We've had an eventful morning!!!

Super duper creepy picture, I know!!!!

Calling daddy at work to tell him the big news! First top tooth gone!!

The Beginning of Spring Break

This just came out of my mouth:
"If we use teamwork and kindness this will be a great week."

I'm pretty sure that being a mother qualifies you for being a motivational speaker.
Spring Break, you scare me.

Dead Bird

The other day the kids were playing in the empty lot across the street from our house (I think it's going to be their "hang-out" spot this summer), and they found a dead bird. Alex proceeded to dig a hole in which to bury the bird. I was then told that the kids gave the bird a kiss (apparently - and hopefully - they kissed their hands and touched the bird instead of using their lips), then said a short prayer and laid the little thing to rest.
That night Alex gave our family prayer before bed which included the following: "Please bless that all the dead birds will go to heaven."

Let's just admit it, I have really sweet kids. Who don't mind touching dead animals. Ew.

And a random picture of Samantha and her St. Patrick's Day drawing. All this kid draws are butterflies, rainbows, smiley faces, birds, cats, and her family. It's a good thing! She is one happy little girl!!

Soccer

Samantha told me this morning that she is "tired of playing on the playground at recess.". So, now she plays soccer with the boys. Since she is quite the spaz and never really seems interested in soccer, I'm guessing she's there for the boys.

SIGH.....

Prayer

Lately Alex's prayers consist of the following phrase: "Please bless that all of the bad guys will turn into good guys."
I think it's kinda awesome.

Absolute Proof that I have THE Coolest Mom EVER!

Today, while searching for some crocheting patterns for me, my mom came across this letter that she had written. We were a little confused at first as to what it was. The title, I noticed at first glance, was about Motherhood. I suggested maybe it was a talk for church. It didn't take long to realize that was definitely not the case! After reading it (and almost peeing our pants) my mom realized that she had written it for her sisters many years ago. I asked if I had permission to post it on my blog and my mom happily obliged.
Get ready!!!

MOTHERHOOD - THE WORLD'S SECOND OLDEST PROFESSION

IT IS PROBABLY APPALLING TO SOME (LIKE, FOR INSTANCE, MY CHILDREN) AND
FUNNY TO OTHERS (MY SISTERS COME TO MIND) THAT I WOULD RANK MOTHERHOOD
RIGHT UP THERE WITH PROSTITUTION. WELL, THIS IS BEING WRITTEN FOR MY SISTERS,
FOR THEY WILL UNDERSTAND, SYMPATHIZE AND, HOPEFULLY, LAUGH. I WON'T LET MY
CHILDREN READ THIS UNTIL THEY, TOO, ARE MOTHERS OF GROWN CHILDREN - BECAUSE
ONLY THEN WILL THEY SMILE IN AGREEMENT INSTEAD OF CLUCKING AND FROWNING
WITH CONDEMNATION OVER THESE WORDS.

I KNOW THAT MOST CHILDREN LIKE TO THINK THAT THEIR MOTHER'S LIFE
DIDN'T START UNTIL THAT FIRST TINY BUNDLE OF BABYHOOD WAS LAID IN HER ARMS
FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME. WELL, IN A WAY THEY ARE RIGHT BECAUSE WHEN KAMI
WAS GIVEN TO ME FOR THE FIRST TIME, MY LIFE AS "SUSAN, SUE, SUSIE" (TAKE YOUR
PICK) ENDED AND MY LIFE AS "MOM" BEGAN.

YOU SEE, TO BE "SUSAN, SUE, SUSIE" (TAKE YOUR PICK) MEANT I COULD BE SELF-
INDULGENT OR GIVING, AMBITIOUS OR LAZY (WHICHEVER THE CASE MAY BE),
IMPULSIVE, THOUGHTFUL, NICE, MEAN, A-LAUGH-A-MINUTE OR THE-PITS-TO-BE-WITH-
IN OTHER WORDS, I HAD AN IDENTITY AND WAS ALLOWED A PERSONALITY. WHEN I
BECAME "MOM", I UNKNOWINGLY HOPPED INTO THE BIG MOTHERHOOD
HOMOGENIZATION VAT. YOU KNOW THE PROCESS-HEATING, MIXING AND BLENDING
UNTIL ALL COME OUT SMOOTH AND UNIFORM; BRINGING TO MIND THE MUCH
RIDICULED YET TOO-CLOSE-FOR-COMFORT CINEMA THRILLER, "THE STEPFORD WIVES."

