Not Listening!

Here's how ya know your husband isn't listening to you.

Me- Did you hear me?
Ty- I love you too.
Me- OK. But, I said I was going to the bathroom.
Ty- Oh, well I still love you.

Silly me. I thought we were discussing our activities for this next week and obviously he wasn't paying much attention. Darn X-Box.

2 emergancy room visits, 2 weeks, and 1 birthday.

Well,Tyler's birthday week started out great but ended in pain. For Ty's 33rd birthday I took him out to the "Body Worlds" exhibit. It was very fascinating and really cool to look at. I can honestly say I have never looked at the human body that way before and will never think of it the same again. After that we went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse Grill. All I can say is "Yummy!" The dinner was delicious and the entertainment was well, entertaining. But the icing on the cake was when the staff came over to Tyler to sing Happy birthday. Only they didn't sing, they brought over a saddle and made him sit on it and then at the top of their lungs they yell to everyone, "It's Tyler's birthday. Let's all give him a big roadhouse yee-haw!" 123-- "Yee-Haw!!" It was classic. Forget about the yummy steak dinner. Or the singing, line-dancing staff. Seeing Tyler raise his arm like he was roping a calf and yell yee-haw was priceless!!
Now onto the other part. On Saturday the 22nd Ty woke up in severe pain. I had a boutique that I was getting ready for when he came in the room saying he needed to go to the ER. What!! Of all the timing in the world. Not now, I had somewhere to be, the kids were still sleeping, and I needed him 100%. I would even settle for 85%. No luck. Now what do I do? I called a neighbor who took him to the ER. (thanks Eric)while I called my boutique partner and filled her in on this morning's development. I woke Kenzie up and told her what was going on and then, I left my 7 1/2 yr. old in charge of her brothers. Now, for all of you reading this, here is my disclaimer. I just went to my friends house to set up my "Sentsy" stuff and I could see my front door from her front window. And I had my cell phone on me, which Kenzie used several times while I was setting up. Everyone was fine.
Except my husband. He was having a kidney stone scrape along side his pee tube (sorry for lack proper wording) working it's way into his bladder. He had a cat scan done and there it was. In all it's sharp and jagged glory. Causing more pain than labor. Or so I've been told. Not ever experiencing a kidney stone that is. He even managed to make a joke. The doc told him that he's heard kidney stone pain is like labor pains. And Ty said, "then my wife and I are tied." Oh that's my man.
After a few hours he was given the OK to head home so I picked him up and we went to get his prescriptions filled. While waiting, we stopped at Subway. I kid you not, in the middle of ordering what veggies he wanted on his sandwich he fell asleep. His hand had been on the back of my headrest and he was playing with my hair when all of a sudden 'WHACK!' his hand slips and hits my head. Excuse me do you want pickles on your sub? As if that wasn't funny enough. He fell asleep again while chewing a bite of food. Truly one of the funniest things ever!
Then it was Sunday. Tyler's official birthday. Happy Birthday my lover!! I was a good wifey and made him roast and potatoes and corn. And he's not the biggest fan of cake so he got to blow out the candles on a delicious key lime pie. But the real gift was our late night trip to the emergency room. Once again the timing could have been a little better. The kids were sound asleep. I was almost asleep and here comes Tyler "Honey these drugs aren't working." The percoset were waring off every 2 hours. Sweet Danielle came over to sit with the kids at 11:30pm. And off Ty and I went to the ER. Flyin' high on IV. drugs the doc wanted to do a urine analysis to make sure there wasn't any infection. So drip bag after drip bag we waited. Finally the sweet nurse said, "Honey,all we need is like 7 drops." I about died. Come on Ty, even the nurse wanted us out of there. Finally success. And after several hours we found out there was no infection and he just needed a suped up form of Motrin for the inflammation. And off for home we went at 4am. The hardest part was crawling into bed at 4:30 and then hearing the alarm go off at 7 to get Kenzie up for school.
To finish off this blog Tyler still hasn't passed the stone but, it must be in his bladder because he's no longer in pain but it still hasn't come out. Good luck Tyler! Love ya!

Going, Going,Gone!

"What's gone" you might be asking yourself. Well, After many many years it was time to part with my hair. Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen I have cut it. 9 1/2 inches of it. I was ready for a change and it was time. Tyler has always said, "it's your hair, do what you want." So I did.
I now have hair above my shoulders and a very cold neck. I forgot what it feels like to feel my bare neck and not have anything over half way down my back. I keep hitting my shoulders when I brush my hair because I forget to stop. And lets not talk about how much shampoo I used the first time I washed it.
Now you might be wondering what Tyler's reaction to the drastic change was. I can sum it up in his one word, and I quote "SEXY". What else could a girl ask for.
Some one even said I look younger. OK I'll take it!

Xander!

Just a quick update on Xander. He has been good for 2 days now. Friday and today (Monday) This is great news. I spoke to Jana Flake, Who is our bishop's wife but, also specializes in helping with high spirited children. Isn't that a nice way of saying "problems". She gave me some great advice to try at home. And she confirmed my thoughts of ADHD. She said that there are so many forms of it that Xander's might not be extreme because he is only 5. But she agrees that I should start working with him at home and gave some advice to his teacher too. I will try anything and hope that it works. Only time will tell. And hopefully he won't need forms of medication. I fear that a doctor will say "oh yeah he has ADHD and then put him on meds and a year later Xander will out grow the behavior or he will be able to control it better and I won't know cause he's all doped up on something.
It's just nice to have someone give me a little advice and some hope. I guess that's what it all boils down to!

Punishment!

I guess I need to add the consequence to Xander's actions. When we got home and he told me everything it was time for the inevitable. We had to decide on his punishment. He thought "no friends" was a good one. Sorry not gonna fly. Plus it was cold out. So no friends would be too easy. I told Xander that bad words, that were hurtful came out his mouth. And that those words hurt feelings and made someone sad. I said, we need to get rid of the bad in your mouth. He knew what that meant and we went with soap again. It did work for awhile last time.
Xander threw a huge fit this time. He went upstairs and hid under Kenzie's bed as if I couldn't find him. When I went to pull him out, he grabbed the boards to kenz's box spring and held on. Like that was gonna stop me. After I got him out, he went stiff. He wouldn't bend or move. So I picked him up by one wrist and one ankle and carried him into the bathroom, sat him on the sink counter and began the soaping process. This time Xander had a plan. He clasped his teeth and mouth shut in an attempt to keep me out. He should have realized that his barrier would soon be breached and should just give into the inevitable.
I took the bar of Irish Spring soap and wet it. Then put it up Xander's lips. That was easy enough to get through. His teeth did pose a problem. So I preceded to rub the soap back and forth across his teeth. He had this smug look on his face so I decided OK, lets lather it up. I wet my hands and rubbed the soap in his mouth and on his gums and teeth. Still no breech of the teeth. I wasn't in yet!
So I took liquid soap and squirted in the crevice's of his teeth. He wasn't budging. Then it hit me, I grabbed a tooth brush and ran across the bar of soap and then brushed his teeth with it. Foam was everywhere. He looked like he was a mad dog with rabies. At last, the success I was looking for. It got to be too much for him and the mouth went flying open and the tooth brush went in. I scrubbed his tongue with the soap and it seemed to be having the appropriate effect. I then let him rinse and wipe his face off. And we finished our conversation.
I know that some of you reading are probably completely appalled with this technique. Please rest assured that Xander is fine and that no didn't work. He was bad the very next day. So instead of soap, he had to practice sitting still in time out. He had no toys, no TV, and no talking. He asked how will I eat? I told him quietly in the corner with absolutely no talking. If he had a question, he was to raise his hand. Just like in school. This was to last for 1 1/2 hours. He made it about 45 mins then all heck broke loose.
I am truly at my wits end with him. I don't know what else to do. Can we send kids to school in a straight jacket with duct tape over their mouth? How old do they have to be to send them to one of those bootcamps for kids? I am almost to that point. Any suggestions?

New indulgent.

Here is just a quick blurp of a blog to share a new indulgent treat for yourselves.
I grabbed a bag of holiday Hershey Kisses from SMITH'S the other day. They were mint truffle. I also grabbed a bag of candy cane ones. Holy Moly they were heaven in a little foil wrapper with a flag sticking out. Try them!

To Soap, or Not To Soap???

