New Moon Madness!

Whopee!  Guess where I will be tonight at 12:20!  Take one guess... Gotta say, I love the books, the last movie was fun, but I hear this movie is even better and I am very happy to see it tonight.  I am throwing caution to the wind and sacrificing precious sleep that is hard to come by to spend some quality time with the gals.  Totally worth it!

Scott, a big movie fanatic himself, totally understands the madness, until he saw this on his way home from work...

Then, he questioned my motives and was a little more curious about what all the fuss is about.  This poster is a bit over the top and now I'm a bit embarrassed about the whole phenomena.  What do you ladies think?  Love it or too much?  Or both?  :)

Either way, I'm off to get the kiddos ready for bed and bundle myself up for a chilly wait in line.  If I get cold, I can always recall this poster!

An Idea for Family Home Evening

So, I decided that our next Family Home Evening would be about the significance of the Sacrament after passing the bread tray to Joshie at church this Sunday and he casually waved it off saying, "Oh, no thank you!  I not hungry."  I took a second to remind him that we don't pass the sacrament because he might be hungry, but to think about his Jesus and His life and example and his atonement.  I offered it to him again and got the same response, "But I NOT HUNGRY!"

Mexican Caviar

I have to post this because I just love it!  I stole it from my sister who got it from her mother-in-law.  (I would link to her blog, but that is entirely too technical for me!)  It's delicious and very healthy!  I eat it as a side dish, with chips, over rice, or with warmed tortillas.  Give it a try!

 

"Mexican Caviar"

1 small can corn

1 can hominy and 1 can black eyed peas (I use garbanzo beans and black beans instead)

1 can green chilies

4 chopped green onions

3 chopped Roma tomatoes

16 oz. picante sauce (Pace brand)

1 can diced black olives

1/2 small bottle zesty Italian dressing

1 teaspoon minced garlic

Lots of cilantro

A Five Year Old's Thoughts on Marriage

On the way to school Thursday Ben asked, "Mom, what happens if you are married and you find someone else you like better?  Can you trade in the old one?"

Well, technically, you can and it is done all the time.  However, I began a conversation explaining that marriage is a commitment and that you make it work and once you get married, you stop looking.  He replied, "Mom, I just can't help it!  I just think girls are so pretty and I want to marry them all!"

I Guess the Trunk or Treat Was Exhausting!

Baby Eli

Cousin Baby Jovi

Our New Pet--Spooky

Meet Spooky.  We found him gorging on our grape tomato plant.  We plucked him from his own personal heaven to become a pet of two very interested and hands on boys.  He is officially called a tobacco hornworm.  The pictures don't do him justice.  He is huge and the amount of leaves he can devour is frightening!

Ben brought him in for share day and I made him write a report.  (It's crazy that Ben couldn't even write 2 months ago!  Thank you Kindergarten and positive peer pressure!)  On Sunday, he stopped eating and began his "wandering" phase in preparation for his metamorphosis.  In the last week, he has shrunk and is turning brown.  It's fun to watch.  It sounds like he will become a chrysalis for about 18 days and emerge a Carolina Sphinx moth with a wing span of 5-6 inches.

Stay tuned...

Enjoying Our Backyard

Today we spent a little time in our backyard.  This is what we found.

A creepy spider on our swing set.

Our tobacco hornworm beginning his wandering phase.  Notice his heart is showing through his skin that is becoming translucent.  His heart is actually a tube that runs along his back.

Our first avocado that we guessed was ready for harvest!

The proud gardener himself!

One Reason We Look Forward to General Conference--Scones!

Scones!!!

Don't get me wrong, we love Conference and this year it seems that I was able to listen to most of the talks of the Sunday sessions.  (I worked Saturday.)  That's reason to celebrate right there!  We love being together as a family to hear the uplifting and inspiring words of the prophets of our church.  We feel so blessed to belong to a church where we have a prophet that receives direct revelation from our Heavenly Father.  Also, who could forget Elder Holland's passionate testimony of the Book of Mormon?  I add mine to his.

But...we stole a traditon for our friends, the Hiltons (miss you guys!), and it has stuck and we look forward to it every April and October.  It is the tradition of SCONES!  Who could not love fried bread?  The best part is that we top it off with SCONE SYRUP!  What is that, you ask?  Only the best syrup ever...made from basically butter, sugar and buttermilk.  It's a top secret Stringham recipe and we feel so proud to be part of the circle of trust.  Thank you, Michelle!

I think Ben's face says it all!

