The Sharp's

Confessions of a mediocre mother take 3

2010-12-01T11:51:00.001-08:00

I know that I've fallen behind on what I originally thought I would be doing, but I still want to write about it, if not all that often. I'm trying to come to terms with myself, and not live under that "mom/mormon" thinking of everything within my control has to be perfect at all times and in all places. I can strive for perfection, but I can also be happy as long as I'm trying. To be honest, this isn't my sink. I think only under gunpoint would I let any of you in my home when it(and it definately has) looks like this.

I am happy to say that I have made genuine improvement on my floors. I no longer dread sweeping up crumbs, even though I still don't enjoy doing it. Are there chores out there that people actually look forward to doing? Are you human if you do? Or am I really the abnormal one out there?

Onto the topic at hand: duh, duh, duh (evil music inside my head) the dishes. I actually love cooking, well baking anyway. I think I would do it a whole lot more, if it weren't for the fact that I know I have to clean up my own house. I watch cooking shows with two emotions going through my mind. Jealousy and disgust. Is disgust really the right word I'm going for? Not sure, but it is sort of like watching things like "Meet the Parents" where all I can say is "Stop it! You are making a mess! Just sit on your hands, for crying out loud!" That is how I feel watching Paula Deen make her delectable dishes. Do you really need to dirty a measuring cup, to then put the ingredient in a bowl, just to be then put into another bowl? It just seems silly. I go through my meals trying to decide how to cut out that middle man or bowl. Mashed potatoes are never moved from the pot (and yes that pot is screaming for mercy every time the hand mixer comes out), and who needs to measure? Eyeballing it is so underrated.

The jealousy comes when I realize me telling Paula Deen to cut out her extra cups, is ridiculous not only because she's on the television screen, but because she has a whole crew to do her prep, and clean up. If only I had someone to come clean up my messes. I would make them all day long, and wouldn't stress over whether my children wanting to put apple slices in a bowl. I would probably let Lily where bowls as hats, and not go throught that battle of whether or not it is really "dirty".

My real confession comes at when I do my dishes. I would love to say that if ever there is a dirty dish, I immediatly put it into the dishwasher. I too often fall into the "I will just do it in the morning". There isn't good t.v. in the morning anyway, whereas after dinner, there is always something that I can waste my time watching. Dora is always a show that I don't regret missing, on occasion. And lets be honest, I'm waiting for Neil to do it.

Halloween

2010-11-02T11:07:00.000-07:00

Lily has just come out of her shell and decided she likes taking pictures. I have a whole list of them that I can't decide which I like best. She is absolutely a delight to be around these days. I'm looking forward to holidays, just so I can share my kids and let others see how sweet they are. Who cares about the pizza on her face! She's cute!

With a little coaxing from Neil, we have the "Fairy of Death"! My dear sweet, affectionate Isabel is modeling her scary fairy attire.

Abby was a fairy witch. Actually I really don't know what to call their costumes, I just wanted to make these cute tutus, and we turned them into whatever.

Can you guess?

2010-10-26T09:32:00.001-07:00

Kudos to Neil for taking care of girls and carving all pumpkins, while trying to work from home to finish a deadline. All I can really take credit for is gutting the pumpkins (with help), picking some patterns, and creating a really deformed eye. Each pumpkin has a character attached to it, can anyone guess which ones? We had to finish all of our Halloween party rituals last night, because Neil is heading out to AZ this week and taking Isabel with him. The rest of us will be celebrating Halloween by ourselves. Cookies has to be my favorite part of any holiday and everyone else is so nice to humor me and decorate along with me. One day I'll figure out how to make good sugar cookie frosting. Happy Halloween, everyone!

In response

2010-10-05T16:30:00.001-07:00

What a lovely conference weekend we had, right? And what would conference be without some group trying to demine and spin everything our authorities have to say? It happens everytime, and yet the church hasn't come out with any new doctrine. We seem to get the same lessons every six months.
I've been reading a lot of comments that are directed toward President Packers talk, which seem to me have been taken entirely the wrong way. Yes, he did say that acts of homosexuality are immoral and unnatural. Again I ask, anything new? Not really. But on the other hand, I did listen to his talk and while they may have been a little harsh, these words are taken out of context. If only the people angry over his remarks had listened to the entire talk and realized what love and hope eminated from it. I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but I'm getting angry over something I have zero control over, so I must voice my opinion. Isn't that the beauty of blogs? Say whatever I want, and not get judged for it. You can choose to skip over it (sometimes how I deal with Neil's political rants), or take it for what it is.
I love the argument that God made us like this so we must accept it. This may be the gospel according to Maggie, but I do believe at least part of that is true. God did make us all unique and special, all with our individual talents, along with our flaws and trials. We all know that no one among us is perfect, but what does that constitute? We make mistakes, surely. But we all have different things that cause us problems. I believe that people with homosexual tendencies really are affected, and it isn't by choice. I know too many good people to try to deny it. I believe that the apostles know this as well. There are good people out there who struggle, but I felt his talk was directed to them. Not to chastise them, but to tell them that there still is hope. God loves all his children, especially those struggling to make the right choice. And yes, I do believe family is the right choice. Where some might not think that homosexuality is a sin, but only something given to them, homosexuality does not bring on family. That is what is unnatural about it. Can anyone deny that the laws of nature can only be acheived between a man and a woman? Recently it seems the church has become more open with these types of tendencies and addictions. They are offering help wherever they can.
Every conference I listen to talks on love and acceptance. Why is one comment out of thousands made throughout the weekend, meant to outshine the others? Every 6 months they ask us to repent and do better each day, but I don't believe this is to tear us down and make us feel bad about ourselves. On the contrary, I believe is to uplift us, and help us to want to be better. "Better" is the only to way to truly be happy. I do know that my frustration also comes from the fact that I do know what makes me truly happy. It isn't giving in the whims that will make me temporarily happy, but it's my family. The gospel has given me hope to know that I can have my kids forever. Neil may drive me crazy at times, but it gives me joy to know that he is mine forever. We have been given such a marvelous gift, and I do feel sorry for those that choose not to use it. I don't intend for my comments to come off harsh, but sometimes they do. I haven't been given the gift of speech and use of words. I tend to be a little gruff, but what can I say? That is the way God made me :).
I know that all of the authorities and apostles especially know this. They know what brings on happiness, and the only way they can help those around them, is to ask them to be better. To seek help if needed, because it's there.
There you have it folks, my longwinded explanation for comments made. I know he doens't need my help, but I couldn't let my voice go unheard. If you have any thoughts on the matter, please share!

Oh what scissors can do!

2010-07-22T20:58:00.001-07:00

We had quite an incident here yesterday. Most of you that read my post, already know that Isabel has already tried her hand at cutting hair. It made her mother so upset, I thought she had learned her lesson. Well, needless to say she did it again. (sigh) This time she went and hid in her friend's room and had so much fun with a pair of scissors. I will now attempt to tell the story the way I saw it as they came home to show off what they had done. In come three little girls, I go to see them at the door and notice that Isabel's hair has been chopped off. Of course, I gasp, and say "What happened?!?" A bit retorical, right? (By the way, if you want to see a cute "before" picture of these cute girls, please scroll down a few posts) They respond, "She did it, isn't it nice". "Doesn't it look good?" The two younger girls were so proud (until Isabel looked into the mirror) and happy of their accomplishment. My favorite response was when I asked the friend if their mother knew, she said "Yes, she said it was really cute!" Here is what "really cute" looks like:
Not sure if this next one is a yawn, or realizing how unhappy mom is about this.

But, here we have it, folks! A disaster turned into an okay moment. She didn't like it when she looked into the mirror at the salon, but we've found a way to make her adorable face match her adorable new haircut.

We've been trying out new bows and spikes all day. That is her favorite part; the spikes. Since she has really fine hair, the spikes, or gel, comes out easily, so we've been needing to reapply.
Thank you Sara and Kate for your beautiful bows and clips.

So my tearful moments have been subdued. As cute as this is, please don't let your little girls get the same idea! As well as this disaster has been averted, its not so much fun!

Not much to say, just pics

2010-05-06T08:17:00.001-07:00

Neil turned 30!! Yes, he has the grey hairs to prove it!

This is his odd request for decorations. Abby said that we needed to have a pirate party for him, so Neil said he wanted Ninja's and Pirates on his cupcakes. This is just my lovely representation of one.

Lily is being such a helper in the kitchen. Okay, I try to do everything either when she's asleep or in her highchair. She is so entertaining! I could just sit and watch her for hours and laugh the whole time.

The moment you've all been waiting for....