Yes, I got a phone call again. All I can say is that Xander's teacher has earned her place in the Celestial Kingdom. That woman has so much sweetness in her heart. Thursday she called me to let me know what Xander had done at school this time.
On Thursday, Xander's class goes to library. They kids are expected to walk in line single file, not push, don't run. The usual rules. Xander and another boy didn't walk "right" so they were sent back to the classroom with the teacher's aid to re-walk to the library. The boys turned around and took off running. Through the school hallways back to the classroom. When the aid got there the boys were under the desk hiding. She told them to get out and they (Xander) proceeded to call her names. Such as; POO-POO Head, Ca-ca Head, DOO-DOO Head, and so on.
I promised her I would take care of Xander and we would correct this immediately.
She is so sweet, that she felt bad calling me to tell me how rotten my kid is. She always says, he's just a boy with lots of energy. That's how little boys are. OK, other little boys can be like that, but mine better knock it off! She even gave me positive things about him and what he does do good. She's an angel I tell ya.
So, now it was time for the talk and the consequence.
Xander did tell the whole truth of the inncodent. He even gave more details than the teacher did. Soon he will learn that in cases like this, less is better.

A Blog for Missy.

I have been thinking of names for this soon to be here little nephew of mine.And here are a few I like. Feel free to use them and then give me all the credit for naming my little nephew. I kept in mind that Curtis doesn't want anything that sounds like a last name and at one point you had mentioned Curtis for the middle name.

Issac Curtis Nielsen
Cade Curtis Nielsen
George Curious Nielsen
Sawyer (I love this one for my next boy. If Tyler ever agrees to another baby.)
Reed Nielsen
Thomas Train Nielsen
Neo Nielsen (Had to throw that one in for a follow up to Trinity)
Joshua Ivan Nielsen
Pablo (Dawson suggested this one)(Guess what was on TV.)
Mathew BMX Nielsen
Samuel Dodge Ford Nielsen

OK. so some of the names are silly. But others are very doable. Consider them. Don't knock em' all. I might use one someday. Hopefully if need a name it won't be a boy name. Kenzie would die!!!

I finally read them all!!

Yes, I Keri Keith have read all the books in the Twilight series. I know hard to believe that I actually read 4 books. But it's true.
My family and several friends have all read them and I decided it was time to do it. My friend Danielle wanted me to go the movie with her, but before I could go I needed to read the books. Mission accomplished. And we already have our movie tickets for Nov. 21st. Looks like it's a date night for me with my good friend and a family of vampires. Bring it on!
For those wondering, I read all 4 books in 1 week. I have no idea how because in that week I also worked and had church meetings and went to the gym every night. It's amazing what you can accomplish staying up till 2 in the morning.
I will confess that I was hooked. They were great books and completely absorb you into them. I could have read forever. At least until my eyes slammed shut and wouldn't open.
If you haven't read them, please try them. Trust me,I never read books. In fact, I would rather give birth than read. However, these were wonderful!!

6 quirks

My sister tagged her siblings to complete this list. So I took her up on it.

6 quirky things about me.

1. I am very anal when it comes to loading my dishwasher. If Tyler loads it, I check it out and will even reload it to the way I like it.

2. I cannot share my milk with anyone else. I won't let the kids drink out of my cup, or eat out of my cereal bowl, or even use the same spoon for ice cream.

3. I can't stand my kitchen messy. If it's messy and I need to make dinner or cookies or something, I will clean the counters, load the dishes, and sweep before I can start.

4. Laundry is a big issue for me. All my shirts and Tyler's, even the kids shirts have to all face the same way in the closet. I know when Ty hung a shirt up because it's usually backwards from the rest. And the jeans all have to be folded a certain way.

5. My lawn. I am the one who mows our lawn and it is mowed (for the most part) on Thursday. I won't even let Ty mow. Anal I know!

6. I cannot stand to watch other people brush their teeth. I had a hard time over coming this to help my kids do theirs. And I have to brush my teeth first thing in the morning. Contacts go in and then the teeth get brushed.

There you have it! Now you know how retarded I truly am. Hope you all still love me and my quirks!!!

Jury Crappy Doody

Tyler has been summoned for jury duty. Guess which day of all days he has to show up!!! October 31st. at 12:30. Guess there goes his work Halloween Party. I'm still taking the kids though! They make bank in the candy depart.

It's been crazy lately.

I have been such a slacker lately. To update you all on our activities here we go.
Dawson is now 3. He's such a big boy now. I can't believe my baby is 3. Where did the time go?

Kenzie and Xander and doing good in school. Xander really enjoys doing his homework. I never have to fight him to get it done. Kenzie is a different story however. She has more drama than a soap opera. All the tears, all the whining, and all the drama. She could definitly win an "Emmy" with her acting.

I am now a little busier. I started working just for the month of October. I work at 'Hee Haw Farms" My friend Emma, (the one I walk with) asked me if I wanted a job helping her do feildtrips at the farm. Hee Haws has a corn maze and haunted corn maze. It is the perfect job. I can do anything for a month right!
It's also perfect because I can take Dawson with me. He runs around the farm all day without a care in the world. He plays with the animals and feeds the goats his cheetos. He loves chasing the bunnies. His new favorite thing to do is the hayride. He was content to ride it over and over but, not anymore. He has taken a liken to Josh the kid that drives the tractor. As a matter of fact, they are quite buddies. Dawson now sits on Josh's lap and helps drive the tractor. Can you imagine getting a hayride from a 3yr old. Dawson loves it. He and Josh head off every day to go drive tractor. So cute! I might end up witha a little farmer.
Having a job does make for long days. I still get up at 5:40 every day to do my 4 mile walk with Emma. Then as soon I get home, I get Kenz up and ready for school. Off she goes by 8. Then it's time to get Xander up and ready. Dawson usually gets up during this time. Both boys get dressed, fed, teethbrushed, and off to school for Xander by 9:15. Then off to work for me. I usually teach the kids about pumpkins and then they get to go into the pumpkin patch and pick their own pumpkin. Some days fieldtrips last until 3ish. That means I get to stand out in the sun for hours on end with little kids running around. Atleast I'll still have a tan.
Then I head home to pick Xan and Kenz up and the neighbors. And it's time to do homework with kids, get dinner, do baths, and put them in bed. Tyler gets home around bath time and after kids are in bed I meet up with a friend and off we go to the gym. I crawl into bed one tired momma, just to do it all over again in the morning.

When in doubt, soap it out!

It turns out the miracle I was looking for has arrived. I know I'm a little late on the update but putting it in writing or actually typing it might just jinx it. However, it seems to have helped Xander with his behavior. We had teacher conf last week and Xan's teacher had many praises for him. This was such a relief to me because I truly was dreading it.
He has a lot of energy and is learning how to control it better. She said he has to be reminded a few times about what he's suppose to be doing but, for the most part he is doing better. As a matter of fact she said he is a like a completely different kid than from the beginning of the year. If that's not progress than I don't know what is!
Way to go Xander!!! Keep it up!!

The dreaded phone call!!

