Collin just fell asleep next to me and Darrell. How can that possibly be comfortable enough to fall asleep?
Thursday, June 26, 2008
How Does He Do That?
Collin just fell asleep next to me and Darrell. How can that possibly be comfortable enough to fall asleep?
Tricked!
So I just bought the card game "War" for Collin. It's a very simple game you play with face cards, I just bought him kid friendly cards. Both players lay down a card and whoever has the higher card takes both card. This game goes back and forth and drags on forever until one person has all or most of the cards. It's pretty fun to play with Collin because I know he knows the number values and that makes me think he is the smartest 4 year old that I know. :)
Anyway Collin wanted to play War with me and I have so much to do today, but I said I would play for a little while. He got the cards ready and then I came over to play. As we are playing I notice I don't have a single card higher than a 5. Finally I play a King, obviously an oversight, and won like a few hands until he got an Ace out and took my only hope away. Collin had rigged the cards! What a cheater! I had one face card and one 8 and everything was like 5 and under. Can you believe him?? Needless to say, he won.
Anyone up for a game of War?
Anyway Collin wanted to play War with me and I have so much to do today, but I said I would play for a little while. He got the cards ready and then I came over to play. As we are playing I notice I don't have a single card higher than a 5. Finally I play a King, obviously an oversight, and won like a few hands until he got an Ace out and took my only hope away. Collin had rigged the cards! What a cheater! I had one face card and one 8 and everything was like 5 and under. Can you believe him?? Needless to say, he won.
Anyone up for a game of War?
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Maui
I was talking to Amber, my sister in law, on the phone the other day. She is so funny. I know I make her crazy every time I call and talk too long about weird stuff, but oh well. She puts up with me. My family is hopefully going to move from Maui pretty soon. Amber asked me what my favorite part of Maui was.
I have not been crazy about living here and so all these negative things came to my mind right away. I kept thinking about that though. I have been here almost 5 months, there has to be something good about this place. So here are some of my favorite parts of Maui, the place I can't wait to leave:
-Whale watching. Honestly it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. The beach is only about a block from my condo and we would walk there in the evenings and go watch the whales. You could see them from the shore, but we also bought some binoculars. We also went on a boat ride out to see them. It almost makes me want to be a marine biologist. Almost. The animals are amazing and I learned a lot about them. They are in Maui from about October to April.
-Haleakala, the huge dormant volcano on Maui. We went from sea level to 10,000 feet in a little less than 2 hours. That means almost straight up a cliff. The ride was scary, but the views were breathtaking. When we got to the top we were freezing! The temp change took us by surprise. We were literally above the clouds and it was amazing.
-Learning to chill out. I got used to having less, meaning less of everything. Less space, less stuff, less going out. But you know what, I am just fine. I have a great family and that really is all that matters. I got my priorities in check.
-The coastal drive. Darrell gets to drive along the coast every day for his commute. I have only driven over to Lahaina about 10 times, maybe, and the views are just stunning. You can see two other islands in the distance. All the beautiful rocky cliffs near the shore line are amazing. There are lots of people at the beaches and it's fun to watch the surfers.
-The bishop in our ward. He got out the cattle prod and got us doing what we are supposed to be doing. Darrell got his priesthood and we are going to be sealed in the temple in August?!? Not sure of the date, but that is the plan for now.
-Being able to find babysitting work. Everything is expensive in Maui and I wanted to do what I could to help out with the bills, but I still wanted to stay home with the kids. I was able to charge between $6 and $10 per hour and stay home with my babies. In Utah the going rate is about $2.50 per hour, hardly worth it. A couple weeks there I made over $200 for doing what I would normally be doing with my own kids. Very cool!
I guess that is about all of my favorite parts of Maui. Don't get me started on all the things I don't like. It is a beautiful place to go on vacation and leave the kids home. I would definitely come back with no kids or when the kids are older.
