For Diane...Happy Shoesday!

Flop...Flop...Flop.

In a Nut Shell

Because the public is demanding to know...drum roll please...here are a few of the things we have been up to....

Dances at the school...think Prom...only more fun...

Swimming lessons...

A trip to AZ for Mitch's baptism and Nielsen's (of course)...

Some water acrobatics...

Lastly, a little "Buggy" performance...seriously...we think Adam Ant may have a future in musical theater. The kid just oozes enthusiasm!

I'm Beginning to Think She Doesn't Like Me

Sunny (age 5 1/2 going on 17) and I have hit a rough patch. My self-esteem is at an all time low. Here are a few of our recent conversations.

Sunny: "Mom were you born in the olden days?"

Me: "You mean when people used horses and buggies?"

Sunny: "Yes."

Me: "No."

Sunny: "But you were born before electricity. So wasn't that the olden days?"

Me: "I was born before there were computers (personal computers that is) and microwaves, but we had electricity!"

Sunny: "Oh."

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Sunny: "Mom, your brain is getting really old."

Me: "Why do you say that?!"

Sunny: "Because you forget everything!"

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Minnie: "Mom, your tummy isn't getting big at all."

Adam: "Yeah, I can't even tell you are pregnant."

Sunny: "Mom, your tummy is getting huge!"

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Should I take this personally? I'm beginning to feel pretty bad about myself. She was fantastic at church yesterday (a huge Mother's Day blessing!). After church this was our conversation:

Sunny: "Mom, was I reverent at church?"

Me: "Yes, you were really reverent."

Sunny: "Yes! My first time!"

The sad part of this conversation is this literally was the first time she was reverent in Sacrament Meeting....it has only taken us 5+ years to get to this point!

My Boyfriend's Back...

After being gone for over 2 weeks (okay, so maybe I'm exaggerating...he did come home on the evening of day 6 to repack and was out the door by 5 am the next morning) my husband is home! As much fun as it was without him (please read the previous sentence with as much sarcasm as you feel necessary to make it believable) we are all thrilled that he survived NY and Triathlon Camp in Tucson.

Although more than halving the amount of laundry was great, it didn't make up for the fact that by the end of 2 weeks the kids were starting to sense my weakened state. I'm pretty sure that if he was gone for more than one more day they would have had me bound and gagged so they could take over.

I did get a lot accomplished after the kids were tucked in bed. I finally got around to reading Tess of d'Urbervilles (loved/hated it...poor Tess! Why do good books have to be so depressing?) and played Sudoku until I thought my brain might explode. My car has remained clean as has The Pit of Despair (some people might call it the garage). It is amazing what I am capable of when there is no one around to talk to.

Thanks to Melissa who kept us well fed! And thanks to my hubby who brought home 4 loads of dirty laundry. I missed you J.

Something's Gotta Give...

Apparently that something is my car. I have been aware for a long time that the interior of my car has been anything but clean. I would even go as far as saying it has been disgusting lately. I thought by closing the door I would be able to hide my dirty little (okay, not so little) secret. Well, the secret is out...Sunshine is driving a trash can on wheels.

Yesterday I was brought to shame when I drove a couple friends and their offspring in my car to the gym. After apologizing, to my clean car friends, for the health hazard they had to get into (I wouldn't be surprised if black mold was forming under the car seats) I decided enough was enough. I mean seriously I found an ant in my car...and he looked well fed. Today I unloaded 2 trash bags worth of CRAP from my car. I attempted to vacuum up the big chunks of unidentifiable food. Then I took the beast to the car wash where I got the super-duper-trooper deluxe wash...you should have seen the look of shock and fear on the attendant's face when I handed over my keys (I did leave a pretty substantial tip to ease my conscience). It is really amazing what 4 kids, one busy...all right I admit car-lazy...mom and a couple boxes of Cheese Nips and Nature Valley granola bars can do to a car!

Back to Reality

Spring Break was fun...made even better because Daddy took the entire week off from work and hung out with us.

We started off by going to the La Brea Tar Pits in L.A. Amazing...right in the middle of L.A.!


Then J took us on a tour of his old stomping grounds. Burbank. We saw where he lived, went to school, and where he hung out with his friends. Basically, where all the mischief began. It was fun hearing all the stories of his elementary school glory days.


We had a great time at the zoo. The best part was seeing the koalas...awake. We have been going to the zoo for 10 years and have never seen them awake (probably due to the fact that they sleep up to 22 hours a day). It was very exciting!

Sea World was really wet! J and I hadn't been in about 5 years (pretty pathetic). It was great to go back and see all the things that have changed. We all (except for, the ever squeamish, Minnie) enjoyed petting the "rubbery" sting rays.

Papa came to town for 24 hours so we headed down to the creek where we skipped rocks and the girls posed for photos...they never miss an opportunity. Sunny got into some stinging nettle which apparently was the most exciting part of spring break for her...she has told everyone all about the stinging "metal".

This picture of Adam pretty much sums up our week. On Friday after dinner he said, "We sure have eaten a lot of fattening food this week!"

Coming in September 2008...

Yes, it is true. I am getting chubbier for a reason. #5 is on the way. Apparently we are that crazy. I am also learning to never say "never".