OK. so it's the worst experience ever, when your kid's teacher calls you at home. Xander's teacher called me on Monday because Xan has been having a hard time paying attention and he is quite a distraction to the other students. Well, not only is he a chatty child, it turns out he is quite the instigator too!
He was poking a kid and during carpet time when the teacher has them all sit there and listen he was kicking a girl next to him and pulling her hair. Not hard! But, he was doing it.
After I got off the phone with her, I talked to Xander and asked why he was poking and kicking the girl. He said she was annoying him. How? She kept talking to me and telling me to stop. I looked at him and said, Xander that's because you were pulling her hair! And annoying her. I would tell you to stop too.
So I came up with a reward idea to encourage good behavior. We went over all the rules of the classroom and how to behave on the carpet. I thought OK. we can do this.
So the next day (Tuesday) I dropped him off, reminded him of the rules, went over his possible rewards and off he went with a kiss and a see ya later mom.
OK. progress. I picked him up after school hoping for the miracle I had been praying for and ... dramatic pause!
Not happenen today! Nope he was sent to time out again for fighting. Not like full on battle, but poking and scratching. The other boy was doing it too. It wasn't Xander just being a butt. So, home we went and yet another lecture. Tyler thinks we should give him a sever punishment like taking all his toys away. I said, um no that won't work in this house and not with Xander. He can find a piece of string and turn it into a toy complete with sound effects.
So I tried the positive approach again with reinforcing the good behavior and rewards.
The next day (Wednesday)I dropped him off and went over all the same rules and behavior. Told him I would be talking to his teacher again when I picked him up and he better be good. OK. mom, I love you.
TA-DA. He runs up to me after school excited as can be. I thought yeah!!! I went over to his teacher and asked the inevitable question. How was he? Her response,
"Um, could you talk to Xander about not spitting?" Spitting! What? He spit on her wall! Kid you not. He said it wasn't on her wall, it was on a picture on the wall. "Oh, I'm sorry, that made it a whole lot better."
This time we got home and nice mommy wasn't there. He got his choice of 2 different punishments.
#1 No friends and no going outside. And he had to write his teacher a letter saying he was sorry.
#2 Soap in his mouth and write his teacher a letter.
He chose no friends. He did pretty good until he saw and heard all his buddies outside. And it tortured him that Dawson and I went out. So he asked if he could play. "No, you chose no friends." "I choose the soap now." Alright!
He ran upstairs with me and said, I can do it.
No, mom will do it.
I grabbed the bar of Irish Spring, lathered it up real good, and had him stick his tongue out and painted it green. He tried to rinse it off right away. I said, no way. The tears were streaming, his mouth was drooling,the soap was foaming. It was a beautiful sight. I asked him, "Are you gunna spit again?" "NO!" "Are you gunna be bad?" NO! "Are you gunna sit still and listen to your teacher?" YES! "Did you learn a lesson right now?" UH HUH! "OK, one more minute!"
After he rinsed we talked about it and hopefully something sank in.
I will let you know. He's at school right now and with 1/2 an hour left that miracle better be taking place. Or fear for him.
I will keep you posted. If anyone has any idea to help please share. I only ask that child abuse not be involved. I do love the stinker. And he is a good boy. His teacher just defines him as a 5yr old boy with lots of energy.

Kids Say the Darnest Things!

I absolutely loved this comment from Xander. I hope you guys will too.

"Mom, Mac and me are best buddies and we're brother's."
"Because Heavenly Father is our father and we are all his children."
"So is Mother Nature our mother?"

What a great question. I personally had never thought of that connection. It's amazing to me how his mind works.

Here's one more from Xander while at church. I'll give you the background first.
I was pulled out of Relief Society one week because Xander was making comments in his class that I guess his teachers found irreverent or inappropriate to the lesson. They said he was "upsetting" the other children.
The lesson was on the Holy Ghost and they were talking about how we can have the Holy Ghost with us. And he helps us to make good choices and do what's right.
Well, Xander preceded to tell his teachers, "There are no such things as ghosts." "I don't have a ghost inside of me." "I make my choices and no ghost is there."
This is when the teachers pulled me out and told me what was going on. I sat down with Xander to discuss his behavior and why he would say stuff like that about the Holy Ghost. After a few more questions and trying to figure things out, Xander stood his ground that there are no ghosts. I finally looked at him and said why? "Why are there no ghosts?" His reply,
"Because the Ghostbusters got them all with their proton packs."
Nuff said!

We did straighten out the differences in the types of ghosts and now I am happy to say he knows that the Holy Ghost will help him to make good choices and feel the spirit. And that all other ghosts are caught with proton packs.

My "Scentsational" new business.

OK so I have neglected to share the news with a few people that I now sell "Scentsy" candles. They are a "wickless" warmer that just plugs in and turns on with a switch. The scents come in over 80 different scents and they are in 6square blocks. All ya do is break off a square pop it into the warmer and turn it on. A 25 watt light bulb melts the wax and releases the wonderful scent. The best part is that the wax never gets hot enough to burn you, which makes it very kid friendly. And another super bonus is that it can stay on all day and night. And if you leave, it can stay on and won't burn the house down. What a welcome home when you walk in the door to the smell of "Sugar Cookies" or sweet "Fresh Cut Cantaloupe". Yummy!
Check out the website at www.scentsy.com. You can click on "view catalog" and see all the cute warmers and read all the different scents. If any one is interested in getting a warmer or having a candle party give me call or reply on the blog. And remember Christmas is right around the corner.

I'm Married Again!!

Yes it's true no matter how hard Tyler tries he's not getting out of this marriage that easy. I'm kiddin' Tyler has never wanted or tried to leave. However, we have received our miracle and my ring has been restored to it's rightful place upon my finger.
On Friday, I came home from my morning walk and the house was stuffy and just needed aired out before the heat of the day started. So I opened windows and went about my routine. Got Kenzie up and off to school. Then Tyler left. Got Xander and Dawson up. Got Xander ready for school and the boys breakfast. Walked Xander to school. Came home and played with Dawson. Then walked back to the school to pick Xander up. When I got back home at about 12:30, the house was heating up and the air kicked on. So I preceded to close the windows. I got the upstairs closed, came downstairs and did the kitchen windows then moved onto the living room. For those who have been to my house know I have a couch in front of my front windows. I couldn't get the blinds lowered at the angle I was at, even though that's how I always close them. So I scooted the couch away from the window and as I pulled the windows down something caught my eye.
Yes, sitting on the window ledge under where the bottom of the blinds hit the ledge sat my ring. Had I not moved the couch and just leaned over it to close the windows and blinds, I would have never found it. But, for some reason the blinds just wouldn't budge and so I had to move the couch.
Pure joy was the instant feeling followed by great relief. It was almost 2 weeks to the day. I called Tyler and told him the great news. And he was so happy. Then he said, "See, I told it was in the house." OK. he was right. However, I know I didn't take my ring off and put it behind the couch under the blinds. OH'Dawson what will I ever do with you.
A few jokes were made after it was found. Tyler said, Honey, if you really wanted a new ring you didn't have to "loose" the first one. I said, well I decided that since you weren't getting me a new one right away I might as well just put the old one back on. Then, I said to him well, the one good thing that came out of this is that it made you finally fix our bathroom sink. Ha Ha. That was my plan all along!

Thanksgiving Point Fun.

I took the kiddos to Thanksgiving Point for some much needed run around and get out the house time. They had fun seeing the different animals and making the animal sounds back to the animal. For instance, the cow went moo so did the kids, sheep went baa, so did the kids. I think the best was when the donkey made this donkey sound and Dawson jumped and tried to mock it and then the donkey did it again and Dawson started laughing and dancing around. And then it did it again and Dawson pointed his finger at it. And in a very Dawson way, made a face and said "that's too loud donkey!" It was so funny.
We enjoyed a picnic lunch in the shade of a tree on the grass. The kids fed the donkey apple slices and fruit snacks. Turns out donkey's don't like Transformer fruit snacks. Nor do they care for tattoo fruit roll-ups. Go figure.
After lunch we walked around the different little play buildings they have there and took pictures. There was a jail house and that's what has the bars on the windows. Then there was another house and that's what Dawson is sitting on the window frame of.
Before leaving, the kids all got pony rides and were little cow boys and a cow girl. Dawson loved the pony ride. Xander was cool with it. Kenzie however, was scared. I said to her Kenz, how can you be scared of something that is tied up #1 and is shorter than Dawson? I looked at her and said, honey, you do flips and twists up on the uneven bars and jump off the balance beam. How can you be scared of a pony walking in a circle? She finally decided to go and hated every second of it. Claiming it was boring and I made her do it. To clear that up, I told her to give Dawson her ticket. And once I said that and she realized she was going to completely miss out on something she changed her mind.
I think deep down she actually liked it. She did tell daddy all about it when he got home. I know the boys loved it. And I don't think that donkey will ever be the same. Poor thing.

Loosing my sleep over the gold.

Ok, I have been sucked into the Olympics forever. And I truely am feeling the effects of the late nights/early morning wake-up to go on my walks. Why, why do they have to put gymnastics on at 10 at night. Why not, Rowing or Shot-put? Please people, put the good stuff on at 8.
And can we please talk about all the hotties in the pool. Tyler knows I love him to death. But all those 6-packs! Ok, enough of that. But, seriously how amazing was Micheal Phelps with his 8 Gold medals. That is just crazy.
And the girl gymnastics. I ofcourse because of Kenzie had to watch. Those little girls doing all those tricks and flips and jumps and tumbles. Holy cow! I look at Kenzie who still wants to go to the Olympics and think HOW! I can't imagine my baby girl doing all that stuff and accomplishing all that by the age of 16. I will be in tears at her accomplishment. I already swell with pride when she shows me a skill or perfects a back bend, kick over into the splits. Maybe in a few years she will be supporting us with her sponserships because of her Gold Medals.
The reporter person was talking about Shawn Johnson and how her parents had to morgage their house a few times to keep her in the gym training. Talk about dedication to their daughter and their belief in her. I have a feeling that if Kenz wants to go all the way, we'll be doing the same thing. We are not accepting sponserships for Kenzie.
Just to let you know, we have asked Xander if he wants to do any sports like, mini-football, or soccer, or tee-ball. He asked if he could go to "Jedi" class and learn to fight with a "Light-Saber." I said that as soon as they offer one, I will sign him up. Loved his sport.

