tilton family happenings

promising to do/be better

2010-09-13T21:12:00.002-07:00

wow! i've been terrible at this blogging thing. i am going to be better at posting. i need to be better at posting. so much has been going on and i haven't taken time to acknowledge the good things in my life. i am going to "find joy in the journey". :)

Awesome Giveaway!!

2010-02-12T15:34:00.003-07:00

My sister's sis-in-law is doing an AWESOME giveaway with some cute items. She also has a way cute headband business. Check it out and enter to win!!

my sweet innocent caleb

2009-11-29T11:15:00.002-07:00

if you have ever been around caleb you know that he is a pretty deep thinker. sometimes, he can really come out of left field with some of his questions or comments. just to give you an example...this was his comment to me friday night.

we went to walmart to get colored lights for our christmas tree (yes i caved. i love white lights!). as we got to our car he said "mom, santa is the nicest guy on the earth." i said "uh huh". (typical mom answer when you don't know what else to say) i thought the "conversation" was over until he said "jesus must be so proud of him". it took all my strength to not laugh. i just said "uh huh"....again.

Halloween 2009

2009-11-02T20:02:00.003-07:00

The boys really enjoyed Halloween this year. We decorated a little more than usual (notice "ghosts" in the trees). Caleb really enjoyed that. I had really wanted the boys to match or coordinate but I had to give up on that wish, probably for good. We just decided to go with what ever worked this year.

Caleb was Bumblebee from Transformers.

Troy was a dinosaur (notice the roaring). He was SO cute! Everybody loved him.

Drew was a little monster. He has been drooling so much here lately that we decided he would be the "drewl" monster (haha, get it?).

Here's all 3 of them together (quite the challenge).

I decided to dress up as well. Here's one of 4 out of 5 Halloween-ers.

Caleb and Troy had a lot of fun. We went to the Trunk or Treat at church and lucky for us the boys only went around 1 time for candy, so our candy stash was considerably less than it could have been. Nevertheless, I am SICK of candy.

blog posting fool

2009-10-20T09:05:00.001-07:00

i've out done myself today and made 3, yes, 3 posts. keep scrollin' down!!

what do we do when.....

2009-10-20T08:55:00.003-07:00

mom is cutting caleb's hair?

troy "waters" the grass or as he says "soy pee a grass".

drew swings.

and caleb pouts. (sorry no picture of him)

"brotherly" love

2009-10-20T08:41:00.003-07:00

one day after church, i was taking pictures of drew and troy wanted his picture with him. and here's what i got.

naturally, caleb didn't want to be left out and wanted to get a picture with drew as well.

since they were all there, i wanted to get a picture of all 3 boys together. troy was not happy. not because i was making him take another picture but because caleb was in the picture too. he didn't want caleb in the picture and wouldn't let us put drew in the middle. he wanted drew all to himself....can you tell by the face?

oh, christmas pictures are going to be interesting....

3 months old

2009-10-20T08:26:00.003-07:00

you guessed it...drew is now 3 months old. he is really interacting with us now and it is a lot of fun. he talks more and more every day and even giggles occassionally. he reaches for things close to him. his favorite thing to grab... his toes. we have moved him to the crib, so no more bassinet. it is kind of sad that he has outgrown the bassinet but nice not to hear every little squeak. he is our little "finger sucker" and prefers his pointer and middle finger over the "dah" (troy's name for a pacifier). i'm not sure how to deal with that one yet because the other 2 boys LOVED the pacifier. oh well!

2 months old...

2009-09-17T18:28:00.002-07:00

drew is 2 months old today. he is growing up too fast.
specifics @ 2 months: weight: 11 lbs. 5 oz.
height: 23 inches
smiles
"talks"
loves to be held

we also found out today that drew has scoliosis (curvature of the spine). he will have to go to a specialist to find out how severe the scoliosis is and what will have to be done for it. from what i have read on the internet, treatment ranges from physical or occupational therapy to surgery. of course surgery is for REALLY bad cases. his pediatrician seemed a little surprised and said that scoliosis in babies as young as drew is rare. it is usually detected much later. hopefully we caught it early enough that it will be a quick and easy fix.

please keep him in your prayers and hopefully all will be well soon.

so sad :(

2009-09-15T20:23:00.003-07:00

when i came home from work today, i noticed that troy looked funny. upon closer inspection, this is what i found.....

he had an allergic reaction to a mosquito bite! not only was his ear swollen but he had another bite on his leg that had swelled to the size of a quarter. it was really sad when it started itching. he looked like a dog scratching and his little ear just flopped. his ears are really soft any way and the swelling didn't seem to affect the floppiness. poor troy boy :(

one month old...

2009-08-17T18:56:00.002-07:00

drew is one month old today...again time is going by too fast. it is amazing how fast they change!

three weeks old

2009-08-06T21:00:00.003-07:00

drew will be 3 weeks old tomorrow. it's crazy how fast time has gone by. how cute is this boy!?!

first day of 2nd grade

2009-08-06T20:56:00.002-07:00

caleb started 2nd grade on monday. he was so excited!! he is in mrs. villa's class and already knows most of the kids in his class. mom was sooo ready for this day to happen...mostly to give him something to do besides annoy troy. here's hoping for a good year!!

Drew's Blessing Day

2009-08-06T20:36:00.003-07:00

sunday was drew's blessing day. we were grateful to have some of my family here for drew's special day. my mom made his outfit...thanks mom!! after church, my family made a trip to the temple to take pictures. here are just a few pictures from sunday. boo was our photographer and she did an awesome job (as always).

Drew Harrison Tilton

2009-07-19T10:50:00.006-07:00

Drew made his arrival into this world Friday, July 17 @ 11:05 weighing in at 6lbs. 10oz. and 20.5 in. It was BY FAR my fastest delivery (almost too fast for my body).

Details: I arrived at the hospital at 7:30 am to be induced. By the time the paper work was all done, I was in my room by 8:30 with my IV in and ready to go. Pitocin was started at 8:45 and my doctor came in at 9:00 and broke my water. All was going fine no pains and I was at 4 cm. Around 10:00 I had my nurse put in the order for my epidural and got it around 10:20. All pain was gone but I could feel LOTS of pressure. I never felt anything with the other two so this was something new (not good new). The pressure got worse and worse really fast. About 1o mins after getting the epidural, the nurse checked me and I was a 7. She frantically started getting everything together (baby's bed, prep table for the doctor etc.) I had told her earlier that I "go" fast after getting my epidural but probably just jinxed myself for saying so. Anyway, the pressure was getting worse by the minute and around 10:40 I was a 10 and the nurse called the doctor. After waiting another 15 mins. on the doctor, pushing started and at 11:05 we had our baby boy with us. We were all shocked at how fast everything went, start to finish, especially the nurses. My poor nurse looked like a mad woman running around prepping things because I came in at a shift change and no one expected a "sprint".

Here are some of our pictures from Friday.

3 weeks in...

2009-06-17T10:19:00.012-07:00

Caleb has been gone for 3 weeks now. I think we've missed him way more than he has missed us. It all started with him flying to Alabama. He visited with family and went fishing while he was there. I don't think he quite knew what to do with the fish once he caught it.

He stayed there for about 3 days then left with Mama and Papa to drive to Missouri to spend time with Hunter, Brooke and Tucker. They stopped at the US Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, AL.

They also stopped by the St. Louis Arch but I don't have any pictures of that. They made it to my brother's, where they stayed for 2 weeks.

While at the Space and Rocket Center, Caleb found a space suit that he wanted. My mom talked him into waiting so that she could make one (much cheaper). Well they ended up finding this suit and apparently he loved it. I must say the kid has an imagination and it looks like he sucked Tucker in too.

He's moonwalking (if you wanted to know).....

Hunter and Brooke were also nice enough to take him to some "pretty cool" restaurants and an amusement park. Thanks guys for entertaining him!

