Happy Halloween 2015

Happy Halloween!!!!

From:  Mr. & Mrs. Claus, Scream Dilon, Pizza Grif, Officer Dax, and the Hulk Baylor. 

p.s.  I wouldn't mess with us.  We're a pretty scary bunch.

Christmas is coming

So I really have no idea what to get the boys for Christmas this year.  We are down to a couple months until the big day and I need some ideas.  I have told the kids a thousand times Christmas isn't about presents.  This year I really don't want to go overboard and spend a ton but I still want it to be fun for them.  Anyway, I asked them to make me a list of things they would like.  I would like to share with you what Grifin's list is.  Remember, the boy is 10.  And he asked for a bed for Christmas last year.

 This years list:

1:  Automatic (electric) toothbrush (just a little side note on this, we went to the dentist yesterday and the hygienist said grif had the cleanest mouth on a kid she had ever seen.  He just may be slightly OCD.  Wonder where he gets that from).

2:  Slippers

3:  BYU or USU shirt

4:  Gift card to Maddox or Cafe Rio

5:  Flashlight with laser pointer

Is this a typical 10 year old boy's request?  Not one fun thing on there unless you consider brushing your teeth fun.  Practical little fella.  

I have been bugging Nate for the past 4 years to take us to Disneyland again.  There's never any money.  Such a bummer.  So my new plan the last few weeks was to convince him to take us for Christmas because once we have a bigger house payment I'm convinced we will never go on another family vacay again. He wasn't having it.  The boys were even willing to go gift free this year.  But no, Nate said if we went it would take the money we have set aside to finish the basement.  Who needs a finished basement anyway?  Then I found a killer deal on a trip to Disney World.  We could meet my brother and his family there and go on a vacation that I thought would never happen in a million years.  It was a little more than going to Disneyland but I had it all worked out so it wouldn't be too bad.  However, if you stop and think about dropping that chunk of money in one week it makes me want to vomit a little.  Disney World or braces for Dilon?  Tough choice.  

Again it was a no go for Nate.  I accepted defeat.  I realized that we don't need to spend that kind of money to make memories with these boys.  I am fully committed to using the money to finish the house.  

Last night as I'm having the kids write their lists Nate decides to pipe in with "why are you making Christmas lists?  Aren't we going to Disneyland?"

This husband of mine is going to be the death of me.  

Happy Fall

I am loving this fall weather.  Loving this time of year.  Apparently Baylor is too because he's not one to want his picture taken but when we brought our pumpkins home I got a "take my picture mom"  for the first time ever from him.

For the last couple of weeks we have been a house divided.  I have 2 youngsters who have wanted to go to the haunted corn maze and haunted school.  And two youngsters who wanted to do the regular corn maze while the sun was still shining.  So we compromised and did both.  We started out at the corn maze for family night.  It was not haunted but Nate made Baylor cry more than once by shoving him into scary props.  How many times do we need to go over this Nate, it does not make them stronger.  I just makes them more afraid of their dad.  Back off buddy or you may be pretty darn afraid of this awesome wife of yours.  

Then Dax decided it would be funny to run ahead and hide in the corn to scare us all as we walked around the corner.  Well played buddy. 

 After the corn maze we took Dilon and Dax to the haunted school because they just had to go.  Dilon already went with his friends and told Dax it was too scary.  He would cry.  Dax didn't care, he wanted to go. Okay then, don't say we didn't warn you. Nate kindly volunteered to stay outside and wait with Grif and Bay while I took the other two in.  Funny how that worked out.  Dax walked through that thing like he owned it and led the way.  Me and Dil followed behind and Dilon wouldn't let go of my arm the entire time. The only time I saw Dax jump at all was at the very end when he walked past what he thought was a statue, until it moved.  