Ring Around My Finger, Oh Wait, No There's Not!!

Catchy title huh! It's to be sung to the tune of ring around the roses. Ha Ha.
OK. Now onto the story.On Saturday, Tyler was helping his mom move into her new place and Kenzie had spent the night at her Aunt Stephanie's house. I had the boys at home and Ty was picking Kenzie up on his way home. When he got home I was taking Kenz school clothes shopping. So I got in the shower to get ready. As soon as I finished, Xander came up with my cell phone telling me daddy was on it. Ty and I talked a bit and he was on his way home with Kenzie. I finished getting dressed and took care of the boys.(got them lunch) Ty made it home while I was doing my hair. So Kenzie came up and we were chatting about shopping and getting nails done and girly stuff like that. Now it was time to go! Oh wait, one last thing. My wedding ring! Where is my ring!!!! It was missing. And not just, o'where did I put it.
It turns out that when Xander brought me my phone Dawson came too. He came into the bathroom and was playing and doing Dawson stuff. So my obvious person to ask where my ring went was a 3yr old. Xander was in his room playing and he doesn't come into bathroom while mommy is showering cause that's a no-no.
Now,try asking a 3 yr old where something is. He started naming all the places where I already looked. He said, "in the drawer", "in the closet", "in your make-up." Finally I approached it a little differently. "Dawson, did you play with mommy's ring?" "Yeah",he said. "Where did you put it?" He looks at me and says, "in the sink."
The drain was pulled out because it was broken and I didn't think anything of it. After my shower I brushed my teeth, then put lotion on and washed my hands. Not realizing my ring was missing. So in complete panic mode I screamed for Tyler and he came running up and I told him where Dawson said my ring was. He ever so Tyler like, Walked out of the room and came back a minute later with a flashlight and bucket. He looked down the drain,couldn't see it. Then without saying a word got under the sink and took the pipe off. Only then did he say, "It's not in here."
What!! I thought for sure, at this point, I had washed it away and will never see it again. Ty informed me that if my ring had managed to get in the pipe it would never be able to go back up and around the bend in the pipe. It would be too heavy. I pray he's right.
So off to shopping with Kenzie. After we were done I came home and pulled all the drawers out of the vanity. Pulled everything out of the drawers. No ring! I went into my closet, pulled every piece of dirty clothes out their baskets and searched piece by piece. No ring! Then I moved to my night stands emptied the drawers and moved them. No ring! I emptied the bathroom garbage cans. Piece by nasty piece. No ring! So the moral of my story is-- NO RING!! I have absolutely no clue where it could be. And Dawson keeps telling me "in the sink". Please don't let it be gone for ever!
To close this story, I will end with a final thought from Tyler and Xander.
Tyler said, "Well, it's gotta be in this house some where."
And Xander said, (as we were heading to church,)
"Are we gonna pray for your ring?"
"Yes son we are!"

Xander's b-day pics.

I know I'm late with Xander's birthday pics. After all he did turn 5 back in April. Hey, better late than never.
At Xander's party he had just 3 friends come and they were all boys. So he chose a transformers theme. Go figure huh! We had games with balloons and they did the limbo. I found these awesome transformer masks and got one for all the kids. We had a transformers themed cake and transformer grab bags for all the kids to take home. They weren't really a bag but, more a plastic cup filled with stretchy lizards a whistle and candy.
The kids ran around playing and having a blast. Because they were having so much fun, and Xander never really gets to the center of attention. (Maybe it's a middle child syndrome thing.) I made a few phone calls and extended the party. It now included a pizza lunch and more play time.
It was fun for all. Especially the birthday boy! Happy Big #5 Xander!!

Fun in the Canyon

We took the kids up the canyon to roast hotdogs and make smore's. Thay had a blast. The only problem we ran into was keeping the kids away from the river. Soon after enough warnings and threats, the kids learned they weren't going to win, that's one point -parents.
The fire was Dawson's favorite part. He enjoyed putting sticks in it and helping daddy roast a hotdog. Did he try one? NO! However the smore's were a big hit, once he pulled the marshmellow out and left the graham cracker on the table. If you were following along that left him with just chocolate. He's no dummy! One point-kids.
Kenzie and Xander stuffed there tummys full of several hotdogs and smore's. When I say several, I mean it. Kenz had 3 and Xander had 2. Heaven only knows how many smore's they had.
We enjoyed ourselves and made great memories with the kids. We then headed home once the kids were sufficiantly stuffed. And once they were dirty enough. I know the kids can't wait until the next trip up the canyon.

Kenzie At Gymnastics

Here are a few pictures from Kenzie's gymnastics performance.
I know I'm a little late putting these up. Just be glad there are pictures with the blog. I am still learning.
Bear with me.

New Callings

OK. so I have been in nursery for 2 1/2 years now. You would think it would come to an end soon, right!! Well, no, it doesn't quite happen that way. I now have a second calling. Last week they asked me to be the new Enrichment Leader. As my Patriartical Blessing instructs me to do, "Never decline a calling", I accepted. It will be a welcome addition to a rather relaxing nursery calling. I have had my first meeting with the enrichment co. and assignments have been passed out. I am on my way to fulfilling this calling as best I can because we have an activity coming up in August.
Knowing I won't refuse to serve and will follow the council given to me, I guess the Lord wasn't quite done with me yet. On Sunday I received yet another calling in addition to the other 2. I am now also the Cub Scout Committee Chairman. That basically means I and a committee plan the Pack meetings and Blue and Gold Banquet, and award ceremonies for the boys. My friend commented that all I do is plan parties and fun stuff. Hey, if ya got a talent, use it right!!
So those are my wonderful new callings that will keep me busy and provide much entertainment and togetherness for those in my ward.
What a blessing it will be to able to work closely with others and to see something I have planned get carried out and be a success. Hopefully that's the way it will go.

Water slides and wave pools.

Tyler's work celebrated their yearly summer party at 7 Peaks water park. This year it was held on a Thursday at 4. The work place closed early and everyone headed to the fun spot. 7 Peaks also closed early so that just Symantec employees and their families were in the park. We all got in for free and got free tube rentals. My children immediately ran for the wave pool. It's not like Geauga Lake's wave pool that sent out a massive wave. It was more a gentle continuous wave. Very safe for little ones.
After pulling them back out so we get swim suits and sunscreen on them, off they went again. They had a blast. Kenzie had her own tube and went all over the pool. She didn't venture into the deep end because she was aware of her boundaries and how far she could go and still touch. Xander and Dawson stuck with us and floated and dived and "swam" around. Dawson is definitely fearless as he constantly tried to run away from us. It was a little hard for him giving the resistance of the water and his little body.
Xander ventured off with Tyler to go down the big water slides. That left me with Kenz and Dawson. Then the drama hit. I got tired of lugging around a giant double tube and Kenzie's, so I told her we were going to put them by the table and then we would get back in the water. As I was coming out with Dawson she needed help carring her tube. I took hers and she held Dawson's hand. As I reached the table as she came running up to me cause she had to go potty. I turned around and where was Dawson? She let go off him thinking "OH' he'll follow me." Yep, He was back in the water. Now I had 2 kids in 2 different directions. The bathrooms were near our table and Uncle Nate and Stephanie were there. So Kenz headed to the potty and I ran after Dawson. I told Kenz I'd watch for her back at the wave pool.
I watched and watched and watched. No Kenzie and no Tyler yet. At this point Tyler and Xander had been gone about 45 mins. And Kenzie about 30. Yep, gettin' a little panicked. I pulled Dawson out while he was screaming at the top of his lungs hoping I would find Kenzie sitting with Nate and Steph. No luck. They hadn't seen her. OK. now I can officially start worrying more. I found Ty and Xander playing in another kid section. Please, please, please let her be with them. Nope!! I lost it then. I said, "Ty I cannot find her. Why didn't you come back!!" He claims he looked for me in the wave pool but couldn't find me. Whatever!! Now it was time to find Kenz. Steph kept Dawson as I ran toward a trampoline with bungee cords attached to it so flips could be higher. As I was headed that way our friend Joe yelled to me. "Keri are you looking for Kenzie?" Yes!! She was playing with his daughter in the wave pool.
What a feeling of relief. She's OK. For now. Wait till I get my hands on her.
I was just so happy to see her little toothless face. I explained how scared I was and that she made me cry because I couldn't find her.
After that we had a great dinner and more fun and then to top off the evening they showed a movie with free popcorn and drinks. They brought in a giant inflatable screen and we all watched "The Spider wick Chronicles" Then at 11:30 we headed home. All of us were exhausted and just ready for our beds. The kids even slept until 11 the next day. Woo Hoo!!