They are now on their way to Utah and should be there this afternoon. Since they left Missouri, they have gone to Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota, Devils Tower in Wyoming, and stayed the night in Yellowstone National Park.

He was so excited for this summer and I hope he remembers all that he has visited. Thanks Mama and Papa for putting up with him for this long. We'll take him back when you're done with him. Boo, don't spoil him too much while he's at your house!!

last day of first grade....

2009-06-01T16:54:00.006-07:00

a little over a week ago, caleb finished up first grade. he had a great year and loved his teacher mrs. schimel. just to tell you how much he loved her....she went on maternity leave during spring break and didn't come back until 2 weeks before school was out. her first day back, caleb woke up dry-heaving and not feeling well. instead of crying about being sick, he cried because he didn't want to miss her first day back. he missed her "so very very much" as he put it.

every quarter he was on the principal's honor roll. he is well above all of the benchmarks for first grade. he also reached his goal of 25 AR points (a little cash incentive worked wonders) which is quiet an accomplishment considering he had to read at least 50 books to get that. the books on his reading level average about .5 points each.

he is excited for 2nd grade but i know he will miss first grade and mrs. schimel.

(sorry for the poor quality of the pics. lighting is horrible.)

side note: i really hate blogger...put stuff where i put it please.....

Happy Birthday "2" Troy!!

2009-04-01T20:57:00.004-07:00

today, the troy boy turned 2. he has been saying "birthday" all afternoon. i doubt he really gets the idea of birthday but he knows that today is his. caleb tried to sing "happy birthday" to him and troy yelled "NO MINE". i guess he thought caleb was trying to steal his thunder. here are a few things about troy at 2:

likes: pizza, chocolate milk, elmo, nemo, balls, cars, CANDY, baths, shoes

dislikes: diaper changes, being told "no", caleb talking on the phone before him

troy is such a fun kid and gets funnier every day. he loves to sit with mommy or daddy and watch tv or just cuddle. he is always at the door or in the garage to meet mommy or daddy coming home from work. the kid rarely meets a stranger. for example, he gave some random lady "high 5s" in the grocery store today and says "hi" to everyone he meets. i call him my little politician.

we waited a long time for troy to join our family and love him so much. LOVE YOU TROY BOY!!!

a day at the phoenix zoo

2009-03-15T10:53:00.004-07:00

i've been meaning to post these for a while i just never got around to it. we took the boys to the zoo back in february and they loved it! caleb had been before but, of course, troy hadn't. troy loved the "amals". here are some of our favorites.

the zoo has this really cool exhibit called "stingray bay". for $3 each (the only draw back), you can go in and pet stingrays and sharks (don't remember what kind). caleb and brandon went in and loved it. caleb was a little scared at first (why do you think i didn't do it) but ended up with it being his favorite part. troy fell asleep so that gave me the perfect out ("no, i'll stay with troy. you guys go ahead and have all the fun."). here are some shots that brandon took.

here's my excuse for not going in...

we had a lot of fun! it had been too long since we had been able to do something as a family that everyone would enjoy. it was fun seeing the boys (all of them) have so much fun.

odd woman out

2009-02-19T18:55:00.003-07:00

As is turns out, baby #3 is also BOY #3. He was being a stinker to start off. He was face down, knees tucked in and hands between his knees. After about 30 mins. and a trip to the bathroom for me, he finally turned, cooperated and left NO DOUBT... Now the real challenge-agreeing on a name. Seeing as how we have already used 2 boy names and 5 nephews combined, that makes for a very short list. I'm excited but not looking forward to the negotiations. Any suggestions...we're open until July 18th.

safety first

2009-01-19T15:18:00.003-07:00

saturday was such a nice (hot) day that the boys decided to spend most of the day outside. brandon was doing various outdoor chores (finally taking down the christmas lights...sad i know) so the boys just played. i was cleaning inside when troy brought me caleb's bike helmet and wanted me to put it on his head. so i did and then followed him outside with the camera. obviously it is waaaay to big for his head (unfortunately caleb has a huge head that requires an adult sized helmet). troy was getting frustrated with it but decided that safety was more important. here he is riding his "bite" in nothing but a diaper and t-shirt. oh well, he had a blast!!

caleb also decided that he needed to wear his sunglasses to keep the bugs out of his eyes. his explanation: "i ride my bike sooo fast that it would be dangerous for a bug to hit my eyes."

what have i been up to?

2009-01-05T16:45:00.003-07:00

being sick with baby #3...yes #3. i had an appointment today for an ultrasound and here's what we got.

i'm 12 weeks 2 days and due july 18th. baby stayed balled up nice and tight with no chance of a peek. the tech tried and tried even though it is hard to tell this early. the pictures aren't very clear but we'll take them. the first picture makes baby look like nacho libre with the mask.

aside from baby, there isn't much news. christmas was a wash. i'll elaborate when i'm not still upset about it. school starts back tomorrow. let's hope that it doesn't start like this morning did (you don't have to think too hard to figure out what happened).

caleb is going to china

2008-12-11T19:52:00.004-07:00

with christmas coming up, the first grade classes at school are going to take a "trip around the world" to see how other countries celebrate christmas (or what ever they call it in their country). all of the kids received a paper to create a "passport" to be able to travel to different countries. caleb has been so excited about this and keeps asking if we celebrate kwanzaa (eventhough i've said no each time). anyway, he was talking about it the other day and said "mom, i'm going to china." he then paused and said "will it be a long drive?" all i could do was laugh....they are only going from class to class within first grade.

"well it's about time"

2008-11-10T17:02:00.005-07:00

that's what you all are saying huh? well, my lack of posting hasn't been for lack of happenings. it has mostly been from lack of energy and motivation.

things are going well at school and i am loving, mostly, every minute of it. the kids are great and fun to work with. the staff is amazing and so helpful. i have already made a lot of good friends there.

as for our family, we are just going with the flow. caleb is doing well in 1st grade (actually a little bored with it i think). troy is talking more everyday. his new favorite word is "MINE". oh that dreaded 4 letter word.

a few months ago, brandon and caleb got quads (4 wheelers). they have had fun riding them. brandon did have a little incident that landed him in the ER on labor day weekend. luckily it was just a dislocated finger and some scratches. you ask why the ER for a dislocated finger? well, the EMTs that responded wouldn't try to set it b/c they were afraid that the bone might have splintered. if they messed up, it could sever a nerve and he could end up losing his finger. who ever thought it would be such a big deal? anyway, here's a picture of his finger (if you want to look)

here are some more pictures of the boys

sorry that it has been a while. i promise to do better. i might even post tomorrow....WHOA! :)

give blood, be a hero, traumatize your child...

2008-08-17T10:16:00.003-07:00

ever since my 2 nephews had their medical problems when they were born and needed blood transfusions, i have felt a need to "give" back. i am eternally grateful for the medical teams that saved/helped them and the blood donations that they received. i figure the least that i can do is to help save someone else.

when i was in high school i gave blood and ended up with the nurse holding the trash can and my (then) boyfriend holding my hair out of the line of fire. i had decided to never give blood again. well, that was until as i explained before. in january was the first time i had given since high school. everything went pretty well until about half way through when my eyes started going out of focus and i started feeling hot. then i got cold and clammy. they elevated my legs and gave me a wet rag to use and i made it through just fine.

