Ed Sheeran, Houston and U2

Ed Sheeran at the Energy Solutions Arena in SLC on the 19th

It was awesome! 

U2 at the US Airways Center in Phoenix on the 23rd

U2 was of course epic as expected. Markham is still a little burned up because they didn't play one of his favoirite jams- "Beautiful Day"  There were plenty of others that were awesome.

WILD RIGHT?! 2 concerts in one week and sushi too!!  What else could a girl want?! Well.....funny you ask. 

This week actually wasn't as awesome as it should have been. 

Between the 2, we were in Houston.

Side Story--

A couple of weeks before this magical musical double header, we had our lives shaken up and dumped upside down. 

Markham came home from work and had that look on his face. The one I have come to know as "I need to talk to you, I have some big news." 

He told me the company he works for was relocating to The Woodlands, TX. 

Uhm wait. You didn't just say what I thought I heard, DID you??!

We were given the relocation packet and sent down there on an "exploratory" trip. We talked to people in the office, met with a real estate agent and had some very very good Tex Mex food.

That was the highlight. 

The Woodlands happens to be a very nice area just north of Houston. It is a master-planned community of 100,000+ people.  Very tall beautiful trees, lots and lots of ponds, lakes, etc. But it is very humid, VERY. The hotel sheets felt damp and sticky. ICk. The people were very nice though and it was very green and lush.  

The grass was....different. Very spiky, crab grass sort of weirdness. Not the kind of green stuff we picnic on and our kids run barefoot through. Not at all.. . Oh and there are snakes down there, Lots of them. Ever heard of coral snakes? or how about copperheads? Maybe water moccasin? yeah the venomous ones. NASTY! Now to be fair, I do realize there are rattlesnakes in Utah. But I have never seen one, never mind in my backyard. And when I'm in my garage snakes are the last thing I'm worried about. 

Not true in Texas. eeeek! 

Markham can't even handle the baby garters we occasionally get in our yard! I think that was the moment he was out. 

Like on Shark Tank, when they say, "And for that reason, I'm out" 

That was Markham, in all seriousness. 

Oh and don't count out the alligators! Before we went down there we wanted water front property on a wooded lot. But then we realized that was an ideal home for alligators and snakes. Our perspective changed a whole lot. Like, "Are there any nice, high rise condos?"

Also, there are no basements of any kind in southern Texas. Gasp! What will I do with all my food storage? Christmas decorations, kids toys, etc, etc, etc, Who knows. They store things in their "attics." Uhm.... I have that space too but I don't use it for anything other than insulation,  Well they do. They put stuff up there. Our agent said you wouldn't want to put candles, plastics, photos, etc. up there. Because it will all melt. Basically you don't want to put anything up there you care about. It will be ruined in one season. 

I guess you could always put your stuff in the garage with the snakes. 

Being down there felt very surreal and out of body-"ish". 

I'm a Utah girl.  

But saying all that, we still had no better options here and were very seriously considering it. Biggest heartache?  It's SO FAR AWAY. Like 24 hours IN the VAN, or 3 hours on a plane. We have family here, we have friends who are like family here. Forget quick trips to Logan, Idaho or long weekends in St. George. AND I kinda like the house we JUST bought!! A LOT! I ♥ this house to pieces!! We didn't really see anything we liked as much and of course  It felt like another world down there. It might as well been on the moon. 

 Markham hunted around and reached out to his contacts here. We prayed a lot. A couple of really great opportunities presented themselves and he interviewed and landed a great job offer here!!! So things are looking up. I can't explain the anguish and torment we have faced this last month. Yikes. 

 I just keep remembering how I felt when we stepped off the plane back in Salt Lake. 

♥ It's so nice to be back in the heartland. Those mountains have never looked more beautiful ♥ 

Wednesday

Today has been busy. We got Jackson off to preschool this morning with his valentines for his party. Didn't send anything for his teacher, Dang it. I need to remember to send something on Friday, she is a sweetie.

We got showered and dressed in record time, wait I haven't showered yet. But I did try and look like I had. Pulled my hair up, layered more mascara on from the day before, Oh man, Way bad that I sleep in my make-up, I know super gross but anyway, we needed to hurry. But Kaity did shower. I changed and dressed Addie, put Kaity's wet hair in a fast braid, let the dog out, put my purse and Addie's shoes by the door, put the dog in her crate and we hopped in the van and headed to Costco. I needed a lot of stuff  and I knew we needed to be very snappy to get back and pick up Jackson by 11:30.

At Costco, we found a decent spot! Hooray! I opened the door to get Addie out and realized I forgot her shoes. Dang it!! In the cart she goes. I had a list and was doing pretty good, of course extra items made there way into the cart. I almost bought the kiddos new Easter outfits. They had tons and tons of cute dresses and suits. But we were in a hurry, Dang it!! so we kept going. We got stopped at a sample table for some kind of energy drink. This woman was good. She almost sold me a $30 box of energy powder.... Hello! This is why Costco is dangerous. After losing track of all time again, we continued on, made our way to the line, realized it was going to be a small fortune. I ran over to the food court and ordered a pepperoni pizza to go. The kids love eating pizza there, but today we were pressed for time. I ran back to the line, unloaded most of the cart. As I expected it was a small fortune.  Stopped and waited for our pizza, it was ready! Kaity and Addie were transfixed by the guy making pizzas through the glass window. We spent too much time there. Man why is it so hard to stay on task today!