Hair, Hair, We Cut our Hair.

Nice title huh! Guess what this blog is about??? Any one know?? Ding, ding, ding, that's right hair cuts. All the kids went to the salon and received hair cuts. Dawson, wanted a Mohawk and even told the lady how to stick it up. We settled for a cut that can be spiked allover or just in the center for a lovely Mohawk. It makes it even cuter because he is soooo white blond haired.
Xander just wanted his hair cut so that he could do it flat or spiky. He also does a reverse style Mohawk. It is kinda his own style. He pushes the top of his hair together and then instead of spiking it up, he flattens it down. And it comes to a point on his forehead. Hey, whatever makes him happy.
Mackenzie chose her own cut. She came to me one day and said, mom I want to cut my hair up to my chin. OK!! If she wanted to, that was fine with me. She sat down in the chair told the lady and that what happened. Off came the hair and it is so cute. She turned out with an A-Frame cut. That means it's shorter in back and comes down longer in the front. When the lady cut her hair, it took all the weight off the bottom layers which made her hair curl even more. So we style Kenz, with her back scrunched with gel to hold the curl and then the front top layer is straight and held clipped on the side with her classic barrette look. Or it's tucked behind her ears. Either way it is so cute and so grown-up.
Now my kids are all ready to see their grandparents in a few weeks!! We can't wait.

Hot Dogs and S'mores

This past Saturday we took a trip up American Fork Canyon with Ty's brother Nate and his wife- Stephanie and their boys. We found a great little spot with a picnic table and fire pit and the river near by. As soon as we got out of the car my children were ready to head for that darn river. I pulled them all back and gave them the bitter hard truth. I have a tell-it-how-it-is parenting approach. In other words, I put the fear into them. I very lovingly explained that if they were to fall into the river, it is moving so fast and is so cold that mommy and daddy wouldn't be able to get to them in time and the river would wash them away and take them down the mountain. And we would never find them and they could drown and be lost forever.
Yep, I told them that! And it worked. No river problems and Kenzie even kept an eye on Dawson. She even passed on my little story to him. She so tenderly told him, he would fall in and die! So please Dawson don't go by the water.
We then made a fire and roasted hot dogs. Xander is the man eating 2 1/2 hot dogs with buns. Kenzie roasted her own and was quite proud of herself. And then she made one for me. Complete with ashes. She said sorry mom I got some ashes on it but, it's OK cause it just makes it taste more like fire! Then Kenz was ready for the marshmallows. She made and ate at least 3 s'mores. That's my girl! Dawson even ate a roasted marshmallow, but preferred just the chocolate. Proving he definitely knew what the good part was.
The kids just ran around the trees and rocks and were happy being kids. While the parents kept running around after them, just being parents.
After a few hours and after the sun had gone down it was time to call it a night and head home to the wonderful luxury called a shower.It makes me very grateful to be able to live so close to nature and to enjoy the beauty that our Father in Heaven has created for us. And to be able to spend precious time with my children and make wonderful memories.

Sunburns and blisters

Kenzie received her first major sunburn of the season. She decided to wear a tank top on Monday and is now suffering. I know what you all are thinking, "why didn't here mother put sunscreen on her?" Well, she took off playing with her friend right after lunch. And when her mom told her to come home for sunscreen she disobeyed and now is paying the consequence of having ignored her mom's wise council.
I explained to her, as I smothered her shoulders in after sun cooling aloe stuff, that I have been burned so much that I know how much it hurts. And that next time she needs to listen to me so that she doesn't get burned again.
Now she is trying not to raise her arms because it hurts so bad when her shoulders wrinkle up. I feel so bad for her. But, what can I do?

On a side note, her tooth fell out on Monday. The tooth fairy brought a gold dollar again. No floss this time.

Darn Tooth Fairy

The tooth fairy made several stops at our house during the month of April. Luckily May had been a quiet month from her. It now looks as if she will be returning soon. In April Kenzie lost both her front bottom teeth, within a weeks time. That left her with a beautiful gaping hole. Then about a week later out comes one of her front top teeth. That left her with a bigger hole and a lisp. (Think Cindy from Brady Bunch.) So now she is missing 3 with the 4th on it's way out. I have begged her not to pull it yet for fear she would have a giant square of teeth missing. Imagine the picture. Luckily, the bottom ones are coming in and it looks like she will just be wishing for her 2 front teeth this Christmas.
We have learned though, that the tooth fairy seems to be very forgetful at times. Ya see, she forgot to come to our house one night. Kenzie lost a tooth the same day as another kid in her class. Kenz decided not to put her tooth under her pillow so the tooth fairy would only go to Carson's house and not ours. Kenzie thought it would be too hard to go to both houses in one night. OK. what ever you want. (wonder how she thinks Santa does it) Well, the next night she put her tooth under the pillow and didn't tell us. Yep, turns out the tooth fairy forgot to come.
We explained to her that maybe because she had waited one night already, the tooth fairy knew she would wait another night because she had to make a special trip to some one's house who lost their first tooth. That did it. Oh, OK she said. Then she wrote a note to the tooth fairy requesting what she got. I asked her what she was doing and she responded, I am telling the tooth fairy what I want left under my pillow. I said, do you think the tooth fairy takes special requests? She looked at me and said, well, I had to wait an extra night for her so she should.
It turns out Kenzie requested, dental floss, a new toothbrush and her own tube of toothpaste. (Not the spicy kind mom and dad use) We use Crest. It's Minty not spicy. Well, the tooth fairy delivered a gold dollar instead. In the morning, she was very disappointed. There was also a note explaining the dollar. It read,
"Dear Mackenzie, I found your request written upon the envelope containing your tooth. I am sorry to tell you that I did not have any of those items left in my bag when I arrived at your house. Please feel free to save the gold dollar and use it to buy a new toothbrush or dental floss. Remember I only like to receive clean teeth so please obey your mom and continue to brush when she tells you to. I'll see you next time you lose a tooth. Oh' one more thing, Your room needs cleaned. I dropped my wand and couldn't find it with all the Barbie's on the floor.
Kenzie didn't find it as funny as I did. But, Her room is cleaned right now with the anticipation of her tooth falling out. Just a side note, she brushes her lost tooth before she puts them in an envelope under her pillow.
Maybe the tooth fairy will bring her that dental floss this time.

Rain Day

Well, today is cold and rainy. So I decided that it was time to go through all my baby and kid clothes and separate them back into sizes and totes. Missy, what do ya need? Katie, any girl clothes you don't have of mine or Missy hasn't already given you? Patricia, what does Gavin need? I might have it! If you guys are looking for a size let me know. I'm your own personal "Kids R' Us".

I love cleaning random things. It sure beats doing the toilets. ha,ha.

A New Freedom for Mom

I forgot to mention that the love of my life got a monitor for the computer in the basement. I can now add to my blog in the middle of the day or whenever the opportunity presents itself. Ty found a couple of free monitors on Craig's List. He picked up 2 just in case they didn't work so well. Now I can use the Internet at any time!!! He also got a free laptop and power thingy from work. The computer lab was getting rid of old computers and Ty asked if he could take one. It is old and slow compared to what Tyler is use to. But, when it's free who am I to complain. I told him free is free and that is good enough for me.
The other benefit to me having a computer again is I can find activities and little lessons for the summer. I had mentioned that Xander isn't going to pre-school in the summer and I am going to continue teaching him. So having resources at my finger tips is a big help.
Another thing I love to do is find FHE Lessons to add to my expanding collection of "kid friendly" lessons and activities. It really helps when trying to pull a lesson together at the last minute.
And so I say, Thank-you, Tyler, thank-you.

Rollie Pollies, Swimming Pools, Sun and Fun

"Oh what do ya do in the summertime!"