yesterday, i decided i would try again. i didn't really feel well but thought "what the heck, if i get sick...i get sick. no big deal!" so i went. brandon and the boys went with me 1) because i don't trust myself driving home (just in case) 2) we were headed out to do errands and go to a birthday party. so, i get all my paperwork done, give blood without any funny feelings. i was proud of myself! if you have ever given blood before you know that you have to sit in the canteen area for 15 mins. to make sure that you are okay and eat your cookies and drink your juice. well that is what i was doing (brandon and the boys were sitting with me) all was fine and brandon wanted me to leave early. my stomach did feel a little uneasy so i said "let's just wait." meanwhile, the last donor came and sat down in the middle row on the end (i was on the back row in the middle). there were a few other people left there that were just chatting away. i looked at my watch, it was 12:47. i could leave at 12:51 (i know big deal 4 mins. go ahead and leave but leaving just didn't seem right). here comes the traumatic part...remember the last donor...well i happened to glance at him after looking at my watch. i thought he was stretching his neck from side to side then his back arches, eyes roll back in his head, mouth falls open and eye lids don't shut!!! he started sliding out of his chair so i jumped up (a little too fast and got light-headed) to see if he was okay-things still not registering...big guy like him this should be a piece of cake. meanwhile, he is turning green and everything is still open....FREAKY!!!! so i yelled for help, the people in the front row turned around, they were clueless until i yelled. (that man was lucky i was behind him. who knows how long the poor guy would have sat there like that! j/k) so all the workers run over, put him on the floor, elevate his legs and start talking to him. no one knew the guys name so they had to dig up his paper work...his name was jared. they started talking to him, patting his face, rubbing his arms....NOTHING....everything still open!! we started pulling back the chairs to make more room so that they can put screens around him to give him some privacy (or in case things got bad, i don't know which). just before the screens went up one guy started pounding...yes, pounding...on his chest right over his HEART!! jared finally comes to...looks around completely confused... they start asking him questions and the rest of us turn to leave.

one of the guys from the front row looks at me and asks "is he okay?" i said "yeah" (thinking he was talking about jared). he said "no, him" and points to caleb. with everything happening so fast i totally forgot that caleb had just witnessed EVERYTHING!!! he was totally freaked out...actually i don't know if freaked out is the right phrase...traumatized. i walked over to him and he walked away from me, wouldn't talk or look at anyone for about 30 mins. i felt so bad!!

there i was...trying to do something good and end up screwing up my kid (not really, he was fine later)! note to self, don't take the kids or make brandon keep them in the car!!!

i survived....just kidding!!

2008-08-09T21:47:00.001-07:00

so, i made it through my first week of school. and i have to say that it was quite the experience. the kids that i teach are great kids and we are going to have a great year. i am so used to dealing with younger kids that i had forgotten how to handle the bigger kids. surprisingly, for some of them, there wasn't much difference between kindergarteners and 6th graders. i have already threatened to send some back to kindergarten to learn the basics (keep your hands to yourself and no whining or throwing tanturms, yes we had one already). all in all, it was a great week. i am really excited to be teaching. i was reminded of why i got my degree in teaching. aside from being a mom, it is definately the most rewarding "job" ever!

big news....

2008-07-26T21:48:00.003-07:00

just for those of you who don't know, i got a new job. i was offered the job of 6th grade science teacher at simonton elementary. i was hired on tuesday and started with district meetings on wednesday. needless to say, i have been busy beyond belief and am feeling a bit overwhelmed. i am so excited about this new opportunity. caleb and i will have the same schedule, for the most part, and troy will be with one of my good friends. it has been almost 7 years since i graduated college and am having to dig back in my brain to remember certain things. i actually get to put to use all the learning i paid for. if any of you have sixth graders this year, i'm their science teacher!

high flyin'

2008-07-21T08:28:00.005-07:00

last month we went to visit my sister in utah. while we were there we went to lagoon. the last time i went was like 9 years ago, the summer before brandon and i got married. anyway, when we got there caleb wanted to ride everything. my mom and dad were there and they kept the babies while we went on rides. i was going to skip the skycoaster because 1- it's $15 a person to ride and 2-i didn't think caleb would want to ride it. was i ever wrong! he begged to ride it and i caved. we waited for what seemed like forever. then it was our turn.

1- listening to our instructions
2- getting raised up to the top of the tower
3- flyin' high
4- waving at the camera
5- all finished and getting lowered to the platform

caleb had a blast!! he didn't make a sound until we had gone back and forth a couple of times (i think he was a little freaked out, more than he wanted to admit). when he finally said something it was "that was awesome!!!"

i have a video of us but i can't get it to post or does it normally take forever for videos to load? if i can get it to load i'll get it on here.

flashback friday...

2008-07-04T13:03:00.002-07:00

i was just thinking back to this time last year and looked at my pictures from the 4th last year. then i realized that i only have pictures of troy. we went to gilbert's 4th of july celebration and caleb was busy with the rides, games, slides, jumpers, etc. anyway, it is unreal how troy has changed. what do you think?

hope everyone has a great and safe independence day!

are these MY children????

2008-06-12T21:56:00.005-07:00

let me explain...troy has become the pickiest eater ever. his diet consisted of cheerios, gold fish, yogurt and bananas. that was about all i could get him to eat, until wednesday night. i had a can of black beans in my pantry and thought "what the heck, why not try." he ate them like he hadn't had anything to eat in a month, but he has done this before. the real test is the second try.....amazingly the same thing. third try...and this is what he looked like...

he couldn't get enough. and to top that off, he ate spaghetti for dinner. we have tried several times to no avail. now i will stop with troy before i jinx myself.

on to caleb...the kid hates to clean, doesn't see the need nor does he care that he can't find the floor in his bedroom (yes, it gets that bad). he has taken up to 3 days for him to clean his room, no tv, no computer, only food and water. and yes he was in there the entire time....anyway, earlier today he came to me and said "mommy, i want to vaccum the floor." first of all, he hates the vaccum (it hurts his ears) and secondly (see above explanation). i was on the phone with brandon and i told him what caleb said. then brandon said "maybe he is trying to earn more minutes to play the xbox?" surprisingly, NO, he just wanted "the floor to be smooth". so here he is in action....

he went down the hall and everything. what???? is this really my child????

are these MY children? this is a good thing but will it last? i'll have to wait and see.....

a week of "lasts"....

2008-05-30T00:19:00.006-07:00

okay, so i'm a little behind yet again....baseball and school are now over. caleb had his last baseball game on the 17th and his last day of school was the 23rd.

first the baseball game...it has been amazing to see the improvement that caleb has made since his first day of practice. he has really grown to love the game of baseball. he made a lot of new friends and "reconnected" with some old teammates. (i say old like they've lived a life time...they're only 6 or 7, oh well)

troy became quite a handful at the games. he would try and run to brandon when he was out on the field or try to snack on some left behind treats. thank goodness for the concession stand and red vines (red licorice for those who don't know)...yes that is what is on his face. he ate about 15 of them all by himself that last day. that was the only way we could get him to sit and stay in the shade. good trade if you ask me...sugar high vs. sunburned baby...i'll take sugar high any day.

now for school...who would have thought that it would be cold and raining on the last day of school...in may in arizona no less? well it was and did and it was NICE!!! we (the parents) had a little party for the kids and they sang songs to pass the time..not much else to do. they had an honors assembly. caleb was awarded student of the month for march. i was proud, he didn't have a clue nor did he care. mrs. king was his teacher and she was great. caleb thought the world of her!

so we made it through kindergarten...first grade here we come.....

playing catch up........

2008-05-08T17:05:00.007-07:00

okay...so i've been a little busy lately...not really just reading the Twilight series. just check out my sister's blog if you don't know what it is all about (boo on my bloggers list).

last week caleb had his kindergarten celebration. it was really cute! it's crazy to think that he will be in first grade come august...time in flying by!!

sorry the pictures aren't clear. of course, as soon as i got ready to start taking pictures the batteries started dying...just my luck.

we also went to the diamondbacks game on saturday. it was little league day and the kids got to parade around the warning track. we left troy with my m-i-l and all 3 of us got to walk together. there was only one other kid from caleb's team that came so we had a small group.

as we got around to the exit we looked back and saw ourselves on the jumbo-tron. you can see us in the bottom left corner. you can see brandon taking a picture of us on the jumbo-tron. it was kind of weird!

we had a lot of fun and the diamondbacks won 10-4 over the mets. it was way more exciting than the score sounds...not the blow out that it looks.

tagged.........