We get to the parking lot and I realized we only had 15 minutes to get to Jackson's preschool. I usually plan 25 from Costco. Yikes. I am a frazzled mess. I opened the back of the van and realized the ginormica stroller is in there still from our trip to the park yesterday. Dang it!! I need to get a huge box of diapers, a billion pack of paper towels, wipes, milk, peanut butter, chicken, salmon fillets, etc. etc. etc. and a huge pizza in there somehow. And the clock is ticking, Man oh man, why didn't we hurry more. A guy walks by, sees the back of my crazy mess and seriously said, "Oh man!"

Somehow we made it in record time. Green lights almost the entire way! I might have been a speed demon. I didn't get pulled over. Tender mercy for sure. We pulled in only 4 minutes late.

On the way home we stopped at Fiiz Drinks, a new place that we love. They have an amazing list of super fun drinks. Since Kaity has been off track we have made it a tradition to go every Wednesday- it's double punch day! Booyah!

We get home. I hate this part. I have a van load full of Costco madness, 3 hungry kiddos, a semi- warm pizza, 4 drinks, and a dog who is barking her head off from her crate.  Here we go.

Raced around getting the van unloaded and at least the frozen and cold stuff put away. Left the other stuff just piled up by the door. Kaity helped with Adelyn, got her out of the van and washed her hands, she is an awesome help. I will miss her like crazy when she starts up school again.  I worked on getting the pizza on plates and cutting up Addie's. Meanwhile the kiddos were going for their drinks and I said, wait! Let me get a picture of you cuties and our fun tradition.

We had pizza, I put Addie down for a nap and got the rest of the Costco stash put away. I took a few minutes to post this adorable pic and rant for a few minutes..

Now I must go, the kiddos want help putting their roller blades on. I need to work out, take a shower, do laundry, mop the kitchen floor, and plan and make dinner. Yikes! I hope Addie takes a good nap. Maybe I should have bought that case of energy powder after all because all I want to do is nap with Addie.

#andthedayisstillgoing

A few cute quotes mixed with ramble

I am a bit disenchanted with the system I currently have to use to upload pictures to this blog. My computer will not recognize my phone, where all my pictures are. Using a real camera is for people who have nice ones or for people who remember to use the one they have. I am not either so I email blog worthy pictures from my phone to myself and then upload them to this blog. Way too complcated. What is this frazzled mom to do when all she wants is to immortalize a few fleeting memories from her children's lives? Ugh. write some wordy monologue I guess.

Anyway I digress. I need to record a cute thing Jackson said today. We were on our way back from dropping Miss. Kate at school and we were waving at the cows in the field. Jackson said, "Cows can't wave because they don't have arms, they just have legs."  He said it so matter of factly, as if he was making a new discovery. I love that kid. He makes me laugh all day long. He claims he doesn't want to grow up, he wants to stay little so he can cuddle me. Pretty cute. Someday I will bawl because it has happened. I tell him he can always cuddle me and he says, "Not when I am a daddy, that's just weird."

Yesterday I dragged him and Addie out shopping with me. He was such a little gentleman and pushed his baby sister around in the umbrella stroller like a champ. The wheels kept getting locked and he would say, "I hate these wheels, they are so stupid!" It made me giggle a little and I didn't rush to help him, he was handling it. He kept repeating with an intermingled, "Ugh these stupid wheels!" He was a good sport. I did help him- he didn't suffer too much to the lady who walked by and gave me a look. Mind your business lady. Anyway we got home and he and Addie enjoyed a few mini white powdered doughnuts. I had a handful of pistachios. Ugh. Not as good.

Addie is currently enjoying a dum-dum and getting it all over herself, the walls and the carpet. gotta run.

blessings

This time of year is so fabulous. I love to think about all the things that make life rich. For FHE we made lists of all our blessings. Gratitude is so important. I pray we do a good job instilling this principle into our kiddos.

It was fun to hear Kaity and Jackson recite their lists out loud. 

Kaity: My brother and sister, my parents, my grandma and grandpa, aunts and uncles, my car, my house, my friends.

Jackson: My family - (recited individually) my dog, the Holy Ghost, Primary, my teachers. 

 I am grateful for a ridiculously selfless and infinitely patient husband and best friend who makes this journey through life so fun. I am grateful for our beautiful, happy and healthy kiddos.

I am grateful for food to feed them, clothes to dress them and warm beds to put them to sleep.

I am grateful for the simple things that we all have- electricity, a washing machine, flushing toilets and running water, etc. etc.,  It's hard to imagine life without these things but plenty of people have and still do  manage without. Last Sunday at church, a speaker shared a story about a family who lived before electricity was commonplace. They had a really tough year on the farm and struggled to gather a nice meal for Thanksgiving dinner, but they had electricity and each other. wow. we are so blessed. I feel so gross for ever taking what I have for granted. 

I am grateful to know we have a Father in Heaven. That this life isn't it. That we are eternal beings capable of being with our families forever. I am grateful for Jesus Christ and His Atonement which makes that possible. This knowledge is true happiness. And for that, I am grateful. 

A little after dinner snuggle.

 

Kaitlyn enjoying those wonderful crunchy fall leaves. She knows of my love affair for everything fall. She collected some leaves and made me a beautiful collage. What a sweetie.

 Little Addie is growing too fast. She is getting more and more independent and doing new things every day. New words are "Momma", "Baba" (bottle) and "Uh-oh." With Kaitlyn, I was so excited for her to do new things and reach the next milestone. It's different with Adelyn. My heart aches a little knowing this will be the last baby I rock to sleep every night, the last little crawler I will have at my feet and the last time I will be folding tiny little onsies.

Savor, savor, savor these moments.

Off Track

Today the kiddos slept in for the first time since day light savings changed back. It was nice. Markham kissed me goodbye while I was still cuddled up in the covers. All the kiddos still nestled in their beds. 

Pretty soon we were up getting our day started.