2010-04-10T21:19:00.000-07:00

Fancy Nancy has come and gone. Isabel is four, now what is the world to do? Here are a couple pics to share, and show you just how special she is. Today we had butterfly sandwiches on toothpics. Punch that came with mini umbrellas with straws. Fancy cupcakes (sorry, wasn't ready to take on the petit for just yet), which by the way were awesome. If you are ever looking for some yummy cupcakes, try out Martha Stewart. I've tried two of her recipes, and I followed ALL of her anal instructions, and they've turned out fantastic. We ended the show with homemade tiaras and a very fashionable, and fancy, fashion show. (A little redundant, I know. But it was great none the less)

Lots of pics for everyone to see

2010-04-10T20:58:00.001-07:00

Lily playing peek-a-boo behind the curtains

Isabel's best friends are adults. ? Isabel loves her grandma's of course, but she gets very attached to a spare few people. She is very tentative and shy around other kids, that is why she needs Abby, but if an adult gives Isabel attention, she will be their best friend forever. Right Shauna, and Bob?

One of my Abby favorites from Leigh's wedding.

I thought this was too cute, and thought I should share. Love you, Hannah!

Congrats, Leigh. By the way, we need to talk. Texts are not good enough.

Neil declared this the winner

I know this is a duplicate for many, but just in case.

Do I not have the cutest babies ever?

I have loads of pictures of her crying and wanting to be done with this photoshoot, but this is the doll from Grandma Nina, which she loves.

Confessoin Number 2; The Floor

2010-03-14T12:31:00.001-07:00

Sweeping the floor. How long can you last before sweeping your floor? I don't know if it is my children, or just children in general, but by the end of the day, I have so many crumbs and what-nots all over my floor. Hopefully, sweeping is done more than twice a week, but that is not always the case. I also go barefoot most of the time in my house, so I can feel all of the crumbs as they stick to the bottom of my feet. I have even gone over to the carpet to wipe them off, because for some strange reason, vacuuming is so much easier than sweeping. I think its because my vacuum doesn't miss half as many things while doing it's job. I have also put socks on my feet just to avoid the sticking food particles. I think the worst part about the floor is when something gets spilled. I'm sure most people's first reaction is to pull out the mop, but I always have to second guess, because before the mop has to come the broom. I absolutely cannot mop unless the floor has been previously swept. Pushing crumbs with a wet mop, just makes everything worse, because then I have to get down on hands and knees to scrub up any of the things that have become stuck to the floor. Alas, if I neglect to mop, and try to quick fix the problem, by wiping up the spill with a wet cloth, I still end up stepping on the stick. Not only do I step on it two or twenty times, I sometimes spread the stick by stepping on another area of the floor. So, here is a random question that I have often wondered, which stick is worse? Juice (or other sugary liquid), sugar with all those loose particles, or syrup? I don't think I have an answer, because they are all so awful to me, but if you all have one that seems to bother you more than another, I'd love to hear it!
Along with having a messy floor, I now have a curious toddler. Usually, she will walk on past any crumbs, unless they look too appetizing (yes, gross, I know), but when I'm sweeping, all the crumbs in one place is just too much to pass up. And unfortunately, I do not have the central vac that I would love, so I still sweep all my crumbs into a pile before scooping them up and into the trash. Lily loves to chase me and the broom waiting until I pause to swipe another little bit into the pile, before she tries her own swipe. Have you noticed how fast little hands are? So my other dilemma would be, do I just try to outswipe her, or do I put her in the highchair with some crackers so she can create more crumbs to be swept up.
This week, my new goal will be to have the floors swept before I go to bed. P.S. I don't like to sweep until my counters are all wiped down in case extra crumbs make it to the floor, because who likes to do a job twice?

Confessions of a Mediocre Mother

2010-03-08T19:47:00.000-08:00

For the fun of it, I want to try something new. I'm finding myself getting more and more frustrated by my lack of patience, housekeeping skills, organization, procrastination, and the list goes on. I'm hoping that by blogging about my shortcomings, I will be more motivated to be better at all of these. I'd like to come off as joking, whereas the things I plan on blogging about are true, they are meant for laughter, and hopefully I won't feel so alone.
Confession number one....I would rather step over things numerous times than pick it up and put it where it belongs. I try to clean my shower at least once a week. Neil and I both shower about once a day. Today while cleaning, I decided it was probably time to throw away the three or four empty shampoo/conditioner/body wash bottles that were being pushed to the side. Yes, we stepped over them day after day. Yes, I've even moved them to the side to clean, but did not throw them away. This is why I am confessing. I'm sure most of you are not as horrible at these things as I am, but maybe you can find some comfort in knowing the things that go on in my home.
I think being honest with myself will help me to be better, however, please beware if you do come over, we may have toys on the floor, dishes in the sink, and fingerprints on the windows. On the other hand, even if I don't like to clean, I do love to bake. I keep telling myself that this point can make up for any of the things that don't happen.
So, this is my goal, to find a common friend to help in keeping up with the small things.

Lily's ONE!!!!

2010-03-01T15:43:00.001-08:00

Even though I should be studying....I felt like blogging. It is a bit of a bittersweet day for me. My sweet baby is one, and I don't think I like it. In my mind she is still around six months old. Well, a six month old that can walk and run, and play and cause all sorts of problems. She is my most calm, cuddling, loving baby thus far. She has such a hold on everyone around her. So, whereas I'm happy to celebrate her birthday, I really don't want her to get any older. P.S. We're having cake tonight all by ourselves. Meaning that we will have a lot extra, so come on over!

Time for a change

2010-01-05T09:03:00.001-08:00

Wow! What an amazing 2009! The year ended quite well, but quite busy. I'll start with the move, yes, the move, we finally made it to our house! Thanks mom, dad, and Pat and Robin for helping us out. It was hard being apart for so long, but now it is worth it. We are loving the house and neighborhood. Lots of snow, but the girls are loving it. I think they go sledding at least once a day. Twisted Sweeties was much busier than expected, and that was fun to see that I could actually pull it off, but not by myself, of course. I think next year could be really successful if we tried. So, if anyone wants a job next season, we may be able to help. Then came the holidays. They sure went by quickly, but at least it gives us something to look forward to next year. I know most of you have heard all about our rocking New Years Party, but here is just a recap of our pictures. Neil sliced his finger tip nearly off, so his are the beautiful stitches above. My mom had to finish up the gumbo that Neil started so we could head to urgent care to get it taken care of. It was yummy! After the new year, I decided it was finally time to get a decent night's sleep. We had to use the Ferber method on Lily, but it is starting to work out. She had to cry herself to sleep for the first couple days, but she doesn't cry as much anymore, which is much easier on me. We are now on day 3 of sleeping through the night. By the way, Lily is going to be one in two months! Yikes. Now onto me. After seeing all my pictures, I've decided it is way past time to lose a couple pounds. I need to post these things to make them more legit. You are all my witnesses, and can hold me accountable. My goal is ten, but twenty wouldn't hurt. I also have made it a goal to enroll in school and get my degree underway. Trying to go back has to be harder than finishing in the first place. Tomorrow I'm going in to take a placement test, and I'm probably more nervous than I should be. I think I'm fine with the english portions, but the math part scares me to death. It has been nine years since I've taken a math class, and it has always been more difficult for me. Some of it is slowly coming back to me, but Neil is being extremly patient with the rest. Thank you! If any of the rest of you want to help me with some polynomials, exponents, and logs, come on over. Anyway, this is longer than I planned, I just wanted to post my goals to make them more official. I hope all your holidays were grand!

Fall and Halloween--Hooray!

2009-11-01T18:30:00.000-08:00

Well, all I have is pictures. Not much to say, but hopefully the pics can speak for themselves. We had a great holiday, but can't wait for the next one. We are really looking forward to coming back to PHX to be with family and friends. I am loving the fall, as long as the snow stays away. The leaves are beautiful, but are finally clearing out of the trees, getting ready for winter. Anyway, Brenda, this post is for you. Let me know if there are pictures that you want me to send to you. More are posted on facebook, so have a look. We love you!

New Ventures

2009-10-27T13:43:00.000-07:00

Look appetizing? Lets hope so. For those of you I haven't told, I'm starting up something of a business. I've had so many ideas in the past, but this is my favorite, and possibly down the road, I can add a few more things to my repertoire. So, if any of you know anyone looking for corporate gifts, could you please pass along my name? Thanks to family, I already have a couple orders in, but I would like to see how far this can go. Wish me luck! Thanks!

Mort things to make you laugh

2009-09-21T08:13:00.000-07:00

Posts for Neil

2009-09-15T13:30:00.000-07:00

These videos are a little on the unexciting side, but I'm putting it up for Neil. We're separated until our house gets built, seeing each other on weekends. Since he misses most of what goes on up here in Idaho, I'm posting it all here. Lily is sure growing up fast. It seems that even in the last week, she has grown extraordinarily. She is now eating more, moving more, and just a whole lot of fun.

