Weekend Wrap-up

We have been so spoiled with the weather this Fall, temps have been in the 60's and it's sunny and beautiful! But I'm bracing myself everyday for "the storm" that ends it all. I know it's coming...I just need to stop being a Winter hater and just go with it. But anyway, we'll enjoy the nice weather while we can.

Saturday was the Alan Butler Memorial ride up Emigration Canyon. For those who don't know Alan, he was a cyclist here in Utah. Ryan raced with him for a couple of years and we're good friends with his family. He was tragically killed a few years ago when he got hit by a car in Vegas during the Interbike show. Ryan pulled the trailer with the girls up the Canyon...very impressive if you ask me! The girls were not at their best unfortunately. Morgan cried the entire way up and Haley was yelling, "My ears are hurting!!! Tell Morgan to be quite!!!!!", the whole way up. Yes, good times!

The girls made it up to us Sunday morning...they hiked like champs up Rock Canyon.


They insisted on bringing their stuffed animals...here they are giving them shoulder rides.

No, I'm not strangling Etta in this photo, although it does look like it. She hiked like a champ too, until she jumped all over some family...oops. I am working on that with her, I promise!

OK, this photo cracks me up! Every time we try to get Haley to pose for a photo, this is what she does. She reminds me of Chandler, from the show Friends. There was this one episode that Chandler and Monica were trying to take engagement photos and Chandler could not do a fake smile. Every time he tried to smile for the camera it came out all goofy. Anyway, that's totally Haley. She'll be smiling away, and then you face a camera at her and this is how it comes out. She's so weird.

So she gave up trying to smile, and kissed her daddy instead. Works for me!

Haley doesn't know how to smile and Morgan gives grumpy face when a camera is pulled out...what's up with my kids?!!

I have to take a ton of photos to get one good shot...thank goodness for digital!!

Una and the American Doll

Let me introduce Haley's prized possession...Una, a lovely purple unicorn. She takes this thing with her everywhere!! Una has been her show-and-tell item at school for the last several weeks. When we are out running errands she introduces Una to EVERYONE! "Hi! This is my unicorn Una...she likes to be called Una...she's a purple unicorn named Una!". Luckily, everyone that she introduces Una to has been very pleasant and humors her. One day some cranky person is going to shout back at her, "Get that mangy thing out of my face!". (Haley does have a tendency to hold it close to people when talking to them.) And if you knew where this horse has been you wouldn't want it very close to you. It's been in the mucky river water, Etta's water bucket (that's how Haley gives her a bath), the mud, in the gutter, dragged behind her tricycle, it's been Etta's play toy (that's was on accident), it's gone with us on several road trips, and most likely drooled on when Haley sleeps with her. Yes, I've washed it several times. In fact, Una used to have long flowy hair, but it shriveled to nothing once it went through the dryer. Oops! Haley was pretty upset, but she has since forgotten all about it. The funny part about this whole thing is that it was given to us by the hostess at the Red Robin about 1 1/2 ago. It was sitting by the hostess table, and Haley noticed it immediately as soon as we walked in. So the hostess ended up letting Haley have it...they have been inseparable ever since!

It seems that the toys that parents go crazy about and can't wait to give to their children, or spend loads of money for, are the toys that are kicked aside and nearly forgotten about. But the cheap toys (or free in this case) are the toys they can't live without! This leads me to the next photo.




Yesterday, we got the American Girl doll catalog!! Yes, very exciting...as I had one as a child, still have her for that matter, packed away safe in my closet. (Mine is the Samantha doll, in case anyone was wondering.) Haley and Morgan went crazy for this catalog, looking at every page in detail! And of course my immediate thought was "I can't wait to get this for them!!". Just to let you know, the average price for a doll is around $100, and that's not including all the accessories you can get!! But, I have to tell myself to slow down (I'm kind of excited since Christmas is right around the corner). Because I know that if I bought this doll for Christmas morning, it would entertain them for about 5 minutes, and then they would toss it aside and play with the wind-up toy that cost about a dollar they got in their stocking. And of course that would make me go crazy, "Girls, play with these dolls! Look at how nice these dolls are, why don't you want to play with them?!!". We've all been there! So I'll be patient, and wait to buy a doll like this until they are old enough to appreciate it...even though I'm dying to buy one!!

I needed a break...

...and I got one! What a fabulous weekend!!

We started it off with a mountain bike ride (just Ryan and I) up South Fork area. It was absolutely beautiful, and the weather could not have been better! A perfect Fall Day! My brother and his wife watched the girls for us...Thank you guys, we needed that break! I wish I could mountain bike more, I just love it! And I certainly could use more practice, that's for sure!


We also went to the World Cup Short Track Speedskating Championships (wow, that's a mouth full) this weekend. It made for a great family outing!

