To my old man...

I want to wish my hubby a very happy Birthday!!!

Sweet Moments like this...

My kids are driving me crazy. Maybe it's the heat, but I am just about to my wit's end with them lately. Anyways, this afternoon we went on a trip to the A.J. Library. (I LOVE that place!) We were all tired and hot driving home in scorching Arizona afternoon sun, and some of us, namely ME, weren't happy with others, namely the rest of the car's occupants, because of the rowdie and impolite behavior that was exhibited upon leaving the library. (Ok, more like a total meltdown from Ty, McKade running through the parking lot, and Dallin pushing his way through his siblings so he could "click-it" first.) Anyways, we were driving while listening to our Primary songs when the song "Families Can Be Together Forever" came on. My kids all started singing the song and a very sweet Spirit filled the car. All three of them knew both verses, and by the time the song ended, all frustration was gone. I love to hear my kids sing praises to their Heavenly Father! McKade doesn't ever sing on key, Tyli BELTS it out in her little toddler voice, and Dallin is still very shy about singing. This one hymn, however, was one of the most beautifully sung songs I have ever heard my kids sing, and I know it was sung for me at the moment I needed it the most!

It is so HOT here in Arizona...

The birds have to use potholders to pull worms out of the ground.
The potatoes cook underground, and all you have to do to have lunch is to pull one out and add butter, salt and pepper.
Farmers are feeding their chickens crushed ice to keep them from laying hard-boiled eggs.
The cows are giving evaporated milk.
The trees are whistling for the dogs.
You no longer associate bridges (or rivers) with water.
You can say 113 degrees without fainting.You eat hot chilies to cool your mouth off.
You can make instant sun tea.You learn that a seat belt makes a pretty good branding iron.
The temperature drops below 95, you feel a bit chilly.
You've experienced condensation on your behind from the hot water in the toilet bowl.
You would give anything to be able to splash cold water on your face.
The 4 seasons are: tolerable, hot, really hot, and ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!!
You discover that in July, it takes only 2 fingers to drive your car.
You discover that you can get a sunburn through your car window.
You notice the best parking place is determined by shade instead of distance.
Hot water now comes out of both taps.
It's noon in July, kids are on summer vacation, and not one person is out on the streets.
You actually burn your hand opening the car door.
You break a sweat the instant you step outside at 7:30 a.m. before work.
No one would dream of putting vinyl upholstery in a car or not having air conditioning.
Your biggest bicycle wreck fear is, "What if I get knocked out and end up lying on the pavement and cook to death?"
You realize that asphalt has a liquid state.
A sad Arizonan once prayed, "I wish it would rain - not so much for me, cuz I've seen it -- but for my 7-year-old."

*I stole this from my friend Anne's blog. (I couldn't resist!) Thanks Anne. It summes up our neighborhood quite nicely!

My Dancing Girl

Tyli loves to dance. No, she's not in any dance classes or anything, but all day long, if not asking for something to eat, she's asking me to turn on her dancing music so she can dance. Once I agree, she has to go find a dress or her "dancing outfit" (a leotard) to dance in. Most times she'll settle for a slip that is big enough to wear as an entire dress. Then she spins and twirls until she's so dizzy she can't stand up. Occasionally she's spontaneously put her hands on her hips and shake her booty. I love watching her dance- but only for a few minutes. Then it gets old. (What a boring mom I am!)

Taking a break because she's so dizzy! (in her leotard)

Dallin is 6?

I can't believe my Dallin is 6 already!

Here is Dallin and one of his best friends Cooper. They have been good friends since they were 6 months old! (6 months to 6 years- that sounds like a long time, but it has gone by FAST!)

Here are the cousins, Aunts, and Grandma who were at the party. I'm guessing Grandpa is on the other side taking pictures?

Some of the friends who came. I messed up and didn't get a picture of everyone before people left. Dallin had such a fun birthday and loved every minute of it!

My big boy will be in first grade this year. He has already lost 7 teeth and his height is finally averaging out. (He's still taller than most, but according to the growth chart, he's almost average now.) He loves to play on the computer, play Wii, ride his bike, swim, and play with his friends. His favorite sports are soccer, football, and baseball. He is so mellow it makes me laugh. (TOTAL opposite from his baby years!) Dallin can read, but doesn't like to do any schoolwork outside of school except for what is assigned. He is so excited for the school year to begin. He is a very good example for his brother and sister. I love you, Dallin. Thanks for being such a good boy and adding so much joy and happiness in our home!

A Few more pictures from our Idaho trip

Outside the Mt. Timpanogus Temple after the wedding waiting for the bride and groom. (This first one is one of my favorites!)

Uncle Grant checking McKade's arm after he fell off the bunk bed. I really like these pictures too. Thanks, Steph!