I whipped up some eggs while cute Kaity cuddled up on the couch with a book. 

Jackson and Addie got started on some bananas and cereal.

I helped Jackson get dressed and made sure his teeth got a good brush. We drove preschool carpool.  On the way home we made a quick trip through the car wash. I love my black van......(shocked gasp). 

Yes I used the words  "my" "van" and "love" all in the same sentence. Let me tell you, I have been choking back some pretty sharp words that came out of my mouth about how I would never ever drive an uncool min-van. How could I? They are so not my style. I have too much self respect and on and on...ad naseum. What a jerk. 

And then I had a big fat reality check after Adelyn was born. The Pilot was not working with 3 kids and carpool. The third baby is a game changer for sure. So we caved and sacrificed style for function and made our lives about 100,000% easier....but it was super tough. Tears were shed by all, even Addie,  but she was always crying back then. I love that van, I get it now. Automatic sliding doors are a beautiful thing. I wanted black, it felt a little less van "ish" and possibly even a little FBI "ish" to me. That's dumb I know, but seriously FBI vehicles on tv and in the movies are always black. But wow, it's no easy task keeping it looking nice. Which I have decided if I have to drive a tube around town, it's going to be a clean and sparkly one. 

Anyway, I digress, there is no point in washing said black tube unless I towel dry it immediately after. So I did. 

With Kaity being off track, we have enjoyed mornings walks while Jacks is at preschool. Today we set out on a long walk to the duck pond. It was an absolutely perfect day. I was bursting with gratitude for the crisp fall weather. 

 

Kaity moves pretty quick on her Hello Kitty scooter. I got a good work out.

 We made sure to take some bread to feed the ducks. 

 They were hungry!

Little Addie couldn't help herself -  being all nested up in the stroller overcame her and she fell fast asleep. 

She woke up for the ride home and was all smiles.

i love this.

I walked into Smith's a few days ago and the aroma of pumpkin chocolate chips cookies wafting from the bakery made me grin. Sweater weather, pumpkins, hot chocolate and changing leaves is happiness. Oh how I wish it would last longer. We've been opening our windows at night to let the crisp air in. It's just so awesome. I woke up last night just to snuggle back in next to Markham.

A quick overview--

Jackson is loving preschool. It feels strange when him and Kaity are both gone and it's just me and Addie. Today after we dropped him off we went to the store to pick up few groceries. Back at home, I did a Jillian Michaels DVD while she dozed in her car seat, for most of it. She is usually so patient with me. I took a quick shower and we went back to pick up Jackson.  I fed Addie and put her down for a nap. Jackson and I had lunch and afterwards he played the wii. I started the process of figuring out what clothes need to be packed away. I realized Jackson had only 3 pairs of jeans, 2 of which are worn with holey knees. So I got online and ordered him a few more from The Children's Place. They are on sale and I have a coupon! Love it. I buy everything I can online anymore. It's just so much easier than hauling everyone out to the mall, which always turns out bad.

Kaitlyn is back in school after a 3 week track break. She of course loves school and is doing great. She loves to read and is currently reading a series called Silverlake Fairy School. They are cute. A little Harry Potteresque except with fairies. It's fun. She is keeping busy with dance 2x a week and playing with the cute girls across the street. I am loving where we are right now. Awesome friends who are also your neighbors, perfect.

Addie is such a little doll and getting so big so fast. I took her to her 9 month well visit this week. She weighs 19.5 pounds ( 68th percentile) and 28.5 inches (80th percentile). She is an easy and happy baby. She giggles and smiles and rolls around all day. She sleeps from around 830-9 until 730-8. We have peaceful nights again and it's a beautiful thing.

Markham has been super busy with work and scouts. It sometimes gets tough when he works late all week. I begin to feel as though I am going a bit insane but I remind myself how grateful I am. We had a date last Saturday and it was just what I needed. Sushi and Red Mango. Ahhh what a nice night. We came home and watched "Now You See Me, Now You Don't." Interesting, didn't make a whole lot of sense, but entertaining and fun none the less.

 Snack time

 

A wwf session. One of Jackson and Addie's favorite pastimes.

 My little student. Always so careful to complete her homework

 
That's us in a nutshell.  Loving the cool weather, just got a new pair of boots!! Life is good. 

Carroll Catch-up

May zoomed by. It's crazy how fast time can slip away. We have spent several Saturdays at dance competitions for Miss Kate. It is fun to watch her dance. Her team always does well. I am a proud mom. When I see her dance my eyes get a little misty and I get a lump in my throat. Gosh she is growing up so fast. She will be in 1st grade at the end of July. Her school is starting a year round schedule. I actually think it will be nice to have smaller breaks along the way. She is a little reader - already starting simple chapter books. She loves school and learning. I am so proud of her. She is such a little sweetheart and a big help.

We have also been busy outside, digging and pulling all the weeds that had already settled into our beds and were attempting to take over. I planted a lot of things this year, mostly perennials, bought a few awesome pots and got our little garden started up again- we have quite a few strawberry plants from last year! The peach tree is fully loaded with walnut sized little peaches! Happiness. Oh how I struggle with thinning them out. I can hardly wait for Markham to make his fresh peach pie....yum.  

Markham is pretty busy with scouts. He is on a day hike with the boys today in fact. Kaity had a dance practice this morning, I vacuumed the house, spent some time with the kiddos outside watering the plants and garden. The cute girls from across the street have been over playing in the backyard. There is an awesome breeze outside. It is a good day. I suppose I will make Markham one of his favorite meals from home-- chicken bundles. I am sure he will be tired after hiking 11 miles.