I'm not sure what was going on that night, but the girls were so good (I know, that rarely happens!). This lady sitting near us commented on how well behaved my children were. Yeah, you heard me right...a STRANGER (not my mom, not my friend) a STRANGER said MY children were well behaved! I nearly choked on my drink! I get comments like, "Your girls are so cute!" Or my favorite from a pharmacist at a grocery store, "Oh, your daughter's hair is so beautiful! I've seen your hair color before, but HERS, hers is so pretty!". But anyway, rarely do people comment on how well behaved they are, so that lady made my day!! It's the little things that make moms feel good. So if you see someone frazzled looking mom with her kids, tell her they are well behaved...she'll be talking about that for a week!!

The girls had fun showing off their dancing skills during intermission. Pure entertainment!

Aaahhhhh, don't we look refreshed after such a great weekend!! (You better say yes!)

They were giving away these cool ear warmer bands, the girls loved them! Haley even wore hers today at Walmart, with her awesome cheerleader jersey over a long sleeve shirt and jean skirt (she was looking pretty sweet).

OK, I tried to get some speedskating action shots, but it's nearly impossible. They go so fast, the pictures came out blurry every time, but you get the idea.

I know this picture is crummy too, but that's Apolo in third. He may not have won, but it's was a great race to watch!

Sleep in...Please!

It seems that every Winter Haley's internal clock somehow gets messed up and lives off of very little sleep. No matter what time she goes to bed, she's always up between 6:00 and 6:30. Actually, a lot of the time she's up earlier then that, but we can usually get her back to bed for a little while. Anyway, this morning she's up at 6:20. Ryan and I are already in the kitchen when she comes stumbling in. "Haley, it's not even light outside yet! Whey don't you sleep some more" I say. She's looks out the back door window and says, "Oh, it is dark outside...well, I'll just turn on the porch light!". Problem solved!

So this weekend should be good! My brother and his wife are watching the girls for a little while on Saturday so Ryan and I can go on a mountain bike ride! It's been forever since we've been able to do something together with no kids. So that should be fun, nothing better then getting dirty together!! Oooh la la! Oops, did I write that! Uh um, anyway...

Also, the World Cup Short Track Championships are going on at the Olympic Oval this weekend! So I've got to pull out my T-Shirt that says "I love Apollo" on it and get out there to cheer him on! Yes, it's true...I have a crush on Apollo.

Anyway, so it should be a pretty good weekend!

Here I go again...

As cold and flu season rapidly approaches, I'm so glad that I have Parents magazine to give me advice on how to "Germ-Proof My Child". Let's see how I'm doing...shall we.

1. "Have your child wash hands before meals, after using the bathroom, or whenever she touches other kids, pets, or communal toys." OK, I do pretty good at this one...most of time.

2. "Always keep baby wipes or a sanitizing gel in your diaper bag, your purse, and the car." Still doing good with the "rules"...I'm still with you Parents magazine! Although I think I only have the gel in the car, but I do carry around wipes in my purse.

3. "Teach your child to sneeze or cough into a tissue. If he doesn't have one handy, he should use the crook of his elbow." Well, I was doing good... Right now I'm just trying to get my kids to stop picking their nose and eating their boogers (I know, gross). But, maybe when they can master that, they'll be ready to get a tissue every time they need to sneeze or cough. But at the pace we're going they'll probably be teenagers before they accomplish that one!

4. "Clean toys weekly with hot soapy water or a sanitizing spray." HA!! What mother has time for this?!! Okay, the spray may not be too bad to accomplish. But trying to remember that on a weekly basis on top of all the other things that need to get done...yeah, right! I'm already feeling guilty because I never ever remember to give the kids their fluoride pills, or giving myself time to look for that stupid Winnie the Pooh DVD that was due back at the library forever ago (it's in the house somewhere). Note to self: Find out how many times you can renew something at the library before they get suspicious. I could go on and on with all the things I have to do in a week, yet still forget to do them...cleaning toys are at the bottom of the list!!

5. "If a bottle, sippy cup, or pacifier falls on the floor, always wash it before giving back to your child." HA, HA, HA!! I maybe followed this rule the first month of being a mother. However, it's just not realistic! Confession: When at a store (such as Costco), and Morgan should drop one of her crackers she's eating as a snack, she goes crazy! She wants it back sooooo bad. So I pick it up and say "Oh, no! It got all dirty you can't have it." Yes, I'm faking it for all the "good mothers" around me. Because I admit, once a turn onto the next isle I give it back to her. I don't want to hear her scream the whole shopping trip!! And yes, Haley has been known to eat the Jelly Belly samples (from Costco) off the floor when she dropped her the little cup they came in. And yes, I look the other way and pretend I didn't see it happen. Confession over!

