Kitten Kraziness

Yesterday morning while Shauna was doing some weeding in our garden (she is one amazing woman, all that she is doing for us this week!) a little kitten came out to her from behind our shed. She held it and later told me how cute he was. I couldn't believe it because I have put the fear of death in my children about the wild cats that live around here. I said "you touched it?!"
She quickly convinced me that I could easily catch the little guys and take them to a shelter so that they would be out of my yard and neighborhood for good. So this morning we set out on our task with a can of tuna... and had success. I was totally surprised at how cute and sweet the kittens were, and that the mother was no where to be found.

After spending an hour or so with them we loaded up the car and took them to a near-by animal shelter. I was feeling so great about the process at this point, but was told by the lady at the shelter that they were full and they would not take the kittens. What?! This was not an option for me. 20 minutes later I was driving away with the four kitty's, a new carrier, cat food, and a litter box that they gave me. Totally Unbelievable. I came home about in tears not knowing what to do with them and NOT wanting to let them go outside again (four cats multiply into 20 cats before you know it)... but Shauna got me through it. A little Chipotle for lunch and a sense of humor can go a long way.

At this point I have them in the laundry room and we are going to take them into the Humane Society in Phoenix tomorrow morning... unless any of my readers want a new pet between now and then. I know my friend Jill really wished she could have taken one or two home, she is such a cat lover... Kidding. Tyler is such a great husband. He definately does not like the idea of the cats but he has been supportive to me in my effort to make this happen today and has been fine with having them here.... At a distance that is!

It seems like it's always something new with me... sometimes I feel like Amelia Bedelia.

Today

Luke had another swim meet today and did just what he wanted... received second place in the freestyle and third in the backstroke! His ribbon collection is hanging in his room now with Blue, Red and White! Very good.

Yesterday things were much improved around the house. Shauna has been so helpful with the kids and house, she even let Tyler and I score a two hour nap in the afternoon. Wow. For dinner, my visiting teacher brought us a great dinner of fruit, chicken salad, croissants and warm chocolate chip cookies. I couldn't have asked for anything better.

Tyler is still really sore and moving slowly, but recovering well. The kids and I just aren't used to him having to be so hands-off. The boys keep wanting to jump all over him. This week has made me so grateful for our usual good health! Health is everything in life.

This afternoon we went to see "Kung-Fu Panda". It is GREAT! Entertaining for both the kids and us, funny and clean! I do highly recommend it to those with kids like mine.

And lastly, sorry, I had to add it... my favorite David Archuleta song from the AI finale. Hope ya'll don't think I am too dumb. Good night.

Tyler's Appendectomy

Yesterday Tyler was at work when he called saying that he had a horrible pain in his abdomen. I knew something was really wrong because he sounded terrible and was sitting in his car in the parking garage resting during an important training. Within the hour he came home and I took him to the Urgent Care. They suspected Appendicitis there and sent us to the main hospital for a scan.
After about 5 hours of tests and waiting (THANK YOU to my dear friends who managed my kids all that time!) we found out that he did in fact need to go in for surgery! So about 8:30 they took him in for the first surgery of his life! He didn't seem too nervous, just anxious to get the pain to go away.

I waited for a couple hours in the empty waiting room, eating cheez-ITS and wishing I had a family member or friend there with me. I was very thankful to my cousin Chloe who was at my house staying the night so I didn't have to hurry home. About 10:30 they brought him back and he looked good. He was very woosey and sleepy, his voice hoarse from the tube in his throat, but he said he felt better!
I tried to stay the night with him there but that was a joke. Between nurse visits, the blood pressure machine and his snoring... I was making myself nuts. So I left around midnight.
Today he is good! His stomach hurts and it is hard for him to sit up and get around, but I think he will recover in no time. He was supposed to head out for a business trip to Germany on Sunday morning but we've cancelled that... and now his mom Shauna is flying in for the week to lighten the load. The kids and I are thrilled!!

To Eat or not to Eat

Sometimes feeding myself and children every meal every day can get old. At times I've wished for an IV drip that could just feed us at night while we sleep. This of course is because I have a couple picky eaters who take teensy bites... and it can all feel a bit tedious.