I have not been crazy about living here and so all these negative things came to my mind right away. I kept thinking about that though. I have been here almost 5 months, there has to be something good about this place. So here are some of my favorite parts of Maui, the place I can't wait to leave:
-Whale watching. Honestly it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. The beach is only about a block from my condo and we would walk there in the evenings and go watch the whales. You could see them from the shore, but we also bought some binoculars. We also went on a boat ride out to see them. It almost makes me want to be a marine biologist. Almost. The animals are amazing and I learned a lot about them. They are in Maui from about October to April.
-Haleakala, the huge dormant volcano on Maui. We went from sea level to 10,000 feet in a little less than 2 hours. That means almost straight up a cliff. The ride was scary, but the views were breathtaking. When we got to the top we were freezing! The temp change took us by surprise. We were literally above the clouds and it was amazing.
-Learning to chill out. I got used to having less, meaning less of everything. Less space, less stuff, less going out. But you know what, I am just fine. I have a great family and that really is all that matters. I got my priorities in check.
-The coastal drive. Darrell gets to drive along the coast every day for his commute. I have only driven over to Lahaina about 10 times, maybe, and the views are just stunning. You can see two other islands in the distance. All the beautiful rocky cliffs near the shore line are amazing. There are lots of people at the beaches and it's fun to watch the surfers.
-The bishop in our ward. He got out the cattle prod and got us doing what we are supposed to be doing. Darrell got his priesthood and we are going to be sealed in the temple in August?!? Not sure of the date, but that is the plan for now.
-Being able to find babysitting work. Everything is expensive in Maui and I wanted to do what I could to help out with the bills, but I still wanted to stay home with the kids. I was able to charge between $6 and $10 per hour and stay home with my babies. In Utah the going rate is about $2.50 per hour, hardly worth it. A couple weeks there I made over $200 for doing what I would normally be doing with my own kids. Very cool!
I guess that is about all of my favorite parts of Maui. Don't get me started on all the things I don't like. It is a beautiful place to go on vacation and leave the kids home. I would definitely come back with no kids or when the kids are older.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
More Wedding Pictures
Yesterday I was trying to download all these wedding pictures and it wouldn't let me. Don't know what Blogger's deal was. Anyway here they are!
Alicia before the wedding. We were just hanging out inside the nice cool air conditioned house.
Audra and her daughter Arien. Arien just turned 2 last month.
The Ward brothers! Can't even tell they are related. Jeff looks like my mom and Corley looks like my dad.
Tiffany and her parents. They are just the nicest people in the whole world!
The groom being a goof ball. Whats new?
My mom with Audra's baby, Kymberly. She is about 2 1/2 months old.
The three handsome Ward men.
Here is my whole family. It's the only picture that my photographer got for me. Oh well. Beware who you hand your camera to! Just kidding.
Tiff walking out to get pictures taken. She was barefoot the whole time. The grass was moist so my high heels were sinking in all the way until I had flats on. :) I guess she was having the same problem.
Alicia before the wedding. We were just hanging out inside the nice cool air conditioned house.
Audra and her daughter Arien. Arien just turned 2 last month.
The Ward brothers! Can't even tell they are related. Jeff looks like my mom and Corley looks like my dad.
Tiffany and her parents. They are just the nicest people in the whole world!
The groom being a goof ball. Whats new?
My mom with Audra's baby, Kymberly. She is about 2 1/2 months old.
The three handsome Ward men.
Here is my whole family. It's the only picture that my photographer got for me. Oh well. Beware who you hand your camera to! Just kidding.
Tiff walking out to get pictures taken. She was barefoot the whole time. The grass was moist so my high heels were sinking in all the way until I had flats on. :) I guess she was having the same problem.
Monday, June 16, 2008
My Benz
I rented a Mercedes Benz this weekend for the wedding. It was really fun to have a fantasy car for a few days. I got a super deal on it so I just went for it. Gotta live, right?
The Wedding Pics
Blogger is not letting me load more pics right now! Check back later for about 50 more pics from the wedding.
All the siblings together. I wonder what we are all looking at. ????
Announcing - Mr. and Mrs. Jeff Ward
All the siblings together. I wonder what we are all looking at. ????
Announcing - Mr. and Mrs. Jeff Ward
Ahh...I'm home at last!