6. "Steer clear of toys and books in the waiting room at the doctor's office, which are loaded with germs. Take your own instead." Please, no kid wants to play with toys from their house when there is an array of "new" toys layed out in front of them. Give me a break!! And yes, I've tried it...it never works!! They throw what ever you gave them aside and go play with the kids.

7. "Don't share personal objects with your child-including utensils, toothbrushes, cups, washcloths, towels, and combs-and don't let siblings share them either." Do these magazine people know what it's like in a house with children?!! We have sippy cups everywhere in this house! I can never remember who's is who's, they're always just grabbing a sip in what ever one is laying in front of them. Gross? Maybe, but that's how it is! And Morgan is always swiping Haley's toothbrush. And don't share combs?! I understand toothbrushes (I'll do better with that one), but COMBS?!! Whatever... stupid magazine!

I'll just make sure everyone gets their flu shot this year. Thanks for nothing, Parents Magazine!

Computers are a pain!

Let's see...where do I start? Maybe with the negative stuff...

So yesterday I go to turn my computer on (the exact same way I do every morning!) and something goes wrong, I get impatient and start pushing buttons. Well, turns out I pushed a button that apparently resets my computer. I don't know computer stuff so I don't have any idea the terminology, but in any case I end up loosing EVERYTHING that was saved to the hard drive! Yes, EVERYTHING!!!! I was so upset...so say the least. Luckily, most of my pictures I had already saved to a disk, but everything else is gone. So now I'm left with the task of trying to figure out how to get back our Microsoft Office, and Norton security and to reinstall the printer stuff. AAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! WHY!!!!!! It's just so frustrating, especially for me, who clueless with computers!! So I had a "moment of rage" yesterday morning...not fun! I'm still trying to recover.

In better news...I bought myself a new vacuum!!! A Dyson Animal!!!! I'm just so super excited about this vacuum. I've been wanting a new one for so long now. Our old one we've had since we've been married, it's been across the country a couple of times. The poor thing has been held together with a shoe lace. One day when I was using it the compartment that holds the bag broke (I very well may have kicked it or something, I don't remember) so I guess a shoelace was the only thing nearby to hold the bag in place. Anyway, I have been "cleaning" my house with that stupid vacuum long enough!!

Something else that I wanted to blog about...

It took about a week for Haley to realize that Cassidy was gone. She asked where she was, and I explained that she's in heaven with her Heavenly Father and Jesus. And Haley asked if they had toys for her and bones to chew. I said yes, and that she had other dogs to play with. She was glad that she Cassidy was having fun. Then just a couple of days ago as we're driving around she says, "Mommy, how long is Cassidy going to stay with Jesus?" I tell her that she's going to stay there from now on, and that she's happy there. Well, Haley just starts breaking down in tears, "No, we have to go pick her up. She lives with us! We need Etta and Cassidy together!!". That just broke my heart! Now, every so often she'll bring it up out of the blue and start crying...I just feel so bad.

I hate to end the post with a sad story, but I guess that's just how it goes. You can go back up and read the paragraph about my wonderful vacuum again if you need to...

Sick kid, and Ryan gone...Waaa!

Imagine the following in a VERY irritating, slow, whiny voice:

"Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy..." That would be Morgan. I could even be holding her in my arms and she still does that. "What?!! I'm right here!!". I guess that's what happens when a kid has a cold, nothing really makes them happy. Poor thing is coughing the majority of the night, and I'm back and forth checking on her. She never cries for me to get her or anything, I just want to make sure she's still breathing. Luckily, it doesn't phase Haley a bit, she can sleep through anything these days. In the evenings when the girls are in bed I bring Etta in the house for a little while. She has discovered that she can push the girls' door open (it doesn't latch properly). Anyway, so she pushes it opened and races into their room straight to Haley's bed. By the time I get in there Etta is on top of Haley licking her face. Never once (and it's happened on several occasions) has Haley reacted from it...she's out like light!! And of course I'm clapping my hands and yelling, "ETTA, NOOO...NOOO!". Both kids sleep right through it...so that's good. Although, I have recently been using a shaker (a little Rubbermaid bowl with a lid filled with pennies) to help train Etta in the house. I really don't want her going in any of the rooms or the living room, basically all carpet is off limits. So when she goes onto the carpet I shake this thing...boy oh boy does that get her attention!! She hates that thing. I don't even have to shake it anymore, I just put my hand on it now and she goes running for her bed. I have heard of this method through training courses. I remember we used it with Cassidy and it worked like a charm.

I'm really, really anxious for Ryan to get home. He had to hear a bit of my ranting on the phone this morning...sorry Ry, I'm OK now. It's just hard when he's in (of all places) HAWAII, going surfing every morning and evening! Yes, he does work in the day, but he has a lot of time for fun too. I mean come on, I would be lying if I said it didn't bother me...of course it bothers me!!! However, I do also know how hard he works, so he certainly deserves it! He'll just owe me for the rest of his life!!