Finally an update!

Well, I know all of you have been waiting by the edge of your seats to know what we've been up to, so here is a quick recap. First of all, I want you all to know I am typing this using our NEW high-speed Internet, not having to pray that my old dial-up will kick me out at any time and not let me publish. YAY for us! If I had taken any pictures recently, I would post them, but for now, just words.

A week after signing on the house, we FINALLY got our keys! Lets just say I am glad it is officially ours and we are now living here because my patience was definitely tried these past few months! I started cleaning right away and a BIG thanks once again to Stephanie, my sister in law for helping with everything! There were nights we cleaned until very late at night, but all of our hard work paid off! Cauley was a little impatient about moving things in so it ended up being him, me, and Steph moving everything mostly ourselves. Brad and Mike did help a lot too, but we had most of the heaviest, biggest stuff (besides the piano) moved before they were available to help out. I decided after having to carry our king sized bed, and all our bedroom furniture upstairs that I didn't like my stairs so much anymore. (But now that I've stepped on the scale and seen the weight loss along with the slightly thinner thighs and buns, I love them once again!) Anyways, we had to move in super fast because it was such a busy week for Cauley before he headed off to Georgia.

I have to stop and brag about my hard working husband right now. (I know I shouldn't brag, but I just gotta.) He is so awesome, and I am so thankful for him and the way he was raised- to be a hard worker. We got the keys to the house late Thursday evening, but had no power (electricity) to clean with until Friday. He worked hard fixing things and cleaning things after track practice on Friday and again Saturday morning before heading off to the State Tack Meet- which his team (Higley Boys') came in 2nd place in (way to go, Coach!) and also one of his pole vaulters won state as well as other people. Higley just did really well, and they beat Queen Creek for the first time ever! (Go Knights!) Anyways, Sunday was a much needed day of rest before his Monday of finals and moving, Tuesday of finals and finish moving, and then Wednesday was graduation. Thursday he still had school (for teachers it was their last day) and also his Track Banquet, and then Friday was Dallin's Kindergarten graduation followed by the very very last of the moving in. Saturday he got up early and worked hard doing and fixing things for me before he left late in the morning to head to the airport with Brad and Steph to fly to Georgia to help Ryan and Jenn pack, clean, and move back to AZ. He got home very early this morning and spent much of the day helping them unload. I love this man so much! What a great example for our kids!

Anyways, since he was gone, I worked hard getting our house in order. The walls are still white with nail holes and no decorations, but everything but 3 boxes (computer stuff, Cauley's scoll stuff, and one I'm avoiding of just junk) have been gone through and put away. I must say that this house seems very empty! I am used to walking into Tyli's room to see wall-to-wall (and floor to ceiling) storage but now it only contains her bed, dresser, and the changing table. Even her closet is bare! Good thing she has a zillion shoes (she's a shoe-aholic with friends who feed her addiction by passing down all of their small fitting shoes!). The boys' room is much the same as we decided last minute to put all of the toys in the extra room downstairs as a play room, emptying their room too. My bedroom is so big that Cauley and I laughed the first night we slept in it because in our old house, we'd have to pretty much scoot in sideways between the wall and our bed. Our new room is so spacious that we both ended up sleeping toward the middle of the bed because we felt like we were going to fall out. My living room seems empty, but contains all of our furniture. I need some suggestions about decorating everything, so PLEASE come by with an opinion! Maybe for our anniversary we can buy a can of paint to cover our very white walls! (this house feels so big that it may take at least 15 more anniversaries to do away with our white walls!) Anyways, we have a whole week to work on anything that needs done before heading up to Idaho. Cauley starts summer weights on Monday so he'll be gone a few hours in the morning and then a few hours each afternoon Mon-Thurs. for the rest of the summer.

So much fun having Jenn, Ryan, Mike, Brent, and Tye living back here. My kids have been so excited to see them and play with their cousins. We are happy everyone but a coyote and Ryan's bumper on his new car made it back safe and sound! (I'm sure Cauley will write about that soon- check his blog- it's the first one on my sidebar under family.) Anyways, I have tons to write about and so many stories to tell. Hopefully I get out the camera and take pictures so I can post them too! Check back soon!

So glad yesterday is over!