Adelyn is getting so big so fast, it makes my heart ache. She is such a happy and content baby now. She is rolling over and loves to play with little toys. She is enamored with Kaity and Jack. She loves watching them and when they play with her she just laughs and laughs. She is on an awesome sleep schedule -she goes down around 9:30, easily and usually sleeps soundly until 8:30-9! It is so awesome. 

Meanwhile, Jackson just melts my heart. He is my little gentleman and buddy. The other day I said, "I love you handsome boy" and he replied, "I love you pretty girl" I will miss him when he starts preschool in the fall. In the car today, he pointed to the mountains and said, "Where is daddy hiking? I can't see him. Is that him mom??!" I told him it was too far away to actually see him hiking, but he was over there somewhere, He asked, "Is he wearing a white shirt mom!! I think I can see him, over there!!!" I giggled. A few minutes later I realized I was nearly out of gas and pulled into Smith's to fill up, he exclaimed, "MOM! Look at that spaceship!" It was a big boat. It made my day. What a funny little guy. 

  Addie with her little monkey. She snuggles it when she sleeps.

 

 

I am enjoying this...

January = hardest month of my life

Well, it has been 8 weeks since Adelyn was born. While she only added 1 more to our family, it feels like 3 more. Our home is exploding with bassinets, bouncers, onsies, blankets, diapers, wipes, more diapers, more wipes, heaps of laundry and a sink full of dirty dishes.

The first 6 weeks were complete madness. The poor little girl must have been totally and completely miserable because she didn't ever stop crying screaming no matter what we did -if her eyes were open she was screaming. Her screams became the soundtrack to our lives- I showered, fixed meals, took care of Jackson and Kaity, drove to and from school and dance, everything--all while little Addie screamed her face off. I was on the verge of tears all the time. I am afraid I was totally bankrupt on patience for my other 2 kids, that is what non-stop crying and no sleep will do to you. The crying would stop when I nursed her and/or if she was asleep, which she fought fiercely. The only sleep I got was on the couch with her on my chest.

While nursing brought silence, it was HELL. For some reason, my children really struggle with this. She basically chewed me to a raw bloody mess. It was the kind of brain stabbing pain that curls your toes and makes your palms sweat. Worse than labor times 10.  If it wasn't flu season I would have quit, but I wanted her to get all those magic antibodies or whatever in breast milk. I was taking lortab and 800 mg ibuprofen just to survive it. I had a lactation specialist come to the house, which was not cheap and not awesome. She noted that Adelyn was clamping down and that I should try to nurse her when she was calm and not crying. HA!! If I waited for that to happen she would surely starve to death.  Then she suggested the stress from being induced could have "gotten her off on the wrong foot." She said I was doing everything right and it would get better, to just hang in there -kind of like telling someone with a broken leg to "walk it off."  The only thing that hour accomplished was making us $85 dollars poorer.

Please note, Kaity and Jackson at the tender ages of 6 and 3 were being totally neglected.  I felt awful. Kaitlyn started acting out and was super emotional and angry. Jackson started peeing his pants again.  When I finally got Adelyn to sleep and out of my arms, I was anxious to go to the bathroom, eat something, take a shower, get some laundry done, etc., etc., etc.  Kaitlyn would say "mommy would you please play a game with me?"  Once we got 15 minutes clocked before Adelyn started crying again.

Meanwhile Markham was super busy at work- to the tune of 80+ a week. He didn't have time or energy to help me when he managed to make it home at midnight to just go back and do it all over again in 6 hours- 6 days a week. Probably not smart to have a baby during the most demanding time of the year for your husband.

Then there was the snow. It snowed and snowed and snowed and got deeper and deeper and piled higher and higher. I wasn't out there shoveling it, trust me.

Markham wrecked his new car coming home one night in the storm. He had stayed in Salt Lake the night before because the weather was so awful. It was still awful, but he was worried about me so he was coming home. He slid into another car and got hopelessly stuck on the side of  the freeway.  He was freaked out that someone would crash into him- like a huge semi that couldn't stop fast enough. I remember seeing the bright flashing lights of the tow truck drive up to our house in the snow. Adelyn was crying.

The only thing that literally saved me was a lot of support from family and friends. Markham's mom came and stayed for a week- which was so so wonderful. My mom and sister came at different times to help. They held Adelyn, did my dishes, did my laundry, played with Kaity and Jacks and kept me from losing my mind.

Things are a lot better now. Markham is home at night.

Gentlease formula and gripe water have helped Addie quite a bit. She is still pretty demanding. She wants to be held all the time, but the non-stop screaming has stopped.  I wear her in my Ergobaby pack a lot. Best $$ we have spent on baby gear. It is worth its weight in gold. I had pretty much given up nursing when I got mastitis. My ob said as long as I had open wounds I would get it again. After 2 weeks, I was totally healed. I have been trying to build up my supply again, we will see. I don't understand how something so natural can be so hard.

January quotable quotes --
"Are we in hell?"
 "Get me on the lido deck!"
"This too shall pass."
"She doesn't ever stop crying does she?"

February has been much much better.  We are even smiling again!!!!

Some of my favorite pictures-

Look at that smile! We have come a LONG way.

Brigham City Temple

Kaitlyn had been telling me for awhile that she wanted to go inside a temple. Since this is something that children don't typically do I was excited to take the kiddos to the Brigham City Temple Open House. They were so good.

We practiced walking reverently for a week. As we walked from the parking lot to the aquatic center for swimming lessons, we practiced  how we would act in the temple. I am sure people were puzzled as we walked with our arms folded, only speaking in whispers as we maneuvered through the busy scene. Oh well, it was great practice.

It was very sweet to see my two little kiddos dressed in their Sunday best, arms folded, walking through the temple that day. I was grateful for the chance to take them there and hopefully leave an indelible mark on their little hearts, hoping they would feel the special peaceful spirit of the temple and always strive to go back.

