~Day 181: Jinx Hostages

The girls kept playing the 'jinx' game.  You know, the one where you jinx the other person for saying the exact word you say at the exact same time you do.  I wouldn't un-jinx them unless they sat with me for awhile... I held their their voices hostage.  It was great.  Quiet snuggles.

~Day 180: Crazies

I love my monkeys.  They make me smile every day.

~Day 179: Salt and Pepper

No explanation needed.

~Day 178: It was a chili, frosty night.

Went out with my friend Linda tonight. It was so much fun!  We started at Thai Chili, where I had the same thing I always have...I don't think I've ever gotten anything else there.  And we made an impromptu trip to Frost.  Got the same thing there too... I have no imagination.

~Day 177: Bunco 6!

Bunco comes again.  Bunco goes again.  Fun as always!

~Day 176: More Friends. More hostile takover.

Friends over again tonight.  My room was destroyed again tonight.  All is good.

~Day 175: Hostile Takeover

That is supposed to be my bed.

~Day 174: Summer Friends

Ashton finally got to have a friend come over.  It's so hard with both Nick and I working full time... he is usually at the mercy of other other parents having him over.  This is his best friend from school.  I love that they have made that connection and are such good friends. 

~Day 173: 12 Years and Counting

We look like babies on our wedding day 12 years ago...

We were married in the Bountiful Utah Temple.  We got married when digital cameras were not the thing to use... We still have film negatives of our wedding.  This is a picture of a picture.  Nice huh? 

Nick and I met on the internet... 13 years ago, one did not admit that is where you met someone.  Our first date was on June 23rd.  I lived in Utah, and he lived in Idaho.  He drove down to go to a concert at Saltair and I went with him.  We met in a hotel parking lot.  Instead of telling people we met online, somehow it sounded better that we met in a hotel parking lot.... yup.

He proposed about 6 months later on top of Brighton Ski Resort.  It happened to be New Year's Eve.   He said he didn't plan it, but he happened to have the ring with him on this trip.  There was a photographer at the top taking pictures of people.  We stopped to have our picture taken and we happened to get the exact moment of him proposing to me.  I love that we have a picture of this moment.  Not many people can say they have one.

We were married almost a year to the day of our first date (first date was June 23rd.  Married June 22nd a year later)  We are now living in our third state.  We have lived in four houses and one apartment.  Lived through a Bachelor Degree and now a Master's Degree.  There are a few job changes in the mix. We have three adorable children.  And I think I love him more now than I did in the beginning.  If that is possible.  He is so good to me.  He loves when I get sappy.  He makes me laugh.  He keeps me balanced and in check when I'm crazy.  He is the rational and calm side of things.  He is good to our children and they know that he loves them.  I look forward to many more years together-- unless this blog post puts him over the edge....

Nanu, Nick.

~Day 172: A Day Early

Celebrating our anniversary a day early.  I made Nick hold still so I could take a picture at the restaurant we went to tonight.  He loves it when I make him a part of my blog.... it was fun to be out with just the two of us.  We need to do it more often I think...

~Day 171: The New-Old Project

Began over six years ago before Cailee was born (this is for Cailee--the other two kids have afghans I made for them.  I actually finished theirs....)  This one was put away when things got busy. Forgotten.  

Got an 'itch' recently.  This itch had to move beyond burp cloths... Decided to finish an old project.  Very simple compared to what I've been doing lately.  Kind of nice to just sit and stitch and not have to think too much... 

~Day 170: Summer Reading

Cailee gets so excited when she gets to read her summer reading book.  Her kindergarten teacher sent home a large packet for the kids to practice so they will be ready for first grade.  She does really well and I'm excited at the progress she is making.

~Day 169: Dance Party

This morning before I went to work, I happened to get a shot of the kids playing the Xbox.  Apparently you can put music on the program and dance and record yourself.  It was fun to watch them before I had to leave.

~Day 168: Scout Anticipation

 

Ashton couldn't wait to get another award at scout pack meeting tonight.  He really loves to go every week to scouts.  It's been good for him to get out of the house and learn different things.

 

The game tonight was for all the kids.  If you look closely, you can see Brookie and Cailee blowing their papers across the floor with straws.  Ashton is way out of the shot in front.   He was doing really well at first, then slowed a little.  But they all came out laughing.  Glad they had fun !

~Day 167: Small Tantrum

Cailee was not cooperating very well tonight. She was acting like a baby. She was not eating her food when asked. She was purposely being a pill. She was told she had to finish her brocolli before she could have more milk because she drinks milk like crazy and doesn't eat her food. This is her sitting at the table alone because everyone else finished and could get down.  She didn't want to have her picture taken because she knew she was not being good.

Eventually she was able to have more milk. Took forever tho...

~Day 166: Happy Father's Day, Nick

 

Happy Father's Day to my amazing hubby.  He is such a good dad to our kids. He is more patient with them than I am.  He always hugs them and loves them and tells them that he loves them often, which is so important. 

The girls had the idea for his gift this year.  Each child made him a card and we got him a stash of some things he likes.  That was what our little shopping excursion was yesterday.  We might have lied and told him we didn't know what we were getting... but I hope he forgives us :)

Nick is so patient with the kids and he is good to help them learn things.  This morning, Ashton asked for fried eggs.  Unfortunately for Nick, he makes them best.  So it was up to him to instruct Ashton on how to cook them, even tho he should have taken it easy today.  (I got the easy task before of showing him how to do scrambled eggs... mushing stuff up is easy and my fried eggs come out looking scrambled anyway) but Ashton was excited to have some Dad time I think.  