Let Us Never Forget

I'm feeling so many emotions today.  I was looking back, trying to find some pictures that we took while we were in NYC on that horrific day.  In some ways, it feels like it was just yesterday when I look at the photos.  The fear and anxiety has subsided, but the sadness for the lost lives is still very near.  What also remains is gratitude for all those who selflessly helped in that time of need and for all those who continue to serve our great country and keep us free.   It is a debt that we can never repay.  I would just like to add my sincere thanks to those that are remembering this day and those who have given their lives or loved ones on behalf of our country.  May we never forget.

We happened to be in NYC on September 11, 2001.  Scott was working that beautiful, clear, fall morning near Times Square.  I was staying with our friends, Sam and Sara, in Astoria, Queens and I about to venture out to the WTC to buy some discount show tickets when our friend, Sam called me to tell me to stay put and turn on the news.  I turned on the news just in time to see the second plane hit the second tower.  After that, shock turned into horror and that day began that would turn out to be among the longest and darkest for so many.

I could not reach Scott because all the phone lines were jammed.  I was pretty sure he was okay, because he was far from the WTC, but I really wanted to hear his voice.  Luckily, we had both thought to call my mom and she was able to relay messages to us from each other.  Scott was fine and he was going to meet up with Sam and Sara and walk home.  I stayed put, anxious and scared.  I watched the horrible footage and fielded phone calls from worried friends and family.  I could hear the jets outside and could already see the smoke in the sky.

Here are some pictures Scott took on his walk home on the 59th Street Bridge.

Thankfully, after a several hours, Scott, Sam, Sara, and Sam's boss arrived home safely.  We talked, cried, answered phone calls and ordered pizza.  It was a day that went on and on.  That night we walked around Astoria in disbelief.  It was such a beautiful day.  The air temperature was perfect, but one glance toward the WTC told us that it was no ordinary day.  It was so quiet other than the occasional jet zooming overhead.  We ate dinner in a local diner.  The news coverage was blaring in the corner. 

We were so worried about our new sister-in-law, Rebecca who was a flight attendant for American Airlines based out of Boston.  I knew she was on a trip, but I couldn't remember which flight.  We were so happy when we heard that she was stranded in Texas and safe.  Sadly, she knew a number of the flight attendants on the Boston flight.

That night we had reservations at a hotel in Times Square, but we didn't want to go into the city.  The city was closed and we wanted to be with friends. There were many rumors of bomb threats.  There was just a feeling of panic.

The next morning, Scott went into work and the rest of us decided we all had to get out of the house.  We walked to a local track and walked a bit.  On the way, we stopped at a hospital and put our name on a blood donation list.  There seemed like so little we could do...What struck me most were the posters and pictures of missing people all over the neighborhood.  I will never forget that.

Scott only worked half day and then came and got me and we went into the city.  We were probably a little crazy for continuing with our plans, but I'm glad we did.  That night, we took a subway as far south as we could and walked the rest of the way to a restaurant in Greenwich Village.  We had reservations for the night before.  (We were going to celebreate our anniversary on the 11th instead of the 10th because Scott had gotten tickets to the Yankee's game on the 10th.  We never actually saw the game because it was rained out.  We were the couple huddled together in the pouring rain in ponchos for two hours with nobody else around except for the half naked drunk guy.  I tell Scott that's what he gets for taking me to a baseball game on our anniversary combined with the curse of the Yankees.)

The neighborhood south of 14th Street was closed to traffic so it was eerily quiet.  The streets were empty of the typical traffic and even parked cars were few.  People were quietly walking, riding bikes, skateboarding, roller blading and planning midnight vigils.  The missing persons posters were sobering.  I think we all felt like we wanted to be out and with each other.  The people we encountered were extremely friendly.  We all looked each other in the eye and asked each other how we were doing.  I felt true concern, unity and compassion from everyone.

The next day, we got as close to the WTC as we could.  It still seemed so unreal.  How could the towers be gone?  How many people had lost their lives?  The estimations were staggering.  There were false reports of survivors.  How could this have happened here in our country?  More haunting details were coming out.  We walked around in awe and disbelief.

The next week we had planed to go to Boston and stay with my brother, Steven.  We spent the week visiting the many historical sites.  What a meaningful and poignant time to learn about and appreciate our country's many patriots.  We had such an intense appreciation for our country and its founders throughout this week.  The city was plastered with American flags and signs that read, "God Bless America" and "United We Stand."

I hope we always remember the feelings we felt that day.  Let's remember the gratitude we had for our friends, families, lives, and the heros who gave so much.  Let's always remember the compassion and unity we felt.

Happy 10th Anniversary, Babe!

To celebrate 10 fantastic years of marriage, I would like to tell you 10 reasons I love you so much!

