Unreal Bumblebee

photo by aussiegall
Rob: [Finds Lando laying across him early this morning.] Why are you in our bed?

Lando: I had a bad dream.

Rob: What happened in your dream?

Lando: There was a bumblebee that instead of a stinger had a knife so it can cut your finger or your tummy or your arm. It cut my arm. Real bumblebees die after they sting you, but this one wasn't real so it really didn't die.

Guess Who Got Her Ears Pierced?

On the way home from a birthday party today, Ashlee and her friend, Jenny, were talking about getting ears pierced. Jenny has hers pierced and Ashlee has been saying for a few months now that she wants to get hers pierced. I asked Ashlee if she wanted to do it today and she said she did. So after dinner we headed to Claire's at the mall to put some bling in Ashlee's ears. Brynlee wanted to tag along and said she might want to get hers done, too.

She picked out some cute pink flowers...
Waiting...

Bet you thought it was Ashlee, didn't ya?!

Well, Ashlee's not so sure she wants to do it anymore...

We asked Ashlee if she wanted Brynlee to go first. Brynlee was hesitant at first but then hopped up on my lap. I asked her if it hurt and she said, "Just a little, but I closed my eyes!"

She loves them and can't stop smiling in the mirror!

Let the Soccer Madness Begin!

Today was our first day of double soccer games. Brynlee had a game last Tuesday in the pouring rain and Ashlee's Wednesday game was cancelled because of snow. Brynlee's game was first this morning. She loves to play and even scored a goal today!
I am coaching Ashlee's team. She played 3 years ago and decided this year to give it a try again. She also had alot of fun playing but let's just say Ashlee's team wasn't as hot as Brynlee's. I think the score was 8+ to 0...I lost count after awhile! It's a bad sign when the other team kicks off, one girl dribbles the whole way and scores and I don't think anyone else moved. We haven't had a chance to practice yet because of snow and then Spring Break so I'm hoping the season goes a little better than this after a few practices.

Ashlee did have a nice breakaway and headed down the field to the goal but was stopped by a defender.

She played goalie the fourth quarter and had quite a few saves. Only one got through her legs.Nice Save, Ash!

Britains Got Talent: Susan Boyle

Maybe you've seen this. My friend just emailed me the link. Definitely teaches you not to judge a book by its cover! I love Simon's face throughout the whole thing!

Susan Boyle on Britains Got Talent

Spring Break, Day 3

The plan for tthe day was to stick to the smaller, easier trails. After all, we didn't want our kids to hate hiking. We told them we were just going on walks, not hiking. First we went to Sand Dune Arch...

T playing in the sand under the arch...

Then we headed to Broken Arch....

We made the mistake of continuing through Broken Arch and taking a long loop instead of just heading back the way we came. We ended up going about 2 miles instead of 1...and the kids were not happy! So much for the goal of the day.

Then we went to the Windows section. We couldn't convince the kids to go up to the Windows but Ashlee and Rob went to Double Arch. I stayed with the other kids in the van and we ate lunch. When they got back, Ashlee was so excited and thought that was the coolest arch. Rob said it only took 5 minutes to get there. They convinced Landon and Brynlee so we all went. The kids loved played on the huge rocks under the arch.

Back to the Visitors Center so the kids could become Jr. Rangers. They completed different activities in a little booklet throughout our trip and then talked to Ranger Matt about what they did. Then they took the Jr. Ranger oath, which ended something like "We promise to clean our rooms when our parents ask us to" Hahaha! We should have gotten that on video! After we left Ashlee said, "I can't believe we got to meet a real live Ranger!" It was hilarious!

Posing with their booklets and wearing their Jr. Ranger badges...

Spring Break, Day 2

Day 2 brought us to Arches National Park. After Goblin Valley, we stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in Green River and then headed to Arches in the morning. It was extremely windy so we weren't sure how well the day would go. Trevor does not do well in the wind...he still hasn't figured out how to breathe in it!

Our first stop was Balanced Rock...