Here's to Friday! Love you!

One expensive penny

2009-08-14T10:26:00.000-07:00

I haven't been very good at keeping up to date with this thing, but I keep waiting for funny stories to happen. I think my time has come, although it may not be so funny once the bill comes.

Last night I put the girls to bed and went to get into the shower. While getting ready, this conversation goes on between Isabel and my mom. "Grandma, I'm going to put this penny in my mouth, all right?" "No, Isabel, pennies don't go in mouths" "Okay". From the bathroom I start hearing choking and vomiting. I throw on a towel and run in. Isabel is out of breath and I asked what happened. "I ate a penny, mom". I asked her if she threw it up, and she says, no. Around the vomit is a bunch of pennies, so how am I supposed to know if one of those was the ones that was in her mouth? I call up my ENT bro-in law and he tells me to take her into the ER. Honestly, I was just hoping for him to tell me that she would just poop it out, but since she sounded a little horse, I wasn't going to take my chances. While getting to the car, Isabel is bragging to everyone that she gets to go to the hospital. Yeah, ha ha, so funny. We get there, and she gets a couple of x-rays. Guess what? No penny. The tech guy say, well thats a relief. No, not really. We go back to the room, and Isabel needs to go potty. I send her in, and I hear her talking, so I go in, and she tells me she was talking to Grandma Nina. Right next to the toilet they have the string to call for help from the Nurse. I hope Isabel could have at least made her night. In comes the Dr. and he says he has good news, that there was no penny. Again, this isn't the best news I've heard. If I am going to spend $300+ on a penny, I want to see the stupid thing!!!! I think a penny will be easier to swallow than the bill we'll be getting in the mail.

Hope you all had a good night!!

"I have a tiny head?"

2009-07-07T20:38:00.000-07:00

I know it is so cliche, but I really can't believe how fast time has gone. It seems so mean that the nine months pregnant can go by so slow, but the months after the baby is born go so fast. For one like Isabel, those months going by quickly isn't so terrible (she was a crier), but with Lily, it really is bittersweet. She is the sweetest baby I have ever known. For those of you without infants in your home, beware, do not come and hold her! She will make you so baby hungry. She makes me want another one even. But alas, years have made me wise. Well, having Abby and Isabel close together has made me wise. Back to the baby at hand....I took her in to the Dr. yesterday and got her stats. She is in the 75% for both height and weight, but only in the 20% for head size. This is all kind of funny to me right now, mostly because I don't see any harm in it right now. Looking at her from head to toe, she just looks proportional to me. I think most babies heads look too big for their body, which apparently is normal. One complaint I have about this child, is that she is getting a bit "handsy". Feeding times have gotten a bit difficult due to the pain she causes by her unclenching pinches. In its own realm, like having a crocodile smash down with its jaws, trying to get out of Lily's hold is nearly impossible. The harder you try to pry her fingers open, they just clench down harder. My only saving grace would be having a good pair of baby clippers. Right now, I just feel lucky that she is still nursing. Abby was such a lazy eater (still to this day has a hard time chewing meat), she much preferred a bottle to drip down her throat. Isabel was too upset to eat from me, so with both girls I had to give up nursing early due to lack of milk, but I feel pretty good about this one. Let me know if you need a copy of this classic picture.

Abby During Dentist

2009-06-04T20:38:00.000-07:00

Alright, so I know most of you are very disappointed to see that I don't have video. I was very sad myself when this was going on. I'm sure 90% of you saw the youtube of David after dentist, and in mine own opinion this was so much more funny to witness. I'm going to try and use some discriptive words so you all can have wonderful imagery of Abby getting cavities filled (by the way, parents, floss your children's teeth!)

I think the dental assistant went a little heavy on the nitros today. I brought her in, and since my children are overly emotional and dramatic, I was expecting the worst. I thought I would be holding down my child while they numbed her. It started out as expected, when she felt the poke, she screamed and cried and even snorted at the doctor. He told her to breathe through her nose, that the gas would help her feel better. Well, she did just that and within seconds, she started humming. I was thinking she was trying to coax herself, but then she started getting goofy. The dentist left to let the numbing set in, and Abby started laughing outright, and kicking her legs up in the air. In between laughing, she would sing, but not any song in particular. When they were finishing up on her, she kept her singsong attitude and kept crossing and uncrossing her legs. The assistant mentioned how relaxed she seemed, and I had to mention that I think the gas must be on high. I can't say that I'm too happy to have put Abby in a drunken state, but at least she was happy during an uncomfortable time. "Why is this happening to me?" "Will I stay like this forever?"

I will never ever ever be a Utah resident!

2009-05-30T20:45:00.000-07:00

Okay, maybe not never. We've just made it official (fingers crossed the bank approves us). We just signed our lives away once again, but this time for a home in Utah county. Below are pictures taken at the model home and from our soon to be neighborhood. I'm happy to say we got an amazing deal, one that was too hard to pass up. For those that know the area, it is off the Highland exit (but we will actually have a Draper address), up off the SR 92. It has a rural feel, but close to everything.
This is the view from above the neighborhood looking at the Utah lake and beautiful green mountains.

This is the Master bedroom, of course ours won't look this great, but we'll try. I could sure use some artistic opinions. They do need to be kid proof.

This is the living area, but I'm not sure how flattering this is. It is part of a great room with the kitchen. I didn't think you wanted to see all my pictures, so I'm sparing you with my picks.

Here is our lot. We have a good view of our van down at the bottom. I'm sad that these pictures aren't doing it justice. You can see the western mountains and Utah Lake underneath. Looking up the other way you see green mountains. We are so lucky to have a pretty secluded area. There are probably less than two hundred houses in our immediate area (Neil says less than 150), so it is quite remote. Anyway, I'm excited. Looking forward to having all of you come and stay with us once it gets built!

P.S. I have another post below this one. And will probably have more. I've just unloaded my pics from the camera's, so I have more to show off.

New family pics

2009-05-30T20:39:00.000-07:00

We had these taken a couple of weeks ago, and I wanted to share. I think I have a pretty cute family, I hope you think so too. Not much to say about them, so I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

What defines OCD?

2009-05-08T11:48:00.001-07:00

I wanted to add a few of Abby's funny moments. Whereas Isabel is bipolar, I think Abby is a bit OCD (unless it comes to her room). She loves to help me clean up, again, with the one exception of cleaning her own room by herself. When it comes to making my bed, cleaning the kitchen, she loves to do it. I noticed it would take her awhile to pick up the diapers, and put them back in the cabinet, and wondered what she was doing. Come to find out, that just putting them away was not good enough for her. When I looked at the diapers, they were all in separate piles. One Elmo pile, one Big Bird pile, Zoe pile and so on. This is how she likes to clean up. Also, in that same weekend, I took her shopping. She had to "fix" all of the clothes and shoe racks as we passed. They all had to be even. If some of the shirts stuck out a little further, she had to fix it by pushing it back, or even moving them to a rack that was less full. We couldn't move on until she had done this.
Abby has also been preparing for Kindergarten, and I think she has been doing pretty well, but after a phone call from Tia (doing a project for her Early Ed. Class) I realized that I hadn't been working with opposites with Abby. So this morning I asked her a couple of opposites questions. My last one was "If you aren't sleeping you are?" And what did she respond? "In trouble". So true! But it wasn't exactly what I was looking for.
Last I have one of my favorite recent pictures that she drew for me. I was going to ask when I need to discuss "appropriate", but I think it is more my mind that needs to get the "appropriatness" adjustment. So, if you are having problems like me, it is an elephant....and a lion. Anyway, for those of you that don't know Abby, you should. She is a whole lot of fun!

Officially a Soccer Mom

2009-04-19T20:28:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of Abby's first Soccer game. She ended up scoring 2 goals (well, one may have been for the other team).

Abby was by far the most aggressive kid on the field. She would play around with the other kids, even giving shoulder massages, but the second the ball was put in play, it was all business. She would shove and use her elbows like a seasoned pro, anything to get to the ball.

Here is her first goal.

Here is a picture showing her second goal. You can see the coach pointing in the other direction.

I need a vacation!!

2009-04-13T20:18:00.000-07:00

We have had a pretty crazy busy week, but it all ended well. I guess. I'm not sure what order these pictures are coming up, so I'll just give the run down. We started with a trip to Idaho, and came back in time for Grandma Sharp to come for a visit. With her came a wonderful yet awful snow storm, but that only lasted a couple hours. We then took the girls to see the new monsters movie, and caught the Easter Bunny as we were leaving. By the way, Shannon, I'm amazed my girls still want to believe in the Easter Bunny with how scary this guy looks. Yikes! Lily turned one month old, and Isabel turned three. She was definately the Princess of the weekend. Between grandma's and mom, she got everything princess, and a bike. Abby started soccer, and according to dad, she liked to kick the ball, all the way out of bounds, and keep on going. Then came the dying of the Easter eggs, and yes, my girls are basically naked. I'm not a fan of having stained clothing. I still have more to come, I just need to find my camera charger. We still did Lily's blessing which was of course on Easter.