I just returned from my brother's wedding in Kansas City. It was very beautiful, but simple. They had it in the back yard of a family friend. They had acres of grass (think small golf course) surrounded by huge beautiful trees. It was like a huge private forest. There was a large circle of yellow daffodils right in the middle and that is where the ceremony took place. This is like my dream yard so I guess it made it that much more beautiful to me. She didn't have too many decorations or flowers because you just simply didn't need it. She had a couple white pillars with some medium sized flower arrangements at the front for the "alter" and that was it.
Tiffany was stunning and Jeff was handsome. They both looked so happy and excited. They had been together almost 5 years so it was about time! Corley was his best man and he looked so grown up all dressed up in his tux. He is actually taller than Jeff now. Little brotha ain't so little now!
One highlight for me during the ceremony was when the preacher said "Tiff and Jeffany." Everyone laughed and it took him a second to figure out what he said. They have a good sense of humor though so it was all good.
Tiffany's family was so nice. I had actually met them all once before except for her older sister. Tiffany is the youngest of 3 girls. Her oldest sister, Amber, is 5'10" and her next sister, Ashley, is 5'4" and sweet tiny little Tiffany is 5' nothin'. Such a huge spread in one family. I really liked Amber and we talked a little bit. She is about my age so we got along great.
It was nice to have all my siblings together at the same time. I really get along good with Corley even if he threw me down in the grass. I am too old for that stuff! So that was fun to hang out with him. And Alicia is growing up too fast. Junior high next year. We went shopping and I bought her some hair clips at Claire's and a cute shirt and bangle bracelets from another store. She is so stylish.
Since Corley was the best man he had to do a toast. He didn't believe me at first when I told him a couple weeks ago. The day of the wedding I asked him if he had thought about what he was going to say. He is only 17 so he didn't know much about toasting. I mean we are Utah Mormons we don't do that sort of thing. I have been to mucho mucho weddings the last few years so I told him what he was supposed to say. Two minutes before the toast he had me tell it to him again. He gave his little speech and he did a fabulous job! He was nervous, but you couldn't tell and I am just so proud of him!
I had a lot of fun on my quick trip to Kansas City. LONG flights though and I am glad to be back home with my 3 guys. I have never been away from them for so long. I missed them, but I had a great time being able to do what I wanted when I wanted. Such freedom! Now I will add some pictures in other posts now that you got the whole story here.
Tiffany was stunning and Jeff was handsome. They both looked so happy and excited. They had been together almost 5 years so it was about time! Corley was his best man and he looked so grown up all dressed up in his tux. He is actually taller than Jeff now. Little brotha ain't so little now!
One highlight for me during the ceremony was when the preacher said "Tiff and Jeffany." Everyone laughed and it took him a second to figure out what he said. They have a good sense of humor though so it was all good.
Tiffany's family was so nice. I had actually met them all once before except for her older sister. Tiffany is the youngest of 3 girls. Her oldest sister, Amber, is 5'10" and her next sister, Ashley, is 5'4" and sweet tiny little Tiffany is 5' nothin'. Such a huge spread in one family. I really liked Amber and we talked a little bit. She is about my age so we got along great.
It was nice to have all my siblings together at the same time. I really get along good with Corley even if he threw me down in the grass. I am too old for that stuff! So that was fun to hang out with him. And Alicia is growing up too fast. Junior high next year. We went shopping and I bought her some hair clips at Claire's and a cute shirt and bangle bracelets from another store. She is so stylish.
Since Corley was the best man he had to do a toast. He didn't believe me at first when I told him a couple weeks ago. The day of the wedding I asked him if he had thought about what he was going to say. He is only 17 so he didn't know much about toasting. I mean we are Utah Mormons we don't do that sort of thing. I have been to mucho mucho weddings the last few years so I told him what he was supposed to say. Two minutes before the toast he had me tell it to him again. He gave his little speech and he did a fabulous job! He was nervous, but you couldn't tell and I am just so proud of him!
