Crazy Few Weeks

I had a bit of a busy week before we left on our trip to Colorado early in the month but course it's always crazy when I'm getting our family ready for a week long camping trip. We had so much fun with our family in Colorado and we brought back my 9 year old niece Mariah to stay with us for a week and a half. Of course Randy had to be the fun and cool uncle so he made the next week and a half like a vacation for the kids while Mariah was visiting. Luckily Tiff's girls were able to come down and hang out with the cousins and then Tiff let them all go home with her for awhile before they all came back. Randy met my sister Katie in Vernal on Wednesday so Mariah could go home. She said she had lots of fun but I know she was so happy to see her mom again.

While all the kids were visiting we went to Lagoon. It was such a hot, hot day but the kids still loved it. We went to Lagoon A Beach for a few hours and then rode rides. By 5:30pm I was not feeling well and had to bail out on Randy and the kids and go home with the Doodle. Randy and the kids stayed until the park closed and they were so tired when they got home. Of course it has been Lagoon Bounce Back days so we all went back this past Tuesday. We took a few extra cousins again (which means we had 8 kids total) and again it was a hot day but the kids had a blast. We didn't do the water park just the rides and most of the rides the kids rode multiple times. They got so wet and had so much fun. I finally bailed out at 8:00pm and again Randy and the kids stayed until closing. Princess Izzybee walked into our house at 10:30pm crying and wet saying she was so tired. She was in bed and asleep within 10 minutes. That was a long 11 hour day for the kids at Lagoon but I don't think they complained while they were there.

ZMan went home with Grandma C and two of his cousins on Wednesday. Grandma C will bring the boys home from St. George on Monday. Since ZMan went away with his sisters I asked Tiff if her girls could hang out for a few more days to make it easier for Princess Izzybee. The girls have spent lots of time swimming and yesterday we had a busy and fun day with Bountiful 24th stuff. Tiff is coming down this morning to take the girls home to Logan and Princess Izzybee will go with them for another day or two.

Yesterday afternoon the girls and I walked in the Bountiful Parade with our ward and the stake float. I have to admit I was dreading it because it was so hot and I wasn't sure how the kids would hold up. It wasn't bad though and even a little fun. A lot of the parade route we seemed to have some shade. We had lots of water and I brought water bottles so the kids had fun squirting each other. The 22 blocks didn't seem as long as I thought they would be and the girls had a lot of fun waving at the parade onlookers. They really loved the waving at people. We were an earlier entry in the parade so when we were done we found Randy and watched the remainder of the parade. The kids got lots of candy. After the parade we got take out Chinese food and went to the fireworks. We squeezed into a spot and ate our food in the almost dark and watch the cool fireworks. They were fun and the girls were happy. It was so late when we got home and climbed in bed exhausted. They are still all in bed sleeping.

Today is a holiday and we don't have anything planned. Randy is working and Tiff is coming to get the kids. Patty said they may come down but otherwise I think it will be a quieter day.

Next week I am looking forward to a sense of normalcy in our house but I'm glad the kids have been able to spend time with family and cousins and make fun memories. I'm grateful Randy plans and encourages them to get together with cousins.

Swimming

Last night Randy decided to go swimming and finally talked the Doodle into going with him. She never gets in the pool, she likes to sit on the side of the pool and throw everything in the pool. I think she liked it since it was only her and dad so it was calm and there wasn't a lot of splashing.

Monday and Tuesday Tiffany and the kids came down to visit and all the kids lived in the pool for those two days. It was so hot and they got sunburned but they loved the pool time. Princess Izzybee went home with Tiffany and they will bring her back when they come on Saturday.

Saturday we will go to our annual Centerville parade and come home and open the pool and BBQ. I always love the 4th of July. Tiffany and her family will come down, Patty and Brian along with the kids will come and one of my roommates form college is coming with her family as well. Anyone else who wants to come is invited also. We normally buy fireworks and all the kids love lighting them on the street when it gets dark.

Tuesday of next week we go to Colorado for our Wilstead Family Reunion. My sister Katie is in charge and she is hosting it in Steamboat Springs. It will be a fun visit and we'll have some good family time. I have so much to do to get us ready for our trip, does anyone want to come help me?

We're home

Thursday we drove down to St. George to visit Mom. Randy hooked up her new computer and got her all set up with her internet. He spent a lot of time making sure everything was okay, that she had virus protection and that she new how to log on and use the websites she wanted to bookmark. He was more patient then me as I was trying to help her and she was double clicking on her mouse so slowly that I had to keep reminding her she has to double click faster. I hope she comfortable with the computer and we can keep in touch with her more online.