Anyone Going to Keep Score?

2009-04-02T06:22:00.001-07:00

Special Note: This was suppose to post on Neil's blog (Sharpreport.blogpspot.com) but I didn't realize I was logged in on this one. But since it already posted, Read at your own Risk.

I guess my title question is a little silly. With liberal/PC agendas being enforced all over America, of course no one will keep score, someone's feelings may get hurt. But I ask the question, at what point will Americans stop giving praise that "at least he aint dubbya" and start holding President Obama accountable for his actions?

I can make a firm pledge," he said in Dover, N.H., on Sept. 12. "Under my plan, no family making less than $250,000 a year will see any form of tax increase. Not your income tax, not your payroll tax, not your capital gains taxes, not any of your taxes.

...Drum roll please...

Now in office, Obama signed a law raising the tobacco tax nearly 62 cents on a pack of cigarettes, to $1.01. Other tobacco products saw similarly steep increases.

I wonder if there is a provision in this law that if you prove to the Circle K clerk that you make less than $250,000 a year, you will not pay this tax increase? Or is he just going to do his sideways finger point and tell us that this is a result of the previous administration?

Of course he also submitted his budget plan and you'll never guess what his chief is now saying. Middle Class tax cuts may not survive the Democrats on Capital Hill. You remember the "Tax cuts for 95% of Americans". But that can't be right it has to happen, he promised. And if you followed what he asked you to do during the last days of the campaign, YOU promised your neighbor also. So, I'm sure it's coming. Right? Oh, wait, I can see the it now "It's not my fault, I tried, but the Democrats...I mean...those evil Capitalists...I mean... those big meany Republicans that want to steal your money and give to the CEO's of banks, wouldn't let me cut your taxes." Of course with the patented Obama Finger Point.

By the way, at this point, I do think President Obama could qualify for bowling in the Special Olympics. It would be nice to see him and Bush in a 10 frame bowl off for the gold. (See President Obama appearance on "The Tonight Show" if you don't get this joke)

Quotes from the AP: http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D979POSG0&show_article=1
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Economy/Story?id=7166810&page=1

New pictures

2009-03-27T12:42:00.000-07:00

Isabel and Abby were playing Fairy Godmother and the princess.

Abby and Lily

This picture is hilarious, if you know the backstory. I was having a frustrating evening, so after dinner, I wasn't going to do the dishes, so I told the girls that they had to clean the kitchen. Thinking it would be like asking them to clean their room, I thought nothing would come of the request. When I next came down the stairs, I found them cleaning out the refridgerator. They've seen Neil and I clean the fridge, but I don't know if they understood what was involved in cleaning the fridge, other than emptying it out. But that is what they are doing; emptying out the fridge onto the counter.

A little late....but Happy Anniversary nontheless

2009-03-19T10:39:00.000-07:00

Six years and three kids later....Yikes! I wanted to get a picture of the two of us from Phil's wedding, but I forgot. I also don't know how to put the pictures in the order that I want. Oh well. Neil, I still love you and think you are great. The girls adore you. Thanks for a happy six years. I'm glad I have someone to eat my unwanted jelly belly's. Love you!

2009-03-16T11:40:00.000-07:00

I've already posted this to my facebook page, but wanted to share with those that don't have it. I thought this was too funny. The rocket was a gift from my mom, and Neil was excited to try it out. These are two of Sonya's, and then mine, of course. The weirdo running through is Tia's husband Dan. Just kidding, Dan, we love you! The part Neil didn't get on video is when all the kids had to take a turn picking up the soda bottle and taking a drink. Isabel would pick it up anytime she thought she could get away with it. They all thought it tasted just like soda.

Lillian (Lily) Jean

2009-03-01T19:23:00.000-08:00

SHE'S HERE!

Lily was born at exactly 11:00 am Sunday March 1, 2009. She was 8lbs 7oz and 19" long. She is healthy and strong. She is very calm and doesn't even cry when poked with needles.

Here are the first of 1000's of pictures.

Kids are GROSS!!!

2009-02-27T19:47:00.000-08:00

This is just a quick note that I wanted to mention. I thought it was funny, if not revolting, but it might make you smile to know that at least it isn't your child.
We have been struggling to teach Isabel about using the toilet. She refuses to use it, even with bribery or other "fun" potty antics. Now that she knows she is supposed to use the bathroom for peeing and pooping, she is doesn't want to admit when she does something in her diaper, especially poops. Today she brought me a nice gift when I got home from (my final) a doctor's appt. I come in the door, as she was coming down the stairs, in nothing but a diaper, with a couple rolling balls following her. When she got to the bottom, she bent down to pick one of those rolling balls up. I didn't notice what it was exactly, but I did notice her attempt to put that ball back into her diaper. GROSS!!! At least she knew it didn't belong on the floor, right?
Hopefully, I gave you all a really good image that will stay with you for a very long time.

They're baaack!

2009-02-25T08:23:00.000-08:00

Gross! First off, I know this is an awful picture, but I had to show it off anyway. My wonderful body likes to do this when I get pregnant. At least it isn't as bad as when I had Abby. Now, I can still touch my feet and leave an imprint, but before it was much worse. You could hardly see my toes because they were so swollen. I've never been classified as toxemic just because my blood pressure hasn't really been affected, just swelling of the everywhere. That brings me to how my dad has great timing! He hired someone to come and clean my house for me. Wow! Thanks, dad, I truly appreciate it. It honestly couldn't have come at a better time. I have been thinking of Marge Simpson, since he told me, though. (More and more of her lines seem more relevent to me each day, I think) There is an episode where she wins something, and her prize is to have someone come and clean her house. She is so worried about what other people think, that she has to deep clean her house before they get there. I have that odd sensation to do that. My house isn't too terrible, but I am an awful organizer, so I have more clutter than necessary in my house. I just have to keep telling myself that I don't have to worry about cleaning prior to the cleaning. Whatever. My days of swollen feet, uncomfortable nights, and not being able to bend over are almost done.

Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T18:57:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day! Would you all like to know what a sweet husband I have? This is the breakfast that he made for me. If the picture isn't clear, everything was cut into hearts. The strawberries are specifically impressive. I'm sure most of you are thinking, "Oh, how sweet!" If not for the fact that he is making fun of me when doing this. He loves to watch me squirm. Don't get me wrong, the breakfast was really nice, and the other pictures will show that he really is a great guy, but the above pic is just him thinking he is funny. In mine own opinion, Valentine's Day is incredibly insincere. If you think Christmas is too commercialized, then what is this? At least at Christmas, people want to give gifts for good reasons. V-Day just seems to play on women's whims of the impractical. For those of you reading that actually like Valentine's Day, please don't get offended. Like I said, it is only my opinion, and really, what does that matter to anyone? Dislike of the holiday doesn't however mean I am a total romantic loss; my idea of romance is just a little more spontaneous. To me, there is nothing more romantic than a surprise gift or show of affection. I will suffer to celebrate the day for my girls. I think they enjoy any chance to celebrate any holiday. We will often decorate sugar cookies for the day, but I think more because I like to put red hots on my cookies, and this just seems to be the perfect time of year to do so.
That being said, and off my chest, here is how the rest of our day went. This is the meal that Neil made (yes, he made breakfast AND dinner!), and I'm not sure if it was just to be nice or maybe I am depriving him of celebrating a favorite holiday, so this is how he repays me. It was awesome! Neil really is a good cook, and knows how to take care of me. This is a kabob spin-off, with roasted veggies, grilled steak, chicken, sausage, and pineapple. Yum! It was a total feast. If you think this is impressive, you should have seen the spread that he made for the superbowl.

Here, we have the strawberries that I dipped. Now, don't let their ordinary appearances fool you. Before being dipped in chocolate, I stuffed them with whipped cream and cream cheese. Very, very good. I've been experimenting with my baking, trying to find new things that I like. Maybe someday I can make money doing something I like.

This picture made me laugh. Neil took Abby to the movie Coraline today. Apparently she liked the movie. It was in 3-D, and that is the story behind the glasses. She is frowning only because she didn't want her picture taken, and she was honestly mad about it. That is our day, hope yours was good, too.