Apparently those two had devised a bit of a plan because Dilon knew when you walked out of the school there would be a guy with a chainsaw.  Well those two ditched me and took off running leaving me to fend for myself in the dark with chainsaw man.  I'm 36 and don't run.  Ever.  I tried it a few times to help get in shape but that didn't work out so well.  So here I am half attempting to jog away (cute mental picture, I know) and chainsaw man kept coming after me.  He made me run.  I had to run.  I didn't pay 6 bucks a person to run.  I want my money back.

So after we got home the boys wouldn't stop talking about how awesome it was.  But when I went to put Dax to bed for the night I could see his eyes kind of darting around the room looking for stuff.  Finally I leaned down in his ear and whispered "you know if you're scared you can just say a prayer and it will help".  I kiss his cheek, walk out the door, then turn around to see this

I love these boys of mine.  Happy Fall.

Boys of fall

Football season has come and gone again.  We still couldn't get Grif to play because of the whole he doesn't want butt sweat thing.  Dax is so ready but has to wait until next year.  But Dilon went out and killed it this year.  This was the first year of him playing where he was serious about it.  Wasn't afraid to tackle, wasn't afraid to get tackled.  He got to play a whole lot more because of it. He has grown so much this last year and I love watching the young man he has become.  He is usually the smallest guy in the bunch but that didn't stop him.  

Look at this pic for example.  He's the little one in red wrapped around the kid in the white jersey.  

Perfect example of "it's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog". 

I think this next picture says a lot about the kind of coaches these boys have.  They are awesome.  

 Such a great group of kids here.  So glad Dilon gets to be a part of it.

Now on to the wrestling season!

Apartment living

I've been debating on doing this post for a few weeks now.  I wasn't so sure I wanted to remember our days in this teeny, tiny little apartment six of us are trying to live in.  But I figured, hey why not?  When I look back at this it will make me appreciate my new house that much more.  Speaking of the new house it is such a slow process. Everyone warned us it would be but man it's taking forever to get moving.  Hence the reason there are no new pictures yet.  Our builders are super busy which is great for them so I know I just need to be patient.  The stuff to start framing was delivered today though so soon it will start looking like a house is going up.  Yay!

Anyway, a little sidetracked there.  I figured I would post about our apartment adventure. We have now lived here for almost 8 weeks.  Man our house should be halfway done by now I swear.  Oh well I'll get over it.  I just want to pat myself on the back because I was sure I wouldn't survive the first month.  

Let me give you a little glimpse of the living situation.

 Random crap everywhere!  A toolbox on the kitchen floor.  Nowhere to store food.  Who would have ever thought you could miss a pantry?  Well I sure do.

 Case lot sales this last week and I can't pass up a good deal so I'm just piling food on the the table and chairs because there is literally nowhere else to put it.

 Deep freeze in the kitchen corner.  Awesome.  Tablecloth over broken blinds.  More awesome.  One cute kid who doesn't care a bit.  Most awesome.

 No need to deal with bed frames.  Throw four kids in one room and mass amounts of chaos are sure to ensue.  And that they have.

 Anyone have any idea how hard it is to put 4 kids clothes in one tiny closet?  Also do you have any idea what this does to my ocd?  I've just given up on trying to be organized here.  Not happening.

 Oh look!  More piles of stuff randomly stationed throughout the place.  Don't judge on the amount of toilet paper right now.  Case lots, remember.  Plus there are six of us.  That should be gone by next week.

Anyone who really knows me knows that I don't like clutter on counter tops.  The bathroom is killing me.  Who builds an apartment with absolutely no storage.  No closets, drawers, nothing.  

One more great thing about living here is trying to use our grill out back.  Every time I am cooking on it there are random people out there just hanging out.  Do I offer to have them come in and join us for dinner?  I don't know.  

I use every excuse possible to get out and do something.  I show up to get the boys from school 30 minutes early because I would rather sit in the car than sit in the apartment.  Then I just get to deal with this

Now someone slap me and make me remember how blessed I am.  I need to stop complaining and be grateful for a roof over our heads.  Plus it's making us bond more as a family.  That's worth it. Totally worth it. Only a few more months.  I can do it!

Happy 4th Bay!!

