Character Dress Up Day...

The kids have been having a read a thon fundraiser for school. If they participated during Spring Break they earned a free character dress up day. They could pick any character out of a book they had read. Kaylee chose to dress up as Fancy Nancy.

Brayden was really into dressing up as a character, but he also didn't want to have to wear his uniform. He decided to be Jack from The Magic Treehouse. Isn't it a clever costume? He thought carrying around his backpack and "Teddy" was good enough.

They have had fun and have been reading, reading, reading.

Easter 2010

I loved that Easter fell on General Conference weekend. I had an excuse not to buy easter clothes. We weren't all rushed to get to church, yet we still were uplifted. We were able to see a lot of family. I vote for that every year.

I was a little sad because questions kept flying about the Easter bunny. "Mom, are you the Easter Bunny?" "Mom, why do you have to go easter shopping if the bunny brings everything?" "Mom, why is Grandma filling the Easter eggs when it's the bunny's job?" The bunny almost got caught delivering presents. Luckily, I was able to detour the conversation each time. But this may be the last year I will be able to do that.

Once morning came all 3 kids were excited. They had totally forgot about their bunny issues. It took them quite some time to find their Easter baskets. Kade didn't care that he got a build a bear gift certificate he just wanted candy. Brayden and Kaylee however were very excited.

After the kids found their baskets, mom and dad had one more surprise they had to find. It took them FOREVER, even with clues. I worry for them, they aren't very bright sometimes. After they did find it they were very ecstatic. I found a killer deal on Cowabunga Bay season passes and decided to get that for them for Easter (For some reason I felt like i needed a reason to buy them?) I can't wait for some fun times this summer at the water park.

I think we were able to see all of our family on Easter (except my Dad and Laura- they were on a trip.) Mike's brother came up for the weekend so we had all the cousins at Grandma's Sonia's .Unfortunately my camera died and I didn't get many pictures. The kids all had a fun Easter egg hunt...indoors. It was once again snowing. Kaylee found the coveted "golden egg" which holds $5. Kasen kept following Kaylee around pointing to the gold egg saying, "help me find one of those." It was cute. He was happy when he found out one of his eggs had a quarter. And Brayden found the "silver egg" which had $1. We had a yummy lunch and then enjoyed the second session of conference for the day.

We were able to go to my Mom's house in the evening. All my brother's were there. This guarantees an eventful evening when that happens. Good or bad. The kids loved searching the house for jelly beans and chocolate eggs. I'm sure my mom will be finding hidden jelly beans clear into July. It ended up being a nice evening and a great way to spend the end of our spring break.

Bringing Spring Indoors....

We had big plans for our garden during spring break. Too bad it was snowing. We unanimously decided it was a little tough to plant a garden in a snowstorm. So, we decided to bring spring indoors. I have never, ever planted something, watched it grow and then ate it. I decided this was our year, even though I have no clue what I'm doing. Well, actually last year was supposed to be the year. We made our planter boxes, but never filled them. This is our year!

I took the kids to IFA a couple weeks ago, and we bought the seeds we wanted to plant. We have no idea if the seeds we bought grow well in our climate. Like I said, I know NOTHING about planing. This is going to be a trial and error sort of thing.

Brayden chose some sort of flower to grow. Kaylee chose African Daisies. Kade chose sunflowers.

I gave each of the kids a section with 10 different spots. Brayden and Kaylee both decided they wanted to grow one of everything. Kade on the other hand, didn't want to be bothered by that. He dumped them all in, then he figured he was good. I did assist him at this point, so we wouldn't have 50 sunflower plants.

We placed our plants in a sunny area in my bedroom. The kids check on it hourly. Now keep in mind we planted these on Thursday (today is Wednesday.) So not even a week. Look how talented I am. They grew!!

Aren't they the cutest little plants you've ever seen? Now, please don't comment and tell me this is normal. I truly believe I just might be gifted in the gardening department. So please don't squash that. I just need to figure out what to do now. Yes, you may comment about that.

Discovery Gateway

We were lucky enough to have our cousins come in from Montana during our spring break. This made the week soooo enjoyable for the kids. They seriously wanted to be with each other every spare second we had. We took the kids downtown to Discovery Gateway, and they had a blast. I know I have been there a million times, and taken a billion pictures there, I just can't help myself. I just want to capture every moment of them laughing and having a good time. So here I go, I'm going to post all my million pictures in hope we can capture the moment's and remember them forever.

Kaylee was terrified of the rock wall. After about 10 min or so, she decided to conquer her fear and made it almost to the top. The kids loved the water. They sat and played in it forever. I kept thinking to myself, "how can water be so interesting?" I would love to recreate so many of the things there. They always love pretending to be on the news. Too bad it wasn't really working this time.

One of my favorite parts of the day, was watching them act out different plays. I love to see how their imagination's work. I was seriously laughing so many different times. One of which is when Brayden tried to fit into the little cheetah costume. I was a little grossed out thinking about how many different children have put those costumes on. But that all passed as soon as I realized they were having such a good time.