After the tour I wanted to get a picture of them outside. This picture was awesome in my mind. But unfortunately it was super crazy hot, my shoe choice was a huge mistake and my bladder was inflicting great pain. (I wasn't about to use the blue portable potties that lined the street, because A) They are just disgusting and B) What would I do with the kiddos while I was exposing myself to this cramped cesspool? It just wasn't going to happen.) So choosing not to walk to the other side of the temple, I took a couple of bad pictures with the sun blasting their poor little eyeballs and that was that.

As I buckled them into their car seats, I asked both of them what their favorite part was.

Kaitlyn pondered for a few seconds and said,  "The Jesus pictures and the sparkling lights"

Jackson was much less reflective and said, "The cookies."

Life Lesson #857

When handling red nail polish, or any color for that matter, make absolutely sure lid is secure before attempting to shake bottle.

I have really never given nail polish the respect it deserves. I will after today.

I always paint my finger nails in our bedroom usually while squeezing in an episode of Law & Order. Mind you, we have a WHITE down comforter. I live on the wild side or am a total fool.  I am thinking the latter.

...after opening my favorite red nail polish I decide it needs a good shaking. I put the brush back in and begin to fling it back and forth. Before I know what is happening, the brush and bottle have both escaped my careless grip and are careening madly through the air.

Time stopped.

It was as though there were 6 bottles flying around. That red devil hit the floor, bouncing several times before finally retiring. Red splatters were landing nearly everywhere - on me, the TV screen, all over the dresser and nightstand, Markham's pair of shorts, which are laying innocently on the carpet AND THE CARPET. ALL OVER IT.

...yes this just happened.

A few expletives escape my mouth. Thankfully children are out of earshot.

I am paralyzed for a few seconds processing what has happened. But then I realize I don't know where the bottle has landed. I frantically folllow the red splatters searching on the ground under the bed, under the nightstand, nothing. I turn my attention to the dresser. It appears someone has been violently murdered next to it, or maybe that is too much Law & Order talking.  I finally retrieve the nearly empty bottle under the nightstand, yes it has spilled out all over there too.

Perfect.

I use nearly the enite bottle of nail polish remover on the dresser and nightstand. My paranoid pregnant mind is saying "all this chemical can't be good for the baby!" Meanwhile I am trying my hardest not to step in the large red elliptical shapes and splatters all over the carpet. I know trying to clean that up will only smear it and make it worse.

Only after I have everything but the carpet cleaned, I confess to Markham.

He was pretty upset. The carpet is ruined AND his favorite pair of shorts have met a tragic end.

Amazingly enough, not a drop got on our beautiful white comforter. Tender mercy, no doubt.


I didn't want pink carpet so I opted to "remove" the offensive fibers with a lot of patience and a sharp pair of scissors. Looks like new. No one will be comparing the lengths of our individual carpet strands, right?

...sorry Mard.

Some Random Thoughts

Today we had breakfast while jamming out to one of Kaity's preschool cd's. "Puff the Magic Dragon" came on and Jackson announced, "I like dragons, ROAR!" It made me giggle.

I decided I would whip up some banana bread with our old, black, nasty bananas on the counter and in the freezer. It turned out amazingly well considering I usually don't excel at this kind of thing.  Jackson said, "I not like banana peels."  That's ok since Kaity and Markham approved.

Markham planted some flowers for me for Mother's Day in the front bed and I have a big beautiful pot by the front door. I am hoping I can keep them all alive. They make me happy. We still need to get our little garden planted. Spring just seemed to sneek up on us this year.

Meanwhile I am thinking about potty training Jackson. I will probably think about it for a couple more months.

Kaity's last day of preschool is Thursday. They are having a little graduation. She is supposed to wear one of Markham's white dress shirts. Should be fun.  I can't believe she will be in Kindergarten this fall! Holy smokes, time flies. She got into the Spanish Immersion Program. We are super excited for this opportunity. I guess when kiddos start learning a foreign language this young they have no English accent! She will be a fluent little Spanish speaker, seems crazy and super awesome.

We enjoyed a long weekend in St. George a few weeks ago. It was so nice down there and the kiddos loved the pool. Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures. Sometimes taking pictures is not conducive to just relaxing.

I might have an announcement to make in a couple of weeks, stay tuned!

Older and Wiser

Well I guess I'm another year older....28! Wow it feels so great to be in my twenties still.

Ok just kidding...I'm 34.....yikes!

It's funny how your perspective changes. When I was 28 I was all melancholy about my 20's coming to a close. Ha!  I wish I could go back and tell my 28 year old self how young I was, kinda like my 40 year old future self would say to me now. Profound I know.

Anyway I was blessed to spend my B-day with those I love best. We went to Logan for the day and us girls went shopping and the boys went with Markham to buy a gun, don't get me started. Aww, just kidding it's pretty exciting for Markham to have a shotgun like the rest of the boys. Now they can all go out and be pretty cool with their guns. As long as I can shop while they are doing it, I'm game.

Monte treated us to dinner at The Olive Garden, yum. It has been too long since we have been there.  My sweet mom offered to make my favorite cake, Red Velvet, she has been making me scratch Red Velvet for 34 years, bless her heart. If you know my mom, this is a really big deal. Scratch anything is a big deal...love ya mom.

Well this year, the frosting didn't have enough time to chill and the cake was still warm, so it looked a little sad, but was super yummy!! Don't judge a cake by the way it looks! Thanks Mom! It hit the spot.

Note: Kaity is NOT a vampire, I just neglected to wash her mascara off after her dance competition earlier in the day. wow, good job mom.