Yesterday, Thursday, was a very hectic day for me. I won't even be able to begin to tell you the amount of stress I felt from around 9:15 a.m. on. It was supposed to be a very fun, relaxing day, but instead I ran around the valley with a HUGE grin on my face. I was really taking it easy in the morning, taking my sweet time getting myself and the kids ready for our outing. I hadn't even begun cleaning anything, but sat on the couch and watched a half hour of tv before taking Dallin to school, slowly ate my breakfast, took a warm, leisurely shower, and then started packing the swimming bag. That's when our Realtor called and asked if we could be in Scottsdale at 2:00 to sign on our new house. I ran like crazy, trying to set up a babysitter, get everyone dressed, get Cauley's schedule in order so he could miss a class and one of his last track practices, an on and on- you get my idea; the stress started to rise. Then I called my realtor back to ask a question and he informed me there was an office in Gilbert that we could sign at instead of going to Scottsdale (saving over 45 minutes at least of driving in one direction!) and that this appointment would be after Cauley's track practice. I took it, then began re-calling everyone I had just set stuff up with, cancelling Cauley needing to find a sub for 5th hour and track, my babysitter who couldn't help out after 3, calling and finalizing plans for swimming, and of course, getting us ready to be gone for the rest of the day. I left the house 15 minutes later, car packed and ready to go, kids excited to go swimming, and an even higher stress level.
I met Stephanie at the Basha High School Pool (I highly recommend if you have little kiddos!) and we let the kids swim for an hour or so. It was a ton of fun, plus it wore them out! We left the pool, ran to get them some pizza, drove to Steph's house to change and throw some pizza in my face, then drove to my new house for my final inspection. (Not that you care, but my new house is still in wonderful condition- just needs some dusting and a vacuum cleaner!) By the way, I need to say THANK YOU!!! to Stephanie for keeping my kids all afternoon, making my running around a lot easier! After the inspection, I ran to the bank to get our down payment, then to pick up Cauley at his track practice, and since we had time, we stopped off to see our wonderful Uncle Kent before heading to the title company. Our signing was, in my opinion, really fun. It seemed to go by really fast, and I laughed about all the stupid (I know- that word is banned from our house, but really, for lack of a better word!...) documents we had to sign. I think we signed over 13 papers that basically just told us nothing more than the fact that we belong to an HOA. Seriously. The lady who was in charge laughed when, at the end, I asked if we belonged to an HOA or if we didn't need to worry about that. Other than being fun, our signing was very low-key. Because we have waited for so long, I almost expected a fanfare or something. But guess what... IT'S DONE!!! WE SIGNED!!! Now if only we had the keys so I can take over my new vacuum...
Well, after we signed, I dropped Cauley back off at his school so he could get his car. He then went to the cell phone store to finally get his Christmas present I gave him- a new cell phone and blue tooth, and then he went to Costco for me. I headed back to Steph's to pick up the kids, then we went to KFC for the free dinner from Oprah. Bad news, our KFC that is less than 1 mile from our house wasn't honoring the coupons yet- I had to fill out a rain check and will receive them within 7 business days. Instead we went over to our new house and walked around the outside, just for fun. The boys are getting so excited (thanks to me talking up the big move!) Tyli had fallen asleep in the car and didn't want to be bothered. Finally, at 7:00 we got home, hungry because we had been denied the only idea I had for dinner. After eating a bowl of cereal, the boys were off to bed, with me so happy yet tired to get them there! Today, not so busy, just starting to pack, cleaning up what didn't get done yesterday, and keeping the kids cool. (This heat is really getting to me already! I don't like it when it doesn't cool down so much at nights!) Now I'm just itching to go vacuum the floors at my new house!

Relay for Life

Some of you may know about my friend Rashelle. She was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma back in November. She has completed chemo and continues to be a positive example for us all. One of her greatest friends, Marie, decided that for Christmas this year she would put together a team for the Queen Creek Relay for Life in honor of Rashelle. (WE were Team R-Bug, Rashelle's nickname.) There were so many of us friends that we almost had to put together 2 teams! This past weekend was our time to relay! We had way too much fun! Many tears were shed, either sad or because we were laughing so hard, but overall, it was an experience none of us will soon forget!

3 friends of mine who participated in the "Survivor's Walk".

Jodi Meadows with her mom, Chrys, a survivor of Breast cancer. Chrys is in my ward and I am so glad she came! I have admired her for many years now, and continue to be amazed at her courage, wisdom, and overall attitude for life.

Jodi, Chrys, Lezlie, and Geoff B. (Lezlie is also one of Chrys's daughters who came to watch and support her mom.)

The Spence Family

Kahmeah, Marie (our team captain), Justin, and Cooper

Check out the shirts- Rashelle designed them and then we sold them for a fundraiser. Aren't they AWESOME!?! (If you're interested, we are placing another order!)

This is Marie and I starting our walk at 4:00 a.m. Nobody had signed up for this time slot so Marie and I fulfilled it. Overall, I walked 7.25 miles! The weather was perfect the entire time. We had so much fun eating, dancing, eating, playing volleyball, eating, walking, chatting like only girlfriends can do, and of course, eating! We started packing up around 5:30 a.m. and left after closing ceremonies which were at 6:00. I definitely want to do this again next year!

I need everyone's help!