Funny kids

2009-02-12T14:23:00.000-08:00

I wanted to write this out so I didn't forget it, but Isabel is learning all about naughty words at our house. Abby learned "God" and taught it to Isabel, so we've been having the naughty word conversation. They also like to say "na na na na na", you know, that teasing sing-song thing? Well, that is forbidden at my house. The girls are only being mean when they do it, so it isn't allowed. They will both try new phrases of that, so it isn't exactly the same, but anyone listening will still know what they are doing. They also love to tattle on each other. That's new for siblings isn't it? To put it shortly; they are learning how to get around naughty words.

This is what is funny, though. Isabel in trying to learn ways around getting in trouble, she will ask, "Well, can I say ________?" She will commonly ask, "Well, can I say Holy Cow?" I will answer yes, to that she will say "Holy Cow! Holy Cow! Holy Cow!" She just asked me a great one; "Mom, can I say, What?" (yes, what) I tell her yes, and then she says "Yay! What! What! What!" So, if Isabel ever says "What" to you, she could be cussing you out, and you wouldn't even know.

New pictures from the new camera

2009-02-08T18:46:00.000-08:00

We replaced the lost camera this week. Sigh....Oh well. Pregnant women should not be in charge of anything. I completely lose my mind all together. This is Neil's photoshoot to try it out. He had to figure out all of the settings and such, and the girls wanted to try out their new dresses. They are so excited to wear them, but know they aren't supposed to until Uncle Phil and Mandy's wedding. I have a couple of cheesy girls.

This one is my favorite. There is a special setting that will accent colors.

Here is another accented one. If you can't tell, the everything but the girls is in black and white.

Isabel trying on the dress by herself. The top button was done up just so it could accomodate the hanger, so Isabel stuck her head behind it.

What's in a name?

2009-02-05T07:59:00.001-08:00

I don't have any new pictures to share, because I have lost my camera. I'm a bit ashamed to write it, but I'm regretting it. The last time I used it was at Neil's basketball game, so it is somewhere between that middle school and home. I have scoured the house, though, and am still coming up short. The frustrating part is that with the baby's birth coming up....AHHH!!
Anyway, that wasn't exactly why I was posting this. I wanted to actually get input. I know this might sound odd especially for our family. We normally hate divulging name ideas. I am putting this online hoping to avoid things like "Well, I knew this one girl with that name and I didn't like her", or "I once had a dog named that". I'm stuck between a couple names that I really like and cannot decide between. Another lady in my ward wants to use the exact same name that is in my choices. I think it is funny because it is both first and middle name. I'm due first, so, would that be mean if I took it? I still don't know which one to use, so this is why I'm asking your help. Feel free to answer the poll to the left. Love you all!

New goings on

2009-01-15T08:51:00.001-08:00

We haven't been too exciting around here, but I thought it was time to add a new post. I love reading all of yours, so I guess I better put up my own. Here is Isabel, the girliest of the two. I know I have other post where she is dressing up, but here is yet another one of her princess poses. If only she'd let me fix her hair more often, or at least keep the elastics and barrettes in for more than an hour. We lose many at church. We are currently "trying" to potty train, but her only interest in going seems to be when we are trying to put her in bed. This is how she stays up.

Abby is being very sensitive right now. Her favorite thing to carry around is a big, plush towel that we have. I'm not joking, she will use it to dry off, and then she will use it as a blanket, and then continue to carry it around in the morning. She gets disapointed when I wash it. She is also going through a "death" stage. I think all kids go through this stage, but she is really worried about death. She has nightmares about it, and she will come in to our room asking help from Neil to say prayers to keep her safe. It is really sad, and I don't know what to do for her. We tried to tell her about Heaven and being an eternal family, but then she cries about not wanting to leave her home. As if it is going to happen tomorrow. ???
Now I feel like a little complaining of my own. First of all, I realize that I am very fortunate in being able to have my own kids, so there is no disrespect intended for those of you that cannot. I just wanted to get that out before I go on my own rant session. I'm at the stage of pregnancy where you are ready to be done, yes I know that baby is better off where she is, but I'm ready for her to be out. (I'm also looking for comments for support) Have any of you looked forward to the sleepless nights when the baby comes, just to get away from the sleepless nights before the baby comes? Whenever I lay down, I have acid reflux that acts up, and it is awful. I think I'm past most of the heartburn, but I have to deal with the unexpected vomiting. But forget about getting out of bed to take care of it-due to leg and back pain. It takes me at least thirty seconds to even roll over, let alone getting out of bed. How about sneezes or coughs? I was so embarrassed over this when I was pregnant with Abby, but now I have come to realize, this is just how it goes. I have to flex every muscle in my body and cross my legs just to keep from peeing my pants. What is that about?! Now comes my favorite part. I went in to my doctor this past week and I weighed in about 40 pounds heavier than when I began. I realize most women only gain 35 pounds with their babies. With Abby I gained over 75 (water weight was involved), and with Isabel, I believe it was close to 60. So needless to say that 40 pounds right now is not really my priority. When my doctor asked what I was doing about my weight, I just laughed at him. I wanted to say it was due to the acne outbreak in my face.

Snow Fun

2008-12-17T08:52:00.000-08:00

So these are our latest pictures up in cold Salt Lake. I was getting worried that we weren't going to have a white Christmas for our first year up here, but low and behold, here it is. Now I have all the stresses that come with the snow. I'm one of those incredibly paranoid moms and wives that worries anytime she is not in complete control of the situation. Neil has a tendency to forget his phone, or leave it turned off, and if he doesn't get home within ten minutes from when he states; I'm already waiting by the phone to call the police department. Can you imagine my life with three teenaged girls?!? I'm stressing now just thinking about it. Anyway, the girls have had a lot of fun. Abby will even get herself dressed and go out by herself. The only warning I get is the sound of the door opening and closing. Next week we'll be down in sunny AZ out of the snow. So, for all of you Arizonians that read my blog, lets set up a lunch/ice cream date one night. I miss you all!

"Dead dove, do not eat!"

2008-12-11T08:29:00.000-08:00

Let me start off by saying, this post may not be for everyone. Particularly not those with weak stomachs, or at least those that are pregnant. Neil showed this to me last night, and I almost lost it. Even thinking back on it, and the fact it is now in my garbage can still gets to me. Okay, so I don't go taking pictures of dead birds on the side of the road (or make Neil do it, so I don't have to go near it), but this one was a little too strategically placed, in my opinion. This was placed here right outside of our garage door, and seemed in perfect condition. So, my question to all of you....was this bird placed here by nature? By cat? or does someone have it in for me and wants to kick me out of Utah? I'm sure someone found out my dislike for David Archuletta and is trying to scare me off. I am thinking of my two neighbors with the perfectly decorated house both inside and out. I think they also let out their little rat of a dog to poop on my lawn. I haven't caught them yet, but I have my suspiscions. And, for those of you questioning, yes, they do listen to Archuletta full blast on their sterio, to share with all of us in this little pod. Just a a little too steriotypically gay in my prejudiced opinion. Anyway, after my little rants, I thought it would be best to put my pictures on the bottom of the page, so you could turn away if you wanted. Not sure what you expected, huh?

Yes, a little disclaimer, I know it isn't a dove.

blog slacker

2008-12-10T08:26:00.001-08:00

I know I have been terrible about blogging lately. I felt like I didn't have anything to blog about, but as I'm looking at my pictures, I have plenty! Once again, my girls are nothing but funny. Isabel is more of a girly girl than Abby ever was, so her personality seems totally foreign to me.

This other picture is of the girls climbing the mattress. I remember doing this myself, and getting in trouble for it, too. I was surprised to come downstairs and find that Isabel up on top. I had to see Abby climb up there to see how Isabel had done it. She is no longer a helpless little baby. Maybe I could have figured that out when she figured out how to open the child proof bleach bottle.

I think I have my pictures backwords, so bare with me....

This was a precious picture of Abby. She has been very helpful lately. I love it. Now if only I didn't have to fight her to clean her room, and such. When we moved we got rid of our cheap Walmart plastic tree. Hooray!! I hated that thing. I felt that when I was putting ornaments on, I was just trying to cover up vast empty spots, that never seemed to get smaller. No matter what was put over them. This year, we got a real one. I love it so far. I know both of our parents had to complaint of cleaning up pine needles, but this hasn't been bad so far.

Then I have another of Isabel and dressing up. I told her to get her shoes on so she could go outside, and she thought this would suffice. I love the pose she added.

P.S. I could use some help from all you bloggers out there. I would love to have a cuter layout, but don't know how to put one on. Anyone have some easy instructions, or free websites to check out?