Well school has officially ended. Gymnastics has officially started. And I am already worn out! Today was Kenzie's first day in her new level 4 class. She said it was fun. Next time I need to send her with a snack. It turns out that in a 2 hour class the girls get to stop for a break. Kenzie requested apple slices and peanut butter for her snack. Good,nice, healthy choice.
However, she didn't do so well with the 6:40 wake up call. She needs to leave the house by 7:15 and that means an early morning. Next time maybe she'll actually go to sleep when she is told to! I do have to give her props, she slept in her leotard so she wouldn't have to change when she got up. Now that's thinkin'.

Dawson is all boy! And he has proved it with his love for the creepy crawly critters. Today his choice for company was a poor defenceless Rollie Pollie.
(aka the potato bug) This helpless little gray bug has been carried around the house, dropped down the stairs, and even fed strawberry applesauce. Yet, it keeps on going. Right now as I type, Dawson is playing on a little keyboard with his new friend. So now it's deaf (if they can hear anyway) And it is talented as Dawson helped it play the keyboard. Oh what do ya do! Now for the Rollie Pollie's greatest adventure, He is riding a train. We have a Geo Trax train set, set up in the basement and Dawson put him in a cargo car and is sending him around the track. Hang in there little buddy it all be over in a minute.
Go toward the light!

Xander is being Xander and just buggin' his brother and beggin' to go outside and to a friends house. They will all be happy in a little bit when I stop typing and go mow the lawn. Then, they get to set up the pool. And then half the neighborhood will flock to my yard. Good times, good times in the summertime.

My Ears Can Hear.

Yet another unbelievable thought from Xander. We were driving in the car and Xander was talking away asking questions that no other child has ever asked me such as; "why are our hearts pink?" "do our brains really think?" "When I get smarter does my brain get bigger?" "How would my brain still fit in my head when I'm so smart?" I love the questions he comes up with. His thoughts just bewilder me as I try to comprehend where he comes up with stuff.
In the middle of all his questions he says,"Hey my yawn just made my ears work better." "That's really cool." I know it's pretty obvious what he means by this, but to put it so innocently and to be so completely astounded at the thought of having your ears pop was hilarious to me. Then, without skipping a beat, he went back to asking me questions about random things.
Let me share just a few more thoughts from Xander that he said this week.
His pre-school ended this week. As many moms do, I dreaded it because that means summer time is here and now I have to hear, "we're bored," "What can I do?" "He or she is touching me." "Mom!!" Oh the joys to come. We had wanted to keep Xander in school all summer because the pre-school offers a kindergarten readiness class. I was really hoping to keep him in it for selfish reasons too. But, after going over finances we realized that that was an expensive reason. So he will be home all summer with us. On the last day of class we were heading home and Xander said to me, "I don't have to go to school any more." "Won't it to be great mom, we can be home all day together playing." "And I can go on walks with you and we can have so much fun." He's right ya know. It will be great to have him home with me. And we will play all day. It made me wonder if he could read my mind and knew what I secretly had wanted.
Here's one that mom's will like. And Uncles! And all those reading! Xander was playing outside and was so distracted by his play time he ofcourse wet his pants. We've had this problem several times with him. It gets really old really quick! I said to Xander "Why did you wet your pants?" "Why didn't you come in and use the potty?" To which he replied, "I didn't know I had to go." "I didn't know there was any pee in my private." "I guess my private forgot to tell me there was pee in it." Sorry mom. "Next time my private better tell me there's pee in it or I might wet my pants again." How can a 5yr old blame wetting his pants on his private? What do I do with this child!!!

Weather You Like It Or Not!

I have just one question lately. What's up with our weather!!! On Monday and Tuesday the weather was beautiful. To be honest it could be summed up as hot we were in the 90's. Yep, 92. The kids played in the pool and the sprinkler. Summer had finally arrived. Or so we thought. On Wednesday the temps dropped and once again our highs were in the 40's. 42 to be exact. It dropped into the 30's at night and we had to turn our heat back on. Air-conditioning on Tuesday and heat on Wednesday. I am so sick of this crazy weather. Please just stay in the upper 70's and I'd be a happy camper.

Mother's Day.

I had a wonderful Mother's Day last weekend. Tyler got me a breakfast with a muffin, yogurt, juice, and 2 huge chocolate covered strawberries. The kids wanted me to share them. However I was greedy and ate them myself. How often does a mom get to indulge herself in a nice juicy chocolate covered strawberry. UMMM. And he got me a pink tee-shirt that says "Supermom" across it.
Kenzie made me flowers in school. They are made out of foam and she decorated them with puffy paint, attached craft sticks to them and planted them in a cup of dirt with real grass and seeds. Very cute.
And sweet Xander made me a bead necklace in pre-school. On Sunday morning when I came down stairs all dressed for church, he looked up at me and said, "Mom you look so pretty." "HEY!" "Your wearing my necklace." Of course I wore his necklace. He was beaming with pride. It was awesome! Then he made bend down so he could show me the best bead on it. And there it was. The best skeleton skull bead ever. I wore my skull proud!!
And last but not least, Dawson colored me a picture and in nursery he made me a necklace out of noodles. I didn't wear his necklace because he refused to take it off. That's what happens when they're 2 and make something. They want to keep it. It now hangs on a magnet on the fridge.
After church as you may know we do our Family Home Evenings on Sunday's because of gymnastic schedule on Monday. Kenzie decided to do the lesson on Mother's. She asked questions to Xander about why do we celebrate Mother's Day? He answered and then she asked, why do we celebrate our mom? Xander answered because we love her. Kenzie then said, that's right. And mom does a lot for us. She cooks and cleans and is always doing stuff for us. And even though sometimes she's tired, she still does stuff. Like when mom has to take care of a new baby and is up all night, and then she has to take care of Dawson and then us. She just does it. At that point, Tyler and I looked at each other and started laughing. Tyler said, Kenzie are you hinting at something? Or is it wishful thinking? Who knows were she came up that part of the lesson. After her lesson we all colored pictures of things mom does. Then it was stapled together for a book for me. What a great lesson Kenzie!
It was a wonderful day with my family and that's what made it so special.

I Scream,You Scream.

In an earlier blog I made a list off things Xander wanted to be when he grew up. We now can add the very desirable job of, An Ice Cream Man. Yes, he now wants to be the ice cream man. The perks would be free ice cream anytime. Wouldn't you agree. Or so we would think.
Xander said he would drive by my house so I could buy ice cream from him. I asked him if I could get it for free cause I'm his mom. He said no, because he needs money.
Guess that just goes to show, you can't get anything for free.

Kenzie Made Team!!

Is everyone ready for this. My little 7 year old has moved up in rank in her gymnastics. She is now on the level 4 girls team. That means she will soon be moving on to bigger and better things---COMPETITION!! Can you believe it. She had to pass off several skills before passing the try outs. The skills were, splits, round offs, cartwheels, back bend kick over, handstand into roll, arch up, and back flips. The girls had to do a balance beam routine and a routine on the uneven bars. And then 2 different jumps off the spring board. It was so amazing to watch my little girl do all these different moves and jumps and flips. I remember when she first started and use to get stuck folded in half when she tried to do a backward roll. Her little butt would get stuck in the air and she couldn't get over. Boy she has come a long way.
When she finished her tryout, she received her transfer paper moving her from hotshot level to level 4 team. She came running out of the gym grinning from ear to ear. Then she squealed in delight and screamed, "I made level 4." "I did it." She was so proud of herself. She said, "finally all that hard work and I did it." 4 years ago she said she wanted to do gymnastics at the Olympics and now she's one step closer. (we are now accepting donations so we can afford this girl and her dream)
Not only was she proud, but her mom was beaming with pride too. To see the look on her face and how proud she was of herself made all those drives, twice a week, for an hour long class worth it. And now she'll go 2x a week for 2hrs. And she'll go at 7:45 in the morning. Remind me later that this will be worth it!
As for now we will just keep pluggin' away and Kenzie will continue to jump and flip off my couches and stand on her head.
Just so you all know she has a performance on Monday the 19th at 6:00.
Good Luck Kenzie!

Xander and the Chipmunks

OK, this is just a quick movie recommendation for those interested. We rented Alvin and the Chipmunks over this past weekend. It is truly a cute movie. Xander laughed his head off through the whole thing. Even Tyler and I laughed. We have watched it a total of 4 times in 3 days. It's one of those movies kids and adults enjoy. Sometimes it was more enjoyable to listen to the boys laugh hysterically over scenes in the movie. But, it was great. Hope those of you who rent it enjoy it also.