My Ashley is in a position now where she could stand to put on a few good pounds. I am working with her doctors to help her reach 30 pounds, but to do that I need to get LOTS of food into her! So I am writing with a request that you help me with some good kid food ideas. I am tired of our 'usuals' and I need healthy ideas that are high in calories, fat, whatever... just going to put the weight on.

I made bean burritos for us last night for dinner which was a no brainer, but I have never done that before and the kids (not Jake) loved them. That's a start. Hard boiled eggs, peanut butter spoons, pasta with LOTS of butter... that's what she's been eating.. and she LOVES fruits and vegetables, but that's not going to do it.

Anyway, Here's to her need to gain weight! - A problem many of us wish we had!

Jake's Morning

Ali told me that she hasn't seen Jake represented very well my blog recently, so I found some pictures on the computer to share of my baby. Here is a typical morning for Jacob.
Spiderman jammies, spiderman pillowcase (he's into spiderman)

A big "good morning!" from mommy and Ash

Pancakes! Yum.

Jakey is always happy to see us when he wakes up and brings lots of joy into our house! We love him so much!

I have a JOKE for you

I was just looking at my friend Jenna's blog and saw this picture on it which reminded me of my best joke, which I haven't told in a long while. I want to share it tonight:

There were two guys on the beach, a Pollock and a ripped guy. All day long the Pollock laid under the sun hoping to look good for the ladies, but the ripped guy was getting all the attention. When approached, the ripped guy surrounded by women said "Buddy, you just need to work out a little more." So the Pollock did.

The next day wasn't any better. "What else can I try?" he asked. "You need to work on your tan a little bit. You're WHITE!" he was told.

After tanning all afternoon the Pollock sat and watched as the ripped man enjoyed all the pretty ladies surrounding him. He was desperate, so he begged for anymore suggestions! In a quiet moment the ripped guy handed the Pollock a potato and whispered, "put this in your speedo!"

The next day the Pollock did just that but instead of women clamoring at him they screamed and ran away!

The ripped guy yelled, "No you idiot! The potato goes in the front, not the BACK!"

We're In

Family- Ty and I are officially registered now for the Freedom Run in Provo on the 4th. Just wanted to give you the heads up that we are already stretching out and looking forward to feeding you our dust. The link is on Chloe's website under her 'upcoming run's' section if you need it. See you there!

He's Got the BLUE!

Luke swam in his first swim meet this morning. Practice started last Tuesday, and he swims every single morning from 8:45-9:15 all summer long. Quite a commitment! Luke is enjoying it, eating much more than he usually does and even napped yesterday, so it is great!

This morning three teams met at the pool at 7am. There were lots of crowds and comotion and Luke was pretty quiet. It was all a lot to take in. He is swimming in the 5/6 year old boys heat and today was freestyle.

Short story short, my boy took first in his race!! He truly is a talented and natural little swimmer, it is so fun to watch him! Tyler and I were smiling as they gave him his blue ribbon. But the best part was when we got over to congratulate him, he was thrilled with his BLUE one... but told us that he wants to collect one of every color this summer! It was cute.

Last day of Kindergarten

This is Luke Dictating a message:
This is a picture of my school performance. The songs I sang were "The Kindergarten Class" (to the tune of the Adams Family) and A Kindergarten Poem. This is my class. Mrs. Cady was a great teacher.

Busy Boy

Typically this title would be best for a post about little Jake. This time though, it's Luke. One afternoon last week he was a very busy boy and found himself getting into a little bit of mischief!

In the first picture he is showing us the result of his efforts to shave with daddy's razor in the shower... luckily it wasn't too bad, he knicked the top corner of his lip a little bit, but he definately learned his lesson! When he came out of the shower to me with blood all over his mouth I freaked out and said "Luke! What happened!?" And he whimpered "Mommy...I did what you said never to do!"

The second picture is of some wall art he left me that same afternoon! I still have not said anything to him about it... my initial reaction was to be upset because he definately knows better than to do that.. but when I stopped to read it I sort-of appreciated it and the sweetness of his message to me. People always say kids grow up too fast so I guess I'm lucky to have a permanent little love note in the kitchen to enjoy for years to come.

