GO RCC!!!

Kelsee made the competition cheer team at Raglan Coast Cheer this spring. She has the best cheer coaches! It is a husband wife team that are the coaches for the Dixie State cheer team and have now opened up their own gym. There are 3 teams at this gym and each one has about 25 girls on it. Kels is on the youngest team and loving it.

They have had a few performances at Dixie football halftime and a couple of high school games, but this last weekend she had her first competition up in Salt Lake at Alta High School (mine and Al's old stomping ground). I have to say I had no idea how serious this all was. There was a panel of judges, a crew of spotters, and a herd of girls in sparkly costumes and tons of glitter make-up. I couldn't hear anything because the music was so loud, but it was so fun to watch her. There was a huge storm that morning which meant a lot of our family traveling to see her missed it because of the roads, but she did great! And according to her she smiled and looked at the judges the whole time because that is what they get deducted for.

Her team took 2nd place!!! Way to go Kelsee! Next stop...Vegas next month, a couple more up north and onto Disneyland in the Spring.

Mommy I want an i-pod for christmas

Who' s 2 year old asks for an i-pod for Christmas? Apparently mine does. We were walking through Costco the other day and Olivia looked at me and said, "Mom, I want Santa to bring me an i-pod for Christmas, a pink one." I thought there was no possible way she knew what she was asking for so I said, "What do you do with an i-pod Liv?" She looked at me and rolled her eyes and said, "you put it in your ear an lissen moosic mom". She had been previously asking for Santa to bring her a battery powered car for Christmas and I was hoping she would come up with something else she wanted instead of that, I was just surprised that it was an electronic. I was bucking for a new doll or something. So I said Olivia if Santa brings you an i-pod he will not bring you a car too (thinking that would deter her) she said, "ok mom, I don't want the car. I want an i-pod". At this point I had to flat out tell her that Santa does not bring i-pods to 2 year olds and she asks, "why not?" What is the appropriate response to that?

Kelsee was in a panic when she heard this. She was trying to explain to Olivia that we have already sat on Santa's lap and asked for a car and we mailed him a letter that said you wanted a car and you can't change your mind. So as it turns out we are back to asking for a car (which again I didn't really think she knew what she was asking for, but she said "the kind you push the pedal and drive outside". What happened to the baby doll?

Catch Up

Ok, I know it's been a long time since I have posted anything and I have heard about it from all of you, so now it is time to play a little catch up of fall events even though it is December. No worries though, I am behind in my Christmas efforts as well. Much to Kelsee's dismay we have no tree, no decorations, no lights, and no gifts. We do however have plenty of choir practice, cheer practice, homework, cleaning, and running errands. I don't think I do much of anything else right now. So I think because it takes me so long to make a post for some reason and because I swore I would not have a blog that was nothing but posting pictures of my kids and telling how cute they were I haven't had much to say. But the fact is that is all I have going on right now so that is what you get. So here is a run down of a few highlights of the season:



Aidan was deathly afraid of masks this year and would scream like a girl if one like this was even in sight. Livy however thinks it's funny to tease him with them. My brother Jeff thought it would be funny to scare him. He was horrified at first, but much to my surprise he not only warmed up to this one but after a while he actually touched it and then even put it on. That did the trick. Suddenly he was a superhero and we couldn't get him to take it off the rest of the afternoon.

Livy loves her Baco (my mom, named by Kelsee when she was one). She is always asking when we can go see her or when she is coming to see us. We took a trip up to Salt Lake for fall break and spent a couple of days. I always have grand expectations of accomplishing so much, but the time flies and we barely have time to get the necessities in like eating at some of our favorite places. It's never a trip home without a Mimi's bran muffin and a stop at Paradise Bakery!

Kelsee spent the afternoon raking leaves into a pile and then doing a running jump into them. I think she realized on her first jump that leaves don't spring back like a trampoline when she landed like a rock on her butt. Don't worry that didn't deter her.

Although Aidan didn't like masks this year, he fell in love with the plastic vampire teeth (I refer to him as my mini Edward). He stood in front of the mirror day after day admiring himself and his new found smile.

They had so much fun creating their mini pumpkins Gram got them with the fun face parts that Baco sent them.