I had a lot of fun on my quick trip to Kansas City. LONG flights though and I am glad to be back home with my 3 guys. I have never been away from them for so long. I missed them, but I had a great time being able to do what I wanted when I wanted. Such freedom! Now I will add some pictures in other posts now that you got the whole story here.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
So long Suckers!
I am headed back to the mainland and I might not come back! I am going to my brother's wedding sans the children! It is going to be so nice to just be alone. I will take lots of pics and let you know how it goes. My plane leaves in 2 hours so I gotta run! Bye until Monday!
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Warren's Challenge
I thought Warren's Challenge was pretty cool. If you have "geeks" among you or if you just do some pretty cool stuff as a family you should share it. The prize is pretty cool. Check it out!!
Monday, June 9, 2008
PB&J
When you become a mom you have to change your life. You have to put the kids first, no matter what. Something that I have really been trying to work on is not saying "no" or "not right now." Now I am not letting the children have the run of the house. Don't get me wrong. That's where the PB&J comes in. Collin asked me if he could make me a jelly sandwich. (That's how he likes it. No Peanut Butter.) I said I didn't want one.
Then he got out all the stuff to make it and said when I wanted one to just let him know. That's when I decided I would love to have a jelly sandwich, with peanut butter. That is very sweet of him to think of me. He was just taking care of me. And who cares if he makes one? I ate most of it and I think it was the best sandwich I have eaten, ever! So I challenge all you moms out there to say an extra "yes" to your kids today. :)
Then he got out all the stuff to make it and said when I wanted one to just let him know. That's when I decided I would love to have a jelly sandwich, with peanut butter. That is very sweet of him to think of me. He was just taking care of me. And who cares if he makes one? I ate most of it and I think it was the best sandwich I have eaten, ever! So I challenge all you moms out there to say an extra "yes" to your kids today. :)
Sunday, June 8, 2008
My Little Honey
Brody is such a sweetheart. We got home from church at 12:30 which is Brody's nap time. I gave him a bottle and told him to go lay down. It's always madness right when we get home, because we are all changing and going potty (Collin...ok, sometimes me too) and getting lunch started. Well I found my little sweetie on my bed asleep. What an angel! I couldn't ask for a better baby. He really has been pretty easy and very sweet.
I think that my kids will look back at all their childhood photos and think all they did was sleep. I love sleeping pictures! Oh well.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
A bunch of Crazies!
So the older I get and the more I travel, I have found that there are more crazy people than normal/semi-normal people. What's up with that? Hawaii brings out A LOT of crazy people, so did Maryland.
Anyway there were a few funny things that I saw at the gym today. First of all I saw a naked older woman. Not a great way to start off the day. I have seen more naked women, mostly age 50+, since I got to Hawaii than I have in my entire life. No shame. I guess it gets that way when you are old and saggy. you just don't care.
That reminds me of another story.....I get sidetracked easily. It's been over a month now, maybe two, and I went to the beach with a friend who has kids the same age as mine. We got to see a topless woman. Yeah, right at the public beach. Just haning out, literally, and playing in the water. Thank goodness she was in her 20's and pretty thin. That could have been worse. Did I blog about that already?
Anyway the other funny thing I saw at the gym today was this woman who was obviously a tourist. They stick out like sore thumbs. She was on the treadmill wearing her regular clothing and little mary-jane ballerina type shoes. What? Kind of wierd, but whatever. It gets better. She was clutching her purse over her shoulder. This was not some wierd looking woman. She was attractive, probably in her 40's, dressed nicely, and she looked like she was power shopping not power walking. So funny. When I first saw her I had to do a double take to see what she was holding.
I am not claiming to be normal. I am probably totally nuts to someone else, well, probably to a lot of people. Just people make me laugh. It keeps things interesting I guess.
Friday, June 6, 2008
What are you doing today?