Friday night we went to the Tuacahn Ampitheatre to see the play Annie. We had dinner before the performance and Randy took a bunch of pictures of the kids on the fountain. The theatre is so beautiful since it's outside and the red rocks surround it. There was a breeze which helped to cool it off. The play was great. Princess Izzybee was so excited to see it and had been singing "The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow" the entire day. After the play when the cast was outside Princess Izzybee was able to meet Annie. Today she was singing "The Sun Will Come Out The Next Day" because she is forgetting the words.

Number 4 is on it's way

I was surprised a few weeks ago when I took a pregnancy test that is was positive. I guess I shouldn't have been but after a couple of years I was beginning to doubt it would ever happen. This is the first pregnancy where I didn't tell everyone right away, I decided I wanted to wait until at least after my first doctor's appointment.

Yesterday I had my first appointment. I am 11 weeks and everything looked good. I was able to see the baby on the ultrasound and see the heartbeat. I am finally getting excited and feeling more confident. The baby's due date is January 4th. We told the kids last night and Z Man and Princess Izzybee were excited but the Doodle has no idea what we are talking about and she's the one I'm most worried about.

Yay for us!

HAFB Air Show

This week has been Air Force Week and today there was an airshow at HAFB (the show is also tomorrow). A few years ago I took the kids and went with Randy's parents for my first air show and absolutely loved it. When I saw that the air show was today I was so excited to go with our family because the kids are older and I knew they would love it. We got a late start because I had a hair appointment and then the traffic getting on base is jam packed. We didn't spend a lot of time going through all the planes because the lines were so long. Luckily we didn't have to wait super long for the Thunderbirds. The Thunderbirds were awesome, I was as excited as the kids, it is just amazing. I took way to many pictures and I'm tempted to go back and watch it tomorrow.

Last Day of School

Today was the last day of school for the kids. They are so excited to not have homework, projects and a set bedtime. I am pretty happy to not have these things as well so, Yay for summer!

Princess Izzybee started her day at a friend's house with a "Last Day of School Breakfast" (fun idea). Z Man asked me to come to his class with his snow cone machine so we could make snow cones for his class which was fun. After school the kids and I planned a swimming party for their friends to come and splash around and have fun. We were afraid the rain and lightening would make the party end early but even with the sprinkles we kept swimming. The kids were already wet so they hardly noticed.

Tonight Z Man is going to the Bee's game with some friends and he is so excited. There are fireworks after the game. I am so tired so my wonderful hubby is stopping for takeout and we will watch movies and laze around the house for the evening. Yay for me.

The Doodles Haircut

I took the Doodle to Cookies Cutters this morning for a haircut. The back of her hair was getting quite long but her bangs hadn't reached it so it was still a toddler mullet. The girl bobbed her hair and french braided the very front (something I need to learn to do). Her bangs are almost as long as her hair now. I just keep hoping her hair will thicken up, but I have no control over it so I just have to be patient.

Sunday Update

This will be the last week of school and I'm so glad for a break from homework and projects. The kids are happy and have been counting down for weeks.

Randy opened the pool right before we went camping last weekend. The kids have been swimming everyday this past week and have loved it. Many of their friends and neighbor kids have joined us. When the pool is open it keeps me busy because the Doodle is all over and throwing everything she can in the pool so besides watching all the swimmers I have to watch the Doodle ALWAYS.

Yesterday Randy started working on the porch hand railings. He still has more to do but at least he got started and hopefully it will done soon. We have plenty of projects to work on so he won't be bored.

This afternoon after church Randy's sister came down with her boys for swimming. My kids were very happy to have their cousins come over and join them in the pool. We had a BBQ and then they decided to go see a movie (I know it's Sunday). The Doodle and I are home watching the Harry Potter movies and doing laundry.

Many years ago we watched the movie Simon Birch together and loved it. We laughed and I cried many times. It is one of our favorites. It's been many years since we watched it and we were talking about it the other day so Randy decided to surprise me and order it since we have a VHS version. The movie came in the mail yesterday so we sat up last night watching it. It's such a sweet movie, if you haven't seen it I highly recommend it.