Hey friends, family, and all blog stalkers! (Just kidding!) I am currently in the market for a new vacuum. Ours blew up on Saturday and we've been shopping ever since. I need to know what kind of vacuum you have and if you really love, like it with minimal problems, or have one that nobody should ever have to deal with. PLEASE leave me some comments because I need to vacuum my floors once again! (But a big thank you to Steph who came and vacuumed with her vacuum last night!)

And don't you dare answer "because" or it gets worse!

This is what a day living with my 3 year old, McKade is like. I love him to pieces, but seriously, this needs to be stopped!

Why is it morning? (That’s usually the first thing we hear out of him each day.) Why is it still dark? (Why aren’t you still in bed if it’s still dark?) Why isn’t Daddy in bed? Why does Daddy have to go to work? Why do we need money? Why do we eat cereal for breakfast? Why are you still tired, Mommy? Why do cows eat hay? Why does Dallin go to school? Why does he take a backpack? Why are you not putting your socks on with your shoes? Why are we late? Why are you driving so fast? Why are we behind that black truck? Why do we have to come home? Why are you showering? Why do we have to stay out here? Why are you locking the door? Why is there a door on the closet? Why does Tyli smell like poop? (Why don’t you go change her!) Why is your blowdryer so loud? Why do you have to do the dishes? Why are they dirty? Why do you use that towel? Why are you sweeping? (For the second time already today!)Why do we have to pick up Dallin from school? Why are we behind a red car? Why are you driving so slow? (Ever heard of a school zone, kid?) Why do we have to come home? Why can’t we eat lunch yet? Why do we need to eat? (Aren’t you the same kid who’s asked for lunch for the past hour and a half?) Why do I like sandwiches? Why can’t you buy (soda) pop? Why can’t we go to Burger King? (He actually calls it Hamburger King.) Why does Chim Chim (our dog) jump on me? Why is he going pee in the grass? Why are you talking on the phone? Why do you have to talk to her/him? Why does Dallin always play Mario Cart? Why are you getting angry? Why can’t we have candy for a snack? (You can actually insert this about 100 times because it’s actually said all day long!) Why is it quiet time? Why are you needing a 5 minute time-out from me? (5 minutes isn’t long enough!) Why do you want Daddy to come home? Why are you making dinner? Why did you put that in our food? (It’s garlic salt- it’s nearly impossible to make garlic bread without it!) Why is that food smoking? (steaming.) Why isn’t Daddy home yet? (I don’t know- I think he’s avoiding all of the questions!) Why do I have to wash my hands? Why did you give me so much food? Why can’t I have more dinner? Why can’t we have bessert (dessert) yet? (It could be because none of us are finished with dinner or the fact that we only have dessert on very rare occasions!) Why does Daddy always go to the bathroom when he gets home? Why does he take so long? (Sorry Honey, I’m trying to give everyone a real perspective of my day! I think he takes so long because he too is already tired of answering these questions!) Why is it getting dark outside? Why am I tired? Why can’t we go to bed? (Because it’s only 6:30! and I’m not waking up this early again tomorrow!) Why are we not going for a walk? Why do we have to take a bath? Why is the water cold? Why can’t we have more water? Why can’t we splash? Why can’t we drink it? Why do we have to get out? Why is Chimmy hitting the door? Why didn’t you feed him yet? Why do we have to go to bed? Why aren’t we reading scriptures? Why are we reading scriptures now? Why do we have to fold our arms? (really, we have said prayers every night long before he was born, and we say them several times throughout the day too!) Why is it Tyli’s turn? Why are we going to bed? Why is it nighttime?

Really, in all fairness, I have to say this is only about a fourth of his questions he asks in a day. I'll dave his "How..." questions for another time!

I Won!!!

In my life, I have entered many sweepstakes, contests, drawing, so on. I do have to say that it is a very good thing that I don't gamble, as about 99.9% of the time I have not been the "chosen winner." This even includes twice, yes, my friends, two times of going to Round Table, a monthly District adult leader Cub Scout Meeting, and after adding my name for the early bird drawing, been the only one who didn't get chosen for a prize! (TWICE!) How do I know this? Well, because both times they announced that there was only one ticket left, but the prizes were all gone! (they did add a "sorry to whoever you are!" for that, leaving me feeling non the better!) Anyways, the news...

On March 19th Cauley and I went to the Macy's Pre-Grand opening sale at the San Tan Mall. We purchased our tickets through his track team as their fundraiser, entered into the drawing for four different prizes with the biggest being a $500 shopping spree, and shopped the whole store. I won't bore you with the purchases we got for a really good deal that day. Well, yesterday I got a phone call from Macy's telling me I was one of the 4 big winners.
"Is this a joke?" I asked.
The lady on the other end sounded insulted. "NO. Your name was chosen as one of our sweepstakes winners."
Now, before any of you start thinking I won the $500 pot, please be advised that I did not. I did however, win a facial. Yes, I get a FREE 30 minute facial, which, coming from Macy's probably is worth $500! On top of that, I was told that I have won another prize as well, but can't be told what over the phone. I will receive that after my facial. Knowing my luck is only so strong, I am looking forward to collecting my free lipstick or eye cream which I will probably never use after my facial is over!
I cannot begin to tell you how ecstatic I am about my winnings!