Now taking students...

It's that time of year again...Preschool sign-up time. I know most people have to sign their kids up in March for preschool, but I'm not that type. My sign-ups start as of now, but I only have 3 more spaces left, so hurry and either call or email me. Thanks!

Once again, they keep me laughing!

So McKade has become this really funny kid, who always seems to make me laugh. The other day when I was taking him to get his cast on (see post below) proved to be exception. I had dropped Dallin and Tyli off with Cauley at Higley where he works as the weight room coach for the summer. (I have no idea what his official title is!) I had to trade Cauley cars for the appointment because Ty's car seat is hard to get out and back in and it was just easier to do so. Anyways, I climbed into Cauley's little Chevy Metro and McKade chirps up from the back seat, "Are you sure you know how to drive daddy's car? First you have to roll down the window. Then, you move that stick thing all around and go!" It took me a second to figure out that he was talking about the stick shift!

Then, the other day when we went swimming, McKade looked down at his cast and announced that the Dr must have put a diaper in there because that's what it felt like. His waterproof cast is meant to swell up a little when wet, so I think that's what he meant!

And the color he chose...

Trying to show us what the cast does by standing in the darkness of the bathroom. (My camera works well in night pictures- maybe too well!)

So proud of his new cast!

All splinted up and ready to go!

If you read the post below about our trip to Idaho and Utah, you know that McKade had a rather unfortunate fall the morning of the wedding in Utah. He climbed up to the top bunk and was playing with Jeff when he somehow sat down off the side of the bed, falling all the way to the floor. We are really lucky it was just a buckle fracture and no other injuries! At least that's what the orthopedic surgeon told me- He couldn't believe he didn't have a concussion or hurt something else too. Anyways, I couldn't find a regular pediatrician who would cast it here in the SE Valley, but kept getting referrals to some orthopedic surgeons, so I resorted to that. The appointment went really well. When Dallin broke his arm 2 years ago and we had to go to an orthopedic specialist, I had to drive an extra hour to get there, then pay for all the extra x-rays they took, then wait forever to get it casted. With McKade, we drove literally right next door to his pediatrician's office, waited about 5 minutes, took off the splint, washed and lotioned his arm, and got it casted. The whole thing took 15 minutes- maybe. The only disappointment (for me!) came when he got to chose the color. There was just about every color of the rainbow to chose from, but McKade had his little heart set on "light" green. There were 2 that were light green so we chose the darkest. They both happened to be glow in the dark too. Cool! Or so I thought. Little did we know that meant it only glows light green! So McKade got a white cast that really does glow in the dark! I thought he'd be a little disappointed with the whiteness, but as soon as the Dr. was done, he closed the door and turned off the lights so McKade could see how well it works. My little guy thinks it is the coolest thing ever! It's hard keeping him out of the bathroom where there are no windows and so it glows really well. Being white, (and 2 days later) it's already starting to get dirty. (It's going to be a long 4 weeks!)

THE COOLEST PART ABOUT HIS CAST... It's waterproof! Yes, you read it correctly! McKade even went swimming, fully immersing his cast for about an hour yesterday. I love it! (In fact, we're heading outside to set up the slip&slide here in about 5 minutes! The downfall with the waterproof is, we HAVE to go swimming in a chlorinated pool at least every third day. (Taking 3 young kids who LOVE the water swimming is hard work!) I guess the chlorine helps clean it, as does the weekly washing with soap and water. McKade REALLY wants to go swimming at night time and turn off the lights so his cast can glow under the water like a fish.

Ironwood/Ocotillo, Queen Creek, AZ | Powered by Postlets

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It's good to be home!

I love that we get to go to Idaho and visit my family twice a year! We made our trip early this year so we could also attend Amy's, Cauley's cousin's, wedding. I didn't believe my sister and mom when they kept saying that they were getting so much rain, but even the drive up to Idaho proved me wrong! Everything is so much greener than I remember it ever being! It rained every single day we were there, sometimes never stopping, just letting up every now and then. It was definitely chilly even for a June in Idaho!

This is the real reason I went- to see my new handsome nephew, Weston Scott Foster. Please excuse the nakedness- it made him very happy! He is 3 weeks old in this picture, and such a darling little guy!

Cauley took the boys over to the "dirt hills" during an unusual spot of dry weather. He let them get as muddy as they could before he gave them a bath with my mom's hose. They did an all right job, but I think they could have gotten dirtier.

This is my Grandma Ruth. She just celebrated her 90th birthday almost a month ago. My kids love going to visit her and still talk about her "frozen" cookies!