Kelsee was a pirate this year and you would think I would learn my lesson. I thought I was free and clear of sewing costumes this year. Cheryl and I went shopping earlier this fall and found parts and pieces to put together a pirate costume. In the end it didn't look like what I had envisioned in my head so I ended up making the whole thing. I know I can walk into any store and have my choice of 7 pirate costumes that are cheaper and way less time consuming, but for some reason I can't do it

Aidan and Olivia were supposed to be chickens. The costumes were so cute! It was the one Kelsee wore at this age with the big fluffy feather body and yellow rubber gloves for feet. I even had two because I borrowed one from Al's sister Emily since we both made one. We had a ward Halloween party and I tried to get the kids to put them on then. No exaggeration, Aidan cried for an hour and a half about not putting it on. I tried everything (I mean bribed him with everything) to put it on. I think he is more stubborn than me because after sitting in the car with him and missing everything, I took my half naked, red swollen face boy into the party for the last little bit.

The next day we were at Costco and Olivia saw a tinkerbell costume and informed me that is what she was going to be for Halloween. I don't even know how she knew who tinkerbell was. I was still bound and determined to force them in the chicken costumes until my friend Michelle gave me a reality check. She said, "Halloween is for them, let her be tinkerbell if she wants and I even have a little peter pan costume if you want it for Aidan." So as you can see from the picture they went as tinkerbell and peter pan and couldn't have been more excited. Olivia informed everyone she was a princess and Aidan was just happy to have a sword. They had to hand pick every piece of candy from everyones bowl and they gave back their toothbrushes to the dentist in our neighborhood and said, "no thank-you". It was the most gorgeous night. We trick or treated in shorts and t-shirts. The kids were hot in their costumes. Everybody's door was open and a lot of people just sat out on their porch handing out candy. This is one of the many things I have grown to love down here.

Freebie!!!

One of my favorite things recently has been taking classes from Jessica Sprague and learning all the little tricks I've wanted to know about photoshop and photo editing. She just announced today that she has created a new class about telling the stories in your life. This isn't just a scrapbook thing. It's for anyone who wants to keep a journal or learn a better way to record the things you want to remember. The best part is she is doing this class for free!! You just have to register on October 20th and there is no class limit for this, so if you want in, you're in. She's never done anything like this before. I'll put the link for her website here you can follow it and read more about it, but I recommend trying it while it's free.
http://www.jessicasprague.com/

Was that a stuffed animal?

Al was out in the garage (in his bare feet) with the kids the other night washing the 4 wheelers and putting them away. It was getting dark and he was trying the hurry and get everybody in. As he was walking toward the door, he kicked something he thought was a stuffed animal. When he looked down he saw what it really was....a Tarantula!!! No worries though. I hear they are super friendly and one of the most harmless bites you can get. So now we have bats, cockroaches and tarantulas. Who wants to come visit me?

My mid-day meltdown

Ok, I really need some advice. Nap time at our house has turned into a 3 ring circus! We have had the infamous "naked nap" where they both strip down completely before they fall asleep (I chose not to post pictures). The "destructive nap" where they completely tear their beds apart, empty the drawers in the dresser and pull everything they can reach off the walls. And recently there is no nap at all because I spend 2 hours getting Aidan out of Olivia's bed because even if she stays in and falls asleep he climbs in and messes with her and wakes her up. Their beds have turned into jungle gyms and apparatuses to help them climb higher and reach more. It is such a frustration because they are still tired, but I am done with the daily fight. I've tried keeping Aidan up and letting Livy sleep, but he can't stand being without her and always sneaks in and wakes her up. There is such a difference between 1 toddler and 2 because they play off of each other. This is so different than Kelsee. She was in her crib until 3 and a half and never even tried to climb out. She still never gets out of bed. She calls for us if she needs something. She took a nap until she was 4. Do I get rid of the cribs and get big beds? I am just afraid they will get out all night long as well if I do that. Do I give up even trying to do naps as well? I feel like I have no patience these days.
My days are shot if I lose nap time. Aidan is such a climber. He can get into any cupboard at any height. He can get on top of the washer and dryer. He climbs his closet shelves. He has an attraction to knifes and scissors and has cut himself several times. They finger paint with anything they can find (lotion, A&D ointment...my favorite, it doesn't come off, and countless other things).
I love this age. They say the funniest things. They make me laugh all day long. They love to play and try new things and are amazed by everything, but my house is a constant disaster and I truly can't ever leave them alone right now. Nap time was my break. Any suggestions?

This is the result of no nap

Makin' me smile

Aidan is so into shapes right now. He learned them at right about 2 years old along with his colors, which actually makes things more complicated because he has such an opinion on what he wants and he is able to express it. Friday we were outside and he was standing on the sidewalk that had a wierd corner piece and wouldn't move. I went back to get him and he said "Wow, this is a triangle on the ground." Then yesterday he wore a pair of shoes to church he wasn't happy about, but I talked him into it. When we got home he was limping and saying his foot hurt. I took off his sock and shoe and there was a huge blister on the back of his heel. He looked down at it and said, "Livy, look at my circle owie". It is so cute to see him realize that there are shapes all around us. I took me a while to figure out where he was learning all this, but I have to admit Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is my babysitter in the morning while I run on the treadmill and it finally dawned on me that is where he was learning it. I don't feel so bad about it anymore.