Thoughts from Xander

I just thought I would share somethings that Xander has told me over the past couple days. His imagination and thoughts put a smile on my face daily. So I thought I'd share a smile with you.

Ask Xander what he wants to be when he grows up and it will change weekly. Here are a few of his career choices.
1.-Transformer race car driver
2.-A shark so he can live under water.
3.-A dad
4.-A dinosaur digger
5.-A robber. Yes, a robber.
Hopefully what ever he chooses to be, he will love it and it will provide him much happiness and no prison time.


The other day Xander asked me, "Mom why are people bald?" I responded, "Because sometimes people just loose their hair." "It happens when people get older." He then smiled at me and said, "Grandpa must be real old then."

Keeping with the subject of grandparents. Please don't be offended mom. He asked me another time if he would have a cane to walk with when he gets older. I told him it all depends on if he needs it or not. To which he replied, "I'm going to get one so I can walk like grandma." I smiled and said, oh really, how does grandma walk? He then acted out as if he had a cane and moved from the living room slowly into the kitchen, lifting one foot at a time. It was truly funny to witness. He also wants a wheel chair so he can race grandma down the big hill we live on. He smiled and chuckled a little and said, I bet I will win.

Another conversation with Xander. "Mom, I know lots of stuff huh." Yes you do. "That's because I have lots of brains in my head and they're big. "And full of stuff I just know." "That makes me smart."

Yet, another conversation. "Mom, Did you know dinosaurs are xstinkt" Really, How did they become extinct? "Meteors hit the earth and killed them all."

And one more. Hopefully all of you might know the songs I will refer to. If not, look them up on the Internet or mom ask Katie for help.
One day while driving in the car a song by the Pussy Cat Dolls came on and It's titled, "I don't need a man." After the song was over, Xander said to me, " Mom, why is that girl singing about she doesn't need a bear." I have no clue why he heard bear but it was funny.
The other song was "Please Don't Stop the Music." by Rihanna. The chorus goes please don't stop the music, the music, the music. Please don't stop the music. My son was singing it, "Jesus got the music, the music, the music. Jesus got the music."

I love my little Xander for being him and for always making me smile.

Easter 2008

I know I'm a little late blogging about Easter. But, technically Easter is usually in April and since it's still April I'm on time. Like my reasoning!
We had a great Easter Sunday. The Kids woke up ready to see if the Easter Bunny hid eggs for them. As they ran around trying to find shoes and getting their baskets ready for the big hunt, Tyler went out to make sure the Easter Bunny had come. wink, wink. And then he came into the house to deliver the good news. The kids squealed in delight. They had to wait a few minutes in the house while we put new batteries in the camera and took a few pics. The reason I tell you this part is because in those 5-10 minutes someone had eaten the candy out of a bunch of eggs. Kenzie looked out the window and said, Mom some of the eggs are opened. What!! Yep, someone came and took the candy out of about 8-10 eggs and just dropped the empty egg back on the ground. I then cursed the person with massive, explosive, diarrhea from eating stolen candy. And I hope it came true. Then my repentance came when my daughter taught me a lesson. She said, "well, maybe some little kid didn't get an Easter and thought some of the eggs were for them." Ok. I raised her right. And she has a good heart. But, I still hope the person had mild diarrhea.
The kids then went out and scattered about collecting eggs. When the yard was bare they returned to the house to see what treasures they found. After doping them up on sugar we got ready for church and away we went. After church we made several attempts at taking a picture with all the kids perfectly posed. A challenge the children won. And later that evening Tyler's brother Nate, his wife Stephanie and their son Todd came over and we all decorated Eggs and had dinner. It was a great day for all. Except for the diarrhea thief.

Enjoy these pics of my spirited children.

The call of the Dawson.


Xander dancing instead of holding still for the picture.


This is about the best group picture we got. It just shows my kids individual personalities.


Decorating Easter Eggs.

Fun at Kangaroo Zoo.

Can you believe my baby girl is 7. Kenz chose to invite 2 friends to Kangaroo Zoo for her birthday instead of having a big party at the house. Sounded good to me. No games to plan. No cleaning. And best of all, no stress. Kangaroo Zoo is a huge warehouse like building full of those giant blow up slides and jumpers you find at carnivals and fairs. The kids had a blast and played for hours. Here's a bunch of pics from Kenzie's birthday. I hope you enjoy!


Kenzie's in the mouth of a dragon.


Kenz and Dawson climbing up one of the slides.


Dawson jumping with the Lochness Monster.


Kenzie and her friends playing. Brianna and Taylor.


I know the pic is fuzzy, but I had to show off the hair.
Pic below is Xander conquering the monster.

Racer # 8961

Whooohooo!! I did it. Yes the SLC. Marathon has come and gone. For all those wondering, I did it. I conquered it. And I'd do it again. It was the most challenging and painfully rewarding experience of my life. (next to childbirth) My good friend Emma and I pushed each other, supported each other and cheered each other on. So when I refer to "We" it is she and I.
The day started in the early morning of 4:15. My alarm was suppose to go off at 4:30, but I couldn't sleep. Remember when you were a kid and it was the night before going to the amusement park and you couldn't sleep and kept watching the clock. It was that kind of anxiety. I laced up the ol' shoes and got ready to pound the pavement. I picked Emma up at 5. and off we went. We had to be up to Salt Lake by 5:40 so we could catch the trax train to the start line. Once we reached the University of Utah campus the butterflies really started. Were we really here, were we really doing this, what were we thinking??? Now I have to pee.
That's exactly what I did next. Then we heard it, "Racers to the start line please." Oh boy here we go. No turning back now. 5 4 3 2 1...GO!! And off we went. Very slowly at first because of the congestion of people. Then everyone spread out and Emma and I found a nice comfortable pace and away we went. It felt great. We were actually passing people. There might be hope for us yet. We ran the first 4 miles and then decided to walk so that we could recharge and not kill ourselves. We walked until mile 6 and then off we went again. We ran until mile 8 then it was potty break time. And off we went to 9. That's when I lost Emma. She took off a little faster and I decided to walk. I walked to mile 10 and 11. Then it was time to go again. So mile 12 I walked/ran. Then the last mile it was no holding back for a strong finish. The home stretch was in sight it was right there waiting for me. The crowed was cheering, music was playing, people were encouraging you on. And then there they were, my sweet husband and kids standing on the side lines screaming "Go Mommy Go! Yeah" The feeling inside me was so over whelming. I sprinted to the finish. "Finishing Half Marathon runner #8961" It was the best sound ever.
When they announced my number it was priceless. Months of preparing. All the sweat, blood, and tears paid off. My goal has been achieved. It was exciting.
After the race I had my time chip removed and then fell into Tyler's proud and supporting embrace. He gave me a huge kiss and said," you did honey I'm so proud of you. "The kids were just as excited as I was. They gave me hugs and kisses and wanted to see the medal I got. Xander got to wear it and was so proud. Kenzie held onto my hand like she was parading me around. Dawson just wanted out of the stroller.
All and all, it was a wonderful experience. It is amazing to see the change that has occurred in me. My mind is clear and my body has been pushed to new limits. What a blessing this has been. I am thankful for my family's support through all this. And for Emma who kept me going. And to my Father in Heaven who blessed me with health and strength and with my wonderful family.

Here are my stats in case you wondered.
Miles ran=8
Miles walked=5
Time 2:40

Wild spray!

I guess this little story has taught me that boys are definitely different from girls. Not just in attitude or play. But in words and actions and appearance. A lesson I learned in the utmost of infuriating situations. Yet, laughter and bewilderment were my rewards.
When Xander was potty training he never said he needed to go to the bathroom or use the potty. He never referred to it as "I need to pee". It was always I have to spray! Think about it. Isn't that what it would look like to a little boy standing over the toilet. We could have been any where and at the top of his lungs you'd hear, "I have to spray!' Stores, Gymnastics, car, most embarrassing would be sacrament mtg. Xander's term has always been spray.
Now imagine my curiosity when I went up stairs and found him naked. The naked part is not out of the ordinary, it was when he informed me his spray went wild. What do mean went wild. He responded, it went whoosh, whoosh,whoosh in circles. What???? To this answer I had to turn to my husband. I called Ty at worked and explained that I not having the male anatomy was truly confused. I explained what Xander said and then had to ask. "Is it possible for spray to go around in a circle?" Tyler said yea if he moves his hips or shakes his bum.
I then turned to Xander and asked, "Xander, did you shake your booty when you sprayed?" Yep! Mom did you know that if you move this way(shakes hip to left) it sprays that way. And if you move this way(shakes hip to the right) it goes that way. And if you you do this(rolls his hips in a circle) [like a hula hoop was on his hips] It goes WILD!
XANDER! Is there pee all over my bathroom? No! It went in Kenzie's room.
What!!! I was so in shock at this point that I just looked in her room with a blank stare on my face. Not knowing what to expect I entered and to my relief found that most of the pee landed in a step stool that was turned upside down. What could I do? I just stood there in disbelief and began to laugh.
Wild spray. Now I have heard it all. (Yea right!)