1. I love that when a construction company called looking for work this week, I was able to tell him that my husband can do all the things we need around the house.  When he asked if there was anything outside his expertise, I said, "No, he can do everything!"
2. I love that you help cook so much that our 5 year old was confused when he found out that his Aunt Jen was cooking on Saturday and why not Uncle Daniel because, "boys make the food!"
3. I love that it is very important and a priority to you that I stay home with the kiddos.
4. I love that you are a softy and good at expressing your feelings because I am not.
5. I love that you like to make special occasions out of events and do things right.
6. I love that you are a good sport when I try new recipes and make weird food and most of the time you really like it.
7. I love that you are a leader in family prayer, family home evening and scripture study.
8. I love that you work so hard for our family, driving to LA everyday to provide for our family when I know you would rather be home with us.
9. I love that you are happiest when you are with me and our boys.
10. I love that you have put up with me for 10 years and still tell me you love me everyday and meant it!

I love you too!  Here's to 50 more wonderful years and looking forward to all that the future has in store for us together!

Joshie's First Day of Preschool--His Turn!

After trailing behind Big Bro for two years longingly eyeing all the preschool toys, it was FINALLY Joshie's turn.  When I presented him with a new Star Wars t-shirt for the day, he jumped up and down and said, "IT'S MY TURN!"  So decked out in a new t-shirt, hand me down easy up shorts, Ben's old tennis shoes, and a new Ice Age 3 lunch box earned by successful potty training, he took preschool by storm.

How great is preschool when you've seen the inside of the classroom for two years, seen the same teachers, watched Big Bro have fun, and have 5 church friends in the same class including, good friend, Jack?  Piece of cake!

Nothing but happy and excited!

After putting on the name tag and snapping a few pictures, I pointed to the toys and before I could kiss him, he was off.  I had to kiss the top of his head and hug his back.  I made a big deal of sending Ben in to wish his little brother good luck and give him a hug and the little guy didn't even look up!  We've always said, "Joshie, Party of one!"  

He was all smiles when we picked him up.  I missed my sweet guy, but, oh, was it nice to take the baby to the doctor and only worry about the baby.  Love, love preschool!

What do they say?  A child's work is to play.  I think Joshie put a long day in at the office!  Love you, buddy!

Ben's First Day of Kindergarten (AKA Green Pear vs. Yellow Pear)

All dressed for success in his Marvel Comics t-shirt and X-wing fighter backpack, Ben embarked on his first day of the public school system...Kindergarten!  He had met his teacher the week before during his assesment and liked her right away.  He reported to me, "Mom, she was NICE!"  I think it also helped that she is young and pretty.  He got even more excited about starting school when he found out that SHE would be his teacher!

Scott went in late that morning so we could all escort Ben to school and I'm glad he did because the school was a mad house.  Ben almost didn't make it past the parking lot because I almost got him ran over by a crazy car.  After a few pictures, Ben marched right in.  Because of the crowds, I stood in the back of the classroom and snapped a few pictures between all the parents' heads.  I was so proud of him and he seemed so grown up.  I couldn't help getting emotional but was happy to see that he was happy to be there.  I blew him a kiss from the back of the crowd and said goodbye.

This is my friend Angie, who was in MY Kindergarten class, and her little girl who happens to be in the same class as Ben.  The circle of life...

An awesome backpack is something to smile about!

Getting name tags...of course, my kid is in the back row.

I came a little early to pick up Ben and I was talking to my friend Angie when Ben wandered up and stood by me.  I gave him a hug and kiss and asked him how his day was and he look kind of sad and just said, "fine..."  After five minutes or so, I noticed that Ben was the only kid outside of the classroom.  I asked him if his teacher told him he could go or if he just got up and walked out.  He said he just walked out.  I told him to go back inside and wait until she said he could go. I guess he was just done.   I chalked him leaving early and acting sad to the fact that it was so darn hot that day.

When Ben was finally officially dismissed, his teacher came to me to tell me that Ben had homework because there was something that he wouldn't color in class.  She said he wanted to color something green, not yellow. I said, "okay, no problem."  I asked her if he was okay and why he walked out early and if she was aware of that.  She just said she was aware and that yes, it was really hot in the classroom and it was kind of crazy with all the parents around.

After talking to his teacher, I found Ben sitting on a bench looking sad.  I asked him what was wrong and he just burst into tears saying that he wanted to color his pear green but the teacher said it had to be yellow.  Well, I couldn't help it, it was such a sad and heartfelt display of emotion from my innocent Kindergartener that I couldn't stop my tears from welling up.  My friend came by and asked what was wrong and SHE got tears in her eyes.  