My brother's bday is 3 days before mine, so we have been sharing the celebration for as long as I can remember. I'm sure I have a bday pic like this one for almost every year.

 Please note: My mom actually thought I was 33 this year so we had to add a single candle on to make 34. 

A little scary looking, yes.

 Me and my favorite person ever!

Still madly in love, I just can't behave myself. Love you babe!

p.s. Markham got me a tablet this year! So I need to know all those apps you guys love and can't live without! I need to app that baby up!

My Day in Court

So I received a lovely green card from Davis Country summoning me for Jury Duty. I was moderately worried but figured I wouldn't have to actually go in.

Wrong. I had to go in.

I showed up with 75 other people to go through a long and boring jury selection process. We were welcomed at 8:30am and shown a short video about how awesome it is to be a juror. True. Duly noted.....but I can't stop worrying about what I'm going to do with my kiddos if I'm selected. Judge informs us that the jurors who are selected for this trial will be needed for 6 days!! Oh and p.s. that's just courtroom time. Deliberations could take another several days. Judge says he has known juries to be deliberating until 2am! Wait...What?

Judge asks if this length of time will be an extreme burden on anyone. Five people raise their hands and give their reasons.  "Make arrangements" is his reply. No one gets a pass. One poor guy had a friend flying in from New Zealand for a visit. Judge said, "You'll have your evenings free."

Are you kidding me? I'm quite certain being a SAHM (stay-at-home mom) would not save me.

We wait.

Meanwhile I am seated next to a 84 year old lady who is a member of the "Tappin' Granny's."  They perform all over the county at different events. Impressive. She taps everyday for 2 hours. Yes I said 84. My workout schedule is just plain embarrassing compared to her routine.

We wait some more.

We sit though introductions of each juror answering about 15 questions about personal history, past employment, etc. one by one. Holy cow. Took forever. But before we shared our information, Judge shared his for like 20 minutes.  He is cracking jokes and recounting personal anecdotes. Entertaining? Maybe, if I had no concept of how much time is passing, or had zero compassion for my sweet neighbor and awesome friend who is handling her three children + Kaitlyn and Jackson at nap time. I shudder to think how that is working out.

We are excused for a 45 minute break for lunch. There are few options.

Rush back to the courtroom after eating half a disgusting panini and gross soup form Harmon's.

wait, wait, wait....in complete silence for an hour.

Judge finally returns and gives us specific details about the case. He poses about a billion questions in several scenarios and asks if we have ever had experience with said scenarios. If so, we need to explain in front of the entire group. We are instructed to "disclose" information that may make it difficult to stay objective during the case. Painfully exhaustive, almost everyone has something to "disclose" including myself.

Meanwhile my phone goes off loud and proud.- "Say it Right", thanks Nelly Furtado. Awesome. It should have been off.  I had been sneaking text messages to Markham.

oops.

I had nothing else to do. I had been prepared and brought a book, Fablehaven book 5, which was absolutely perfect since I just finished book 2. I apparently grabbed the wrong one in my frantic haste earlier in the morning.

Jurors were excused in groups all throughout the day. I am convinced I will be selected. It is just my luck. At this point, my anxiety is full throttle and I'm a hot mess. We are down to 30 now, it is 3pm.

We wait another 40 minutes for the lawyers to decide who the jurors will be.  While we are sitting there, Judge gives us a history lesson on the Magna Carta.

Judge also tells us not to be offended or take it personally if we are not selected for the jury. Trust me. It's not gonna be a problem. Tappin' Granny might be a little bummed though. She has been amped the whole day.

The time has come. The names are read out loud painfully slow. I start to wonder if they are just being cruel. It's so completely nerve racking.

My name is not one of them.

The rest of us are excused. Hooray!!

 It's 4pm.

Super long day, but I'm not complaining.

The End

Fever, Runny Nose and Cough

Fever, runny nose, cough, repeat. This has been our life for the last few weeks. I think the same virus has mutated and been recycled through our entire family, a couple of times. The cough is brutal, totally die hard. Will my kids ever stop coughing! Will I ever stop getting up in the night to give them cough syrup and a drink of water. Will their little throats ever recover, be the same again?

Poor Jackson, who is usually so well tempered and just a happy kid, has had a serious case of the grumpies. He gets a pass because he feels awful, hence the bink.... Oh, will we ever break this habit? Pacifiers are so wonderful and I love them, until my kiddos get older. At this point, they suck. I have been trying to ween him off during the day but somehow he always finds one, like he has some magical binkie stash somewhere. And once he has found one, forget about it, I totally cave. He is always so proud and gives me an "I'm so clever grin." The kid is cute and I'm powerless, at least this week.

so anyways...

I found them in Kaity's room. Kaity was reading him a book from memory and Jackson was enthralled. I hated to interrupt, it was so sweet. But I had to document to remind myself that they aren't always fighting.

Wow. Sorry for the random disjointed rant!
It's my crazy mind.

Comic Relief

We have been battling a series of nasty viruses at our house.  We all got violently ill over Labor Day weekend, it was SO gross. Poor Kaity threw up in the car on the way home from Idaho, ewww. That kind of gross.

 On top of that, I've had a nasty upper respiratory infection for the last 2 weeks, which I was confident was strep throat. The killer headache, feeling like you are swallowing chards of glass, throat looking funky and gross, you know, fun stuff. I was hoping to get a scrip for some killer antibiotics and be on my merry way.

No such luck. It's viral, code word for -you just wasted your time and money going to the Dr. This nasty virus has successfully defeated Jackson's immune system as well. He has been running super high temps and been totally miserable. Fortunately Kaity and Markham are triumphant in remaining healthy, for which I am grateful.