Then we headed to the trailhead for Delicate Arch. We ate lunch and then started up the trail. Ashlee was at the head of the group the whole time, not complaining once except for on the way back down when sand was in her eye. Brynlee was a trooper as well. Landon stopped to rest often, playing with the sticks he collected along the way, and repeatedly stated we are never going hiking again. I really can't blame him. If you've ever been to Delicate Arch, it's not the easiest hike, especially with strong winds blowing sand in your face. Trevor "enjoyed" the view from the backpack. He started off on Rob's back, but after about 5 minutes of listening to him cry and reach for me, I decided to put him on my back. He was much happier and babbled most of the way, except for when the wind would catch his breath. The wind was extremely strong once we got to the top. The kids crouched behind the ledge and peeked up to see the arch. After that long hike I didn't want them to not even see it. But seriously, they would peek up and almost get blown away. Needless to say, we stayed just long enough to snap a picture of me and T. We couldn't even get one of all of us. The next day was still a little windy but not as bad...we were almost tempted to try again but figured our kids would never forgive us. One of these times, I hope to actually be able to enjoy the view. The last time we went was in November 2003 and the wind was almost as bad.

We decided not to push our luck any more that day. We drove to the Delicate Arch viewpoint and Landon refused to get out of the car so Rob and the girls went and got some pictures.

Then we drove around the rest of the park to see some of the arches from the car. The kids couldn't wait to get back to the hotel to go swimming. I believe these are from the Fiery Furnace viewpoint...

Exhausted after a long day...

Spring Break, Day 1

Entering Goblin Valley

Lando and Brynlee posing by a hoodoo - notice the tooth she just lost, so that's all four top front teeth gone

The kids climbing around on the rocks

T pointing out something interesting for mommy to go check out

A little friend

Ashlee and Brynlee making fish faces by "Tadpole Rock"

Hiking up Little Wildhorse Canyon


T pointing out something interesting for daddy to go check out

April Fool's Twist

Today when one of the guys doing our bathroom remodel told me he'd have to shut off the water, I really thought he was going to say April Fools. In fact I said, "You're going to follow up that statement with April Fool's, right?" See, yesterday when they had to shut it off he said it would be for a few hours...I'm thinking 4 at the most. It ended up being a little over 7 hours and during that time my kids had to use the bathroom...and no, not just #1. So when he told me that the water needed to be turned off again for about an hour (and I had just put a load of laundry in the washer) I thought he was kidding...he wasn't. Luckily it only took about an hour and I am on to the mounds of laundry to be washed.

He came upstairs a little later and asked something about the water pressure. He wondered if we had a regulator or something because they couldn't get the water to come out very fast from the new tub spout. I told him I didn't think so. He went outside to get something and I went downstairs to take a look at the water and see how fast it was coming out. One look at the spout and handle and I knew they had installed the wrong one. He had asked me what I wanted and suggested oil rubbed bronze since that was the trend now. Usually, I'm not much of a trendy girl but I do like the black look. The one that he picked up at the store was more bronze than I wanted so I ended up going to the store and buying what I wanted (looks black with a little rubbed bronze on the edges). I had given him the box of fixtures I wanted yesterday and I thought he put the one he bought back in the trailer. I went upstairs and he was just coming back into the house. I told him he put the wrong fixtures in. He kinda laughed and said "You're going to follow that up with April Fool's, right?" Nope, I didn't.

Under Construction

You may remember Landon helping with the demolition of the shower in our basement bathroom. Well, the remodeling is finally going on to the next step...yes, I know, it's been nearly a year...don't ask! The guys came Monday morning and started drilling through the concrete to move the drain since we are changing from just a shower to a shower/tub combo. Every surface of my house is covered with a fine layer of dust. Today they built the wall for the end of the shower and installed the tub/shower. They still need to sheetrock part of the wall. Tomorrow they will finish mudding and then texture. Tile on the floor to replace carpet (seriously, why do you put carpet in a bathroom?) and a new countertop will be done some time after all of that. I am so excited!

The space where the shower used to be... The new tub and shower...

Like I Said...

I know I was warned that it would probably snow in the next few days following our beautiful spring weather, but I guess deep down I was REALLY hoping it wouldn't!

Bounce Away!

It is officially Spring and the snow has FINALLY melted in our backyard (okay there is a small strip along the house that doesn't see the sun but it was so warm today that even that was starting to go away). Since the snow is gone, we put together the kids' Christmas present...a trampoline! They were so excited to finally get to play on it.

Landon and Rob had a good system going. Landon would hook the spring on the trampoline mat and then Rob would attach it to the frame...Trevor decided he wanted to get in on the "helping" as well. He would take off the springs before Rob got to them. Landon wasn't amused...

Yes, he still has the price tag on his shorts...Daddy got him dressed :)

I just realized when I went to watch the video that I forgot to turn on the sound when recording...oops!

All put together...now it just needs "the Cage"...