Where we're at...currently

Well, things have moved fast for us in this whole buying a new home business, but I guess not quite fast enough for me. We supposedly maybe would be signing to close 2 weeks ago on Wednesday, but no. Instead, because the silly Title company wouldn't provide title (yah, I know, unheard of, right?) they got fired and a new title company was hired. They had to redo most everything so it was all in the new title company's name, so once again we've been given a day possibly to close. I am not holding my breath for Monday to sign though! Plus, after that, we have to give them 3 days to get everything recorded before we get our keys, so once again, I am playing the part of a very impatient mother who is trying to get her home and kids ready to move.

One of the reasons I am so ancy is because everyone has told me NOT to potty train Ty until we move, which we didn't plan on, but she has decided she would do it on her own. Since yesterday she'll announce she has to go, run to the bathroom, strip, and go on the potty. She thinks it's hilarious, I think it's wonderful. However, I don't want to deal with this right now. (I know, I am a very bad mom!) She isn't 100% consistent, which, why should she be, nobody taught her! I am afraid to put her in panties and have to deal with that whole "mess."

Another reason is I need my new washing machine. Ours doesn't wash anymore, just soaks the clothes in dirty water. Gross huh? Yah, I am needing that new washing machine! (I'm also using it as an excuse to not do laundry!)

Ok, so there is a quick update. I'll let you know when and if we actually ever close. Pray for us!

I would cry too!

I spent a portion of my day today with my sweet Ty Ty in the Urgent Care. Don't worry- she's fine, or will be within a few weeks. I basically blame myself, although I DO know that kids are kids and accidents happen. I wasn't paying much attention to her this morning (which once again proves to have bad outcomes!) and was trying to get some contract work scheduled for our new home. Since the kids were being so loud, I deemed it an "important" phone call and locked myself in my room so I could hear and understand my phone call. About 10 minutes later, I heard Tyli fall in the kitchen and start screaming. I immediatly hung up (the conversation wasn't going anywhere!) and ran out to find Tyli clutching her hand in a puddle of water she had dispensed from the fridge. Right next to her I found a 5 lb. weight plate (for lifting weights). I assessed everything and found she was favoring her hand a lot. My first exam turned up nothing- no blood- everything looked almost normal. She continued to scream and asked for a "big bandaid" and her daddy, so after about 5 minutes I looked again and her fingers were all starting to bruise and had swelled. I made the decision to take her in. (*By the way, I have to add here that I am SO grateful to have in-laws that live close by and that took my boys without hesitation. THANKS!!)

Ty and I headed off to Urgent Care where my little darling acted as if nothing was wrong. She was being really cute and VERY cooperative (aka: she was totally doped up on Tylenol!) and had all the nurses and even the doctor wrapped around her crushed fingers! Well, after 3 x-rays which she was PHENOMENAL for, the Dr. came in to show me all the little hairline fractures throughout her 3 middle fingers. They went ahead and splinted 2 of them together but they didn't have a wider splint so they gave me an extra one and a roll of the gauze/tape stuff to splint the other one if needed. Tyli was so excited to have "pink" (flesh colored) tape on. (They almost did blue, but she insisted on "pink!")

Once we were at the Clarks' to pick up my boys, I decided to go ahead and splint the other finger. It was fine, but didn't align all three broken fingers correctly so when we got to Cauley's track meet, I stopped the trainer and asked him if he had a wider splint to get all 3 fingers. He and another trainer came out with a splint that fits all 4 fingers, so that was good news. However, Tyli wouldn't keep it on. It was real easy to just slide off her little hand so after a while I held her down and taped the splint, wrapping it around her whole hand (around the thumb, down by the wrist) and since then it has stayed on! I wasn't home so I didn't have any Tylenol to keep in her system and I could definitely tell it was hurting her. She trys to use it, whimpers, and looks at it so sadly. As soon as I had some dinner in her, I gave her some Tylenol, which I hope is good enough for now. I hate seeing my babies in pain! I sure hope she gets better quickly!

Update.

Hi. I am so behind once again with this blogging thing! I am not going to promise any catching up soon as I have been busy with life and quite frankly don't have time to do it quite yet. I just wanted to give everyone an update on our house. We get to close next Wednesday! YAY!! It is Cauley's (and Dallin's) Spring Break, so aside from the morning Track practices, he'll be home to help clean and fix anything that needs done. We haven't decided for sure when we'll move over there, but I now know it'll be by the end of this month! It feels like everything is going so incredibly fast for us! It's been an emotional roller coaster, but I am now excited to go get things ready, like getting a black fridge to match our other kitchen appliances, clean the house, decorate, and so on!