Ready, set, it's back to school again

It's the start of another school year and I love that Kelsee is still so excited to go. She loves school. I think mostly for the social aspect of it though. She is in 4th grade, loves her teacher, and has so many fun friends. It is still pretty hot here which makes it nice for the kids because they love to ride their bikes to school. I load the babies up in the bike trailer every morning and usually have a couple neighbor kids in tow as well. The afternoon is spent doing homework, going to cheer practice, reading tutor and activity days. I don't know how we will manage when the babies start getting involved in things.

When did I become old enough to have a 9 yr old!

Happy 9th Birthday Kelsee!!!!
Wow, where does the time go? I get a reality check on my age when my kids have a birthday and not so much when I do. I feel like I'm still a young hip thing and then I catch a glimpse of myself every now and again driving around a SUV full of carseats and 3 kids and think, "oh yeah, this is my life and I am getting old and maybe the guy in the car next to me wasn't checking me out, but instead thinking, "Look at that lady handing something back to her kids while driving and singing along to Radio Disney!"

Here is a flashback picture of when Kelsee was only 4 weeks old. It is our first family photo. This really made me realize how much I've aged. We look like such babies ourselves.

The night before Kelsee's birthday we planted "doughnut seeds". Kelsee is getting to old to go along with my fun ideas anymore. She kept saying, "Mom are you lying that these are doughnut seeds because they sure look like the apple cinnamon cheerios from the pantry."

In the morning they woke up to find that doughnuts had sprouted for breakfast! A rate treat at my house. I usually make them eat Kashi cereal or something packed with fiber. You can see that Aidan can hardly contain his excitement.

That night Kelsee had cheer practice. She is on the competition team this year and has 3 hours of practice a week plus one Saturday of tumbling a month. She is loving though. We'll see how much I love it when we have to start traveling for competitions.

When she finished we went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner. She wanted steak and to be able to sit on the birthday saddle and scream "Yeehaw" she said.

The next day was her friend party that I tried desperately to get out of doing this year. Anybody who knows me knows that I would much rather take the chaos somewhere else instead of having it all plus the mess at my house, but her heart was set on having a "chef party". So we had 12 screaming girls and lots of food.

Here is a picture of all of them in the aprons I made them. They were so excited that they had their initials in glitter on them! We started off with everyone making their own personal pizza and while they baked we went outside and played a couple of games. After they ate their pizzas I had a little 3 tiered cake for each of them to frost and decorate. When everybody's masterpiece was complete we boxed them up and tied a cute ribbon around them for everybody to take home. She opened presents (6 webkins...she was in heaven) we sang happy birthday and had icecream cones. She had such a blast and thanked me many times for doing it for her.

I can promise this would not have been very fun without the help of so many. Thank you Cheryl for running my errands and picking up the boxes in Salt Lake. Al's sister Emily and her family came down and helped us celebrate. Thank you for the ideas and all the help with the kids. And thank you to my sweet neighbor Michelle for volunteering to help and to Al who is always such a good sport when I get my hairbrained ideas and is always right in there playing with the kids and helping with whatever needs to be done.

Happy Birthday Kelsee, We love you!!!!

Disney or bust!

Ok, I know it has taken forever for me to post. I got a Flip Video Camera that I wanted to learn how to download so you could see some of our trip. It turned out it takes no technical knowledge at all, just a chunk of time to sit and do it.
So, our friends the Allman's (who the babies have affectionately named "Cereal" and "Cake", otherwise known as Cheryl and Kate) were planning a trip to Disney and asked us if we were game. It wasn't top on my list because we had just done a week trip over Halloween with my whole family and I was Disney'd out for a while. But school was out and it was only a couple of days, so we decided to go for it. We drove for the first time and the kids were so great! We all had so much fun. They have been loving Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and recognized all the characters. It was so fun to see the sparkle in their eyes when they saw Mickey Mouse. They were so excited to see everyone, but wanted that safe distance from the giant creatures.
The babies stood in line, waited turns and really were so sweet the whole time. I felt like they did better than the bigger kids. The teacups were the highlight for them, but they rode everything they were big enough to ride (which surprisingly is quite a lot). Kelsee had many favorites, everything that is big and fast (a girl after my own heart)
We only went to the park for 2 days, but we got there when it opened and left when it closed with a bunch of tired monkeys. We ate at Goofy's kitchen which I think was the highlight for the boys who insisted on getting their picture taken with Jasmine, watched the parade, ate plenty of snacks, rode everything we wanted, and walked about 20 miles. Thanks guys we had a blast.