Little Nudist

For those who need a laugh, read on. For those who think nakedness is bad, stop here.
My sons, yes both of them have discovered how fun it is to be naked. It started at bed time when they would undress to get PJ'S on and it just escalated from there. At any given moment of the day I can be bombarded by the sounds of laughter and then a little jingle that goes like this.
"Nuddie Bootie. I'm a little nuddie. See my Buddha belly. Spank my bootie cause I'm a little nuddie."
Sad to say but it is the most hilarious thing to experience. I think what adds to the scene is the shaking of a 2 yr old's little bum and then his manhood it all it's glory to be seen by all.
Xander is not as bad, it's mostly Dawson. However I have found Xander playing in his room with cars- Butt Naked. When asked why he was naked he replied,"I just wanted to play naked." "My clothes were twisted." "So I took them off." OK. How do you argue with that!
Welcome to my world! Never a dull moment around here. For those wondering how often this actually happens lets just say, Dawson gets redressed about 3 times a day!

You Have to Have Cake!

Only the mind of a 6 year old could come up with this theory.
For those of you that are feeling old when it comes to birthdays, my daughter informed me how to stop having birthdays. Therefore never getting older.
As you know we recently celebrated that wonderful day when a special woman just wanted a hot fudge sundae for her birthday but instead got a beautiful, blue-eyed, red haired little girl. What a lucky woman.
Well, Mackenzie asked me what I wanted for my birthday and being a typical mom I replied, "you kids to get along and someone else to clean the house." I thought it was a good answer. She didn't. She informed me that I am the one that always cleaned and they were too little to do everything I do. (At least she sees how much I do) She then said," what kind of cake do you want? At least you don't have to make your own cake." I being me said "I don't want a cake."
Here is how the rest of the conversation went.

Kenz-"You have to have cake on your birthday."
Me-"Is it a rule?"
Kenz-"Where would you put the candles silly?"
Me- "On a brownie. Daddy makes good brownies."
Kenz-"He makes good cakes too! And he'll make you one. Because It's your birthday and you need a cake. And you need to blow out the candles on the cake because that makes it a birthday."
Me-"What if I don't have a cake or candles?"
Kenz-"Then it's not your birthday and you won't have a birthday. You have to have cake for it to be your birthday. With candles."
Me-"So if I don't have cake or candles I won't get older."
Kenz-"You won't get to blow out the candles and make a wish. And that's when it's your birthday and you turn older."
Me-"So if I don't then...."
Kenz-"You will still be 30!" "You want to be 31 right!"
Me-"So if I stopped having cake and candles when I was 29, how old would I be now."
Kenz-"29"
Me-"So if I didn't have a cake when I turned 30 I would still be, how old?"
Kenz-"You would be 29. That comes before 30 right."
ME-"I see."

So the moral of my story is. Pick an age you like and then stop having birthday cake with candles. and you'll never get older again. If it only worked that easily. We could forever be 29.

Marathon Mom

Well, as many of you know I am taking part in the SLC half marathon. My friend Emma and I are going to challenge ourselves and go the distance of 13 miles. We will walk/run it and pray we finish. That has been my goal I've been working on for months now. In January my friend Rachel said, hey you should do the half marathon in April. OK. I said. Then I asked my friend to do it with me. We have been walking together since school started in August. Plus we walk at gymnastics together while our girls are in class. She was up for it. She then said, but I don't run. That's OK. we could walk it as long as we kept a 16 minute mile. No problem for us we already were doing a 14 min mile. Now we walk a 12 min mile and run a 10. Yes, did you all catch that? We run now. Here is the girl who told me I don't run and that was fine with me. Well, we now run together about 3 miles and walk 3 daily. We average 40-45 miles a week. So we might just make it. Wish us luck and continued health and strength. April 19th is the big day.

Sudden Acts Result in Love

Kind of a weird title I know but the story is one of shock and then love.

On this past Tuesday it started out as a typical morning. I got up, got Kenzie ready for school, ran around with a chicken with my head cut off. Dropped Kenz off and then loaded the boys into the stroller for my morning walk. The boys fought the whole time. They screamed and hit each other, all in the confines of a covered bike trailer stroller.Completely drove me crazy. They made the 6 miles H-E-double hockey sticks. By the time we made it home I was done with children. I got them lunch and just wanted to sit in semi-quiet. Did that happen-NO! As my wonderful son walked by I caught a whiff of ya know. The anger instantly boiled over. I marched his butt up stairs and screamed my head off. I lost it. I was in tears going on and on about him being a big boy and how come he crapped his pants. And I was not gentle wiping his booty.

After all this I said some not nice things and told him that I didn't want a son that can't use the potty.

Harsh trust me I know and now onto the lesson I learned. While all this was going on sirens and helicopters were flying over head. They were close enough that the pictures on the wall rattled. It turns out that while I was not liking and wanting my son, a few doors down my neighbor was loosing hers. He was Autistic and had extreme brain damage. On Tuesday afternoon he began seizureing and with all the medical experts and equipment on hand his mother held him in her arms as his body stopped shaking and calmed then he was gone. He slipped from this life back into the loving arms of our Father in Heaven. Had this mother known that when they woke up that 6 hours later her son would be dead would she have done anything different? Would she have made him his favorite breakfast? Would she have been more patient? Would she have held him a little longer?

When I realized what was happening I grabbed my son and held him tight and told him that I loved him. And I told him how sorry I was and that I am so glad he is my son. I would never have forgiven myself if the last words my son ever heard from me were words of anger and disappointment. This life is so precious and short that we need to treasure every moment and not focus on petty things and take every opportunity to tell those around us and in our lives how much we love them and how much they mean to us.

So to all of you reading this I love you and I am so thankful you are a part of me.

"I CAN'T HEAR"

This one is for all those who need a smile and good laugh.
This Sunday as I was pulling dinner out of the oven and everyone was sitting down. (we had Tyler's brother Nate and his wife Stephanie over) Xander came running into the kitchen screaming "I can't hear!" "I can't hear!" I calmly looked at him and said did you put something in there? He started crying and said "yes." "mom it won't come out." Upon closer examination we found the blockage. Sure enough there deep inside the ear canal was a beautiful little gold BB. Yes a BB.
OK. let's see, I can try and get it out or we can pay an emergency room co-pay on a Sunday evening. Doctor mom to the rescue. First attempt was a magnet to see if it was metal. Hopes were a strong magnet would pull it out. No luck! This sucker was in there. Second attempt was tweezers. Yes I stuck tweezers into my son's ear. I could feel the BB but couldn't open the tweezers wide enough to grab the BB. Think ,think, think, what could I use? I got it! I knew what to do. I needed a tool that could slip in there behind the BB and pop it out. Very carefully. I stress carefully. Tyler tipped his head and pulled his ear open while I with doctor like skills reached into his ear with a mini precision screwdriver. Yes, you read correctly. I used a screwdriver to pop a BB out of my son's ear. And it sure worked great! Out it came. Xander looked at it and said,"It's got ca ca on it."
Then, I held up a piece a chicken to the other ear and pulled out a T-Rex. OK the last part is false. I didn't hold chicken up to his ear, but we did check to see if a T-Rex was in it.
Then we all went on to enjoy a wonderful meal. With Xander hearing every word said.

OK, OK, OK, I hear ya already!

Ok, so I created a blog. But no one said I had to actually write stuff. I was just told "Keri you should have a blog." Not "Keri, you should have a blog and actually write stuff." To those whom actually care I will try to do better. I can't get much worse- right!

I do have funny stories to share and goals I'm working at. I guess I could put that stuff in. I'm just a slacker! I might even figure out how to put pictures on this thing. Won't that just put you all in cardiac arrest. Me bloggin' with pics.

We are heading out to the store right now so I'll update later. Till then.