I am doing nothing! Ha ha! Be jealous. I don't have to babysit and I don't have anything else to do. Well, that's a little bit of a lie. The front room is a wreck and it needs to be mopped, but who cares? Not me! I am watching girl tv (TLC, Style, etc.), drinking Dr. Pepper, and surfing the web. It feels great. Just relaxing.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Lightbulb Moment
So yesterday when I was feeling so inspired to be young and fun I forgot to mention what let to my inspiration. I had to babysit in the morning so I skipped the gym. I decided to go in the afternoon, which I never do. I went and there were these two girls there in just sports bra tops. One was supermodel tall and really thin, with a nice 6 pack. The other was a petite girl, with a very small frame, also a 6 pack. They are the kind of girl who just prances around the gym looking cute, because they can.
Anyway it hit me. Maybe I am not "hot" like these two think they are, ok ok, they really are hot. (Jealous.) BUT I am not a tiny little petite thing, never have been and never will be. Also unless something freakishly wierd happens I am not going to be 5 inches taller like the other girl. Those are the ways that I usually justify myself and feel better.
I took it beyond that though. I am not 22 like these girls and more importantly I have given birth to 2 large children (9lbs and 9lbs 8oz) which wreaked havoc on my body. I have curves and I am a sexy mama (just my opinion.) I have boobs that were not there 7 years ago when I got married. My roommates at college made fun of me for having a small chest and now....we're talking C cup ladies! Never wanted a huge chest and you should have seen these girls right after I had the babies. Wowsers. At least double D's!!
Now am I a size 2? (Maybe my right leg is. ) Nope, but I am still hot!
By the way I am not full of myself. Just feeling a little more confident now! I hope no one takes me too seriously. :)
Anyway it hit me. Maybe I am not "hot" like these two think they are, ok ok, they really are hot. (Jealous.) BUT I am not a tiny little petite thing, never have been and never will be. Also unless something freakishly wierd happens I am not going to be 5 inches taller like the other girl. Those are the ways that I usually justify myself and feel better.
I took it beyond that though. I am not 22 like these girls and more importantly I have given birth to 2 large children (9lbs and 9lbs 8oz) which wreaked havoc on my body. I have curves and I am a sexy mama (just my opinion.) I have boobs that were not there 7 years ago when I got married. My roommates at college made fun of me for having a small chest and now....we're talking C cup ladies! Never wanted a huge chest and you should have seen these girls right after I had the babies. Wowsers. At least double D's!!
Now am I a size 2? (Maybe my right leg is. ) Nope, but I am still hot!
By the way I am not full of myself. Just feeling a little more confident now! I hope no one takes me too seriously. :)
Monday, June 2, 2008
Children's Manners
Collin has to clear his place off after dinner every night. Tonight this is where he put his plate. That is not his glass. It's just a glass that was already on the counter. I guess it just seems like the logical place to put it. At least for a 4 year old.Turning 27
So the last few birthdays I have just dreaded getting older. I hate it and I get all upset about it. Well this year I am having a better attitude about it. 27 really isn't old. I mean Paris Hilton is only like 26, right? I am young!
I think that I have just felt older since having kids. I mean I had Collin when I was 22. (A month shy of 23.) That's really young to have kids. I guess my thinking is somewhere in between being a "Utah Mormon" and being a regular member of society. A lot of my friends from Utah got married young and had kids right away. Then I have friends all over the country that didn't get married so young and waited to have kids.
I know that I have done what works for me and that's all that really counts. I have done a lot of exciting things in my life so far and I don't plan on stopping! Maybe in another blog I will list all the exciting things I have seen and done. :)
I have a new lease on life and I am going to stop worrying about getting older and just enjoy being whatever age I am! I am not normal, but you know what, I never have been! I am going to start having more fun every day.
I think that I have just felt older since having kids. I mean I had Collin when I was 22. (A month shy of 23.) That's really young to have kids. I guess my thinking is somewhere in between being a "Utah Mormon" and being a regular member of society. A lot of my friends from Utah got married young and had kids right away. Then I have friends all over the country that didn't get married so young and waited to have kids.
I know that I have done what works for me and that's all that really counts. I have done a lot of exciting things in my life so far and I don't plan on stopping! Maybe in another blog I will list all the exciting things I have seen and done. :)
I have a new lease on life and I am going to stop worrying about getting older and just enjoy being whatever age I am! I am not normal, but you know what, I never have been! I am going to start having more fun every day.
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