I go potty! Get M and Ms!

She's finally doing it, folks!

She's been dry for a full week!  Even through naptime!  Yay!

Salmon River Expedition

This has been our favorite day trip of the summer.  We have done it twice, now.  We had Uncle Mark in town last week, so we took him along.  We take a short hike up the trail, where we found a sandy swimming hole to play in.  It's beautiful with just the right amount of adventure!

Uncle Mark and Max "Peace Out!"

Family Trip to Bend

So now I see what all the fuss is about.  We took a two day trip to Bend at the end of last week, and had a BLAST!  It will definitely be the first of many times we tag along with Jon on a business trip.  Plus, he has so many hotel points that we get upgraded to a suite most of the time!  I guess that is the bright side of being married to a traveling salesman.

Here's Olivia doing the backstroke at the hotel pool.  She is a seriously good swimmer.  She's always been a little fish, but now she is doing the real strokes.  Impressive!

Molly took the plunge with the water wings and felt very proud of herself for being so brave.

And, then there was Max.  This is where he stayed the entire time.  He's a woos like his daddy about cold water!

We fed the ducks at the awesome Drake Park where we went on a long walk on the many paths that make up Bend.

Here are the cuties on the wood plank bridge that totally freaked Molly out.  She must think she's little enough to fall through the cracks!

See you soon, Bend!

All by myself.......

This is so weird.  I am all by myself.  Jon took the kiddos to his sister's house until tomorrow night.  He asked if I'd like a little break and I hope I didn't light up too much at that prospect. Any who, he got the drift and loaded them up today for another 4 1/2 hour car drive (poor kids, have spent way too much time in the car these past few weeks!).  Good luck to him.  He will be blessed for his selfless act.

As for me, I straightened up the house (of course, I couldn't relax in the chaos that was my house after a typical Sunday morning), and have been curled up reading my book ever since.  Olivia suggested that I use my time to "clean the whole house really good," but, I think I'll resist.  After all, they will just be back to wreck it tomorrow.  And, hopefully, my mind will be calmer and my body more rested when they get back.  

So, I'm off to my mommy vacation.........I will post more pictures of our recent trip to Bend and the Salmon River when the fam gets back with my camera!

Something that made me go hmmmmmmm.......

I overheard my husband talking to my nephew Jake who just returned from a mission in February about dating and what he's looking for in a girl/wife.  Jake was explaining how he wasn't super into the "Utah-girl" look (most of you know what I am talking about!) and prefers a down to earth "plain" (his word, not mine) girl with a fun personality.  Jon proceeded to empathize, telling him that he never liked the  super-cute girls either.......that's when my ears perked and I interrupted the conversation with an "excuse me????"

I guess Jon prefers the ugly girl that is loyal to only him...

Should I be offended???

Whirlwind!

We took a whirlwind trip to Utah last week to make a last-ditch effort to see family before we become a family of six and are sequestered in our home for the next two years!  We saw lots of friends, and family and had lots of fun, despite the ridiculous heat!  Of course, I was lame and forgot to take my camera most places, so I am kicking myself now, but here are some fun shots of what we did.......

Grandma and Papa got two new kitties, so Max had lots of fun crawling into their house with them and talking to them in a little tiny baby voice, like they were his own kids!  We are still unable to explain why he picked one of them up and tossed it over the two story deck.  Maybe he wanted to prove that cats really DO always land on their feet, and luckily, the kitty was ok and did not die of internal injuries as I worried it would!

Slip and slide at the farm!

He was MOSTLY very soft with his little kitty friends!

Olivia and Papa went for a ride!

Danny and Molly played with the choo-choo train. It was so fun to have Jake and Dan over and to get caught up after so long!  

Max and Jake (and a super blurry picture, sorry!)

Uncle Glenn took the kids on a tractor ride. Although I didn't exactly capture the mood, they were ALL super excited and LOVED every minute of it!  We had an awesome time at Glenn and Shirline's house.  They always make us feel so loved and welcome.  

All the grandkids on my side of the family (besides the one in my tummy).

We were able to spend a very happy 66th birthday with Papa.  Olivia and him are great buddies!

We also got to go swimming with Erin and Brooks (it absolutely KILLS me that neither of us took our cameras!), to the park with Kristen, Bella, and Moses, and to the pool with my mom, my little sister and her kiddos.   We had a way too quick lunch with Crystal and Jaide at the Bountiful Temple.  Additionally, we had a BBQ where we saw lots of Jon's family and Grandma Maxine and Grandpa Alva, and we got to spend a really fun night with Tera at her new BEAUTIFUL twin home, watching the Olympics and eating treats.  All in all it was tons of fun and worth the VERY long van ride home.........Thanks to all who welcomed us!  See you all soon!