The finished product...

Bring on the warm weather (although I do believe we are supposed to get snow in the coming days...bleh!)

Dinnertime Conversations

Brynlee, right after watching T throw his plate on the floor:

Trevor is good at three things - screaming, throwing food on the floor, and making people laugh.

A few minutes later, Brynlee wondered out loud who the person was that was riding their bike past the front of our house. Lando peered out, trying to catch a glimpse of the person who was already long past, and then he turned back to us and asked the following while dancing a little jig:

What if we looked outside and there was a parade with people dancing like this, like the black guys in black hats from Mary Poppins?

dramatic reenactment of actual dancing event

Another New Nephew

My brother, David, and his wife, Noel, welcomed their first baby into the world yesterday...a St. Patrick's Day baby! I guess it's only fitting since Noel went to Ireland with her mom and sister while she was pregnant. They named him Kieran Son Kovacs. He was 7 pounds 12 oz and he looks just like his daddy. Kieran (pronounced like my name) is Irish and Son (pronounced with a long "o", not like sun) is David's middle name...his Korean name that my parents kept. Noel was induced early Monday morning (I believe) and never progressed past a 4, plus Kieran was trying to come out forehead first (which explains the bruising on the forehead), so finally at 2:25 pm on Tuesday, they did a c-section. Congrats, David and Noel, he's a cutie!

Stay tuned for a post about all my nieces and nephews born in the last 15 months...all siblings on both sides of our families have had babies during that period...that makes 10 (including Trevor)!

Wii with the Principal

Remember when Brynlee got to play Twister with the Principal for being in the 200 Club? Well, Ashlee was a "ten in a row" winner a couple of weeks ago and the activity this time was playing the Wii with the Principal. She was supposed to play at lunch a couple of Fridays ago but woke up that morning with a nasty cough and a fever of 103. So she didn't go to school that day. When I called the secretary to let her know she would be absent, she said "Ah, that's too bad. Today she was supposed to play the Wii". Yep, I said, she's a little bummed. Actually she was more bummed that she would be missing a friend's birthday party after school. When I reminded her that she was supposed to play the Wii, she said, "Oh well." About a minute after I got off the phone, the phone rang and the caller ID was the school. It was Ashlee's teacher. Apparently she and the principal were in the office when I called and they decided they would have a special "Wii day" for Ashlee.

Today happened to be that day. We went and ate lunch with Ashlee and then her class went into their room during lunch recess instead of going outside. They all cheered Ashlee on as she got to play tennis and bowl on the Wii. She put up a tough fight at tennis but lost and then creamed the principal at bowling...must be all the practice she's gotten lately. She got 3 strikes and multiple spares. I thought it was very cool of the Principal to take time to make Ashlee feel special!

Prayers for Gavin

Remember my cute "little" :) nephew, Gavin? My sister-in-law, Heather, took him in for his 2 month checkup and the doctor heard a heart murmur. He ordered a chest xray and they discovered his heart was enlarged and later diagnosed him with a Coarctation of the Aorta. I'll let you read more about it on their blog since she goes into more detail. Please pray for Gavin and his family as he goes into surgery this afternoon.

Dancing Queens

Okay, one last video. I found this when I was trying to find where I had saved the video of T reading. We were at the mall and the girls found this huge mirror in one of the stores and couldn't resist the beat of the music. Rob got this video of them on his phone (you may have to turn up the volume since the quality isn't the greatest). The date on the file was January 16, 2006 so Brynlee was 3 years old and Ashlee was 5 years old.

Little Reader

T loves books and likes to "read". I finally got a video of him doing it. Ashlee was the same way when she was a baby. When she was about 9 months old, I'd ask her where her book was and she'd look around, crawl to find a book, turn the pages and babble like we knew exactly what she was saying.

Relief Society Birthday Dinner

I am the Enrichment leader in our ward and last night was our Relief Society birthday celebration. I got the idea for decorations from a friend by the lovely name of Kirsten :) After dinner, we played a little Relief Society trivia game. I did a PowerPoint slideshow of the multiple choice questions. Each table was a team, complete with team names such as the Chicklets, Spring Chicks, and the [Re] Producers (this was my table...each of us was either pregnant or had a baby in the last year and a half...one covered both of those criteria :) After the quiz, I showed the following video I found on lds.org. It's a little clip from President Uchtdorf's talk from the Relief Society broadcast in September. (In case the video doesn't work here, click on the Relief Society link above and it has it there).