2008-04-29T12:14:00.002-07:00

A. Attached or Single? attached
B. Best Friends? Brandon & Boo
C. Cake or Pie? Cake(red velvet)
D. Day of choice? Friday
E. Essential item? Clean underwear and thanks to gravity... a good bra
F. Favorite color? Green
G. Greatest Accomplishment? My children & my degree in math
H. Hometown? Uriah, Alabama
I. Indulgences? Dr. Pepper & Twix
J. January or July? that's hard...january b/c it isn't 200 degrees out but july is my birthday month
K. Kids? 2- Caleb and Troy
L. Life is incomplete without? family and a good book
M. Marriage date? Dec. 17, 1999
N. Number of siblings? 2- 1 bro. 1 sis.
O. Oranges or Apples? Apples but not granny smith or red delicious
P. Phobias or fears? Losing a family member and snakes
Q. Quotes?
R. Reason to smile? Happy kids, good husband, fun times, pedicures
S. Season? spring for the new flowers and fall b/c cooler temps are on the way.
T. Tag three friends? whoever
U. Unknown fact about me? I just called in to Dr. Phil for Miranda....j/k....My celebrity crush is Anderson Cooper.
V. Very favorite store? Target
W. Worst habit? I'm a junk food junkie
X. X-ray or Ultrasound? Ultrasounds by far.
Y. Your favorite food? a green salad or shrimp
Z. Zodiac? Cancer....crabby, crabby, crabby.....at least that's what Brandon would say.

wow...a temple in gilbert!!

2008-04-26T19:32:00.002-07:00

my father-in-law called us and told us about this last night. a member of his bishopric sent him an email about it. the location is going to be somewhere around greenfield and pecos. i didn't know if this was supposed to be shared info until i found this on a friends blog. so, i guess it's official! here's the announcement below...

Location: Gilbert, Arizona, United States.
Announcement: April 2008
In his first temple announcement since becoming president of the Church, President Thomas S. Monson announced the construction of two temples in Arizona: one in the Gila Valley and the other in Gilbert—bringing the total number of temples in Arizona to four. "It is my personal priority to make sure members of the Church have access to the blessings of the temple," said President Monson. "It is here where members learn of their divine origin and destiny; where they are strengthened spiritually as individuals and as families. Temples are sanctuaries from the storms of life."1
Located in the southeastern section of the Phoenix metropolitan area—just south of Mesa—Gilbert and its surrounding communities enjoy a high concentration of Church members, who currently attend the Mesa Arizona Temple. A temple in Gilbert will help relieve demands currently placed on the Mesa temple, which serves well over 70 stakes throughout southern Arizona.

this is rare.....

2008-04-22T17:59:00.002-07:00

on saturday, troy woke up at about 8:30. he was in our room b/c my b-i-l kody stayed the night with us and the spare bed is in troy's room. brandon was already up and came in to get troy. i went back to sleep and woke up at 10:30....soooooo nice! anyway, when i walked out of my room i saw this.......

brandon said that when troy woke up he laid him in the floor to change his diaper. when he got done, troy grabbed his blanket, laid on top of it and fell asleep in the floor. he slept like that until 11:30....tv on, phone ringing, cooking breakfast and everything. poor baby must have been exhausted b/c i can only remember one other time that he has fallen asleep in the floor.

caleb's field trip.....

2008-04-22T17:43:00.007-07:00

last thursday caleb went on his first field trip to the Arizona Museum for Youth. it had art work by local artist. the kids also got to make their own works of art. caleb loves art and really enjoyed the time they spent there. he actually listened to the guide and really looked at some of the pieces. i was asked to chaparone and really enjoyed being able to spend that time with caleb. for many of the kids the highlight of the trip was getting to ride the bus. so many of them don't ride the bus to school and that was a real "treat" for them...what little they know at this age.

flashback friday...

2008-04-18T15:14:00.002-07:00

this is a picture of me when i was 5 years old. the missionaries are bro. and sis. bean. they were "my" missionaries. they are the only people, that i can remember, that my mom would let me sit with during church (other than her or my granna). i love them and they love me. they are like another set of grandparents to me.

i still keep in contact with them. they have never failed to send me a birthday card. they came down from utah when brandon and i were married. when caleb was born, she sent him a hand-knitted sweater and hat. they sent me a sympathy card when granna died and i always get and send them a christmas card w/ pictures. just

recently, i received an invitation to her 80th birthday party which is today. sadly, i didn't make it but if i had had the money, i would have been there. i plan on visiting them this summer when i go to utah. i truly feel lucky to have them both "in" my life. they have left a great impression on me and i feel their love every time i see a picture or think of them....

i'm a princess!!!!!!!!!

2008-04-17T14:28:00.002-07:00

You Are Cinderella!

Dignified and hard working. With a gentle and soft-spoken manner you have something many people don't. Patience. Even through the moments of heartbreak you're still able to hold onto all of your hopes and dreams. Bide your time; your dream will come true.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

i saw this on tressa's blog.....i love anything disney! i don't know if the first part is true but i certainly hope the last part is.........

what???who???stupids!!!!!

2008-04-14T11:53:00.003-07:00

yesterday, we loaded up in our "not new but new to us" car to go to brandon's parents house. i went to close the garage and noticed a funny look on brandon's face. he jumps out of the car and i look in to see this.....

someone broke into our car and stole the face plate off of the stereo, either friday or saturday night. looking closer we noticed that the panel was cracked and the stereo was bent in a few places where they had tried to pry it out. obviously they didn't get the stereo but took the face plate so that it won't work. luckly that's all they got. all of brandon's tools for work were in the trunk and one of his pay stubs got left in the car (it has his ssn on it) but weren't bothered.

we felt a little violated and i dreamed about things happening all night long. what do you do???

what a week!!!!

2008-04-11T13:31:00.005-07:00

this week i turned into one of those annoying non-posters...sorry. now here it goes.

monday...caleb and i had dentist appointments. i hadn't been in a long while and caleb has never gone. bad mom, i know! we went to dr.-bro. goates (not sure which to use in this situation) and he was so good, highly recommended!!! caleb was nervous to begin with but came out overjoyed that it didn't hurt and that he "didn't even wiggle!" so then the race was on to get caleb to school. got that done and then i had a doctors' appointment that afternoon. i totally forgot that caleb has art classes on monday afternoons and brandon wasn't going to be home in time to take him. so, katie slater let caleb stay with her until time to go to art (meaningful service, thanks!!) troy went to my friends house (more service)! get to my appointment and wait and wait and wait. overshare coming up...it was "the" doctor that i had to go to and i heard one lady say "yeah we make you stay in there near naked so you won't get up and leave!" that made me laugh...so true! so i was on the 60 headed home when the thought came that i needed to slow down just a little....2 seconds later, the car to the left of me blew a tire. if i hadn't slowed down, i would have got the full blast of the debris and would have a shattered windshield. listen to the little promptings!!!

tuesday...troy had his 12 month check-up complete with 3 shots to his arms. we are sitting and waiting for the nurse to come in with the shots and brandon calls. "oh, i forgot to tell you this morning but one of the tires on the explorer is going flat. go find somewhere that has air and fill it before you head home." okay...so i forgot to mention that i woke up feeling sick...pukey and unsettled stomach...now i have to fix a flat tire. anyway, if you don't know albertson's on power and queen creek has free air...just don't forget to push the button like i did. so...the race is on to get caleb to school...done. pick him up and he has to go back to art class...to get his tie-dyed shirt he made...then on to baseball practice...done...go home finally. troy also started "offically" walking...he can stand up on his own, no pulling up.

wednesday....the usual...babysit jon...take caleb to school...got to caleb's baseball game and FREEZE b/c the wind was so cold (all you utah girls are laughing aren't you). we were on our way home and i remembered that volleyball was happening at 8:30....made it and had a blast...except for injuring my thumb that still hurts...

thursday...nothing but school and naps for me and troy.

today...HAPPY 50TH BIRTHDAY MOM! your the best!!!

p.s. troy learned something else this week....the "fish-out-of-water" style of throwing a fit...sweet baby (note sarcasm)

happy birthday to troy!!!