BUT I DIGRESS (WHICH IS, AS ANY CHILD WILL TELL YOU, A COMMON "MOM"
AILMENT). BACK TO MY MOTHERHOOD/PROSTITUTION COMPARISON. AN
UNSUSPECTING WOMAN EMBARKS ON THIS ENDEAVOR THINKING IT IS A GOOD IDEA,
ONLY TO FIND, TOO LATE IN THE GAME, THAT SHE IS STUCK IN A LIFESTYLE FAR FROM ~
THE GLAMOUR SHE INITIALLY ENVISIONED. PROSTITUTION??? COULD BE!!!
MOTHERHOOD???? DEFINITELY!!!! LET ME TAKE THIS A STEP FURTHER BY POINTING
OUT THAT AT LEAST A PROSTITUTE GETS PAID FOR HER SERVICES!! TRUE IT IS THAT SHE
IS TREATED LIKE A FACELESS PIECE OF MEAT WITH NO FEELINGS OR EMOTIONS, BUT
THEN, SO IS A MOTHER, SO THE ONLY DIFFERENCE I CAN SEE IS THE MONETARY FACTOR.
AND, AT THE END OF THE PROSTITUTES WORK DAY, SHE CAN LAY HER HEAD ON HER
PILLOW KNOWING THAT HER "JOHN" WON'T WAKE HER UP AN HOUR LATER WHINING
FOR A DRINK OF WATER. AND ANOTHER THING, WHEN A PROSTITUTE REALIZES SHE IS
IN OVER HER HEAD AND NO LONGER WANTS TO PARTICIPATE IN HER CHOSEN
PROFESSION, SHE MERELY TELLS HER PIMP THAT SHE IS QUITTING, GETS BEATEN TO A
BLOODY PULP A FEW TIMES AND USUALLY FINDS HERSELF LIVING ON THE STREET
WITH NO MEANS OF INCOME. OH, IF IT COULD ONLY BE THAT EASY FOR A MOM!! A FEW
MONTHS INTO MOTHERHOOD THE INEVITABLE, BUT MISGUIDED, REALIZATION HITS,
"THIS IS GOING TO BE MY LOT IN LIFE UNTIL THE LAST CHILD IS OUT OF THE HOUSE AND
ON HIS/HER OWN." AS KATHY WOULD SO APTLY PUT IT, "WRONG-O, BONG-O!!!"
MOTHERHOOD IS A LIFETIME SENTENCE - NO PARDONS, REPRIEVES OR PAROLE. THE
ONLY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BEING A MOTHER OF A SMALL CHILD AND THE MOTHER OF
AN ADULT CHILD IS THAT AT LEAST WHEN THE CHILD IS YOUNG THE MOTHER IS ABLE
TO EXERT SOME MEASURE OF CONTROL OVER HIM/HER. THE ADULT CHILD, HOWEVER,
STILL THINKS HE/SHE HAS THE RIGHT TO WHINE WHEN NEEDED, BE DEMANDING WHEN
NECESSARY AND POUT WHEN IT SUITS HIM/HER - ALL THIS WITH THE ADDED BONUS OF
NO SWATS WITH THE WOODEN SPOON OR TIME-OUTS IN THE CORNER.

I TAKE CONSOLATION IN THE FACT THAT IN A FEW SHORT YEARS, WHEN I AM
OLDER AND HOPEFULLY MENTALLY ALERT ENOUGH TO ENJOY IT, MY CHILDREN WILL
BE HAVING THESE SAME TRIALS WITH THEIR CHILDREN. AND, WHILE THE ABOVE
MENTIONED PROSTITUTE MAY HAVE MONEY IN THE BANK FROM A LIFE OF SIN AND
DEBAUCHERY, I WILL HAVE SOMETHING MUCH MORE VALUABLE - - REVENGE!!!!!!!!

Disclosure: My mom freely admits that she is a cynic, but we all know how much she loves us kids.....especially because we have given her 7 awesome, beautiful grandchildren. She says it is worth going through motherhood so you can get to be a grandma!! She better be right!!!

I love you mom!!!

COLOR!