Anyway, now the switch from the poor me rant to my comic relief....

Our ward has been preparing for the primary program. Kaity is totally pumped to have a speaking part, it's only 12 words, but still. The girl has nerves of steel. She has been roaming around the house singing the songs the last couple of weeks. "I Love to See the Temple" has been on repeat today.

Hearing her sing the last part makes me giggle every time.  Instead of singing,

"I'll prepare myself while I am young
This is my sacred duty"

Kaity's Rendition

I'll repair myself on Brigham Young
You see, my favorite beauty.

Oh it's so cute. She nails the tune, just is a little off on the words. It makes me smile. I don't have the heart to correct her. She's not singing a solo or anything, right?! lol

Where oh where

I was planning on taking pictures of the flowers my wonderful mother helped me pick out and plant. Thanks Mom!! We planted a bunch of stuff, and I am so happy. I also have 3 pots that are doing so well! I have always had terrible luck with this stuff, apparently I wasn't giving them sufficient water. The sprinklers alone were not getting it done. So I have a new chore, but I much enjoy it.

However, I have been unable to take said pictures because my little son has hidden my camera charger. It has been missing since we got back from St. George. I know it is here somewhere, only Jack knows where. I have conducted a thorough investigation but all leads have gone cold. This is when it would be nice to have a camera that eats batteries. So (big sigh) I can't take any pictures of flowers or anything.

In other news, Markham and I are gearing up for the U2 concert tomorrow!!!! There are not words  to adequately describe my excitement. Dear Black Clouds hovering around-- please go away for awhile, we have had enough rain, thank you.

And the most exciting news, we booked a cruise!! We haven't been on a big kiddo-free trip since our Honeymoon, way too long. It isn't until November, a long time, but it will make me love fall that much more! It will also be fun to look forward to. So all you cruisers out there, any tips?? This is our first time! We are going to the western Caribbean, any fun excursions?  Please tell!

Holy Hail!

An hour ago the kiddos were outside in the backyard. I was doing the dishes in the kitchen watching from the window. I didn't have to keep Jacks from climbing all over the dishwasher door.... and it was quiet.  It was AWESOME.

Now, ice balls are falling from the black sky, thunder is rumbling and the wind is blowing...hard.  Must be spring in Utah.  Give it 20 minutes, it'll change.

Hopefully all this moisture will bring some life to our drab, brown landscaping. We bought this house from 2 green thumbs who had planted a TON of stuff that needed maintenance.  Unfortunately, I have absolutely no clue how to maintain such things, or even that such things need maintenance.

So fast forward a year later, the summer Jacks was born, things outside were getting a little out of order. But like I said, newborn Jack and 2 year old Kaitlyn turned out to be quite a hand full, rendering me helpless to do anything about it.

Fast forward to the following spring, by this time everything was grossly overgrown. Aside from the grass that was being  mowed regularly, things were looking out of control.

I just couldn't stand it any longer.

Without knowing what I was even doing, with pruning shears we inherited, I set out to take care of business. I planned to do just a little trimming.Well, it turned into an hour project that did not end well for the shrubs or me. I hacked everything down so far that it looked just awful. This is how I work, if a little is good, a LOT is better.

I guess I expected new branches, blooms and leaves to just burst out in a few days. Well that didn't happen. After like 2 weeks, I was convinced it was all dead and was not coming back. It looked completely dreadful. Patience is not my strong suit and much to my desperation, I proclaimed that everything must go, including the ground cover. (Markham was really excited) Quite a bit of work, we quickly learned. I swear we removed 100+ lbs of earth.

Later, we went to the nursery and pretended to know what we were doing.

Long story short, I spent the entire summer planting and re-planting different plants and shrubs. Didn't have much luck at all.....  and here we are again.

This time I consulted Google on proper pruning techniques before I attempted the back yard. I really didn't want to ruin it back there too. I did something right, I do in fact see blooms!

However I still need to plant all kinds of stuff in the front that will: a) survive my poor care. b) need little or no maintenance. c) flourish in crappy soil.  d) be in full sun ALL day, and e) look really really good early spring to late fall.

It's a problem.

Any suggestions??  Besides tearing it all out and just planting grass? I have thought about that too.

Smile Makers

Ok, so today I just wanted to document some of the things that make me smile, I was inspired by a fellow blogger. Because really, I consider this blog a journal/scrapbook. I so don't have time to sit down for an hour or more to work out one scrapbook page with 3 pictures on it. My goal is to get all my posts printed in a hardbound book for a keepsake....maybe several.

Anyway so here it goes...in no particular order...

1. Jackson's warm, little chunky cheeks after a nap. They are slightly rosy and so fun to kiss.
2. My level, because I hate hate hate crooked pictures. I go through my house at least monthly to make sure everything is still exactly right, and amazingly, they are crooked....again
3. Summer evenings outside in the backyard with Markham and the kiddos. It is just perfect. Especially if Markham is working on a fresh batch of homemade ice cream.
4. Enjoying Raclette with friends and family, so so fun.
5. Hearing Kaitlyn say, " I love you a lot mommy"
6. Getting a kiss on the cheek every morning when Markham leaves for work, while I am half asleep in the bed with one or both kiddos.
7. Really crispy grapes, the kind that literally make a "pop" sound when you bite down
8.  Diet Coke
9. Being in Idaho with my family and being so so lazy that we end up watching an entire day of Cake Boss.
10. Hot chocolate when it's cold outside or cold inside because of a crazy high a/c.
11. Summer storms
12. Fall leaves
13. When Kaity and Jack play together
14. A great pair of jeans
15. Red Mango frozen yogurt. I could live on the stuff. Regular with Ghirardelli chips and raspberries.....serious yum. 
16. Camp fires, without the camping and without the after smell.
17. Waking up in the morning and finding Jackson peacefully sleeping between Markham and I....as long as it's not every morning.
18. Markham's sense of humor
19. A bubble bath and a great book
20. Handbags and shoes
21. A pedicure with one of my favorite girls
22. The living room, so that surprise guests don't see the embarrassing state of the rest of the house
23. An uninterrupted nap
24.  Bath & Body Works
25. Our pathetic little garden
26. Playing games and eating snacks
27. Hearing the garage open when Markham is home.
28. and last but certainly not least, going to Church on Sunday with Markham and the kiddos. I am so grateful for the gospel and the peace & comfort it brings to my life.