I'm so fortunate to have married such a wonderful man.  He is the best for me and our kids in so many ways.   

'Nannoo,' Nick.

~Day 165: Shopping Buddies

 

Fun day today.  Ashton was off playing with his little friend.  Nick was watching something called World Cup.   So the girls and I spent a good part of the day together.  We had lunch and then went shopping.  They got the cute sunglasses they are wearing.  It was nice to be with just the girls!

~Day 164: I have an itch

I actually walked into a library today to get a real live book. Ok... a few books (and put a few more on hold).  I started looking closer into my own personal history, and got an 'itch.'  

Last night I was looking on the internet  for information and it was bugging me.  I wanted to touch a page and have multiple resources at my fingertips... not just online.  To think, this was the only way we could do our research when I was younger.  My kids are not going to know what this is like.  Too much technology now days.  I still love a printed book.  There is NOTHING like holding a physical book in our hands... smelling the pages... and turning those pages one by one with your own hands.  What a wonderful gift books are.

~Day 163: What is...Lose It?

The kids were doing the dishes.  The kids were bouncing off the walls.  The kids were told to calm down.  Mom was not so happy tonight.  Kids were not helping this issue.  Kids did not calm down.

Jeopardy was on. The above picture shows the category: "blank" it. 

The below picture is the answer.  Good timing.  The question lies in the subject line of this post.  You do the math for what mom did next.

~Day 162: Stone Age Games

We made the kids turn off the electronics tonight.  They weren't too happy about it.  This is what they ended up playing.  Of course I ended up helping, but it was fun.  Their brains needed a break from the moving screens and constant sound.  It's hard to be forced to stay indoors because of the heat, but we make the best of it.

~Day 161: Imagination

Brookie did her own makeup.  Made her own pony ears.  And made her own zip line for her toys.  I say it was a good imagination day!

~Day 160: Cooling Off

Nick is spraying the kids with the hose today.  The temp got up to 106 degrees today. That's not hot at all... haha

~Day 159: 11 Bucks Tastes So Good

 Healthy food never looked so good.  Makes it easier to eat when you get a great deal on the stuff.  The strawberries alone were $.25 each... how can you not enjoy that?

~Day 158: Latest Creations

I loved these!  I'm sorry, I have to present them. :)  I went with my mom shopping when I was in Utah, and it was so much fun to go looking for projects to complete.

The top one is my favorite.  It is a Triple Crochet Cross.  I loved the yarn around the edges too!  I'm just happy with how it turned out.  But don't look too closely to the real thing... you have to pay attention to what you are doing.  A few of them missed a cross, but good thing you can't tell unless you are looking... so don't look....

And the next one is just a simple twisted cord.  This one is quick and I love how it looks. I discovered both of these on YouTube and that might be my new best friend! 

 

I had to compare the size of each below.  Seems that one is quite larger than the other....

~Day 157: Snuggles and Snow

 

 Cailee is still sick with whatever it is my kids shared.  Today the two older, healthy children went to the summer movie for the week.  Since Cailee could not go, we had our own little movie fun.  She sat and snuggled with me for most of the movie.  It was so nice!

 Cabin Fever.  Again.  

The girls made 'snow' in the living room.  They got the cotton balls out and had a snowball fight.  I couldn't get mad at them because really, they were using their imaginations and it wasn't hurting anything.  I just made them pick everything up and vacuum before they went to bed... something they weren't too happy about.  :)

~Day 156: Mr. Pickle and the Torture Device

This is the tiger, Mr. Pickle.  No, I did not name him.  BrookLynn did.  And don't ask me where she came up with that name.  He wanted to be in the picture for today.  Say hello.

And also say hello to the torture device.  That is  a very comfy folding chair we've had for 12 years  with a very fluffy pillow on it.  I take great delight in sitting on this fabulous piece of furniture for eight hours a day.  I couldn't think of anywhere else I would like to sit.  I might want to sleep on it tonight.

This is my work station this week since I have had sick kids.  I'm very fortunate that I have a job where I can work from home if needed.  It's been a life saver.  So when I say it's comfy.... I'd almost rather have another baby with no drugs than sit on that thing anymore.  The chair is extremely hard.  The pillow almost as hard.  And it doesn't have wheels.  They are essential.  If I work from home a lot more, I'm investing in a chair that I could possibly take a nap in.  My neck, back, shoulders and arse will thank me.

~Day 155: Sicky Number Three

Poor thing.  Now she has whatever illness the other two kids had.  She woke up around 430 this morning and her fever was around 103 degrees.  This is how I found her tonight when it was time for bed.  Worn out, I think.

~Day 154: Mom, There's Nothing To Do

 Cailee was complaining there was nothing to do today.   A friend sent me a link with ideas for the summer, and I had the girls do one.  We used Elmer's Glue with food coloring to make interesting mixtures.  Kept them busy for at least a half hour! 

 

Cailee was very adamant about being able to wash the dishes tonight after dinner.  We left all three kids alone to do the dishes for the first time.  I'm a control freak when it comes to doing things like that, and I need to let that go.  It was difficult tonight, but they did a good job!

~Day 153: In the Zone.

With it being too hot outside, some of the entertainment of choice is video games.  It takes serious concentration...

~Day 152: Toothless Wonder

During dinner tonight, Brookie suddenly stops eating and holds up her hand.  Her tooth had fallen out while she was eating a raw carrot.  She is very limited on her tooth count now haha

She also wanted me to show the pony she created.  The name she gave it is "Lemon Stars."  

I love how she uses her imagination.