2008-04-01T20:16:00.005-07:00

happy birthday troy! we had a good day today. after we took caleb to school, troy and i went to get him some birthday balloons. my mom wanted to send him some but didn't know if a florist would deliver out this far. i told her that i would just go get them instead. so we went to party city. they have a huge selection and good prices. troy thought that they were sooo funny! he played with them the whole way home.

he is such a funny boy and we love him so much. we waited and tried for so long to get him here that we feel extra blessed just to have him. he definitely keeps us on our feet and lets us know when things aren't right in his world. he is just learning to walk and should be taking off here pretty soon.

we love you troy and happy birthday again!!

troy's party...

2008-03-31T11:01:00.006-07:00

last night we had troy's 1st birthday party. he won't officially be 1 until tomorrow. he was sooo cute! i have said before that he loves to eat and he had no problem digging in last night. i actually made and decorated the cake, my first ever. i even made the icing! i think it turned great! brandon even said that the icing was the best part and he hates frosting. i'm not a big icing fan either but it did taste pretty good, maybe b/c it was fresh. okay this isn't about me... caleb was so excited for troy. he stood guard of the cake until we cut into it. troy, of course, couldn't blow out the candle so we let caleb do it. everyone enjoyed watching troy dig in and he acted as if it was no big deal. we gave him one slice and when he was done with that one, he screamed for another (in true troy fashion)!

this is what the boys looked like when we got home. they "party-ed" hard!

go bats!!!

2008-03-31T10:40:00.006-07:00

caleb had his first coach-pitch game on saturday. he played really well. he got 2 outs, one playing 1st and one playing 2nd. both times he stopped the ball and tagged the base. his hitting still needs a little work. he went 2 for 3, "striking out" at his first at bat. they get 7 swings of the bat before "striking out".

so now we start another season of baseball. i really enjoy it though. it reminds me of all the time we spent at the little league games when i was younger. i always enjoyed playing and watching!

flashback friday...

2008-03-28T17:18:00.002-07:00

this was our family one year ago today. we were at caleb's first tee-ball game. i was obviously very pregnant with troy. wow, can you say puffy all over!! i think i had been to the hospital the day before with no luck. this night was terrible. after the game, we (me, brandon, caleb and my mom) went to applebee's for dinner. i started having contractions as soon as we got there and couldn't even finish my dinner for the pain. we ended up leaving before everyone finished because they were so bad. we got in the car and i laid the seat back to try and get comfortable and the contractions stopped. i would sit up and they would start again. lay back and they would stop, go figure. needless to say nothing happened that night and wouldn't for another 4 days when troy was born on april 1. no joke:)!

one word tag!!

2008-03-26T09:39:00.002-07:00

**one word only

you’re feeling: tired
to your left: printer
on your mind: tagged
last meal included: hotdogs
something you find it hard to do: laundry
the weather: nice
something you have a collection of: barbies
a smell that cheers you up: oranges
a smell that can ruin your mood: poop
how long since you last shaved: days
the current state of your hair: up
the largest item on your desk/workspace right now (not computer): speakers
your skill with chopsticks: none
which section you head to first in the bookstore: kids
…and after that?: bathroom
something you’re craving: soda
your general thoughts on the presidential race: annoying!!!!!
how many times you’ve been hospitalized this Year: none
a favorite place to go for quiet time: bed
you’ve always secretly thought you’d be a good: phlebotomist (someone that draws blood)
something that freaks you out a little: snakes
something you’ve eaten too much of lately: chips
you have never: wrecked
you never want to: wreck

easter 2008

2008-03-24T15:44:00.007-07:00

where did the day go? i felt like i was running all day long. kind of miss the feeling of last year's easter (check last post).

i got the boys new easter outfits. they both really needed church clothes, so i went all out. they were so cute. i took them out on saturday to make pictures and am i glad i did. they were both stinkers. troy wouldn't look at the camera and caleb didn't want to take "a dumb picture". well this was as good as we could get.

we did get individual pictures of the boys and here they are:

of course, the easter bunny visited the boys and here's what they ended up with.

here's troy checking out his basket (he was more interested in the grass)

caleb got legos and a bionicle (something with legos) and said "the easter bunny was thinking good!" it's nice to know that the easter bunny knows what kids want:)!

easter...last year...

2008-03-22T22:26:00.003-07:00

since i missed posting on friday, i decided to do an easter "flashback" to last year.

i had just had troy on april 1st. easter was on the 8th so he was 1 week old. we didn't make it to church that day, understandably, but still had a nice day. we had dyed eggs the night before and hid them for caleb most of the day. it was quite uneventful but peaceful none the less. it was really nice to have my mom here to help us! thanks mom for all you do! you're the best and i love you!

i am thankful for the easter holiday and the reminder that it is of what Jesus did for us all...

flashback friday...

2008-03-14T12:15:00.003-07:00

since it is getting close to troy's first birthday, i started thinking about caleb's first birthday. we were living in alabama. poor kid was sick with double ear infection but he was so good. he was always a good baby!

troy's first haircut

2008-03-13T19:34:00.016-07:00

troy got his hair cut for the first time today. i was kind of nervous about it too. brandon's mom cut it for us and it turned out really cute. it was so weird to look at him and be able to see his eyes and ears without moving the hair first. here are some before and after shots. unfortunately, he has a double crown in the back and his hair stands straight up. now that it is shorter, it stands up even worse. we might have to start breaking out the gel....

before

after (with dirty hair)

after (with clean hair)

can you please just tell me?

2008-03-10T08:43:00.003-07:00

last night as we were driving home, i reminded caleb that he has this baseball team meeting this afternoon. he said that he didn't want to play because he was afraid of getting hurt. so brandon started in with the discussion about not being afraid to get hurt because the pain only lasts for a little while, yada yada yada. the "be a man" talk. then we started giving examples of things we do even though it hurts but may be fun (brandon again) or for other reasons.

okay so here is where i opened a can of worms (way to go me). i asked caleb if he wanted more brothers or sisters and he said yes. i proceeded to tell him that if i was afraid of hurting that i wouldn't have any more kids. luckily, he doesn't know about wonderful drugs but back to my story..... i figured that would be the end of our discussion. well, as we were getting out of the car he asked "mommy can you please just tell me how mommies get babies out of their tummies?" (like i have been intentionally avoiding his question) my brain goes into overdrive, what am i going to tell him? okay, sometimes doctor's have to cut babies out of some mommy's bellies and (as the garage door was closing, it's really loud) that's why girls have different "bums" than boys, they push them out of their bums. i answered his question and he didn't hear a word of it....mission accomplished!!! right???

what is going on in there?

2008-03-06T20:38:00.003-07:00

so, i was busy leaving a comment on charity's blog and i heard caleb, in the bath tub, laughing really hard. i stopped typing and listened a little closer. troy is in the bathroom. i heard water squirting, troy gasping, caleb laughing then troy laughing. are they doing what i think they are doing? i go check....yes they are! troy is getting sprayed in the face by jabba the hut (caleb's tub toy). boys......

i was tagged in february....

2008-03-05T15:46:00.004-07:00

1.WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? i think so. i think that miss america 1979's name was summer. my middle name is leigh and my grandpa's is lee. don't know for sure or it just worked out that way.

2.WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? today watching a story on the today show.

3.DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? sometimes

4.WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? turkey

5.DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Yes… 2 boys

6.IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? i hope so

7.DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? noooo not me ;)

8.DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes

9.WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? probably not now. having kids makes you have less control of some things, you know.

10.WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? i like POPS

11.DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Sometimes

12.DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? most of the time yes. but put a dr. pepper in front of me and i fold like a lawn chair.