No pictures, just venting

2008-11-16T16:33:00.000-08:00

What do you do when the tv goes out? Honestly, I have no idea! We are quickly finding that out, due to our lovely week. First, our lamp for our big screen blew, and we are still waiting for the replacement part. (Never buy a Mitsubishi!!) So last week, we all watched one tv. Not so fun when you are outnumbered by little kids wanting to watch Dora and Max and Ruby for the fifteenth time. Neil was gone all last week at work, so I had little kids tv non stop. Next came the speakers on our computer (normally that wouldn't be a big deal, but I'll get to that in a minute). Yesterday, Isabel decided to dump the remote for our working tv into the bathtub. Remote is shot, and no way of replacing it because Dishnetwork does not sell remotes other than from their website. They say they do, but they lie. We tried. We also cannot bring the working tv to the working remote because of HD programming, long story. So we wait for the lamp or a remote. So, when it comes to to the time when I need a break with the help of the mindless children's programs, I could go to the internet, but my speakers are broke!! So I just needed a minute to scream. AAAHHHHH!!!! I know in church meetings, they ask you not to watch tv or other wordly things, but let's be realistic. My children will not sit and read scriptures the entire day, I cannot read scriptures all day long. Sundays are really long. At least Monday we can go to the library, or Christmas shopping or something.

Picnics, pumpkins, and costumes

2008-10-29T09:47:00.000-07:00

I don't have much to talk about, so I am just going to label the pics for you. I think my girls are hilarious, and these pictures will show you why. No denying what my children really are...

Can anyone guess our theme? Maybe we can get some better pics with them lighted up.

This is what happens when Isabel escapes from her room. She exhausted herself doing it, and finally fell asleep here, instead of her bed.

Abby at our picnic up Cottonwood Canyon. This is why we moved here! Beautiful weather and scenery!

Jumping from rocks

Making a teddy graham sandwich, with some already stuffed in the mouth.

Cheese!

Halloween Treats

2008-10-16T18:45:00.001-07:00

I know I've been doing a lot of posts lately. Sorry. I guess it is better than only making one every few months. Today, I thought I would make "special" cupcakes with the girls, and they were so funny, I didn't want to forget the things they did. First comes the baking of the cupcakes. The girls then fight over who gets which beater to lick, and then try to convince me to give in to letting them have the bowl and spatula (they both ended up with brown goaties). I totally remember being envious of the spatula. My mom would bake something, and with so many kids, there were only two beaters to hand out, then came the spatula, then the bowl. I would always opt for the bowl, thinking that had the most, but I remember watching my mom scoop out what she could with the spatula.
Next came the decorating, but only so much went on the cakes. They tried to sneak every piece of sugar they possibly could. If I caught them, they thought I was the mean one. I also had to post a pic that showed the little finger prints on the rest of the cupcakes.
I guess I just had to show off the domestic diva in me. Which is really non-existent. Only very rarely will I bake, but that is about it.

Poor, poor Utah

2008-10-15T09:29:00.000-07:00

I think Neil and I were not thinking too clearly when we thought that we could handle Utah. I hate being so judgemental or critical, but seriously?! Utah, is this really all you have to offer, that you design a corn maze off of this dude? I wonder what type of royalties they had to pay his dad. When I thought I could stomach the "CTR" graffitti (no joke, people put cups above a bridge that spelled CTR), this is too much for me. Please, people, get a life. For those of you that are Archuleta fans, sorry, just blame it on my pregnancy hormones. It is making me mean. ha!

I posted this, because Neil and I took the girls to a corn maze for my birthday. Not this one, but still a classic Utah event. We forgot to take our camera into the maze, and were too cold to go back and get it. Growing up in snow, it is still hard to get used to cold weather in October after living in Phoenix for 6 years. Oh well, it has been really nice on our power bill, we'll just see if that stays the same when we have to turn the heater on. The girls had fun in the maze, other than the fact, Abby hated her winter clothes. For those of you that know her, that shouldn't be surprising. She can't handle tags in her clothes, or having her clothes slightly wet with a little sand. She is very finicky. Isabel just wanted to be held the entire time, but kept yelling at the corn. "Hi, Corn!" Thanks for the birthday wishes, but especially for not making fun of my horrible picture. Thanks, Neil.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAGGIE

2008-10-14T11:09:00.000-07:00

I thought I would hijack this blog for a moment and wish Maggie a happy 26th birthday and allow the rest of you to do the same. Maggie, I'm thankful for all you do as a selfless wife, mother and friend. For me, life would be pointless without you and the sweet daughters you've given me. So I'm glad to have this day every year to, once again, thank you and thank the Lord for sending you to us all. So heres to being one year older and a lot of years wiser than most of us. I love you!

I'll add a few more pictures when I get home.

Latest Sharp Vacation (Newport Beach, Disney)

2008-10-05T19:06:00.000-07:00

This was Laguna Beach. There was tons of seaweed all over, so the beach stunk. It was a little cold and really foggy, but the girls wanted to stick their feet into the water. It didn't take too long before the girls fell into the water and got entirely wet. The rest of the trip, they were wearing the adult's jackets.

Isabel only wanted to see Minnie Mouse. It took us five times of actually seeing her, to actually get a picture. Every time that we got into line, she had to go back inside. We went through Mickey's house to see him, and after her hug and picture, Isabel said, "Bye, Mickey! I'll miss you, but I'm going to see Minnie!" Of course, that was one of the times that we saw her, but didn't get her picture.

I'll post more pictures later, but this is all I have on this computer. This is the last day, as we were attempting to leave the park. The girls were so good and happy the entire time, but at the end, they were just too tired to even keep their heads up.

This was from our ride home. Abby was still exhausted.

Thought you might like to know...

2008-09-22T08:02:00.001-07:00

If you have had the opportunity to see Abby in the past few months, she has probably told you our little "secret". She has been taking pride in telling people about the "baby in mommy's tummy". So, if I haven't told you personally, please don't take offense, I've kind of let Abby take over in that department. This morning we were able to check out the gender... and surprise!! What do you think it was? Here's a hint, Gardner's get girls, except for a couple bonuses on the side (ie. Phil and Jackson). So yes, we are having another little girl. It was a little disappointment, but I think we'll get over it. Girls are sweet, but I'm finding that they scream.....a lot. I just hope this one will turn out more like Abby when it comes to bed time. I also wish I could add images where I want them. I always have trouble with that. I could post "proof" of the gender, and also a pic of her face, but those are a little creepy to me. Especially the face shots. They look so alien. I thought this was cute, though. You can see her

fingers! When I set up the appointment, I asked if I needed to have a full bladder, and the lady just laughed at me. In Surprise, I'm used to a whole painful ultrasound process, where I have to have a full bladder, and they get to push on it while checking out the baby. I'm glad they have

better equipment up here. We will now be accepting name suggestions if any of you have some to add, please share. I'm out of ideas. Also, if you don't mind, if you could send your condolences to Neil. We were all sort of hoping for a boy, but even though we love our girls, we may very possibly be done, so that would mean no boys for Neil. It is a sad day for him. Abby, too. We walked out of the office and we showed her the pictures, and told her she was going to have another sister. She pouted and said, "but I wanted a brother"! It will all be worth it when the baby comes.

Bed time nightmares

2008-09-18T11:23:00.001-07:00

When I talk about bed time nightmares, I'm not talking about the girls. I have been having such a hard time putting them to bed ever since we got rid of Isabel's crib. From 8:00 on, it is such a struggle to get the two (Isabel mainly), to go to sleep, and stay in their beds. We still have a toddler bed in Isabel's room, but she chooses not to stay in there. And by not choosing to stay in there, I mean that she will throw an irate temper tantrum, and will not listen to any type of reason. Although, I do know safety procedure, and know better than to put my two year old on the top of a bunk bed, that is where she will stay with the least amount of trouble, not to mention that Abby likes the bottom better. Isabel is constantly getting out of bed, and trying to see how far she can get before we catch her. She has often made it to the basement, claiming that she wants to sleep there. Is it strange that I feel safer with her on the top bunk with the possibility of her falling, rather than in the basement all alone? I got these pictures a few days ago, when they had tired themselves out completely. I think poor Abby was being pushed off the bed. Now, aside from forcing my children (cross that out) forcing Isabel to stay in her room when we put them to bed, after that is my struggle to keep her in her room without waking Abby. After midnight sometime (but every night) Isabel comes in our room wanting to sleep with us. Okay, I am a light sleeper, and cannot stand to have people inching their way underneath me as I lay there. Isabel is no exception. I have ended up putting a couple blankets and pillows on the floor as her bed. I have been so tired of getting up with her, and of course, she will throw a fit if I try to put her back in her room, or Abby's. Thus my meaning of waking Abby up. Enough rambling, anyone have ideas for an easier way for bedtime and keeping children in their beds. Yes, I realise that this blog is quite redundant. Oh well, such is my life right now.

