Brandon's first love, and his new love

I am sure you are all thinking that I was Brandon's first love. Grievoulsy, I have to tell you that I was not (sigh). Brandon first fell in love with a girl who was born in 1979, yes one year younger than me. She was a tough and sweet little thing. Not everyone would say she was beautiful, but Brandon would say she was stunning. He loved taking her to new heights and taking her on new adventures, many of which I have heard about with some jealousy and admittedly, a little fear. He always took good care of her and I know that she really appreciated him. I am sure she appreciated him as much as I appreciate how well he takes care of me now. She was one lucky gal. But, he had to end that relationship shortly after we got married, it just wasn't working out anymore. It was just getting to be too much and things were getting a little complicated. And we were moving across the country and he knew the relationship would rust if he couldn't care for her everyday. And the expense was too much for us.

He recently had a a chance to rekindle the old flame with a newer version of this true love. She was born in 1997 (I guess he likes them young now, I can't say that I blame him). I didn't have a problem with her at first, but after him being gone for hours and hours with her I started to get REALLY frustrated. Then she started having all these problems and some of her physical aspects needed improving. So Brandon was gone often trying to fix her problems and improve her self esteem. It was almost the end of us-until I saw the new and approved version of her. I felt much better and I knew all his efforts and time were worth it, and I could tell that he was happy too! And that made me happy. She stands taller now, in fact she is quite a bit taller than Brandon. She is comfortable, constant, stable and reliable now, and she is gorgeous!! Who couldn't be with a man such as Brandon, working so hard and taking such care? I have come to appreciate her too, and in some strange way she has brought our little family together. I think a lot of you probably know her or one of her sisters. They surely get around (if you know what I am sayin', wink, wink). Let me just give you a hint...


Wow! Just that small glimpse might set Brandon's heart a flutter!! Okay, one more hint...


I think you might have guessed it!


Yes, her name is Toyota Land Cruiser. (We have yet to give her a nickname.)

Isn't she a beauty? This isn't even with all the improvements.
She has brought our family together (more thoughts on that to come). Although she did take a lot Brandon's time and caused a lot of stress in the beginning, it was worth it. I know Brandon isn't done with all improvements, but I am glad he has found her.
(I hope everyone understands that I am being totally dramatic, except for the part about it taking too much of Brandon's time, ha, ha.)

Our Valentines

This is how we started out our Valentine's this morning with a little holiday inspired breakfast, heart pancakes, heart strawberries, eggs and ham. YUM!!

Brandon ate by candlelight and dined with music (provided by Nash). Sorry about the pictures, I was too lazy to set up my tripod.

Then the boys got their treats from us.

We will spend the rest of the day being lazy, going to church and then eating a Valentine's dinner at Grandpa and Grandma Weeks' house with all the cousins. Yeah! Hope you all have a great Valentine's Day!

Alibis for my Absence

Besides raising 4 kids, this is what I have been doing besides NOT blogging.

1. Keeping up with this cute thing. She is now crawling and needs her mommy more these days.


2. Trying to keep both of these kids occupied and entertained during the day.

I might also add that my afternoon alone time is now limited due to Coleman laying in his bed for an hour and not falling asleep for nap-time (6 days out of the week). I am sure he is done with naps, which is really sad because for the last 6 months or so he was taking one almost every day. We will see what this month holds, although it isn't looking good.

3. Reading The Mortal Instruments trilogy (which I loved).




I am finding that I really love fantasy books, they are so entertaining. They are making the first one into a movie and I can't wait!


4. Swimming, running, and biking 5 days a week.





My training for a Mini Triathlon I am doing in St. George in April. I have wanted to do one for a long time. It is a really short one- a good place for me to start. I am really excited!

5. Washing, folding, hauling and putting away this every week. It seems to be growing more each week. I had to mention it because it is a HUGE part of my day.

6. Attending Nash's basketball games and practices.

7. Planning and attending scouting activities each week. Including the Pinewood Derby (pictures to come). Yes, I am a leader of the Wolf pack, and I really like it.

8. Decorating and trying to at least complete one room in the house. I am almost finished with Nash and Canyon's room.



A big step up from their purple room -2 years in the making. My boys wanted a "camo" room, so it was their idea. I thought of the pattern, and my sister-in-law was the one who helped me pick the colors and helped me lay it all out. I couldn't have done it without her. I think it turned out so fun! Next I need to complete the finishing touches on Paige's room.

9. Researching and shopping for healthier foods. We are trying to get in better shape around here. It has taken a lot of my time surfing the web and a lot of time at the store reading food labels. I am going to miss you white pasta, white rice, white flour and white bread. I am going to miss you Peanut Butter Crunch and Fruity Pebbles. I am NOT going to miss you chocolate because there is no way I would give you up-I just might not eat you as often (maybe).

