home. The market has been suffering so much that it brought it down to our price range. I guess things work out for a reason. Here are a few pics for those of you who are curious. (you've all seen these before)

(our neighborhood walking path, although it looks different now that it's fall)

The place really needs a lot of work. The crazy uneven wallpaper has been removed from the house. Our bedroom and office were a bright bright yellow and everything else is a hospital white. I like painting will be happy to show you my finished products when I get around to them.

(these boxes have since been emptied)

At this time I would like to invite all visitors (unless you are a blog stalker and we don't know you) to come and have a place to stay as you tour the DC area. We're about 40 minutes from the Dulles airport and 50 miles outside of DC. We have plenty of room and would love to have you. The only requirement from those in the Utah area is that you bring 2 loaves of Grandma Sycamores white bread.

Welcome Hell

My sister, Michelle, (or as Janey likes to call her...Hell ) came to visit and immediately went to work. This home will be a "work in progress" for a long time but Michelle really got us going. Her first day here she changed Mike's office from a very bright yellow to a soothing blue. That little change was such a nice improvement that it made all of the work more exciting.

I was in charge of joy school this week. Thursday the boys showed up and I had a slight headache. We went out on a "nature trick or treat" (Michelle's idea and it was brilliant). I had a headache but it wasn't a big deal.
After we came back my head started to pound then I got dizzy, next came the throwing up. Everything happened with a fast wicked force. I have had migraines before but this was a whole new ball game. I couldn't control myself, I was moaning, screaming rolling on the ground. It wasn't pretty. I truly thought I was going to die. I almost told her to call an ambulance but she called Mike and he turned around and came home to take me to the Dr. I was able to get right in as they were probably embarrassed to have me in the waiting room. I vaguely remember Mike giving me a quick blessing. The nurse gave me two shots and within a half hour I was asleep on the little table. All in all it was a weird and scary experience for me. I had a CT scan the next day and haven't heard anything so I'm sure that I'm in the clear. Grateful that my sister was there to handle the boys as well as my children. Yikes.

Some of my girlfriends came over to help unpack my house while I was at the Hospital. I am sure that Michelle bossed them around, I hope we're all still friends. But here are some of the things that were accomplished this weekend.

• tear down wallpaper in kitchen, charlie's bedroom, master bathroom
• paint office
• paint guest bedroom
• organize girls room
• move furniture
• paint dresser for Charlie
• put together dresser from Ikea
• put together 3 beds and 1 crib
• unpack boxes

There was a huge pile of papers that were on my kitchen table when I got home. I told Michelle to just chuck all of them because they obviously weren't important if I had already been without them for who knows how long. She told me to go through each one and decide if to throw it or keep it. I found my patriarchal blessing that has been missing for two years! Hooray! It was a good read.

Michelle is a hard worker and sort of a slave driver at the same time. She's worth hiring out but you'll have to pay a pretty penny to make it worth her time. Thanks Hell. We love you.

Charlie's Four

Today is Charlie's Birthday. He is four and he is growing up so fast. We are having fun watching him learn new things and surprise us each day with his funny comments. We love having Charlie in our family, he is so kind to his sisters and his Mom and Dad. Last night we had some people over for cake and we opened presents this morning when Dad was ready to wake up. Happy Birthday Big Boy!

(don't know where my wrapping paper is yet but we have plenty of packing paper)

Few More Names

Moe was two weeks passed her 4 month mark when we finally got her to her Doctor appointment. Now there are a few more nicknames to add to her list..... Chunky Monkey, and holy fat fat.

Weighing in at 15lbs 15 oz (Jane weighed 17.5 at her one year). I can't remember her height but she is in the 90% for her weight and 100% for her height. No wonder my arms are getting stronger.

Good old Tag

3 Favorite Last Purchases: 1. Gas at $3.35 sadly i thought that was a deal. 2. pumpkins 3. kids clothes

3 Fears 1. children dying 2. kids dying 3. one of my babies dying.

3 Favorite Movies: 1. count of monte cristo 2. notebook 3. life is beautiful

3 Facts about me: 1. i gag when i see someone on tv eat bugs or creepy things. 2. i try to be better. 3. i love to have fun

3 Things I haven't done: 1. consumed alcohol. 2. smoked a cig 3. illegal drugs (though i think i could have a serious weakness for the legal pain killers. )

3 Things I can't Live without: 1. knowledge of my Heavenly Father 2. family 3. bread

3 Things on today's list: 1. watch conference 2. blog 3. breath

3 Favorite Dishes: 1. Mexican 2. food from Mexico 3. anything from a mexican restaurant

3Places I have lived: 1. Boise, Id 2. Lehi, Ut 3. Warrenton, Va

3 Favorite T.V. Shows: 1.office 2. american idol tryouts 3. friends

3Places I have traveled: 1. India 2. Europe 3. China

3 Favorite Desserts: 1. choc chip cookies 2. dunford donuts 3. warm raspberry pie

3 Things I would buy if money wasn't an issue: 1. vacations 2. new paint and carpet 3. a new car for mike

3 Wishes: 1. not to screw up my kids 2. able to help others more 3. no debt

3 People I Tag: 1. Danielle 2. Kathy (because you haven't blogged in over a month.) 3. Amy Ed

Cox Farm

We had play group at a fun place not too far from here called Cox Farm. I went not really knowing what to expect but learned quickly that we were not properly prepared for the fun we could have there. The place was huge and I did not bring enough snacks to satisfy the kids for long. There were animals to enjoy, hokey hayrides (Charlie gave aliens high fives.) as well as many slides that sent you down into the grass and hay. They gave away little pumpkins to the kids and free apples and cider. We'll definitely have to head back there with Dad. He really missed out.

Yes, I Can

I learned many years ago that I needed to invest in Rhodes Rolls. I stink at anything involving yeast. There have been times that I have gotten the courage up to try some bread or rolls but trust me it was always a disaster.

Two weeks ago I watched Melissa Jensen give a demonstration on her oh so delicious cinnamon rolls. My thought was "maybe I can do this." Of course she made it look easy, which gave me the hope that I needed. I tried it and it worked! Now, I'm not so naive to think that it will work every time for me but it did give me the confidence boost that I needed to try it again soon. Here are some pics of my glorious achievement. Thanks Melissa.