On a different topic, we still need to find renters for our home here in PC. If anybody knows anyone who is looking to rent a 3 bedroom, 2 bath home for $750/month, PLEASE let me know! We're hoping to have renters starting in April. Thanks!

As Promised...

Many of you are asking where our new house is. Is it in the neighborhood? Sadly, no. It is just south of us- you know, in PC South. (All 45 seconds away!) Anyways, today was our inspection, allowing us to go over and take pics for me to post. My kids had a grand time running all around the house, and Dallin had the best time of all, as I gave him free run of the camera. He found out how to turn it to take videos, and let me tell you, it is one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time! The kid rooms have mirrors on their closets and at the end before my camera ran out of memory space, he decided to video himself dancing by using the mirror! I'll try and see if this video will post, but if not, take my word- it's hilarious!

Anyways, this house is twice the size of the one we're in now, and beautiful! I am so much anticipating the end of next month when we're supposed to close! Now if only we could find renters...

My big kitchen area- that is wide open into the family room!

The bay window where my table is going to be! (The door is to my pantry)

Looking up my stairs from the Family room. You can also see the living room and entry way.

Hard to Top!

I love reading every one's Valentine posts- well, usually I do. This time I find myself thinking "nope, not as good as mine!" (how judgemental of me- sorry!) Cauley usually doesn't do big things for Valentine's day, the day he calls the Pagan holiday. This year, however, he topped the cake and bought me a NEW HOUSE!!! (In case you missed it, Cauley got me a new house for Valentine's day!!!) I guess we could actually say I got him a NEW HOUSE!!! for Valentine's Day too because I too looked, prayed, and signed papers. Wow! Can you believe I'll actually have a house to put all our stuff in? (It's twice the size as the one we're in now!) I'll post pictures as soon as I get over and get some taken!
We are now looking for renters for this 3 bedroom home, so if anyone knows anyone who's looking to rent in this area, please give me a call. It looks like we'll close on this house sometime in March. yay for us!

What's up?

Everyone keeps asking me what we have been up to lately and I am so bad for not posting more, but I just wanted to tell everyone we are all doing great!

Tyli is sneaky and into EVERYTHING! She is just so curious. Also, she is so independent it kills me. My boys were never this bad! "TyTy do it!" Also, and I really hate to admit this, but I have a very vain daughter. "TyTy is so pretty. TyTy is beautiful!" Yes, my friends, that is what you hear around this house several times a day! She is so stinking cute though that we love her to death! We are trying to be consistant to break her of some annoying habits, like climbing, getting into things that aren't hers, taking things away from other children- you know, the typical 2 year old stuff. Her binki is now gone! (We always take that away at 2 years and have yet to have a problem with it!) Hurray! The only disadvantage, if you can call it that, is now she won't sleep on her bed for some reason. She pulls everything off the bed to the floor, turns on the light, and sleeps next to the door. Odd- that's the best way to describe her. She just had her 2 year appointment and now she is 38 in. tall, 30 lbs, and her head is still very big as it has been since birth. (I can't remember the measurements- head size doesn't mean anything to me!)

McKade is still himself. Even though he is very much considered a "featherweight," he is eating me out of house and home. Seriously, for those of you who haven't seen him eat, believe me! He eats WAY more than I do. The good part is that he isn't consistent. Last week he went through 2 loafs of bread by himself in 2 days. (Jennifer, I know you've probably got something to say about that, but seriously!) Not only the bread, but a little more than 1/2 jar of pb and jam! At lunch one other day he ate 3 (rally 2 1/2 because there were some on the floor) packages of Ramen noddles. (I was out of bread- go figure!) Then, today, he won't eat hardly anything. This will probably go on for a week. He is so little thought that I sit and watch in wonder as to where all the food goes. He is getting taller, but sheesh! He plays with his trucks, cars, and tractors every day. He loves to talk about them, making up stories as to what they are doing. I guess I could say he has a great imagination- or another odd child.

Dallin is starting to drive us crazy. My parents got my family a Wii for Christmas and that is pretty much all Dallin does lately. Ok, so we don't let him play all the time (not even every day.) but he talks non-stop about playing it. I am about to accidentally "loose" it, but that would be something too obvious to lose. Other than the Wii, he is playing soccer right now. He's had 3 games and is starting to figure it out finally. He has a fun little team and we love yelling and cheering for all the kids. Saturday Dallin scored his first goal of the season. He was so excited he had to run over and ask if that meant he got extra time to play the Wii. The little stinker! He is doing well in school and is really liking the morning class. I don't think he likes to get up that early though. Why is it my kids never slept in until one of them started school?