The Binkie Fairy

Of all my mommy confessions I'm not proud of, allowing my 3 year old to have a pacifier was near the top of the list. She only used it at night and nap time, but was beginning to want it off and on during the day. I just kept thinking, if I don't make it a battle, she will get over it, grow out of it, etc. WRONG! I had tried all the tricks-- cutting the tip off, bribing her, just taking it away and hearing her scream and cry for hours, but hearing, "Mommy, I need my B, I need it, please give it back." wasn't getting any easier. However, something had to give when she would call out in the night because she had lost it, "I NEED MY BINKIE!" Some nights I was getting up 4-5 times between her and Jackson. That is when I enlisted the help of the Binkie Fairy.

The Binkie Fairy is fabulous. She comes and picks up the binkie and leaves a new toy in it's place. Kaity had several binkies so the Fairy had to leave several toys, but it was successful and I am on cloud 9!! NO MORE BINKIES!

For any desperate moms out there needing to ditch the binkie, here is what you do---

Explain to your reluctant little one you heard the Binkie Fairy is coming through the neighborhood tonight, and she needs all the binkies for little babies who don't have any. In return, she will leave a toy. (It may take some convincing) Put ALL the binkies in a box and wrap in pretty wrapping paper of your child's choice, let them pick it and help you. When you are done, put it by your front door and talk it up all day, "I wonder what the Binkie Fairy is going to leave you!" and "How exciting!" Be super upbeat and positive. Prepare yourself, the first night will be hard. Kaitlyn cried and of course wanted her binkie. She decided she didn't want the Binkie Fariy to come anymore. BE POSITIVE and excited about it, focus on the new toys she will get. Explain she is a big girl now and you are proud of her.

Markham laid in bed with her until she fell asleep. At this point the hard part is over! We immediately threw the binkie box in the garbage and put her new toys in their place. (NOTE: you really need to nail it with the toy(s) you select, she needs to feel like she really hit the jackpot)

The second night was better, and by the 3rd, she was totally over it ;) Not a word about it. The biggest thing I liked about it was not being the bad guy.. When she asked for it after the first night, I simply said, "Oh, I'm sorry, the Binkie Fairy took them, but don't you love your new toys?" Focus on the positive and lay on the praise thick, always tell her how proud you are of her.

Anyway, it has been a life saver for us. I am getting a lot more sleep, happy!!! I can't take credit for this cute idea, I didn't come up with it, but it worked for us! Good luck!

Happy New Year!

We had a fantastic holiday season. Amid all the excitement and parties and goodies, I tried desperately to teach Kaity the real reason we celebrate Christmas. She got it right about half the time, other popular answers were "Santa!!" or "Presents!!" When she said "Jesus!!" I felt pretty good. She willingly sat on Santa's lap on 3 separate occasions. At the mall, at the ward party and at Markham's company party. She wanted to make dang sure he knew what she wanted. She was on a big Tinkerbell kick this year. I think Santa did a good job, she has a ton of Tinkerbell stuff.

We spent ten days in Idaho with my family and all my sibs. We had a lot of fun....played hours and hours of games, our new favorite is "BANG!" My mom was super awesome and watched all the kids, so we could go skiing/snowboarding one day, way way fun! Markham and I had a little date night and went to Sherlock Holmes, thanks again Mom!!

We have had a crazy few months. Lots of big changes. Here are a few..

1. Markham got a new job that he likes very much. Busy season will be 1 month, instead of 6 months ;)  Happy!

2. After our road trip to Arizona, shortly after Jackson was born, we decided the VW just wasn't accomplishing what we needed anymore so we upgraded to a family car...a.k.a. an evil, gas guzzling SUV. Those liberals can eat their hearts out. Sorry that I didn't consider the environment before my family's SAFETY and comfort, terrible me.

3. We are also in the process of finishing our basement! WOW, what an interesting and exciting process! Thanks to both sets of families for helping it happen. Team work is GREAT!

4. Apparently the 8th nursery was the straw that broke the camel's back. Our ward was split, but luckily I am still in Young Womens, which I really love. Sadly, we lost a bunch of great girls, but we still have an awesome group.

5. Jackson is twenty pounds and I cannot seem to buy clothes that fit him longer than a few weeks. In total desperation, I bought him a new wardrobe in size 12-18 months, and they are only slightly big for him. Please note: Jackson is 5 months old.

6. Kaitlyn is potty trained!!!! After a very frustrating bout of "Functional Constipation" (definition- when she would hold it for so long, like 10 days, she would actually become constipated. Seriously, like an anxiety thing. That is super awesome since she is only 3 and already a head case, she got that from me.) But now, she is successfully using the "big potty" for all her business!! Super exciting. Buying diapers for 2 kiddos was getting old, although they were wearing the same size....Jackson is in size 4 diapers. I only wish I was kidding.

7. And... I am PREGNANT!!

8. Totaling kidding on #7. That would be nuts.

But anyway, Happy 2010, love the Carrolls!