13.WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? dreyers ultimate caramel cup but not crazy about icecream

14.WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? hair

15.RED OR PINK?depends

16.WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? my muffin top but i'm trying to work it off

17.WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? my family in alabama

18.WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? blue jeans and red/orange/black flip flops

19. WHAT'S THE LAST THING YOU ATE? milk and oreos, not gonna help that muffin top, oh well!!!

20.WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? something on tv, whatever brandon is watching

21.IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? green

22.FAVORITE SMELLS? fruity smells

23.WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? that would be brandon, last night from my cell phone. wow, no calls today (except annoying telemarketers, didn't talk just hung up on them)

24.FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? i love, love, love college football. i can watch any team play. i also watch tennis, suns basketball and some baseball.

25.HAIR COLOR? brown w/ old highlights (need to freshen up)

26.EYE COLOR? hazel, a lot depends on what i am wearing, change between brown and green.

27.DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? No

28.FAVORITE FOOD? green salads, pasta salads, pizza and shrimp...mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

29.SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy endings (scary movies keep me from sleeping)

30.LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? non-kid movie- forrest gump (tv version) kid movie-cars

31.WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? yellow w/ brown undershirt (kind of feel like a banana)

32.SUMMER OR WINTER? yes i love myself, oh, seasons. i like winter the best. we can actually go outside during the day and not melt.

33.HUGS OR KISSES? depends

34.FAVORITE DESSERT? don't have a favorite but i like cake.

35.WHAT BOOK(S) ARE YOU READING NOW? doctrine and covenants with family, trying to finish wicked (kind of funny when you consider the titles)

36.WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Nothing, it's just solid black

37.WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? big brother and law & order:svu

38.FAVORITE SOUND? my boys playing and laughing together, no crying baby in the middle of the night

39.ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?neither

40.WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? from arizona...orlando, florida from alabama....not sure i've been to mt. rushmore,sd and yellowstone natl. park which ever is the farthest

41.DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? i can curl my tongue and roll it.

42.WHERE WERE YOU BORN? alabama

i tag....whoever wants to do it.

recommendations please....

2008-03-05T12:24:00.003-07:00

i am looking for a dentist to take caleb to. it doesn't matter if it is a pediatric dentist or not, just someone that is good with kids. he is a little freaked out about any kind of doctor so they would probably need to be experienced in "freaked out" kids. any recommendations will be greatly appreciated! thanks!

flashback friday..

2008-02-29T13:08:00.003-07:00

here is a picture of brandon and me on our wedding day. unfortunately, i don't remember a whole lot from this day. everything was so rushed and busy that it all just runs together. i do remember being so excited to be getting married and starting our lives together. nobody waited for us to get to the luncheon before eating, yes, they ate without us. of course, we waited for others at their luncheons (a little bitter, yes). and the only thing we got to eat at the reception was the cake we used in the pictures. we were starved! another thing, we got married on dec. 17, 1999 and i don't think it has ever been hotter in december. we about melted!! oh well, the things we do for love (like the song)!

spirit week

2008-02-29T12:46:00.007-07:00

this week was spirit week at school. i always enjoyed this when i was in school and wanted caleb to participate. he dressed up every day except for 80s day (didn't have a mullet or permed hair handy). they also had twin day but didn't get a picture. these two pictures are from mismatch/crazy hat day and hawaiian day. i was really surprised that caleb would do the mismatch thing. he is not keen on looking silly or drawing attention to himself but he really had fun. for hawaiian day, the shirt he wore was bought by my mom (that i forgot to pack for disney, sorry mom) and came in handy. i put it on him and he said "i don't want to wear this hawhitey shirt!" for some reason he can't say hawaii and of course i laughed at him. when he found out that other kids would be wearing their "hawhitey" shirts, he was good to go....

monster trucks???

2008-02-26T12:11:00.002-07:00

on our way to school, caleb asked "mommy, are monster trucks real?" i told him that they were. "well, can we buy one?" i explained that monster trucks aren't something that you can just go and buy. well, he seemed to accept that. then he said "i think they cost two thousand hundred three dollars. that's a lot of money, huh mommy!" i just said "sure" (one of those mom answers when you don't know what else to say or not sure how to explain). caleb has been learning money in school and decided to put this knowledge to use....."that would be 31 dimes, 3 pennies and 1,000 nickels." it took all i could not to laugh at him. he was convinced that that was a lot of money and was so satisfied that he didn't even need my opinion....love that kid!

flashback friday

2008-02-22T12:34:00.003-07:00

okay, so i'm jumping on the band wagon too. i enjoy reading and seeing others posts on fridays so i will try and keep up.

here is my senior cap and gown picture. i was a member of the 1997 graduating class at j.u. blacksher high school. i was involved in just about everything that there was to be involved in. before you think over achiever, it was a really small school. the school was (and still is) k-12. at that time, there was probably 500 students total, yes total. i really enjoyed going to a small school. i started and finished with many of the same people. eventhough we had a small graduating class, we were very competitive. my greatest achievement was being named valedictorian.

i still enjoy going back and visiting my old school. i recently went back for my 10 year reunion and homecoming. i had a blast, good times! go bulldogs!

please make him share!!!

2008-02-20T08:32:00.006-07:00

in earlier posts, i have mentioned how no amount of food goes unnoticed by troy. he still eats non-stop and wants anything that anyone else has. so here's how it played out last night....

after dinner, caleb wanted me to go to the store and get him a treat. i said "no, but there are some ice cream sandwiches in the freezer. get one but don't let troy see it." i had already shared some of mine with him and he didn't need anymore. plus, when caleb tries to feed him, it looks like a food fight has taken place. so, caleb got an ice cream sandwich out of the freezer and started eating it. brandon and i were watching tv and heard troy whining. i looked over the back of the couch to find this......

caleb was desperately trying to hide and obey the rule of eating at the table. so i got out my camera, of course, and snapped the picture. troy saw the flash from behind and then he gave me this look (like pleeeease make him share)......

we laughed so hard while caleb was steady shoving ice cream sandwich into his mouth!

is that your BRAT?

2008-02-19T08:06:00.003-07:00

okay, so i don't have good luck with kids in public. i will now explain...

yesterday, i took my boys and the 2 kids that i sit to mcdonald's. we met up with a friend of caleb's, his mom and little brother, no school because of president's day. so we get there around 11:20 and the playground is closed until noon. Forty minutes before lunch time isn't the time to clean and change lightbulbs, on a school holiday no less! so we got our food and let the kids eat, at least that's all they could do. well, the playground finally opens and we go in. the kids are playing, having a great time, all is well (for about 5 minutes). i was talking to beatris (the mom) and looked back to see another kid push jon(little boy i sit) down. so i jump up, go over and check on jon. he's okay. i ask the other kid not to do that again, i get ignored. i sit back down and jon goes and plays. not 5 minutes later, this same kid is slapping and pushing and slapping jon even more. i jump up again, pull the kid off of jon, check on jon (still holding on the this other kid). i stand up and this guy is in my face (person space totally invaded), "IS THAT YOUR BRAT THAT KEEPS PUSHING AND HITTING THE OTHER KIDS?" "what?" (that's me) "IS THAT YOUR BRAT?" (him) at this point i am "shaking" mad! "NO THIS ISN'T MY BRAT BUT THAT'S MY KID HE IS HITTING!" (that was me :0 ) (him)-> "oh!" (notice not yelling anymore) me-> "I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHO HE BELONGS TO, CARE TO FIND OUT?" (i'm still yelling, oops)

so the "nice" man and i try to find who this naughty kid belongs to, no luck. well, long story short, the kid was there with his grandparents. the grandpa was told what was happening. he sincerely apologized and let's me know that the kid has some developmental "issues", his words not mine. not to be rude but the kicker was that the grandpa said "he can be overly aggressive at times." what is an "overly aggressive at times" child doing unsupervised around other children?

unfortunately, the kids didn't get to play long because that other kid was just out of hand. we left and jon was okay (just a little red cheeked from all the slapping)!

here's your valentine...