New Scooters

Monday night the 2 kids talked their dad into buying them scooters because "anyone who is anyone has one". The funny thing is for the Z Man's birthday he asked for a scooter but he wanted a wing scooter and that is what he got but now he also wants a "regular" scooter. All week they have been riding them, even to and from school, they are loving their new scooters.

Update

I have posted most lately. The main reason is because I have had the worst cold for over two weeks so I just didn't have the energy. After two weeks I called my doctor in tears and asked for antibiotics for my sinus infection and a day after starting the medicine I could feel a difference. I was very stubborn and waited to long for the prescription so of course I was miserable for too long. I'm finally feeling better and I have more energy. Throughout my sickies the kids got it and I think I gave it to my nieces and nephew whom I tended.

Mom visited this past weekend. It was good to see her and she split her time between us and Logan. Saturday we headed up to Logan to watch Tiffi's girls in their final dance performance. It was fun and they did a fabulous job. The Doodle had fun dance in the isle during the recital.

Randy has had the last two weekends off. The first weekend he went to Southern Utah and went 4-wheeling with friends. Last weekend he went jeeping in Moab with friends again. He took the 4-wheeler along and loved the adventures they had.

This weekend we are planning a camping trip to the Sand Dunes with friends for the holiday weekend. The kids are excited to go 4-wheeling. I'm not sure how much I will like camping in the sand but I am happy to get away from everything for a break. Of course there is a lot to do this week to get ready for our trip.

School is coming to an end (about 3 weeks left) and the kids can't wait till it's over. I'll be happy to be finished with homework and projects as well. Z Man has several projects/reports that he needs to finish and there are some field trips and fun things planned as well.

I forgot to post that for Mother's Day I got a Ladybug steam/vapor cleaner. I have wanted a steam cleaner for so long so I am very excited about my gift. I've played with it a little but I'm looking forward to cleaning a bunch of things.

Saturday Stuff

I have been fighting an awful cold/sinus infection for over a week now. Yesterday I even went to the doctor because I was sure something else was going on but it's only a sinus infection and terrible sore throat. I can't wait for this cold to be gone, I really take advantage of my health.

Mid-week Randy was invited to go on a 4-wheeling ride this weekend. It's actually a protest ride through the Paria Canyon. The BLM intends to enforce the closure of the Paria River road within a few days. The road is being closed due to environmental organizations filing a petition to close the road because it is closed in the monument plan. Last year we were going to do this 50 mile ride on the 4-wheelers with friends (25 miles in and 25 miles out) but it was the same weekend as the Father and Son outing so Randy took the Z Man camping instead. When the friends sent us an email this week about the road closure I told Randy he should go because I knew he would have fun. He called Allen to invite him knowing that Allen would love it. Since my sister is working all weekend I have their three kids. The kids are all having a fun time. My only struggle so far has been bed and nap time for the Rock and Doodle.

Tuesday Things

Last week and this week have been calmer and we are enjoying the spring weather. We have lots of projects we need to get going on and I am hopeful that we will accomplish them. The yard needs to be finished and the kid's bedrooms need to be tackeled as well.

The Doodle wants to be outside any moment she can. I can't wait until we have grass but for now she is happy playing in the sand area of the backyard on the Little Tykes toys. She has discovered ants and has lots of fun watching them and trying to pick them up to show me.

This week Z Man only has one soccer game and one baseball game although they are both tomorrow night. He will also have practices for both throughout the week. Tomorrow night will be a little crazy but at least it's only one crazy night this week instead of all crazy nights like it was for a few weeks.

Princess Izzybee still has dance class but I think they are just having fun since they have already preformed their recitial. She is loving her tumbeling class and I'm thinks that next year we will concertrate on gymnastics again.

We need to get the trailer ready for camping trips for the summer. I think our first trip will be with some friends to the Sand Dunes over Memorial Weekend. I already feel like the summer will need to be longer so we can fit all we want to do into such a short time.

Dance Performance

Princess Izzybee had her dance performance last night. Grandpa and Aunt Tiff's family came to see her perform. Her dance was second in the performance and we stayed for the entire recital because she had a bow at the end. It was a little long for the kids (including me) but I did enjoy most of the numbers and I liked the narrator and story that was told.

Yay it's Friday!

Yay, it's Friday and I made it through our busy week. Today is slow compared to the other days of the week although I've still been running and running. We only had tumbling this afternoon instead of multiple activities through the afternoon/evening.