I'm pretty sure I have THE most colorful basement in the world. Which, I think, is pretty fantastic! You would never say that my basement is boring or depressing! It actually has a lot of natural light because of the slope of the house and the large windows. I think it's called a "daylight basement". I love it!

Samantha's bedroom: chartreuse and bubble-gum pink with chair rail.

Samantha's playroom: Custom purple that we now call, "Samantha's purple"

Alex's bedroom: Light blue (leftover paint from a hallway we painted in our last house)

Alex's playroom: Awesome green

Moroni in Paris

Last nights FHE was on the angel Moroni appearing to Joseph Smith to tell him about the gold plates. Alex recognized the name Moroni from the scriptures we've read and from the statue on the temple. He later told Grammy, "It's the same Moroni who was alive, and now dead, and now he's a gold guy on top of the Eiffel Tower.". I'm quite sure he meant the temple, but I do like the idea of Moroni in Paris.
Thanks for the laughs, dude!

Update

Alex:
Alex is, well, Alex. He's doing well with the learning part of school. He's learning to sound out words and can string together a lot of sounds and read small words. It's very impressive to me! He's a smart little dude. Right now he loves to play with Legos and Bionicle dudes. He loves to watch Spongebob Squarepants and run around and be active. He's quite the good little tumbler and often makes landing pads out of couch cushions and jumps and twirls and flips all over the living room. One of these days I know he's going to break a bone!! We are also having a bit of a struggle with Alex and his behavior. We have taken him to see a psychologist and we hope that some new techniques will help. We may also explore the possibility of him having ADHD and needing medication. We'll see!

Samantha:
Princess Samantha is the star of her class in school! Her teacher just raves about Samantha and how wonderful she is! Samantha is starting to read 2nd grade books and is doing well in every subject! Except sentence construction! That is the one area she struggles with. She's a smart cookie though - she'll get there. Samantha takes a little after-school dance class where she can spaz out with other little girls her age. I really thought something was wrong with her and her dancing abilities until I saw them all dance together.........It is cute though! Samantha is her normal, adorable self most of the time that talks WAY too much and WAY too loud. But with a face like hers, she can get away with it.

Kristi:
I'm writing this post. I have no update. I take care of kids, clean, do laundry, occasionally bake cookies for profit, and teach Young Women in church. I will probably also sign up for an Accounting class at BYU soon. Shoot me!

Andy:
Andy travels. A lot. He is in London right now, then on to Geneva, then Brussels. When he is home he cooks yummy food, plays Legos with Alex (or me!), and reads with Samantha.

Wow, that post was wicked boring! ENJOY!

Oh Alex!!

I know that someday I'll look back on Alex's growing years and laugh.....but I'm not laughing now.
Alex, Dude, you're in a rotten phase! So, like any good mother, I'm going to document it. You know, for posterity's sake and all.

1. You stole the Tic-Tacs out of my car and then lied when I asked you why your tongue was green. For this, you received a 3 hour time-out in the bathroom while we painted your bedroom. You were SO excited to help us paint, so not letting you was the worst thing we could do.

2. You are getting in a bit of trouble at Pre-school! Your teacher has to talk to me about every other day to tell me that you were not obedient to her. Your punishment was to be grounded all day in your bedroom.

3. You left your Ipod in your pants pocket and it got washed. It seems to still work.

4. You spill all of your shampoo into the tub so it is super watery. You also squired soap all over your bathroom mirror. For that, I made you clean your whole bathroom and I thoroughly enjoyed hearing you say, "Yuck! Ew, gross!", while you cleaned your toilet. It's your pee!! Clean it!

5. You spray painted your face in Lowes the other day. Yes, I agree, I should not have let you hold the can of spray paint, but I thought the red security lock would withstand The Alex Test. I was wrong. I really wish I would have taken a picture because you looked hilarious, but at the time I was so concerned about you having paint in your eyes. Thankfully, you did not and I'm sure the worst part for you was me scrubbing your face in the paint aisle with a Wet Wipe.

Oh boy.....you are a challenge little man!!!! But I still love you.

My 2 sweet nerds

As you can imagine, Alex was pretty much in heaven playing NBA Jam with his daddy. Andy said Alex played quite good! Not sure if I should be proud or not, but it was a cute thing for them to do together.

Christmas 2010

I didn't take near enough pictures this Christmas, but I did catch a few.