Jen and the no good, very bad day!

OK, we all have them, right?  Those days that suck from the get-go.  Today was one of them for me, and I thought I'd share.  It will either depress you all or make you grateful that your day was not so bad after all.  Either way,  you will definitely thank me for not sharing pictures on this post!

So, to start with, I slept very little last night, so I woke up a little cranky.  Then breakfast, although the norm, was annoying. 

Max, "I want the green bowl."

Molly, "No, I want the green bowl."  

Me, "You can both have green bowls!" I shout.  Stuff like that.  

Then, I get ready for the day, do a load of laundry.  Take a shower with two head playing peek-a-boo with the shower curtain.  Try to solve everyone's problems while I pack a picnic lunch, get kids dressed, change stinky diapers, etc, etc.  We all get into the car to go to Olivia's swim lesson and guess what?  The van is DEAD.  Jon cleaned it the night before and apparently left the lights on and ta-da!  I am in stress mode.  I try to call a friend to get Olivia for her lesson. No answer.  I try half of my ward members who might be in the neighborhood with cables.  No answer.  I call and sort-of half chew out my husband for his carelessness (which was totally unnecessary, since he wasn't really TRYING to sabatoge me).  I get the kids out of the 90 degree car to wait by the phone to see if anyone will rescue me.

Finally it happens, a nice guy in our ward comes by and jumps my van.  Yay!  It starts.  We decide to go swimming anyways, since the lunch is packed.  

The swim park is fun, all is well. I am totally overheating by 2 o'clock so I give the 10 minute warning, to which I get plenty of whining.  I decide to get M and M all changed and ready to go, and then the downhill part starts again......

Molly has pooped in her swim diaper.  Not the disposable kind, I have gone green with my swim diapers and do the cloth now, and I DO NOT recommend them.  They are not worth the earth they save.  I want to puke at this point.  I have to pull the one size too small diaper down her legs as the poop drags down her legs as well.  What am I supposed to do?  This is not the part of motherhood I signed up for!  I have THREE (3) wet wipes.  It's kind of a strategy session at this point, what do I do with the three?  And thank goodness, I did have a large plastic bag for the used goods.  I decide to wipe her up with the three wipes, and then I take her to the bathroom to clean the swim diaper in the toilet and her in the sink.  SO GROSS.  I barely come out of this with my lunch still in my BIG tummy. 

OK, Max's turn.  Uh-oh, Max pooped in his swim diaper too!  Yippee-skippy, I get to do it all again.  Oh, but guess what?  No more wipes.  Crap!  Literally.......so I take him in the bathroom and use paper towels all the while lecturing him on going poo-poo on the potty.  He is solemnly nodding in agreement.  "OK, Mommy.......I do......"  I am bending over to wash out his diaper in the toilet when my glasses fall off my head into the %(@$.........."what the H?" I want to say, but I didn't, not out loud anyways, I mean there was someone in the stall next to us who already heard me at my not so nicest mommy moment.

So, I fished out my glasses, and we got the hay out of there before I started to swear or cry.  We came home and had quiet time.  I recovered.  I took a shower and soaked EVERYTHING in bleach.  

And, to end on a good note, my evening has been much better.  Jon brought me home a HUGE dark chocolate candy bar from Trader Joe's AND a box of truffles (as if I am not fat enough). This was all BEFORE he knew how bad my day was.......so sweet.....I saved that story for AFTER dinner (aren't I thoughtful?).  I am heading up to eat it all now to try to induce a chocolate coma.  

Night games

The other night I put M and M to bed, and then went to read with Olivia and get her all settled. When Olivia was all tucked in, and I was passing by the twins' room, I heard talking, and I stopped to listen.  Here is how it all played out (keep in mind that they are laying in their individual cribs in the DARK):

Max:  "one.....two.......three.......five.....six.......seven.......eight.........nine.....ten......weddy or not, hew I tum!"

Molly: giggling........

Max:  "I find you, Monny!!!"

Molly: lots more giggling

Max: "play again?"

Molly: "yeah!"

Max:  "one....two....three......five.......six.......seven........"

And so on........

Night games.  Hide and seek.  Without even leaving their beds!

Random Thoughts

I have some random pictures that evoked random thoughts, and I thought I'd share:

Max is so proud of his painted toenails.  I think he enjoys them more than the girls!

Proof that my floors were actually clean for approximately two hours, while M and M slept.   For some reason when my floors are clean I feel like I can take on the world.

Even when the living room looks like this..........

My new/old art....Jon cleaned the garage last week (finally, thanks honey!) and I was appalled to find this fabulous print in the garbage!  Jon has been trying to get rid of this since I bought it a few years ago.  Just wait until he gets home tomorrow and sees where I put it.....(hint, it will be the first thing he sees when he goes to bed and the first thing he sees when he wakes up!)