Tomorrow Princess Izzybee has her dance performance. She is so excited and last night I watched her perform in her dress rehearsal. It was a cute dance. She didn't like me putting a bun in her short hair since it required little ponies underneath, going up which hurt so there were lots of tears and putting mascara on was quite the dramatic scene as well. After tomorrow night I told her she wouldn't have to do either for a long time

Tomorrow is crazy with baseball practice, a primary activity, my niece has a basketball game we are trying to make it to in Sandy, a birthday party and then the dance performance.

My allergies have been really bad for the last two days so I was looking forward to the rain, hoping it would help. I'm glad allergy season is only a few weeks for me.

It's time to sign up for the kid's fall activities and I'm struggling with what I should sign them up for. Z Man is still wanting to play soccer and baseball which isn't a problem in the Fall but come Spring it's a scheduling nightmare with us running all over. We also have him on a waiting list for piano lessons which hopefully will start in the fall. Princess Izzybee talks about soccer and baseball but I'm still not sure since it changes daily. She also loves tumbling and dance so I'm not sure which to have her do. This year she took creative dance and tumbling but I want her to do ballet (for basics) and she wants hip hop plus tumbling. We discovered she is to young for piano which she wants to do but I can sign her up for Kindermusik but it seems like so much stuff to do when you are 6/7. I also was thinking of putting the Doodle in Kindermusik but I'm just not sure. What to do, what to do.... I wish I could look forward and know for sure what was best for each child.

Sunday Stuff

I wish we still had another weekend day, although the kids are fighting so I should be happy they go back to school tomorrow.

We had a fun weekend, yesterday after baseball practice we drove up to Logan. Sam and Danni had a dance competition that we watched and they were so cute and did an excellent job. After the dance we hung out at their house and Tiff made us dinner and we visited which was so nice (I wish they lived a little closer). The girls came home with us and spent the night and believe it or not we made it on time to our 9:00am church.

This week is a busy week with Pack Meeting, soccer game and practice, baseball game and practice (although I still don't have the schedule), dance recital dress rehearsal and then the dance recital. Everyday except Monday we have something so it's going to be crazy and I'm sure I will be somewhat frazzled by the end of the week. The kids are hoping we will get the pool opened soon and I think the weather this week is supposed to be really warm.

Princess Izzybee has a field trip tomorrow and she has asked me to come along. I'm not sure if I can it depends if I can find someone to tend the Doodle. I wish I could take her along, it would just be easier. It's fun to be so busy with the kids but I'm already looking forward to relaxing after church next Sunday.

Spring Break Week

The kids decorating an Easter House.


Z Man decorating Easter eggs.


The Doodle decorating Easter eggs.


Princess Izzybee while decorating her eggs.

The kids had Spring Break this past week. We talked about doing something fun but due to a few obligations we couldn't go the entire week. We were invited to the Sand Dunes Thursday through Sunday but it was cancelled due to the rainy weather. Even though we've stayed close to home it's been a nice Spring Break. The kids played lots with friends and when the weather was nicer we hit the park. We also went to the bubble for swimming one afternoon.

Wednesday night Randy and I went to see Wicked for the second time. We first saw it in L.A. a year and half ago and loved it so much that we wanted to see it when it came to Salt Lake City. Trent and Laura joined us and we went to Flemmings for yummy (and expensive) dinner before the play. Wicked was as fabulous as I remembered and I loved it the second time around. I love the soundtrack and have been singing it for weeks now. I hope you're happy?

Randy took the kids skiing yesterday. Trent and Laura took their kids so we invited ours along knowing they would have fun skiing with other kids their age. The weather was good for them, maybe even warmer than we thought it would be. The three of them came home exhausted from a long day on the slopes.

Tonight the kids decorated an Easter Bunny House and ate more candy then they put on the house. Of course we had a big mess and there was frosting everywhere but they enjoyed it. We cleaned up and decorated Easter eggs. I'm always amazed how much my kids enjoy coloring eggs, they never eat them but they love to decorate them. They are excited for the Easter Bunny to visit tonight.

Yard Work

Randy finished the wall between our yard and the neighbors yard. When there is sun out he has been spreading good top soil down. I came home from work today and he was riding the 4-wheeler up and down the hill in our yard to flatten it out. Of course the Doodle saw this and had to join in on the fun. The next step is sprinklers and then grass. I can't wait until it's finished.

Yay it's Saturday!

It was nice to not have to get up super early this morning and with the snow/rain drizzle I just want to stay in my jammies all day and read a good book in front of the fire place.