Cauley is doing good. He is working hard getting ready for this upcoming Track season. He is also working a little extra and taking tickets for the boys home basketball games once a week. Oh yah, he's also taking 2 classes right now too. With his calling, school, and work, he is definitely staying busy!

I am also staying busy. My cub scout calling is starting to drown me (or so it feels like!) but should get better after Pack meeting, our Blue and Gold Banquet in less than a month, and Pine Wood Derby the following week. I just remind myself to take a deep breath every time I think about it. Actually, it really isn't bad. I have wonderful leaders who help a lot, it's just a lot to think about. I had one Saturday training earlier this month and I am so excited for the big POW WOW training this coming Saturday! On top of Cub Scouts, my primary calling has been fun. I feel like I am finally starting to love it. I just really don't like conducting, as I haven't had a very successful time getting through without messing up somehow. I really love serving with the sisters that I do and feel blessed to have this calling and to get to know more people in the ward. We have the most wonderful kids in our primary! Seriously, we had our "8 is great" tonight and I was so impressed with all 16 kids in our ward who turn 8 this year- they're amazing! I feel so blessed to be around them every Sunday.
That's basically what I've been up to. Notice I didn't say "I've been busy doing housework or laundry?" I haven't. Please don't come by my house- it's disgusting! That is my goal for tomorrow- clean this place up and do all 14 loads of laundry!

1-800-222-1222

This is Tyli's Christmas/birthday dress. It's really cute except you can't see the polka dots very well.

Have you ever had one of those moments where a child of yours may be in dire medical attention or possibly in need of an ambulance, or in a "demanding need" of a bandaid? I don't like those situations too well. Last week this happened to me and I panicked- hard core!

Tyli, my climber, was up on our kitchen counter when I walked into the kitchen from folding laundry in my room. I placed her back on the floor, but the paused, as I couldn't figure out how in the world she got up there as no props were around and no cupboard door left open for a boost up on a shelf. After inquiring McKade, I found out that she just "climbed like Spiderman." "Rats!" I thought as I walked back to my room to finish folding the never-ending pile of laundry. "Now she'll always be up there."

A few minutes later I noticed that Tyli's singing had once again stopped. It was too quiet so I went back to the kitchen to investigate. This time she wasn't on the counter. I found her on my kitchen rug, covered in a bottle of Children's Dimatap DM ( which she would have had to climb back up on the counter to get!) as she was pouring what was left of the bottle into a little medicine cup that was oozing over onto her pants and all over my rug. I panicked! How much had she drank? Is she going to die? How did she get into the child-proof bottle? Should I call 911? Is she going to be ok? What is the number to Poison Control? Is she going to die?

While I was panicking my phone rang. Oh, good. It was someone with a sensible head! "Hi, Lisanne? WHAT'S THE NUMBER FOR POISON CONTROL!!!!????" (I sure hope I didn't scare you, Lisanne!) After she very calmly found the number for me, I started to assess the situation a little more clearly. Although her pants and my rug were COVERED in the purple gooey stuff, her shirt had not a drop. Hmmm. This child has yet to drink a cup of the Sacrament water and not drizzle most of it's contents down the front of herself and the person sitting next to her. The bottle she had dumped out was only about 1/3 of the way full, but it looked as if all of it's contents were all over her pants and my rug. Had she even got any into her mouth? And how did she do it without dropping a single droplet on her shirt or face? Hmmm.

I hung up the phone and immediately called poison control. (The number is really easy, for those who don't know it. I really do have it memorized, but being in the moment, I forgot it! 1-800-222-1222) The lady who answered was very nice and listened and calmed me down. She asked how old she was, and when I told her that she just turned 2, she told me to look around her mouth for any signs of the medicine. I told her of my assessment, and she said I was probably correct and that that we'd know more within 30-45 minutes. "If she drank any at all, she'll be asleep within the hour." Good- except bad- her naptime is in 30 minutes. The nice lady told me she'd call back in an hour to check on Tyli, which she did. Poison Control also called 2 more times, making sure Tyli seemed normal. I stayed busy, going to Costco, my mother-in-law's, and feeding her to help her not want a nap. The good news- she never fell asleep. The bad news- she didn't get a nap that day. (For those of you who know my little Ty, she can be REALLY awnry with no nap!) The final conclusion is that she probably didn't drink any (thank goodness!) and that she is a very curious 2 year old! (And a great climber!) (And that my kitchen rug is now purple instead of tan.) My goal this week is to move all medicine probably to a lock box somewhere in the house, as I don't want this to happen again!

"I'll be a Sunbeam for Him!"