And, at the end of the day, what is better than my three kiddos eating a summer favorite?

Have a happy random day!

Important things about Olivia....

I have just been thinking about the children's book by Margaret Wise Brown called, The Important Book.  She goes through a list of very useful items and says what is important about each one.  And this simple concept made me think about my darling eldest daughter.  So here is what struck me........

The important thing about Olivia is that she is thoughtful.  She loves to draw.  She is very funny and has a great laugh.  She is a bit too sassy for my liking sometimes.  She plays HARD.  She likes to go to bed early.  She is super-creative.  She makes friends every where we go and does this astonishingly easily.  She is a candy fanatic and is quite resourceful in obtaining her fix when I won't allow it.  She whines quite often.  She adores her brother and sister.  And, she sleeps with a leopard-print eye pillow.  

But the important thing about Olivia is that she is thoughtful.  She makes my bed almost every day.  She brings me breakfast in bed (toaster waffles with TONS of peanut butter).  She prays for people she barely knows.  She went up to her friend's mom the other day at the park and wished her well in a play she was performing in that night without any prompting from me. She runs up and down flights of stairs for me all of the time to fetch a diaper or a stuffed animal that her brother and sister can't sleep without, and she does this without being asked most times.  She calls her grandma to thank her for letters and packages and always asks her grandpa how is feeling today.

So, although this daughter of mine is many things, some of which make me pull out my hair. The important thing about her is that she is thoughtful.

Fourteen years and counting....

(Photo by Sue)

Jon and I just celebrated our 14th anniversary.  It is so hard to believe that it has been that many years (btw, I WAS a child bride).  On one hand, it seems like yesterday that we were saying our "I-do's" yet on the other hand, so much has happened in our lives that it's hard to remember a time when Jon was not by my side, being my best friend and biggest fan.  So, while this past year has been a tough one, I have so much faith in "us."  It is my one constant.  

(Photo by Olivia)

So, Happy Anniversary, Jonny!  Thanks for the past 14 years, I can't wait for the next 14!

Modbe update

You can now order Modbe products on my new website.  The link is on my sidebar under "Favorite Web Pages."  Fall products will be out soon.........happy shopping!

Max pooped in the potty

No pics, sorry, I will try to get some, it just happened so fast and we were all so excited!  He's been peeing in it really consistently, too.  Who ever said girls potty train faster and quicker didn't know my darling son!  And, yes, this is the kind of thing I get excited over these days........

Fall Down Tree

Check out these fun prints from

Fall Down Tree

......I randomly ran into this while blog surfing, and guess what? The guy who does these is the son of my mom's boss.....what a small world. So, I thought I'd share! I want one of each!

A day at the Lake!

Before we all forget.......

Since I am still awaiting my picture CD from the resident trip photographer (you know who you are!), I thought I had better let everyone know that this was a great trip with many highlights!  Here are two of the girls on the red-eye flight to the big city (I may not try that one again!)

Our first attempt to hail a cab! We got much better at it by the end!

Shopping at all the fun NY places.  My faves were H&M, Uniqlo, and Kate's Paperie.

On the way to Norma's for breakfast in a LIMO!

A picture outside of the Gershwin Theater where we saw "Wicked."  Unbelievable!

Such a great adventure.  The heat and humidity neared 100......and my pregnant body almost gave out, but what doesn't kill us makes us stronger, and I have so many fond memories of this trip and the dear friends I was lucky enough to share it with.

Happy BIG 3-0 Erin!

Happy birthday to you!  I hope you have an awesome 30th birthday!  We miss you and wish we could be there to party with you on your special day!  You are an awesome, special, and very sorely missed friend.  I love you!

A day at the Fountain

We had so much fun yesterday at the fountains!  We grabbed a bunch of bagels from Noah's and some ice cold drinks and headed over to enjoy some fun in the sun (which finally arrived)!  The kids loved it!  Last year, I was running after Max who was running towards the busy street, but this year they just loved the water and the ducks!  We could have stayed much longer except that I noticed we were all turning a bit pink!  This is an activity we will do again and again this summer!

And of course, we had to stop for ice cream afterwards!

Max's little adventure!

Max had his little hernia operation on Monday.  I thought I would share some pictures of my brave little trooper. He was so awesome, even though it almost killed him not to eat anything until 4 o'clock in the afternoon!  He kept rummaging through my purse saying, "have snack?"  

Here's his cute nurse Melissa checking his vitals!

Here he is on his way to pre-op in his little bed with his favorite dog!

And here we are after the surgery!  He was so sad that only sitting in my lap consoled him, which was just fine by me! I have not had the opportunity to hold him for three hours straight in ages!

And he got to eat THREE popsickles afterwards!