My mother hen feathers were ruffled (Did it really matter on the first day of school what color the pear was?!).  First, I told Ben that I liked green pears better too.  (We eat the green pears at our house because by the time the are yellow they are gross and mushy!)  Then, I told him that when he was at home, he could color his art any way that he wanted, but in school, he had to learn to follow the directions of his teacher.  I explained to Ben that his teacher was trying to teach him the word, "yellow" and that each of the boxes that made up the picture of the pear had the word "yellow" in them.  THAT's why he was to color the boxes yellow.  Once I explained that to him he seemed fine, but I was still sad to see my boy crying on his first day of school and not excited to go back again.

Later, in the car, Ben told me that he was coloring his pear green and then all the kids told on him.  It sounds like he was just embarrassed for doing something "wrong" and refused to do it after that.  Following directions turned out to be a harsh but important lesson to learn on the first day of Kindergarten.  

We invited a friend over for lunch, smoothies and some Star Wars legos and the world was right again!

Lego My Lego!

If you come to my house unannounced, this is what you will see.  This is what my living room floor has looked like everyday since Ben received his first Star Wars Legos for his 5th birthday last year.  Walking and vacuuming has never been the same!


It's wonderful because he gets himself up every morning...I can always tell when due to the loud dumping of the entire lego box...and he can keep himself busy until we all manage to get out of bed.


But, it's NOT wonderful, because these little things are EVERYWHERE!  My little Joshie loves the little body parts the most and is very creative in stashing his goods.  I have found Lego bodies under unfinshed door frames, in little holes in church play equipment, and in jean pockets.  One day, I was cleaning our kitchen cabinets.  We have one with a hole in the facing and upon closer inspection, I noticed Princess Leia's hair and various other tiny Legos INSIDE the cabinet door...all requiring surgical extraction.

I should be the mom that says, "You leave it out...it's gone.  If I vacuum it up, too bad, so sad!"  But, then along came this...the X wing fighter.  Thank you, Santa!  I know the frustration of building this monstracity and not having the pieces.  I have acutally picked through vacuum nastiness to save LEGOS!  The only thing I might pick out on my behalf are diamonds or rubies!  The things we do for our kids!


However, I must admit, I am a nerd and I really enjoy putting these things together.  I especially love it when I'm left alone and I do not have to search for all the pieces.



Luckily, freestyle building is where it's at.  Ben builds a few ships like this everyday and loves playing with his Star Wars guys.  His favorite Lego is his R2D2.  He builds ships for every member in our family.  One day, Joshie was crying and in an attempt to make his little brother feel better, he asked, "Joshie, do you want me to build you a ship?"  To which, Joshie replied a tearful, "Yes!" And, all was good.

One day after Disneyland, I decided to take the boys to the Lego Store.  Oh, Heaven! Thy name is LEGO.  There was something for everyone.  Joshie was just amazed at the little bins chock full of body parts!  Heads, glorious heads!

There was a "Darth Vadie" for Joshie and a R2D2 for Ben! They even moved and had sound effects. I was a bit scared by the Darth Varder myself. Awesome! Did I mention my kids are OBSESSED with Star Wars?

This is also where Ben fell in love with the Death Star.  Look at the desire in those eyes!  For those of you who might not know, the Death Star is Darth Vader's ship and it only costs a mere FOUR HUNDRED dollars!  It is a sad day in parenthood when your child's wishes for a present from Santa exceed reality.  I really thought this might happen for my teenage children, NOT my FIVE year old!  Well, it's good to have big dreams.  

Good luck with that, kiddo!

As a mother of three boys, I am resigned to my fate.  I am just more careful about my walking and vacuuming.  I am learning to love the hours of fun and creativity of those millions of darn little pieces inspire.  May the force be with me.

Joshie's 3rd Birthday Backyard Bash

My second child gets to reap the benefits (or drawbacks) of a more experienced mom when it comes to birthday parties. I am now into simplicity. With my oldest, birthday parties have either been all about the adults or way too crazy with way too much going on for adults, kids and multiple siblings. So, I sent out an evite (love it) and invited only five friends of Joshie's choice and let the parents know they could drop off their kids. We had five friends, two cousins, and five adults besides us. It was so much fun (for me!!!).

We set up a huge blow up pool, holding over 200 gallon (sorry water conservationists!) and put our slip and slide under our swing set slide. We just let the kids go at it. There were chips, grapes, cupcakes, drinks, and the occasional squirt gun or water ballon fight. Summer birthdays are the best. We, adults, enjoyed hanging out with some friends and loved watching Joshie enjoy his day and his friends.