Busy, busy Blogger

I have found a way to make my blog into a BOOK! Tyler's been wanting me to figure this out for a few months so that we can have a copy as a scrapbook/journal and I was surfing around some friends' blogs the other night when I went to Lizzies and found pictures of the Blog Book she just made. I linked over to BLURB.COM and downloaded their software and have been busy making my book ever since! I have completed last years...which was from August when I started my blog thru December. It takes some time to format it the way I want, but I am happy with the outcome. I still don't know what they are going to charge me when I go to order it, but I imagine it is about a dollar per page (mine is 54 pages long). That is worth it to me, not having to develop the pictures, etc... So, I will show you guys what it looks like on here when I get it. Hopefully in a few weeks. Talk to you later!

Ashley's Gymnastics Recital

Last Saturday Ashley participated in her first big on-stage performance. She was so cute in her costume and did a great job! Her class did a dance to the song "Don't wake the ladybug...sh..sh...sh!" and then showed off some of their tumbling skills. She was such a happy girl and Luke, Tyler and I had a fun night watching her! When we picked her up backstage after the show we found that our our little ladybug was very sleepy... but she was still up for ice- cream!

My Sweet Dad's Birthday

May 18 is my dad's birthday. He passed away just over three years ago now which is hard to believe. Today I have him on my mind and want to post a few of pictures of him. He was honestly one of the kindest, most friendly people I know; Always engaged in service to others and making people smile. I often tell my children how much they would have loved their grandpa and share stories of the many talents he had... magic tricks, juggling, writing in cursive backwards, hitting a golf ball straight up and catching it in his hat. He was always up for a hot bath and a popcorn party and he loved "canny" .... all of my kids' favorites!

He was also a great friend and father to me. Some of my fondest memories with him are during my high school years when we used to go running together at night. He always had interesting things to talk about and was a good listener too. I am lucky to have him as my father and also my amazingly strong, faithful and beautiful mother! Happy Birthday, Dad. We love & miss you!

Pregnant with Luke, his first grandson
His 49th Birthday party

Ashley's Preschool Graduation

Today Ashley graduated from Mrs. Daniel's fabulous preschool! What a year she had learning all about the alphabet and doing fun arts and crafts to go along with every letter! She loved taking her turn for show-and-tell and bringing snack, and especially loved when she got to take the class pet "Clifford the Big Red Dog" home! Mrs. Daniel is a very kind woman whom Ashley adores. A big Thank You goes out to her! And look at these cute graduation photos, it was very sweet.

Mother's Day - The Kids & Me

My Love is 30!

Today is Tyler's 30th Birthday! Wow! We've had a great weekend celebrating...
Friday night I had a party for him and all his friends and their families at a nearby park. We had lots of good BBQ catered in and my friend Jill made a delicious cake. Tyler loved it! He was able to reconnect with several old friends from PwC and just felt very loved, as he should!





Today, being Mother's Day and his actual birthday we had ourselves a quandary. Who gets breakfast in bed?! We had agreed upon getting some good breakfast food and making it for ourselves together, but he of course snuck out this morning and surprised me with the kids. Waffles, strawberries and whipped cream... homemade cards and wet kisses from Jakey (who also dumped the dirt from Ashley's potted flower all over in our sheets, how sweet...) Tonight we did presents and cake. It was a wonderful day!!



P.S. The reason I have "It's a Wonderful World" playing on the blog is because Tyler can do an amazing impersonation of Louis Armstrong! If you haven't heard it, ask him to do it for you next time you see him. Everytime I hear this on the radio I smile!

Dunked

Todd was in town again this weekend for work and got to spend a little time with us on Friday night and Saturday. Man I had some great laughs watching him and Tyler play pool basketball against each other! Whenever Ty and I play it, either one on one or against friends it turns into the funnest thing! Grabbing at any and all body parts you can find under the water, holding people back from the ball by their foot, it is always a good time. This time it was more fun to watch though! And, I did get in the water that day for the first time this season. Got tired of sitting in the heat so I surprised the kids with a "cannon ball!" They were thrilled!