2008-02-15T08:46:00.003-07:00

yesterday, as i was getting myself ready for caleb's school party, caleb comes in to see what i am doing. by this time i am dressed (thank goodness)! he walks up to me and says "happy valentine's day mommy!". then he gives me a big hug and says "here's your valentine!" who could want more right? he then says he has one more gift for me. he puckers up his lips and wants a kiss. i kiss him and he says "that makes two!" cute kid! he was so excited about valentine's day.

brandon and i don't make a big deal out of valentine's. we usually go out to eat somewhere but nothing expensive or fancy. yesterday, brandon surprised me with an mp3 player. i guess he was tired of hearing me whine! thanks b! love ya!

i ran and ran and ran.....

2008-02-13T17:27:00.003-07:00

this post isn't about anything in particular (sorry if you were expecting more). i did have a good run today. i am working on a 5 weeks to 5K program. today i had to run for 10 mins. well, i ran for 10 mins total not 10 mins. straight, does that count? man am i feeling it!! i am also working on my water intake. i had a chiropractor tell me that everyone should take their weight, divide it in half and that's how many ounces of water (minimum) they should drink in a day. i did it about 2 years ago and lost 12lbs in 2 weeks!! i still ate whatever i wanted that's just how much water weight my body was holding on to. i know that that won't happen this time (but okay if it does) but i have lost 2lbs since monday! anyway, try it and see what it does for you!

fun at the park....

2008-02-09T16:37:00.000-07:00

yesterday, we took the boys to the park. they had so much fun. of course, there wasn't alot for troy to do but he loved the swings. he would sit so still that he would almost fall asleep. caleb was his usual friendly self. that kid can make friends with a rock! he found some kids to play with and had a blast. before long, he was wanting brandon and me to play hide and seek. brandon wasn't feeling well but played one round with him. then caleb and i played tag. it was so fun! we were laughing and chasing each other all over the playground equipment. i'm sure i looked like a total idiot but that's what you do to make your kids happy, right? we had alot of fun but then it started getting dark and cold so we left. i really enjoyed taking the boys to the park. they had a blast and it is so rewarding to see your children happy....

our troy boy

2008-02-06T08:35:00.000-07:00

the other day i had this guilty feeling come over me about my blogging. i realized that i have another child other than caleb that i don't think that i have mentioned that much. so here's to troy.

he is soooo sweet. we can't decide if he's a mommy's or daddy's boy. when troy hears the garage door open (brandon coming home) he perks up like a little puppy. he knows that daddy is home. he crawls to the door and whines until brandon picks him up (maybe he is a puppy). but before long the only person he wants is mommy. he is definately more cuddly than caleb ever was or will be. in the last few days he has developed his "silly" face and pretend laugh. he is so funny! you wouldn't be able to tell from pictures but the kid is a bottomless pit and a scavenger. he is always looking for food. he will stand in front of his high chair and eat the stray cheerios, raisins or whatever that fell into the seat. brandon told troy that he was going to have to get a second job just to be able to feed him! yes he eats that much! no plate of food goes unnoticed with that kid.

one of the greatest things is that he adores his older brother. troy will follow caleb all day long! caleb lets him play in his room and makes him laugh all the time. he endures torture from caleb and always goes back for more.

we waited so long to get him here and we are loving every minute with him. we love our troy boy..........

I was tagged in January

2008-02-06T08:13:00.000-07:00

A: The rules of the game are posted at the beginning.
B: Each player answers the questions about themselves.
C: At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

10 Years Ago: I was going to school at Troy State University. I was still living in the dorms (fun, fun) but no freshman 15 for me!!!

5 Things On My To Do List Today: 1. get Caleb to school 2. fold the laundry (maybe)
3. pick Caleb up from school 4. go running 5. cook dinner tonight

Snacks I enjoy: sour candies, especially sour jelly bellies. I like cake too.

What would I do if I were suddenly made a billionaire? I'd build us a custom home, must have a movie theatre room, game room and surround sound. Buy a new car. Buy a house for my parents, sister and brother. Buy Brandon a helicopter. Travel to Europe. Hire Brooke a nanny for all her babies. Help take care of my grandparents.

3 Of My Bad Habits: 1. I can be pretty mean somtimes. 2. I am a tv junkie. 3. I stay on the computer way too long.
5 places I have lived: 1. Uriah, Alabama 2. Troy, Alabama (on campus) 3. Troy, Alabama (off campus) 4. Gilbert, Arizona 5. Queen Creek, Arizona

5 Jobs that I have had: 1. worked for florist 2. Monroe Journal (newspaper) 3. CC5 theatre 4. sales associate at Kitchins' (clothing store w/ stupid name) 5. Enginehouse secretary.

Things people don’t know about me: I've had 2 miscarriages. I am the oldest in my family. I was valedictorian of my senior class. I play with my hair all the time, suprised I'm not bald. I have a degree in Math Education. My "celebrity" crush is Anderson Cooper (something about the hair and giggle). My sister is mental ;)!!

I tag: Nicole (your the only one left that I know that reads my blog)

our new prophet

2008-02-04T12:56:00.000-07:00

Pres. Monson, our new prophet. i was able to watch the press conference of the announcing of the new prophet. i was so excited when it was announced that Pres. Monson was called. after having had not such a great morning and all the worries that are on my mind, i felt a calming feeling come over me and i know that all is well.

caleb's special day

2008-02-04T09:45:00.000-07:00

saturday was a special day for caleb.

it didn't start out so great, in his opinion. he and brandon went to get their hair cut. in order to get him to go, we let him use one of his bookit coupons at pizza hut. that started off his special day. then, he finally got to fly in a helicopter with brandon, just the two of them. he was so excited and loved every minute of it! brandon said that they "played" a million questions during their flight. they got to fly over our house and close to the mountains. they landed over in superior and then flew back to the airport. after they were done, we went to chili's, caleb's favorite place to eat. he had been begging us to go and eat there for months. not that we don't like chili's, it's just that it is kind of out of the way. anyway, brandon decided that we would eat there to top off his day. then we came home and watched spiderman 3.

we got to spend alot of time together as a family, which doesn't happen very often because of brandon's schooling. we didn't really appreciate the experience that they got to share until last night. about 6:00 pm we got a phone call saying that the company that brandon was doing his schooling with had "gone under". so that means no more school! brandon was so close to finishing. he was to be completely finished in 9 days. now we don't know if finishing will even be possible. considering what has happened, i am so thankful that brandon got to fly caleb on saturday. brandon not being at home b/c of studying and school has really been hard on all of us, especially caleb. i know it will be something he will never forget...........he got to fly with his daddy!!

the nerve...

2008-02-03T20:27:00.000-07:00

friday started out great! after school, caleb had a friend over to play. they had a blast talking about transformers, star wars, legos....boy stuff. well, eventually the fun had to end and his friend had to go home.

brandon came home from work and then had class later that night. so while brandon was in class, the boys and i went grocery shopping. on our way to town, i realized that troy was missing his jacket, pacifier and bottle! what was i thinking? whatever i got, i deserved!! on to errands....we first had some fun at mcdonald's and then made it to costco just before closing. then we ventured over to walmart. i made my way through the aisles getting what i needed. the last thing that i needed to get was a heart-shaped cookie cutter. i looked in the baking and cookware sections...not there. well caleb needs valentines for the school party so we went ahead and got some.

while we were still on the valentine aisle, i got distracted by something. even now i don't remember what it was but all of a sudden i hear, "you don't do that! pick that up!" i stood up to see a lady (not an employee) at the other end of the aisle (i was at the opposite end) pointing at caleb. i asked her what was going on. she said "he just threw that toy down on the floor!" i asked caleb what was going on and he said nothing. by this time he is in tears. the lady actually yelled at him! he was so upset he couldn't even talk. come to find out he picked it up off the floor and then dropped it. all the lady saw was him holding it and dropping it. i was so mad that i went to the end where she to confront her and she was gone. i know that he shouldn't have dropped it on the floor but it was 1 of about 20 stuffed animals on the floor. usually, i have to make him stop picking stuff up and putting it back on the shelf. the nerve that lady had!!! you don't just yell at someone's child when you don't know what happened....

new song.....