Here we are opening our presents by the fire! We hauled out couch cushions to sit on to make our present opening experience a bit more comfortable!

All the grandkids waiting for their presents to be handed out - and then to spend 1 minute opening them!

Ready, set, GO!

I just liked this picture of Caleb with Nicole's guitar.

After opening our presents, going to my mom's to open and gorge on nummy food we went home and had a nap! Well, I napped anyways. Then we went to Andy's parents home and had a great dinner and a fun visit.
I received WAY more than I expected, and deserved, and it was just a great Christmas!
Andy has taken half days this whole week and that has been extra nice! I am not ready for that part to be over.....but I am VERY ready for the kids to be back at school!

A few December photos

Samantha and Alex took a karate class at Samantha's school once a week for a few weeks. They then did a little program to show off their skillz. It was hilarious, to say the least!

We FINALLY got the kids - and Andy - to the light at temple square. They were beautiful, and it was a warm night so the place was packed.

Samantha, Andy, and I built a snow-woman yesterday with the amazing, fresh snow. My neighbor across the street came out when we were done to tell me that our snowman was the first ever built in our cul-de-sac!! I told him they must be very boring! Truth is there aren't any kids on our street and so it doesn't surprise me. But he was so happy it was there and HUGE and he said he hoped it would stay forever.
Which won't happen because she is headless at this moment. Stupid rain!

Christmas is coming soon and we are very excited! The first Christmas in a new house is always exciting!
Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Beware Dentists!!!

Last night we were all in the car driving home from picking up our Christmas tree (Home Depot has the best price on fresh trees, FYI) and we were talking about careers. Alex said he wanted to be a policeman. He asked me if I thought was a "good decision". I told him he could do whatever would make him happy, but that I would rather him do something a little less dangerous. He said, "Okay, how about a firefighter". Again, I told him it was a bit dangerous. So then I suggested he be a dentist.
It was at this point that Samantha piped up, "Being a dentist is dangerous too mom!"

???????????

"How is being a dentist dangerous?"

"What if there is a bad guy hiding in the cupboard and the dentists don't see him?"

I guess a career in dentistry is out too.

New Cookie Website

I've been working for a little while on a new website for krandy's sweet co. It's finally finished and I am so happy with it!
Please take a look, enjoy, and order some yummy cookies!!

krandy's sweet co.

Thanksgiving turkey cake

I 100% approve this for Thanksgiving consumption!!

http://www.chow.com/recipes/29029-thanksgiving-turkey-cake

I might cry.....

My baby just lost his first tooth!!! It didn't seem too big of a deal for me with Samantha, but Alex is my youngest and it makes me wanna cry a bit!! The tooth has been loose for a few days now and he was just sitting on the couch playing with it and proudly brought it to me about 10 minutes ago! No weeping and wailing like with Samantha. They sure are different kids. But both equally cute!
Yippeeeeeee Alex!!!

(He came into me just now and said, "Isn't daddy going to be just thrilled??". What 5 year old says that?? Hilarious!)
Sorry you missed it, Andy. Alex's first thought was to email you and tell you.

Halloween 2010

Samantha the "Barbie 3 Musketeer".

Alex, the skeleton.

My parents were over for all of Halloween working on the new bathroom so it was great to be able to take the kids trick-or-treating and have my mom hand out candy. Once the massive storm moved on and we could go out without fear of getting drenched!! We also discovered that our neighborhood is a great place to get candy! Lots of chocolate and 1 house that passed out full size candy bars! Not to mention the Phantom of the Opera show that one house gave! It was a fun night!

Finished bathroom

As you can see, I decided to go with the dark towels, but use a green towel for the hand towel to break up all that brown. I LOVED the coral and green towels, but this set just matched the room so much better (as you can see from the photo, it matches my lovely chair).
Overall, I am SO happy with my new bathroom. My dad is a genius! Merry Christmas to me!

Julie, I got the rug and matching towels at Bed, Bath and Beyond. Jenny, OF COURSE the "this is how we roll" print is still up.....it's just by the toilet now!

Our first fall

I love being in a new home and experiencing the seasons for the first time. My favorite thing about fall in this house is NOT the massive quantity of leaves that have fallen, but the ivy that we kept above the garages that has now turned a brilliant shade of red! It just makes me happy every time I drive home.