We have to hit the helicopter everytime we go to the museum. They love it! Brayden of course was a jokster the whole time. He loved pretending he was the injured one, and pretending he was hanging on for dear life...on the outside of the helicopter.

Thanks cousins for a good time.

I can't wait....

I'm not sure why, but it seemed like it was senior citizen day today at Costco. They were everywhere. There were old people in wheel chairs, old people with canes, old people being escorted by their children, and old people out by themselves. There was this one couple in particular that stood out to me. Every aisle I turned down, there they were. They had matching blue crocheted sweaters on. They were seriously so cute and so sweet with each other. I couldn't help but watch this couple, and the other old people around. I just thought to myself,

"I can't wait til Mike and I can wear matching crocheted sweaters together at Costco."

This is a horrible picture but I couldn't get too close, without looking creepy.

My thoughts today...

Today I spent the day in the car.

I went back and forth. I counted I passed South Towne Mall 6 times today.

I hate the car!

Kaylee REALLY hates the car! She can't be in the car for more then 8 minutes (to be exact) without getting car sick. She had to have a couple Dramemine's today.

Poor girl.

On the bright side, Kade scored three goals today!

Once I told him he could have the treat at the end of the game ONLY if he played, he decided soccer wasn't so bad.

He is a maniac now! He runs up and down the court. Dribbles around players. Beats them to the goal, and shoots! He had 8 shots on goal today.

I was proud of him.

Brayden also scored during his soccer game. The score ended up 12-0. Poor other team.

I have been to Smith's about 5 different times trying to buy Powerade (it's only .25!!!) Since we are in soccer season full swing, this is a necessity. I finally was able to buy some today.

Only about 200:)

 I love finding a good deal, it's like some crazy addiction fulfilled.

You know when you are running from one thing to the next, nothing ends up in the right place. It's usually dropped right inside the door. At least this is how it happens at my house. My house looks like it blew up. But who cares? I'm sitting here with some coconut M&M's and a Diet Dr. Pepper. Family is coming into town today. Spring break is starting (which means I get to sleep in) My friend is having her two little babies in 2 more days (I can't wait to hold them!!!!!) The sun is shining. And life is good.

"Crappy" Mom....

Warning: This post may be to inappropriate for the blog. My kids may hate me one day for putting this in the family blog. But I know in 15 years I will still be laughing about this. Therefore, I am choosing to continue with the post. I however will not post pictures.

My friend reminded me the other day about a story I had told her about Kaylee. The funny thing is the same thing happened to Kade the very next day.

I think I have traumatized my kids about wiping their own bums. I am disgustedto find "tracks" left in their underwear if it isn't properly cleaned. Therefore I choose to do it for them. Well, when Kaylee started Kindergarten the only thing I was stressed about is her having to go "number 2" while she was at school. So daily we would have discussions about holding "it" until she got home. Well one day, a couple months into school, I asked her how her day was. She told me it was horrible and proceeded to tell me why. She said she went in to go to the bathroom and screamed and screamed for her teacher to come wipe her and she couldn't hear her. Finally, I think the teacher came to check on her, found her in a mess, and had no choice but to wipe the poor girl. I'm not sure wiping bums was in the teacher's list of responsibilities. Hello! She was in Kindergarten! I did after that teach her how to properly do it herself.

Well the other day I had to go over to the church to get some things done. I had the kids with me and they were just kind of roaming around the church with a couple other kids that happened to be there. When I was ready to go, I couldn't find Kade anywhere. All the kids were hanging out together, but no Kade. I started walking around the halls and sure enough here came Kade walking around the corner with his pants around his ankles, bum hanging out, just sobbing. Once he finally calmed down he explained to me that he had been sitting in the bathroom screaming for me (for who knows how long) and "I just wasn't listening to him." Well, while he was waiting for me, the automatic light turned off. So there he was sitting in the dark bathroom with no one to wipe his bum. How sad is that? He was terrified so he decided to just come and find me. Heaven forbid he try to wipe himself???

Makes me feel like a "crappy" mom.

Why?

Why do I consistently set myself for failure? I'm constantly telling myself I'm going to be better. But am I, nope!

For example: Every day I tell myself I am going to get everything done early, so I can go to bed early. Well, I usually get my stuff done, and then plop myself on the couch. I string out the hours of the day, in fear of what's ahead the next day. Well, inevitably, the next day comes. And of course, I am the most unpleasant creature to be around. But it is of course always the kids fault for puting me in such a bad mood. This happens every single day. Mornings are horrible around here. It doesn't help that none of my children can follow a simple set of steps, get dressed, eat breakfast, brush teeth, do hair, etc, etc. They have had the same routine for at least 4 years now. But they are so surprised, like I just flung it on them, that they have to put on their shoes in order to leave for school. Amazing!