2008-01-30T09:27:00.000-07:00

just a little background info....when i'm at home i have the tv on all the time, mostly for background noise. yesterday was no different. we were watching american idol and they were running a commercial for the new mac air laptop. they ran the commercial just about every break or so it seemed. any way, the song on there really caught my attention and the more i listened the more i liked it. this morning i still couldn't get it out of my head. so, thanks to google (what would we do without it) i found the name, artist and the music video w/ the full song. i really like. it has a different sound but there is something about it that i really like and i'm not a music person. anyway, here it is.... Yael Naim- "New Soul"

can't keep up...........

2008-01-29T09:38:00.000-07:00

where to start? i'm not doing so well at this blog thing. i am always finding other things to do. anyway, this is what we've been up to.

yesterday, caleb had his art class after school. he loves it! he is so funny. they were supposed to do an abstract painting yesterday b/c it was jackson pollack's (abstract artist) birthday. so, i go to pick him up and go to look at his abstract painting. well, to true caleb form, his isn't abstract but a jet. big shocker(not really)!!! can you say obsessed with planes? he told his teacher that when he gets big, he is going to join the military and fly. we'll see. she told me that he has been teaching her about jets and airplanes. good trade huh? she teaches him to read and he teaches her about planes!

of course as we all know, pres. hinckley died on sunday night. brooke called and told us. what a sad day on earth but can you imagine the celebration in heaven? i was a little sad about his death but i know that he was read to be with sis. hinckley and that made me happy. pres. hinckley has always been a great example to me and is by far my favorite (if you are supposed to have one). i will miss him greatly but am looking forward to the calling of the new prophet. i made the comment to brandon that it is so comforting to know that, with pres. hickley gone, that the church isn't in mass chaos, things are calm and the church will go forward, as it always does. we told caleb that pres. hinckley had died and we asked him if he knew what that meant (meaning that a new prophet will be called), he said "yeah....we better be nice!" i don't know what he was thinking but it never hurts to be nice, i guess.

on to another day....have you ever had one of your children embarrass you and not in a funny way. caleb did just that to me on friday. we had made arrangements for him to play at a friends house after school. so i gave him about 1 hr. 20 mins to play. when i went to get him he threw a FIT. to try and stop him screaming, i asked him if he wanted to sit in the front seat (we were still in the neighborhood) and he screamed no. so i then had to pick him up and put him in the car. he then proceeds to scream "i want to sit in the front!" needless to say, i was past keeping my cool. i shut the door, thanked the slaters and left. well, the story was told to brandon and caleb was grounded from going to friends house until the next weekend. i was still embarrassed when i saw them on sunday! gotta love your kids, right?

kids......what would we do without them

2008-01-22T09:50:00.000-07:00

it has been a while since my last post but nothing has really happened. things have been pretty calm here and things are running smoothly. the kids are great and busy!! troy is finally getting over his cold. he is so busy and eating everything. caleb has been his usual crazy self. he is growing up so fast. he has been learning to read and is doing very well with it. it is fun to listen to him try to read.

on sunday night, caleb and i were in his bed reading a book. it was a small book and i actually got him to read it to me. there were of course some words that he needed help with. well, he came to a sentence with the word "fort" in it. he started.."f...fa...far...far...t...fart....he, he i said fart". that's my boy! he laughed for 5 minutes about saying "fart". he thought it was so funny.

so, fast forward to yesterday. i usually do my grocery shopping on saturdays but didn't feel like it this week. so when brandon got home yesterday, i went. it took me about 2 hrs. from the time i left to get back home. i was enjoying my break! well, i get home and caleb has this look on his face and brandon is standing right behind him. well, to shorten the story, brandon was on the computer and caleb and troy were playing in caleb's room where there are little legos. caleb starts screaming,"i don't want troy to die....i don't want troy to die....". we think that troy swallowed a lego! we have tried to emphasize that caleb has to keep his legos cleaned up b/c troy will swallow them and get choked. maybe this will work. as for troy, we will just have to keep a check on "things"......

now that should make everyone safe!

2008-01-15T09:03:00.000-07:00

so yesterday was crazy! it ended up that i didn't have to babysit so the boys and i set out early to do errands. we got done with what we could and then i had to get caleb to school. i dropped him off and left to do more errands. anyway, to make a long story short, i was on the road most of the day.

i finally get home (to stay) and go for a run. my legs are killing me! why? oh yeah, i realized that i hadn't had much water to drink but a lot of yummy dr. pepper and that doesn't fly in the desert. not smart summer you have to do better, okay?

so fast forward 8:00 pm---brandon and i finally got ALL of the christmas decorations packed away and put in the attic. meanwhile, troy is screaming his head off. why? who knows but needless to say he was put to bed shortly thereafter. so we all did our own thing until bed time. well caleb thought that because we said family prayer in our bed that he would get to sleep there. sorry kid but no!!!! so i raced him to his bed (just a little trickeration to get him in his bed)! he then said his prayers. he is bad about saying 1-2 things 3-4 times. so we had a talk about what prayers were and that he needs to think about what he is saying and asking Heavenly Father. so he proceeds to ask to keep the following people safe: his family, everyone, Jesus. before he ends his prayer he says: "help the soldiers to fight to keep us safe". he then ends his prayer and then looks at me. he had a big satisfied grin on his face and said, "now that should make everyone safe", the faith of a child.

so i went to bed with alot to think about. in this time of uncertainty and fear, it is comforting to know that we have our Father in Heaven to turn to. and to the soldiers, thanks for answering the call to defend and protect.....

date night

2008-01-12T18:13:00.000-07:00

brandon and i actually got to go on a date last night. on our way to drop off the kids at his parents house, caleb asked where we were going. we then explained that we were going on a date and explained what a date was. he thought long and hard and decided that he never wanted to go on a date. we laughed. that is one to bring up in about 10 years! anyway, brandon and i had a lot of fun. we went to dinner and watched National Treasure: Book of Secrets. great movie, highly recommended...

snow! at our house?

2008-01-11T12:21:00.000-07:00

well our day started (yesterday) with brandon having to be to work at 4:00 am. they were going to a job in payson and needed to leave early. so i knew not to expect him home at any certain time. well, i ended up not having to babysit b/c jon was sick so that left just me and the boys. our day went along as usual w/ caleb going to school and coming home. troy took his nap and then we all went for a run. my run ended up not being productive at all but i did run. so we came home and had dinner (one of those i'm not cooking a meal b/c daddy isn't home nights). brandon got home at about 9:00, yes both boys were still awake. he comes in and tells caleb he has a surprise for him. brandon had brought home snow in his insulated lunch box! he was the coolest daddy ever last night. caleb has seen snow before but was too young to remember, so he was kind of confused. he said "it's made of ice!" we just laughed at him. then he started eating it and said "yum ice, but what does snow taste like?" it took us a while to get him to understand that snow is ice! meanwhile, brandon takes out a chunk of snow and gives it to troy. he held it for a few seconds and started bawling. he didn't like it one bit!! we tried again later and he did the same thing. so troy is officially an arizona (desert) boy!!

just the start of it

2008-01-09T14:14:00.000-07:00

so, this is just the start of things to come. i never thought i would actually do this or any other journaling. i have never been good at it. but this year is a year of changes for me. for some reason, i feel guilty about not recording things about my kids and family. so, this is my attempt to rid myself of that guilt:) i already feel better, good for me. i really feel that good things are going to come from this... maybe to help me realize and acknowledge the blessings in my life. well, gotta go get caleb from school....