Abby's preschooling

2008-09-03T10:14:00.001-07:00

This year I started my own little preschool with only a couple other little kids from the neighborhood. Unfortunatly, Abby is the oldest by a few months, and when you are pre-kindergarten, months make a difference. Abby seems to be bored when I try to help the other little kids. She finishes her worksheets quickly, and just wants to play the rest of the time. This is something that made me laugh. Abby's favorite things to do is to play games on the computer and write letters to her grandparents and friends. When she writes her letters, there really isn't any semblance or order to any of the letters. Except or her name and "mom" and "dad". Yesterday I set up nickjr.com for her to play some games, and this was my result. She opened up a Dora game and decided to copy what she saw. She doesn't really know what she is writing, but I have to say, I was impressed. She hasn't figured out how to put spaces in between, and to either finish a word on the same line, or at least put a dash in between. If you'll notice, she has "backpack", "boots", "benny", and even "senor tucan". I guess I'm bragging a bit, but this is nothing I have done. This is all Abby's doing, she loves to copy things. She makes me laugh.

Beijing Olympics

2008-08-20T19:43:00.000-07:00

I have to say that I am tired of the Olympics. I probably should be glad I'm saying this on my computer, and not in person, because I might get punched. I just think NBC is doing an awful job at broadcasting. I usually love watching the Olympics, but come on! If I have to watch the same gymnastics routine I might throw up (okay that may be happening for other reasons). We get to watch close ups on these poor girls' faces as they wait for each new routine. I mean, these are all recordings (anyone else like the constant "live" on the top of the screen), couldn't they even show highlights of stupid sports? Come on, badmitton, fencing, archery. I know there are plenty. I love how they get the athletes on camera for over five minutes at a time, and they will give a smile and a wave, and then they have to pretend that the camera isn't there anymore. They are doing everything they can just to avoid another run in with the camera. So, since I am so bored, but am determined to watch anyway (I feel partially unpatriotic if I change the channel) these are the things I am noticing and getting a kick out of. Maybe some of you have seen some of the same things and can share. First, I loved the hug that Usain Bolt got, not only from his mother and other family members, or even those of his same country, but from the Chinese spectators. I loved how excited they got, and how Bolt couldn't even get away from it. You could see him prying their arms away, just so he could go pose for more pictures. I know these seem so insignificant, but they make me laugh. I also noticed the kiss the Alicia Sacramone got from one of the Romanian (maybe Russian) gymnasts. It started out as the usual- a kiss to both cheeks. That was when the American started to walk away, but the Romanian wasn't done. She held onto Alicia and tried to search for a cheek to kiss again. It was awkward, but so funny! So random. I love that I can rewind it and make sure Neil saw these awkward moments, too. I wish you were all here, so I could show you as well.

But now I am going to enjoy my long weekend. Neil's family is in town to send David off on his mission, and now that he is gone, Brenda took the girls away to Park City for the weekend. Happy Birthday, Mike. haha. My cell phone will be turned off, until probably around 10 or 11 tomorrow morning. I get to sleep in, guilt free for the first time in probably four years. Hooray!! I hope all you mothers are jealous. Yes, I have already realized how great my mother in law really is. I don't know who she loves more, my girls, or me.

Transitioning

2008-08-13T07:50:00.000-07:00

Okay, so this picture has little to do with what my post is about, but I hate putting up posts without a picture. This is how Abby transitioned into a bed after crib. Of course, this was still about a year later, but this is still what she did. My problem now of course, is with my sweet and adorable Isabel. I am having a hard time seeing her as such right now. She has figured out that she no longer wants to sleep in a crib. She was climbing out non stop until I finally let her sleep in our foam princess couch, where she would actually sleep. Then the problem came to her getting to sleep, but not staying asleep. During the night, she would, and still does turn on all the lights, and then come and get me wanting to stay up. We then got some bunk beds for the girls. We were originally going to keep them separate, but decided in the end to keep them together. We still have Abby's toddler bed, so we put that in Isabel's room, and the bunks in Abby's. This is where I need help. No matter what, I cannont keep Isabel in any room to sleep. What do I do? I'm frustrated and tired. I can't get Isabel to sleep before 10:00 but it is normally 10:30. Keep in mind that I am normally pretty strict on my bed times. We are finally getting to where the sun will go down near 8:30 now, so much better than when we got here and it wasn't going down until 9:30 or later! So, any tricks that you moms have for getting your children to sleep? And staying to sleep. I know my blog has been so incredibly boring, and now all I have is a rant.

reality tv and shows not really for kids

2008-07-17T10:24:00.000-07:00

So I have to say hooray for all of my silly reality tv. This is my first (from start to finish) season of So you think you can dance-and I love it! I could scream like Mary Murphy, but she is the reason tivo is so great. I don't have to hear her. Project Rungay is also back, and another one I am excited for. The other one we watch is Last Comic Standing. Did anyone watch a couple weeks ago with Marcus (the guy from West Jordan, UT) talking about Willy Wonka and how it wasn't necissarily a kids show? His parents would watch the first few minutes with him, and then thinking it was safe, they would leave him alone with creepy Gene Wilder and that was when the show went wrong and scary.

We experienced this with our kids this week. We netflixed The Spiderwick Chronicles for the girls. We actually watched the whole thing with them, but I will get back to that later. It started nice enough, but then goblins and trolls came out, and even the good guys were a bit scary. We would have turned it off, but the girls were so entranced by it, and also we had to let them know that things turned out all right in the end. Poor Isabel even screamed and jumped behind me at one point, but she was the one fighting for me to let her stay downstairs to watch it. The next day, Abby told me that she had a nightmare, about the scary spiders and that I made her stay downstairs in the dark to watch it by herself. Am I a mean mom or what? So here is your warning-don't make your kids watch it alone in the dark.

On a side note, they watched this one easier than they did Wall-E. We took Abby as a treat, because she is finally keeping her bed dry at night!! But the poor girls were bored to death by that movie. It definately wasn't made with kids in mind. It was more like Happy Feet with the "saving the penguins" at the end, but slightly less obnoxious. (Don't get me wrong, I love penguins, sort of like, I'm not racist, I love black people. (I hope you all understand my humor))Anyway, the only thing to keep the kids near us, was the popcorn and soda. I thought the movie was cute, but we really did go with the girl's in mind. That is all my ranting. Go watch some tv and tell me what you like.

Who's child is this anyway?!?!

2008-07-09T07:34:00.000-07:00

Neil and I have always determined which child belonged to which parent. Abby has always had somewhat of Neil's personality and a lot of his features, Isabel has always been mine. Now, I don't know if I want to admit that I was that awful for my parents. She has definately hit two, and has hit it hard. She has not limited herself to this, but her favorite thing to do is to get into the pantry and dump out the flour. If she has time, she will try to mix the flour and the sugar. Yes, the pantry is being rearranged, with those things closer to the top. Her other favorite things, as grandmothers will attest, is to pull keys off the computer keyboard, and pour out whatever liquid or gel she can get her hands on. This includes, but again not limited to, shampoo, lotion, diaper cream, syrup, egg dyes, etc.

I'm sure the picture below is one that my mom is very familiar with. I'm finally realizing that I was that awful for my parents. I am also realizing that I am losing my patience with the number two. So, if anyone has any "2" stories they would like to share, please do. Maybe I can award the winner with a candy bar and a coke. Anyway, I need to get back and clean up another possible mess.

TGIF!!

2008-07-05T16:34:00.000-07:00

It seems that ever since Neil finished school, we have been doing something every weekend. Back in Arizona, Saturday's were filled with laundry, homework, and house work. I almost feel bad that the girls haven't had a normal Saturday here, at home, but at least I think they are enjoying themselves. We spent the first few weekends at my mom's house. We also went to Lagoon with the fam for birthday's and such, this weekend we went camping for the 4th. We went to Bloomington Lake (near Bear Lake), and it was so beautiful! Thanks, Phil for telling us about it. We missed you, though. We had a place next to the river, which was really nice, except for the bugs. So, if anyone plans a trip, don't forget the bug spray. I think we went through a couple bottles, but luckily we escaped with little to no bites. These are just a couple of my favorites, so I'll try to post the others on facebook. We all had a great time the first day. After one night's sleep, Isabel had had enough. Thus saying, I had had enough. When Isabel gets grouchy she is awful!! But, as you'll see in the pictures, at least she is adorable. We went for a hike the next morning and Isabel was trying to fall asleep on our heads when we carried her on our shoulders. Abby thought she was hilarious when she took a bath in the little washbasin. We got those on Target clearance, and I don't think they were made to be washing tubs, but they worked fine for us. The girls were clean for a whole two minutes!! They got so filthy, but right before we went into the tent, we scrubbed them up in a small tub and they were clean for the night.

So I can look forward to Fridays again like I used to in elementary school when Friday's were full of Urkel, Full House, and Mr. Cooper. I'm glad times have evolved!