Patty and kids came over last night and it was good to visit with her. Oliver is getting so big and he's so cute, the Doodle had fun looking at the baby and telling me to "shhhhh, baby sleep". I wish the weather had been nicer so the kids could have released energy while playing outside.

Yesterday the Z Man's 3rd grade class had a Book-N-Bag. I went to his class for lunch and we ate together and read together. It was fun, he actually showed me alot of his in class writing. He has a book full of stories and poems he has written and he loves to share them. After lunch the parents were invited to stay for oral book reports that the kids were giving. Z Man wasn't even nervous about getting up in front of his class. His report was on Martin Luther King Jr., he wore a suit to give the report since that is what Martin Luther King was seen wearing in many pictures. Part of the report included him bringing a paper bag with a scene from the person's life and at least 4 objects that represented his person. Z Man choose the Bible since Dr. King was a minister, a flag and microphone to represent the speeches Dr. King gave, he drew a heart to represent that Dr. King taught we should fight with love and note hate and lastly he drew a gun to represent the gun the killed Dr. King. Z Man's report was good, he got a little nervous for a minute but otherwise he did really good. I was impressed with his first oral report.



We've been soaking the Doodles's foot and I've been giving her the antibiotic. It still looks yucky and seems more swollen. I'm not sure it's getting better. We think it might actually be some sort of bug bite instead of a blister. We'll just keep soaking it and trying to keep her from playing with it.

Thursday Stuff

I really need to be in bed because I am so tired. I'm up later than I should be because I have a bunch of work stuff to do and I thought I would take a quick break. The last two weeks I have been getting up extra early to exercise and by 9:00pm I am just worn out and so tired. Either I'm getting old or I just need more sleep than I'm getting.

Today was so busy, I felt like I was running all day and I didn't get much of a break. The kids we all in bed by 8:30pm and if it wasn't for the school play it would have been earlier. Tonight their school had a musical and the kids were in the chorus. It was really cute and a short program (which was a huge plus for me). They've been learning the songs throughout the year and my kids have been singing them around the house so it was nice to hear them tonight in their proper context. I was tempted to not go (I know, bad mom), but the kids really wanted to participate and I'm glad we went.

We've had some school stress with Princess Izzybee the last few weeks. I'm to tired to get into it all right now but we just don't really know what to do to help the situation. I really wish sometimes that we had a manual for each child. I honestly don't know what to do to help he stay on task and complete her school work in school. I don't think what we are doing is really working but I'm going to continue giving it a try.

This morning when I was putting the Doodle's shoes on I notice her sore on her big toe and it looked awful. It's all red and swollen and I realized that it is infected. She's had this sore for a little while now and it's been read but I just thought it was a blister and she's actually been wearing shoes lately (she puts them on so most of the time they are on the wrong feet) so I thought that wearing shoes was making her sore red. It's more than red and kind of scabbed over so I didn't think Neosporin would really help. I made her a doctor's appointment hoping I wasn't looking like a silly mom or a neglectful mom. We were given an antibiotic prescription and told her soak her toe in water twice a day. If the toe wasn't looking better by Monday we should take her back but the doctor thought it should improved by then. I noticed that her poor little toe has been hurting her throughout the day, poor thing.

Randy was very sweet and ordered me a movie that I love. We actually saw it together with another friend before we were even dating. The movie is Mother and I thought it was soooo funny and loved, loved it. It stars Debbie Reynolds and Albert Brooks who are great together as mother and son. Randy didn't think it was very funny so that's makes it even sweeter that he bought me the movie because we had been talking about it the other day. I couldn't watch it tonight but I am looking foward to enjoying it tomorrow. Thanks dear.

The kids have spring break next week so we are all excited for a break from school. We have stuff going on early in the week and are thinking of going camping towards the end of the week. We're still unsure about what we're doing but we'll get in figured out at least the day before we do it.

King's Tournament Pack Meeting

Last night Zachary had Pack Meeting. The theme was knights and castles so they called it the King's Tournament. The boys made shields with their family crest, crowns and family flags this past month in their den meetings. The boys all brought cakes they had decorated to action them off (we made a flip flop cake). They earned money or beads for the auction throughout this past month by doing good deeds at home and being on time for den meetings and wearing their uniforms.

Zachary had lots of points so we came home with two cakes (which is not what I need around the house). He was pretty happy with himself. They had different activities where the boys and their families competed in games such as a javelin throw or jousting. It was a lot of fun for the kids.