Happy Birthday Baylor!!  My baby is 4.  I might cry a little today.  

Then I would be crying right along with him after this little incident

Oops!

Plus, I think the person working the bakery is color blind. 

I opted for a store bought cake because I had a little surgery last week so I'm still not feeling up to par.  And he thought it would be awesome to go pick one at the store.  Sweet.  Works for me.  

Now the tough choice is to go spend another 10 bucks for a mediocre cake or work up the energy to bake him a 2 dollar delicious cake.  Decisions, decisions.  

Happy Birthday buddy.  We love you!

Super Spectacular Saturday

I just had about the best Saturday a girl could ask for, aside from being at Disneyland.  

Started the day off bright and early at Dilon's football game.  They lost but it's fine.  

Headed to get a little Chinese food after.  Nothing like a good plate of noodly stuff (aka ham lo mein).

Stopped at Sears to check out some labor day sales and got my appliances for the new house.  Four kids running around opening every door imaginable is all but forgotten now. I was not so happy then but once I found a $1200 stove for $600 the kids behavior was old news.  Should I say that again?  A $1200 stove for $600!!!  I hate hate hated the stove in my old house.  I spent 10 years wishing that thing would kick the bucket and it never did.  Now I get the stove of my dreams (does that make me sound lame and pathetic?) and I am such a happy camper.  Oh the things that make you happy when you get old.  

As I was basking in the joy of that sweet deal Nate drove me to Ikea.  Ikea baby!  With four boys but whatever.  I tried to go during the week while the kids were in school but Nate talked me out of it because he wanted to tag along too.  I'm pretty sure he had a change of heart after the first hour there.  I only heard whining and complaining for about an hour and forty-five minutes out of the two hours we were there.  I call that a success.  

I figured I better let them have a little fun as well so we headed to Cabela's.  All the torture of shopping with me all day seemed to be erased by being there.

Terrible picture quality with my phone but you get the gist. Look at those smiles.  Baylor was scared of the shooting thing so he was glued to my hip.  But before we went there he was all smiles too.

Excellent Saturday and quality time with my peeps.  Did I mention I got a really great deal on my stove? 

1st day of school 2015

Off to school for the start of another year.  These boys will do awesome. 

I'm still trying to decide if I'm a terrible mom because I didn't cry.  Didn't shed a single tear.  I sorta did a happy dance.

I love these boys with everything inside of me but I also love the start of a new school year.

If you can't tell by the awesome hand signals I made them do I'll tell you what grades they are in

7th--dilon

5th--grifin

 1st--dax

 and me and this kid are going to stay home and enjoy!!!

We have a hole!!

We have a hole!!!! Woohoo!!! Get ready for a plethora of posts on the building of our new home in the months to come.

I love my comfort zone

So I went about as far as a person can go out of their comfort zone yesterday.  Me and my comfort zone were on different sides of the globe.  Universe, really.  

Nate decided it would be a great idea to do a float for the parade this year to help get his name out more for his City Council run.  Great.  Go ahead, it makes no difference to me.  I'll help decorate a cheesy float but I had one rule.  DON'T MAKE ME RIDE ON IT.  I didn't want to one little bit.  Don't get me wrong here.  I fully support Nate running for City Council.  It's something he wants to do so I'll back him 100%.  As long as I don't have to do things like ride floats.  I do not like the spotlight.  Center of attention, no thanks.  

I just want to say a great big thank you to all of those who made me feel so dang guilty about not riding on it with him that I caved and got on the stupid thing. 

 Somehow Steph and Greg ended up on it also.  Lets just say they were less than thrilled as well.

If you can get past the look on Dax's face in this picture take a glance at Nate.  That is him trying to awkwardly smile and wave to the crowd when he ran out of candy.  I'm pretty sure I recall saying to him on several occasions: "Honey, you need more candy."  to which he would say:  "no, this will be enough".   At least I waited until the parade was over to say I told you so.

Good times had by all.  Now on to Dax doing the mutton bustin' at the rodeo tonight.  That I really am looking forward to.