This is the best picture I could find of McKade as he is very camera shy and usually won't let us take any pictures of him at all! The best one I got of him today has both hands and arms wrapped around his little face, trying to hide from me.
Today was a big day for my little "monkey" McKade! He is now officially a Sunbeam! We talked it up for about 3 months now (He is NOT a big person who likes to deal with change!) and since the primary activity of "Meeting the Teachers" yesterday, he was so excited to be in primary now. He has a great teacher this year so that will help a lot. I could see the nervousness in his eyes (I conducted in primary today) but he did great. He even sang all of the songs. He probably thinks his mom is the ditsiest person ever as I had no clue what I was doing while conducting today and pretty much messed up everything (backward, out of order, forgetting things) but overall I think he had a good experience. We asked him if he liked primary when we were driving home and his response was this."No! My teacher didn't bring us any food!" I believe that is a typical Clark family answer as that is exactly what Dallin said after his first day and I can guarentee that's what Tyli will say too!

Back to life.....

The drive home went really well. We made excellent time, which made up for our drive to Idaho. McKade didn't feel to well coming home which continued for the next few days. He had a cold. Then Tyli got it. Her fever broke Friday morning, leaving behind a nice rash all over her body. This always happens with her so I'm used to it. Later that day she fell asleep in the car 5 minutes from our home. She woke up being brought into the house and I could tell she wasn't feeling well at all! After a few hours, we cancelled our plans for the night and I took her into the dr. She has another bad ear infection, the "start of" pink eye, and Roseolla- which the dr. explained as the rash that appears after a high fever breaks. (I always thought it was something worse than that, but I guess I am wrong.) She got the disgusting antibiotics that no kids ever will take to get rid of the ear infection and "pink eye", but the next morning she had no symptom of the pink eye, so I am wondering if she just has a goober that was mistaken for pink eye. She has been a gem ever since. (I am being VERY sarcastic!)

My baby turned 2!!

The big birthday girl blowing out her candles

Enjoying her store-bought cupcake's frosting- hey I totally ran out of time with her birthday being the day after Christmas! I made her crown because she always wants one of my preschooler's.

Grandpa Ruth "helping" Tyli bowl

Dallin and Colton showing off their bowling shoes

Brooklynn "posing" for the camera- she wanted me to take somewhere around 25 pictures of her and each time she would run down to me to "see it". I erased every other one except for this one- they all looked exactly the same! (Brooks is 9 days younger than Ty.)

Can you believe Ty is 2? (You would if you've been around her lately, sheesh!) My mom decided that for Tyli's birthday party she would take us all bowling. After dinner we went to the Idaho State SUB to bowl. The older boys, Carson, Dallin, and Colton took on the girls, Tyli and Brooklynn on one lane while Cauley, Jeni, my mom and I went at it one another. My dad "helped" the younger ones out by pushing the ball for them, even though they thought they were doing it by themselves. McKade didn't want to bowl at first, as he sometimes has a hard time trying new things. At the 7th frame, however, he decided it might be fun so he jumped in. We let him do it by himself the first time, but after waiting 15 minutes for the ball the ball to get to the other end, my dad decided that he needed help to get his bowling ball down the lane for the rest of their game. Us adults didn't do too hot, so I won't post our scores.

After our trek out in the snow for bowling, we went back to my parent's house for cake and ice cream- and presents. Ty actually blew out her own candles this year and then enjoyed her frosting off her cupcake and her ice cream. (My daughter won't eat bread in any form! The only exception is my Bishop's wife's cornbread, which she'll eat a ton of! She won't even eat cake!) Then came her presents, which she probably just thought was a hang over from Christmas. She enjoyed everything, which who wouldn't at 2 years of age? She especially loves the new baby stroller Grandma and Grandpa gave her for her new baby Santa brought her (that is pink- you have to say that or she'll say it for you.) I think she had a wonderful birthday- she says no, but that seems to be her choice of word for everything lately!

Lets rewind, shall we?

I know all of my pictures are way out of order, but at least they are there!

I know, long time, no post once again. I didn't even take advantage of my parent's computer and post pictures as promised. Sorry. You have probably guessed by now that we are home- back into the decent temperatures once agin, although I must say, I am still freezing! (The only time I'm not freezing is from June-November when I am in deed roasting!) A lot has happened between last post and now, but I'll only fill you in on a few fun things. First of all, the snow. By now you may know that I don't care too much for it other than looking at it, but holy cow! Cauley and I both agree we got over 2 feet- yes my friends, 2 FEET of snow while we were at my parent's house! That is not official, but it's pretty close to what we (and yes, that means I actually went outside and helped too- pictures and a video to prove it!) shoveled while we were in Idaho. It was lovely, as long as we didn't have to go out in it. (which we did.)

Christmas Eve is always fun for the Ruth family. We always go over to my Grandma's house (Grandma Ruth) and have a BIG party. It may not seem like a lot of people for those reading this, but when you add all the young kids into the mix, it can be hectic. I actually think things went rather smoothly this year! Dallin got to be Joseph for the annual Nativity story reinactment thing, but he wouldn't open his mouth to talk. Afterward, instead of the Christmas elf, who usually leaves new jammies or Christmas socks or slippers for everyone, Santa came and joined us! It was hilarious, and I have to say, this "Santa's Helper" really livened things up! He brought everyone a santa hat and candy. Then it was time to head home to get the little ones ready for bed.