Al and Aidan on the buzz lightyear ride


The babies loved the characters from a distance, but
wanted nothing to do with them up close.


Kelsee on the other hand has no
problem getting up close and personal


They finally figured if they didn't look at
them, maybe they would go away



This is my favorite picture of the whole trip! This is the
family we sat next to during the pixar parade (which the
kids loved) I laughed so hard at this guy asleep in his
baby's stroller holding his giant pickle he had been gnawing
on. Cheryl couldn't believe I actually took a picture of this.
Of course I had to make it look like I was taking pictures of the
kids so his wife didn't think I was some crazy, Maybe I am!


The teacups were the favorite of both Aidan and Olivia.
They cold not get enough. They asked to go again as
soon as the ride stopped. I put a video of their first ride
at the bottom of this.


Very typical to have one crashed and the
other one going strong


Judd was not happy at all. The boys took the bigger kids
and him on the Matterhorn as soon as we walked in the park.
I think it took him most of the day to get over to scary
monster with the red glowing eyes.


Al's birthday dinner at Cheesecake Factory




The Teacups!

Need another Hobby?

If anyone is interested in learning digital scrapbooking I just took the best class that I am so excited about. It has taught me everything I have been wanting to learn and maybe now I can get all my pictures off my hard drive and printed to enjoy. The class was through Jessica Sprague. She has a great website and you can get all the goods if want more info at http://www.jessicasprague.com/. I am posting the 4 layouts I did during the course for those of you who have asked me to e-mail them.

"Are they twins?"

Here is an example of a typical shopping trip for me (yes, I do take them everywhere. It is a rare day when I wait for Al to come home and go at night). For some reason people are very intrigued by twins and have a lot of questions about them (like if they are identical). And lets just be honest, they are pretty cute. So we are at Walmart doing our grocery shopping and down here it is filled with Pligs and the elderly. The pligs won't speak to you and the elderly bless their hearts, have quite a bit to say to you. I have one of those giant shopping carts with the two seats at the back, but the seat belts are broken on both of them. I decide to go for it anyway because there are really no other options. Most places don't even have carts for two which is why Costco is my favorite place to go. Two buckles and samples along the way!! You have no idea how great this is with two toddlers. Anyway so we start going and they figured out right away they could stand up which started swinging from the bar on the cart and jumping up and down singing. I thought I could just hurry before someone started bleeding or crying. At this point we started getting the standard "are they twins?", "oh, look how cute" from people along the way wanting to talk to them. They are not the slightest bit shy and love all the attention they generate. We then were stopped by an elderly couple who wanted to guess what their names were (and wouldn't let me tell them until they had exhausted all their ideas) which was followed by guessing how old they were. Needless to say, they grew impatient of shopping and got out every time I stopped the cart to put something in it which then draws more attention to us as I'm chasing them down the aisle. They start fussing and are done with the whole thing. This then turns in to people stopping me and telling me they are tired and probably need a nap. So after we make it through the eternal Walmart checkout line and they have picked up every stupid piece of candy or toy they put right there at the childs height. They cashier says, "I'm glad it's you and not me".
All I have to say is thank goodness they still take naps and for Diet Coke!

"This will only take 5 minutes"

This is what I was told by several girlfriends who have been trying to convince me to set up a blog. I have been resistant to the idea, but there are so many reasons why this is a good idea for me. So we finally planned a night to set this up with the reassurance that it is super easy and super fast. The night started at about 9 p.m. with a bowl full of chocolate mint truffles and the Bachelor on the TV, and who can't help but watch that train wreck. I always say at the end of an episode that it is the trashiest show and will never watch it again and then find myself glued to it because you can't turn away from the carnage. So somewhere in the middle of all of this we were trying to set up my blog which for some reason seemed to keep doing things "that never happen". I am so computer illiterate that all I kept saying was, "control what?" Somehow I can manage to create all sorts of things including a monkey's jumping on the bed cake for Aidan and Olivia's second birthday, but I just cannot grasp the concept of cutting and pasting web addresses. In the end I had a background, a title, a player with one song (which I can't seem to log back onto and get more), and a fake post from Janalyn. And all of which only took until 1 a.m. Hopefully I get the hang of this, and I promise to try and post somewhat often so all of you who live so far away from us will still feel like you know what is going on in our lives.

Thankyou Jani, Michelle and Kali for all your help!