I am also trying to come up with a different dinner menu. We are so tired of our spagetti, taco, lasagna, stroganoff, and BBQ chicken and rice menu. Anyone have any recipes they love? I would love any ideas in this area.

10. Playing Super Mario Bros. Wii with my boys. I love that game, it takes me back to the good old days.




11. Going on fun little outings with my little family. Here we are in Park City...

we stayed at Brandon's uncles condo. It was a nice relaxing weekend of sitting in the hot tub, eating yummy food, sledding and taking walks. We stopped in Midway to see the ice sculptures and eat at a local Mexican restaurant. Good times.

Hopefully I will make blogging more of a priority while continuing to do all the necessary things.

Should I be worried?

I was busy cleaning up the kitchen the other morning when I heard Coleman say, "I need a blanket mom." I looked over at him and this is what I found. Funny boy!

My Home

I recently took an intermediate photography class. One of my many assignments was to take a picture of something that represented my home. I thought of a million things I could do, but nothing really stood out as being spectacular. I had remembered seeing some cool pictures of reflections on bubbles and had always wanted to try it. I thought that my home was kind of like 'my bubble' and it would be pretty cool to capture that. So, for half an hour I blew bubbles and frantically chased them around in my front yard with my camera. (I am sure my neighbors thought I was a little looney.) This picture isn't as cool as some I have seen, but I managed to get a few decent ones after Brandon came out and helped me. I will definitely keep trying to get an awesome bubble picture. Anyway, it got me thinking about what home is for me. Well, this is what home is for me...

Hugs, kisses and I love you's
Fits, tantrums and time-outs
Dirty, sticky fingerprints on doors
Rowdy, loud wrestling boys
Smiley, happy, and giggly Paige
Shutting the fridge and turning out lights
Fevers, coughs and cold cloths
Warm blankets and hot water bottles
Telling childhood stories with snuggles in beds
Dancing, singing and being so silly
Disagreements, investigations, hearings and rulings
Teasing, taunting, and some name calling
Making beds, scrubbing toilets, and vacuuming floors
Giving encouragement, drying tears, calming fears
Clipping nails, brushing teeth, doing hair
Wiping noses, and wiping bums
Playing UNO, Slamwich, Incredible Hulk Smash, and Dominos
Squeezing cute bums (little ones that is)
Squishing cute cheeks, and kissing cute noses
Laundry, laundry and more and more and more laundry
Sleep and lack of sleep
Baths and holding wrinkly kids in towels
Pearler beads, crayons, and paints
Homework-science, math and reading
Bouncing, rocking, and patting backs
Dinners, dinners. The. Same. Old. Dinners.
Little baby snuggles and little baby hugs
Movies, game cube, legos and Wii
Basketball, friends, scouts and soccer
Asking and reminding, and asking and reminding again
Bedtime stories and a Bushel and a Peck
Scriptures and breakfast, FHE and family prayer
A lot of "It's not fair!"
'Ugh's', rolling eyes and throwing up arms
Tag, Leap Frog, and Hide n' Seek
Pushing swings, and sliding down slides
Disappointments and frustrations
Up the stairs and down the stairs and then back up again
Kids slamming doors and yes, some yelling here
Snuggling Brandon on movie nights
Proud moments and happy tears
Me-flushing unflushed toilets again and again
Packing lunches with little notes
Feeding my babe-Again? Didn't I just do that?
Little fingers squeezing my face and pulling my hair
Tucking kids up TIGHT in their beds
Kissing each soft, peaceful, sleeping child
Waking up to start again

Paige: 6 months update

*Loves to giggle to her brothers in the car
*Sleeping better at night (usually only up once)
*Sick for the first time-no fun
*Loves to see her daddy walk through the door
*Getting more unsure of strangers
*Is content to play in her saucer now
*Sitting up really well, and can reach for things
*Snuggles mommy and daddy
*Holds tight around our necks when we hug her
*Likes to rip my hair out, and she does it fast
*Can't sit in bumbo anymore-she can almost get out
*Has a silly, funny personality, she loves to giggle
*Refuses to get up on hands and knees
*Perfected rolling
*Getting longer and leaner
*Acts coy with strangers
*Happy baby
*Loves to splash in the tub
*Snuggles with her favorite stuffed animal giraffe at nap/bedtime
*Can pick up food with two fingers and feed herself

Mr. Distracted

I thought I would continue on with my "Mr." theme. It makes me write down stories that I just don't want to forget, and I think it gives you all a good idea of what my kids are like.

I could have MANY different titles for Nash, like Mr. Active, Mr. Social, Mr. Giver, Mr. Kind, Mr. Thoughtful, Mr. Talk back, Mr. Sass, Mr. Affectionate, and Mr. Messy Face and Shirt. But, the one I chose for this title fits him the best lately.

Nash is easily distracted. He gets distracted when he gets ready in the morning for school. He gets distracted in school, and he gets distracted when I ask him to do things at home. We have been dealing with it for a while, and it is slowly getting better. But, when Nash really focuses-he does a SUPERB job at what ever he does and really goes the extra mile to make us happy. (Which is why he is currently still living.)