We had so much fun! Make sure you check out the posts below to see more of our adventures. After the zoo, we did stay in Utah with a bunch of Cauley's family in a house we rented for the weekend. Everyone was there because of Amy's wedding which was BEAUTIFUL! I neglected to take any pictures the night we got there. The next morning was the wedding. I got up early to shower, and just as I was finishing getting ready, I heard my kids wake up. They played around for a while before I heard a LOUD thud and then McKade start to scream. I ran upstairs to find that after waking, he had climbed up to the top bunk to be with "Uncle" Jeff. McKade went to sit down and missed the bed, falling all the way to the floor backward. He had put his arm back to stop himself, so I'm sure you've guessed by now what happened. An hour after his accident, we went to an urgent care where they quickly got everything taken care of. He has a buckle fracture in both his bones a little below his wrist. They put a temporary cast on it for now until the swelling goes down and then he gets his cast on Wednesday. Anyways, we had our camera at the temple, luncheon, and reception, but with me being worried about McKade, I neglected to take any pictures. Sorry!

This is a picture of us almost home from our vacation. We had to go pick up our "puppy", Chim Chim from his "vacation" before we returned home. He loves to sit on Dallin in the car. The kids wouldn't leave him alone. If you look careful, you can see the "splint" on McKade's left arm. I promise pictures of it later.

Best Friends

It is nice having a twin sister. It's even nicer having a twin sister who had a daughter exactly 2 weeks after I had my daughter. I was a little nervous as to if they'd both get along, as they both have very big tempers and think that they, and they alone, are the princess of the family! My worries were for naught. They became best friends as soon as we pulled up. I am very amazed at how two 2 year olds played so well with each other! They would play dress up, babies, doggies, trains, dance to music uncle Scottie made them, and at times, just sit and giggle with one another. I loved just sitting and listening to them play. When the "mines" started, they were easy to negotiate with.

Here they are playing guitar hero (while the boy cousins played Mario Cart). Don't they look good as "rocker chicks?"

This is a picture of Tyli sporting my mom's high heels while taking a break and watching some TV. Brooklynn showed TyTy where to find them and then they'd try every pair on and then walk around the house in their "shoes." Their favorite was walking on the hard kitchen floor because they'd make loud sounds. I think we (they) cleaned up high heels just about every hour each day. Even after we cleaned and went home, my mom found pairs of her heels in my brother's closet that the girls had left there when they were playing on Uncle Scotties bed.

Family Hike

There can be a lot of downtime whenever we go to Idaho, so we are always trying to come up with things to do to occupy our time. Since there's not a lot to do in Pocatello, we have to be creative. This time I decided we should go for a hike up around Cherry Springs. It had been raining for a long time, but it was still fun! Here is our first area we explored. The kids loved being near the running water!

We learned how afraid of worms McKade is earlier in the week. Well, his fear of snakes is parallel. We were hiking and he'd scream and jump every time he saw a worm. We were getting ready to cross this bridge and Dallin was scared because he thought there would be a water moccasin in the stream. Just as we had him convinced that no water moccasins live in Idaho, McKade screamed "SNAKE!" We thought he saw another worm, but we found what he was pointing at just as the back end slithered in between some rocks. We told them what kind of snake it was, and later when they were telling my mom and dad, they told them they found a "gardening snake." You can see how worried Dallin is in this picture after the snake went away.
We ended up seeing another snake a little further down the path. Good thing they were little ones, or I'm sure my kids would have found out how terrified of snakes I am too!

We found these huge leaves a little off the path. It started raining so we used them as umbrellas. We barely made it to the car before the big downpour and hail started.

Hogle Zoo

Sorry but the pictures in this post are crazy out of order. Oh well. This first picture is of Tyli and Brooklynn saying goodbye to each other when we left the zoo. They were too cute together!

Cauley and McKade being themselves! The three amigos on board the train. You can't go to Hogle zoo and not ride the train! (oh yah, you see Jeni and Brooklynn too.)
A daddy/daughter moment waiting for the bird show.
Us feeding all our "animals"

This is the souvenir we chose to get Scott, my brother because he couldn't come. Everyone tried it on and we have a picture of everyone in it, but McKade was so funny thinking he had to put his other hat on top.

I told you all the pictures were messed up. Here's the family walking to the entrance gate, all excited for our zoo adventures!

Carson and McKade showing us the tiger sleeping right next to the fence.

Good thing we ride the train last- McKade looks exhausted!

My kids have been begging us to take them to the zoo since we didn't make our annual Spring Break trip to Tuscon. Being the mean mom that I am, I made them earn their way to go. They have worked so hard the past few months earning money by helping me out around the house, and Dallin also contributed by losing 2 more teeth. (No, we didn't use their money they earned to pay their admission, but they don't know that. It all went into their savings.) Anyways, we decided to make a family trip out of it and invited anyone in our families who wanted to join us to do so. It ended up being just my (entire) family, minus my brother who went. We had so much fun!

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!