But as they finish getting ready for school, and kneel for morning prayer, my heart melts, and I feel really horrible for the ornery person that I am. When I drop them off for school, I'm sad for the things I will miss them do during the day. And I vow that tomorrow will better. But here I sit at quarter to midnight on the computer! Hmmmm, what will the morning be like tomorrow? It's a Saturday morning and Dad's out of town, no sleeping in for me. But I  promise tomorrow will be better:) I will think of the many ways my kids made me smile today.

*I will think of Kaylee's ability to forgive, and love everyone. She is so quick, after I've gotten mad at her, to come give me a kiss. She started out the year being tormented by a girl in her class. Kaylee didn't let that stop her. That girl is now one of her very best friends in her class.

* I will think of Kade's crazy antics that he pulls EVERYDAY. When getting ready to go to Home Depot today, this is how he prepared himself to leave the house.

I loved his smushed eye, and his really short shorts. Keep in mind, it was snowing outside.

*I will think of my sleep over that I had with Kaylee last night. It's fun to have girl time together, even if she smacked me in the head a few times in her sleep.

* I will think of the brotherly love Brayden has for the two other kids. Well, most of the time. He spends hours with them playing house, pretending they are somewhere else in the world, teaching them how to play soccer, and snuggling with them. I am in the middle of painting Kade's room so the two boys have been able to sleep together. This is how I have found them almost every night. Brayden has decided to sleep down on the floor with Kade.  

*I will think of the quiet moments I have with Kaylee when she says to me, "Mom come closer, it's privacy." She will then continue to whisper something in my ear that can only be between her and I. Any moment when Kaylee is whispering is a moment to cherish. It doesn't happen often.

* I will think of hanging with the two boys tonight watching Princess and the Frog. We all got up and danced together when the music would come on. My boys can move.

* I will think of my conversation with Kaylee this morning. We were talking about the birthday party she went to last week. They were supposed to dress up as their favorite super hero. I asked her this morning if she was still Super Woman. She said to me, "Mom, I'm not super woman. I'm the daughter of super woman."

So even though I have SOOOO many faults, I'm grateful my kids can forgive me and still love me. I'm grateful that I have tomorrow to be better.  And good thing I'm Super Woman because it's gonna take a lot of super power for me to wake up happy tomorrow.

Boring...

Wow! Things have been so boring lately. I have totally gotten out of the blogging mood. However I do love looking back at different times in our lives (boring or not) to see what we have been doing. We have been busy with indoor soccer, dance, scouts, mutual (for both me and mike,) planning a baby shower (I hope to post pictures soon,) enjoying a few random days of sunshine, and some home makeover projects, which include some spring cleaning. Hopefully the weather can start improving, ha! I'm watching the snow fall right now. Awesome. With that said, if the weather can improve maybe we can get outside a little more and things will get a little more exciting around here!

Brayden has been teaching the kids to "medicate" (that's what Kaylee calls it.) Every night lately before they have to seperate to their own rooms, they like to gather on Kaylee's bed and do this. Who knows why???

The other day after leaving Kade's soccer game, we drove by The Chocolate Cottage and saw that our neighbor was working. We stopped in to get a treat. The kids were in luck, their favorite babysitter was there with her mom. She let them go in the back room and make their own suckers. They were in heaven. Kaylee told the owner that when she grows up she is going to buy that chocolate shop from her.

Kaylee got to go to a birthday party today for a friend in her class. She was so excited to dress like Super Woman.

Now that's ambition....

We have enrolled Kade to play a little of this: (it starts out all smiles)

Too bad he would rather be doing this:

I do not know who this kid is...just stole the picture

Or this:

THIS BOY IS LAZY!!!!

He has been so excited to start soccer. We signed him up for an indoor team with a few of his buddies that he plays with during Brayden's soccer games.

These kids live and breathe soccer at least 3 times each week. They should know how to play this game. But instead of playing that would rather be doing this:

"Tiny", Bailey, Bella, and Kade

Kade will get all pumped up during the week, prepping himself for the game. This week he filled up his water bottle on Tuesday so it would be ready for his game on Saturday. He didn't want to get so "sirsty" this time.

Tuesday                                  Saturday

Yes, that is a gallon size jug FULL of water. And believe me, he needs it. Five minutes into the game his cheeks are bright red, and he is sooooo sweaty! He will stop during the middle of the game about 10 times and run to me for a drink.

He will play really hard and run really fast. The first game I had to pull him aside and talk to him because Brayden had told him to "play tough." Well he was running behind kids and pushing them in the back. When they would turn around he would throw his arms up at them.

If he ever even touches the ball, he looks at us to make sure we were looking. He will run over to us and high five or gives hugs.

About 15 minutes into the game, he wants to be goalie (he has figured out they don't have to run.)

He actually does quite well as goalie. When the kids start running towards him he starts running back and forth in place...he gets so nervous. But unfortunately their are other kids that want to play goalie, so he has to share the position. Once he is taken out, he places himself on the sideline, and WON'T go back in.

Brayden will sit next him and try to talk him into going back in. Usually he will do anything for Brayden. But come on the kids tired!

This is the look we get when trying to coax him back in. NOBODY can change his mind! No more smiles.

I guess this is what he thinks about soccer.