In the morning, my boys are expected to get up shower (if necessary), get dressed, make their beds, and have socks on their feet before we go down to read scriptures and eat breakfast. We call these things "automatic" things. Whenever they hear the word "automatic" they know what we are talking about. It's doing those things they are expected to do automatically without having to be asked. Like putting on their seat belts in the car, taking dishes to the sink when they are done eating, and getting ready in the morning. There are some mornings when Nash gets up and does all those "automatic" morning things before I am even out of bed. Those times I usually find him down stairs, ready, and waiting for me. (I love those mornings!). Then there are those mornings where I have to ask him to do EVERYTHING 5 to 6 times. He even gets REALLY frustrated at himself and is constantly saying, "sorry, I got distracted by my legos, or by that book, or by my Star Wars guys". I know he is trying, and he is starting to get better. Then there are those mornings where he gets mad at me because those "automatic" things I am asking him to do are wasting his time. Oh boy, something happens when little boys turn 7. They get an attitude and somehow we are the bad guys. So, I never know what is going to happen on which morning. Although, lately he has been doing it automatically.

How does this affect him at school?-Nash has been missing a few assignments (either lost in his desk, or just not completed). A few weeks ago he kept forgetting to bring his Math book home so that we could finish them. So, one day when he got home from school, I drove him right back and we went into his classroom to get it. The classroom was set-up so that 3 groups of 6 desks together were in the back and 4 desks were up in the front in a row all about 2 ft. apart from each other. Nash showed me where his desk was. He is front and center in that front row which is separated. I asked his teacher if he was up there because he talked a lot. She smiled. "Yes." She said. "Nash is very social, and he gets distracted easily. I would love to have him sit right here up by me against the chalkboard, but I think that would make him feel bad. I think he would probably focus a little better though." Nice. Oh my poor little Nash. That made me feel bad, but frustrated at him at the same time. Despite him getting distracted, he is a good student and likes to participate and he really is doing pretty well in school. He just has to bring a lot of work home because he doesn't finish it. I think that other kids can hurry and finish their work and then have some "free time". But, it takes Nash a little longer and then those having free time are distracting to him. He said he is doing better, and he has brought less work home. He just needs to find ways to keep himself focused. I think I have found that when he talks out loud to himself while doing his school assignments, he can focus better because he is listening to himself and not other noises around him. Anyway, we are working on it.

Nash LOVES to be outside, and I love that! He is either riding his bike, playing soccer, basketball, or exercising (as he calls it). He loves to play with friends and has quite the little social life and social circle. Sometimes I have to remind him that he is only 8 years old. He would love to hang out with friends until late at night, every night. He is a good friend too. A nice one you can always rely on. And he is a FUN friend. He always knows how to make things fun.

He doesn't like people to feel bad. He won't let people make fun of other people. He will say, "hey that's not nice to say that about so and so, that's making fun of them". One time Nash and I were watching American Idol. The episode where the really bad singers are on. I was laughing pretty hard at someone singing. Nash looked at me like 'what are you doing?'. He said, "why are you laughing? Don't laugh mom, he is trying to do his best". Oops, he put me in my place. He is most always concerned about how others are feeling. Isn't that so sweet!! What a great quality to have.

A few summers ago we went to Lava Hot Springs with all of Brandon's family. We took several pennies and put them on the railroad tracks to smash them. When we went back later a lot of them had fallen off without getting smashed. The kids all scrambled to find a smashed penny and there just wasn't enough for everyone. His little cousin Gracie started to cry because she didn't get one. Nash was quiet for a few moments, then he put his penny in her hand and said, "you can have mine". I was so proud of him. I knew Nash really, really didn't want to give up his penny-he had been looking forward to it all afternoon. I could tell that he was trying not to cry. He just knew he should give up what he wanted because he didn't want her to be sad. I love that little man! He's so sweet sometimes.

Last month we had a FHE where we went around and shared what we liked about each family member. Nash had SO many nice things to say about everyone. He went on forever and he really enjoyed expressing his feelings to us, and the spirit was so strong! It was so nice to see that. He really does have a GREAT desire to be good. He's a good boy (most of the time, just like I am a good mother half of the time).

So we will keep working on helping Nash not get distracted. Any other ideas out there that might help with that? I know a few of you are teachers. Anyway, we love Nash and he is a such great older brother to Canyon, Coleman, and Paige!!

Recessionista Party

If you haven't heard about Recessionista Party you really need to check it out! They have some really cute stuff!! And, they are having a giveaway right now.

My sister is co-hosting a Recessionista party on Thursday, November 12th here in Utah. You can read more about that on my sisters blog-The Idea Room. If you want an official invite you can email her and she will send one to you. It sounds like a blast. I will be there for sure!