Christmas morning was nice. Cauley and I pretty much had to wake up the kids to open presants. We opened our family stuff up down stairs in my mom's basement where we stay and then headed upstairs for more presants. It's a tradition since we've been married for us to have cinamon rolls, orange rolls, and donuts for breakfast on Christmas. This year my dad bought those huge donuts for Cauley and Luke (Jeni's husband) which were supprising delicious for how big they were!

This is where I am going to end, as Tyli's birthday is the day after Christmas so you will have probably already read about that.

A great reminder!

I stole this from my friend, Kira's blog. What a great reminder!

This Christmas, mend a quarrel. Seek out a forgotten friend. Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust. Write a letter. Give a soft answer. Encourage youth. Manifest your loyalty in word and deed. Keep a promise. Forgo a grudge. Forgive an enemy. Apologize. Try to understand. Examine your demands on others. Think first of someone else. Be kind. Be gentle. Laugh a little more. Express your gratitude. Welcome a stranger. Gladden the heart of a child. Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. Speak your love and then speak it again.Pres. Howard W. Hunter, Dec. 1994

Oh, Baby, I am COLD!!!!!

Well, we made it. It was one of the longest car rides ever- 18 1/2 hours actually, but we are here. Flagstaff had a lot of snow, Knab, UT had even more, but the rodes were ok which was a big blessing. We did have consistent fog from Paige to Knab, but it wasn't horrible. We made excellent time until we got to Provo where we got stuck behind our first wreck. A truck and trailer had jack-knifed up onto the median wall. Then we moved well through the Valley until we came upon what we later found out was multiple wrecks that stretched on for about 6 miles. After spending an hour on the freeway stuck in the traffic, we were diverted off the freeway about 3 miles East for another 2 hours of going 5 miles an hour or less. (Mostly we just sat not moving at all.) No fun- not at all!! However, I do have to say that our children were AWESOME! No, whining, fighting, or crying- the entire ride! We did make an extra "pit stop" in Tremonton, UT once we got moving on the freeway after the big wreck because the kids hadn't been to the bathroom in over 6 hours, but we didn't mind. I think we all needed a break from the car for a few minutes. Anyways, instead of pulling into my parent's house at 5:30. we got here at 8:30.

The coldest we've seen so far is 3 degrees- near Flagstaff. It's a toasty 23 outside right now, and guess what- we woke up to TONS of snow! School has been cancelled in all local areas, and many people are staying inside today. My dad said there was at least 12 inches in the roads- only about 8 inches on top of things. Cauley pulled into my dad's parking spot in the driveway while my dad's at work so when the snow plow comes by we don't get buried.I am so happy to have a white Christmas! It is really beautiful outside. I am even happier that we don't have to stay here forever- I only love to look at the snow! Cauley and my boys went sledding at 8:00 this morning and had a great time. We learned yesterday that Tyli doesn't care for the snow so much so she stayed here with me in the nice, warm, dry house. We have to beg Dallin to come in- he could play in the freezing white stuff for forever. I wonder how much more we'll get before we head home- the forecast is for snow showers through next Sunday!

I will try and post pictures this wee- my parents don't have dial-up internet like us so it will be a lot easier!

Are You Smarter Than a Kindergartener?

My son is a genious! He really is smart. Just like me, he is very interested in Sudoku puzzles. Dallin loves to watch over my shoulder as I work on them, telling me what number he thinks I should put in the next box. He's come a long ways from about a year ago when he would tell me to write a 17 or another number I knew didn't fit. Anyways, I was just about done with another puzzle book the other day and was going through it, making sure I hadn't left any puzzles unsolved when I came across one that Dallin had filled out the top three boxes to. At first glance, I was mad. That was my puzzle book and he had no right to ruin it. After looking at it for a few moments, however, I was intregued. It looked as if he had really answered it correctly- no numbers repeating in each row. Wow, I thought, and quickly set to figuring out the rest of the puzzle. To my utter astonishment, he had indeed filled out the entire top three boxes correctly. Talk about one proud mamma! I called him over as I wanted to see just how his mind went about solving those boxes by himself. "It was easy!" was his reply as he ran off to play before answering my question. I really couldn't believe it! No wonder he is in the gifted program at school! I had to know more so I made him come back and show me how he did it. "Look, Mom. You always do it the hard way. Let me show you a faster way. Do you see this number right here at the top? If you turn to the back of the book, just find that same number. Then, be careful to match each number in the right spot, and you win!" Yep! I have one smart 5 year old!