We finished up the day with a trip to Mario's mexican food with Steve, Rebecca, Ryan and Megan. You just can 't go wrong with that! (Unless you order the tostada...) Good times were had by all and I did NO cooking that day since we had donuts for breakfast and Doritos for lunch. Happy Birthday, Joshie!

Vegas, Baby, Vegas!

We decided we needed to get away at least a little bit this summer, but with a new baby and a scaled down budget, our options were somewhat limited.  I thought back to how much I enjoyed staying at hotels and swimming in a hotel pool as a kid.  We did that a lot with my dad and it always was fun even if we were just at a simple hotel close to home.  Our kids were taking swim lessons this summer and we wanted as much pool time as possible in order to give them lots of practice.  Scott needed something to look forward to and a much well deserved break from work.  So, despite the heat in triple digits, the low cost of $50 a night at the Luxor lured us to the city that never sleeps.


We drove up on Sunday night and stayed at Uncle Brian's.  It was a sweet place!  in fact, Brian's place was so cool, we wondered why we had spent money on a hotel!  Joshie was so excited that there was a "potty for me to make pee pee and poo poo!" and when he saw the second toilet he just couldn't get over it.  (He had just finished potty training.)  We spent one night there and in the morning we woke up and were watching some Blue Planet in HD while I fed the baby.  We were all sitting together and Ben exclaimed, "We are all together as a family!  I LOVE Las Vegas!!!"  I love 5 year old kids--they are so easy to impress!


We had breakfast at a nearby IHOP and went back to Brian's to enjoy his awesome yet deserted pool.  It was sooo hot, but in the pool we were so happy!  I think the temperature peaked at a toasty 117 degrees while we were there.

We packed up and met Kristin at the Mandalay Bay and she got us a great deal for tickets to their Shark Reef Aquarium.  Joshie kept crying and did not want to go inside.  We finally figured out why.  He really thought that we were going into the water with the sharks.  Now that would have been quite the up close and personal experience!  

The boys were most impressed with the pirahnas, the green 

sea turtles, and the sharks.  They spent the next few days pouring over their guidebooks every time we were in the car.  It was great to see Kristin.  The boys adore Aunt Kristin!

For dinner we met poor Adam who was studying for finals at out favorite sandwich place in Vegas--Capriotti's.  I finally tried to turkey dinner sandwich and it did not disappoint!

Tuesday, we hit the Luxor pools.  All the pools were shallow and perfect for Ben.  He gained a lot of confidence in swimming this week.  His favorite move was throwing his googles and diving after them.

Tuesday we decided to take advantage of the meal plan at the Luxor--All you can eat breakfast, lunch and dinner for the whole family for about $50 after the hotel credit we got when we booked our trip.  Not bad. The food was pretty good and we ate way too much this day.  A buffet with kids is just so convenient...everyone is happy.  I should have taken a picture of Ben's plate each time.  The only colors on his plate were brown or white...mashed potatoes, french fries, fried shrimp, etc.  Joshie got some more colors with lots of fruit and even broccoli.
We went swimming again and went straight from the pool to meet Scott's dad and new wife, Carol, for lunch.  I thought that Clark had picked up dessert for the whole table, but in fact, it was just for him.  Good work, Clark!
After lunch, we all took naps in preparation for a late night at the downtown Freemont experience.  We checked out the show times on what turned out to be a mistaken website and ended up two hours too early for the show.  In the meantime, we went to the MGM Grand only to find out that the lions went home at 7 pm and it was almost 8 pm by then.  We took the kids as promised to the M&M store.  It was M&M overload, but they had fun picking out their very own bag of M&M colors of their choice.
We hadn't eaten dinner yet and had to get back to the hotel by 10 to eat.  In hindsight, the meal plan was great but it did tie us to the Luxor so we should have made sure we had accurate information on things we wanted to see outside the hotel.  We'll have to take the boys to the Freemont Street experience another time.
The next morning we woke up and went to the pool again.  There just wasn't enough pool time!  We had hopes of sticking around Vegas to check a few more things out, but the boys were tuckered out and tired of walking around.
All in all, it was a fun getaway...very budget friendly, had some pool time, saw family, and got to spend time undistracted with our little family.  In Ben's words, "I LOVE Las Vegas!!!"

Our good little traveler.

Sweetest Baby!

Did I mention how much we just love our little baby?  He is so easygoing.  I can't tell you how many times I might have forgotten (just a bit ) about him and he's fallen asleep for his morning nap on his play mat.  I''l just pick him up put him in his crib and he continues to sleep.

We just love his quick smiles and can't get enough of kissing his cubby cheeks!  Love you, baby!