Bye bye pacifier, sort of and hopefully.

2008-06-30T09:26:00.000-07:00

So here is my cute family. I think everyone is familiar with my girls, but in this picture I also have my sister's kids (minus one). By the way, I miss you already, and am so glad that you came. Abby and Isabel have been asking non stop for their "friends".

Today is the day that we are getting rid of the pacifier for good! We kind of got rid of it back in AZ, but during the move we kind of went back to it. So, today, we finally cut off the top and she won't get it for bed time or even naps. Okay, stressful for me. I know they are bad for the teeth, and it isn't as if I want her to have it. I just don't have the heart to take it away. I think I am being a tough mom when I tell her that she can only have it when she goes to bed, but I am also a wimp and can't handle the crying and screaming, and whining, and hitting and grouchiness. I also try to tell myself that all or most children go through this, but it isn't helping. I hate the pacifier!! I remember when it was Abby that I told myself that Isabel would be off of hers by 6 months old. Okay, obviously that didn't work. Isabel is even more attatched than Abby ever was. She would prefer the pacifier to me any day. Any good mothering ideas are welcome, just not the ones that tell me that I am a bad mom because she isn't already off of it. Yes, I know she is 26+ months old!! I'm trying!! My goal for the end of the day, is not to stop at Walmart and get a new one.

Happy Birthday, Tia

2008-06-17T19:50:00.001-07:00

Here's some random pics of my 4th favorite sister. Haha. That was a joke. We miss you Tia, and wish you were closer! We were happy to spend at least a day with you for Leigh's graduation. We're all so glad you are happy in California. Dan is one lucky guy. Make sure he knows that!! I know all of your nieces and nephew love you to death. When we called, she wanted to say Happy Birthday, but Sonya's name just got in the way. We love you. Happy Birthday!! Have a good one!

2008-06-13T18:47:00.000-07:00

I had actually forgotten about this picture, and how much I wanted to show them off. This is the type of help I get from my children. So I wanted to make a really nice tiered cake for Neil's graduation. Granted it is not the best so what they did, kind of helped me in a way. At least I could blame the fact of it not being the best cake on them, and not necessarily on the fact that I didn't want to spend so much time on it. Oops, secrets out. I'm kind of a lazy baker. I love to bake, but am not willing to spend a whole lot of time on it. This is partially why we do muddy buddies so often. Anyway, I thought the cake was funny because of the face that was put here. These are Isabel's fingerprints, and as soon as she did it, she told me that it was a face. Luckily I had already planned to put stars on in ASU's colors, I guess this helped me to "strategically" place them. (yes, I know I am spelling terribly, but like the lazy baker, I am also a lazy blogger)

Hooray!!

2008-06-13T14:19:00.000-07:00

Okay, so the moment you've all been waiting for.....I'm back online. I know you all couldn't wait to see what odd ramblings I have to add, which is really not much. I've gotten out of the habit of blogging, so I really have nothing to say, but I have a few pictures I wanted to post. Here are some fairly old pictures of the girls and their Sharp cousins. This was while we were staying over with Neil's parents. By the way, we miss all of you!! The other two are pretty self explanatory. Neil's graduation. Congrats, babe! We are really proud of you!

Signing off

2008-04-28T17:14:00.001-07:00

Just letting you know that the next two entries are new. I had to get it all out of my system before I'm left without a computer. I'm sure I'll go stir crazy and find a way to someone elses computer. Anyway, wish us luck. By the way, moving companies are the best! I hope I can still say that as we are unpacking all our things, but it has been really nice so far. Thanks, Stanley! For those of you here in AZ, we hope to see you at Neil's party on the 10th. We'd love the opportunity to say goodbye to all of you. Call me for details, if you don't already know them. Everyone knows what a "roast" is, right? I'm sure most of you are just itching for the chance to get all your digs in at Neil. We're both looking forward to it.

Bearing fruit

2008-04-28T17:06:00.000-07:00

Alright, I am so proud of these! They were planted 2 1/2 years ago when we moved in, and they are just now started to bear fruit. I guess that will be good for our new tenants. Unfortunately, I don't have any claim to these. I have the blackest of black thumbs ever! Neil did these all himself. If you can't tell what they are, first we have the apple tree, then the grape vines, and finally lemons. They look more like limes right now, but I'm still ecstatic to see them. The girls have been waiting for weeks to pick one, but I don't think any of them will be ripe in a day. Oh well. Hooray, Neil!!

Guitar Hero

2008-04-28T16:55:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to Neil, slightly early. David totally splurged for Neil this year. Thanks, we really appreciate it. I don't know who loves this thing more, though. Whether it is Neil, or the girls (or possibly David). We've had to set it up over at Mike and Brenda's, since we are basically gone from our home. I know how happy Brenda is to have that lovely music blaring through her home at all hours of the night (sarcasm added). Abby is absolutely hilarious when she has her turn to play. You can see how she is totally rocking out to the song. I promise that Neil and I did no couching from the sidelines or presong. When she picked up the guitar she just starting jumping all over the room with guitar in hand. It is so funny to watch. Poor Isabel can't really pick it up and play at the same time, so she did better if it was on the ground.

Update

2008-04-23T16:16:00.000-07:00

So, we have someone that wants our house, but wants it by May 1st. This means, we will be moving to Utah earlier than planned. We will miss those of you here, but are looking forward to seeing those of you up there more often.

Happy Birthday, Isabel!!

2008-04-19T12:14:00.000-07:00

Alright, this is a bit overdue, but I still wanted to post it anyway. All of these pictures have been taken in the last week, so at least I can say that she has had fun. First is her birthday cake(s). I had to post two pictures because the next one is the "day after" cupcakes. For all you Gardner's out there, yes it was rainbow chip. Maybe next year I should just put frosting on a spoon and put candles in that. Then we have the orange juice. No, the juice did not all get into her mouth. It was a mess, but I still had to get a picture. Isabel also loves to take baths. This is a picture of her getting into the tub, and rubbing shampoo all over her body. Note to self, never leave bedroom door open!! You would think that I would learn by now. Actually, it isn't open all that often, but I guess when it is, it just means run in and make as big a mess as possible. The final picture is last nights bowling trip. Neil waited for Abby and I to use the restroom and her treated Isabel (or himself) to an arcade game. (P.S. anyone who does the collage pictures, I really want to know how to do it. Maybe you could put simple instructions in the comment box?) I have other great pictures, but will post them later. Isabel has gotten into her terrible stage, that seemed to come at the same time as her birthday. I have to capture all of those terrible times, so I can show her later on in life. And maybe when I'm a grandma, these times will seem as funny and cute to me as they do to other grandmas. Happy Birthday, Isabel!

Nigerian scemes

2008-04-15T17:49:00.000-07:00

Does anyone else find it incredible that in Nigeria, and other west African countries, they have jobs for people just to scam Americans (and others) out of their money? When I worked for the bank, I found how often it really happened, and I also got sucked into a Dr. Phil program that had a special on that exact thing. (Yes, I went through a phase, okay!) Anyway, I was googling for houses up in UT, and I found a house within our price range, and checked it out. We've been looking for a while now, and are used to the fact that sellers try to hide the fact that they have townhomes. They are always trying to get a picture with a different angle, to make it look like a regular home. Back to where I was; This home was listed as a townhome, but the pictures looked spectacular. Like something that was completely out of our price range. They said that they wanted to lease it for two years while they went on a mission. I sent the guy an email, but made a point of not asking about the price. He responded almost immediately (another red flag) giving me this whole long story about why the price was so low (he wasn't in it for the money, and he wanted to give back since God had done so much for him), and what he was doing down in west Africa in the first place. He also told me that he didn't trust any realtor, so he would have to mail the keys up after the paperwork (I'm guessing he means money) went through. He told me he was a Reverend on a mission to serve God. I think he knew a little about mormons from UT and tried to play the part. Well, I don't think we go by Reverend anywhere, and I don't know too many 19 year old boys with a great house wanting someone to watch over it for them. I told Neil about it and he googled the address. Low and behold, this house was for sale, but on someone elses website, and of course with a much higher price. There was also another listing for another house, where they had the pictures stolen from another website. The telephone number was the same, but the name had changed. The program on Dr. Phil showed these people working at computers. It is like a regular 9-5 job for them. I feel bad for people that live there. Too bad the government, and anyone in power is so corrupt. I honestly would like to see how far this guy would have taken it. I know they continue to come up with incredible stories just so you will send them more money. Anyway, if ever you come across something that has to do with someone from west Africa STAY AWAY!! I understand that there are so many people down there that are in need of money, but the people that run these kind of institutions ruin it for those that really need it.

Seemingly everyones second choice

2008-04-10T12:08:00.000-07:00

Okay, so something you may not know about me... I have tons of useless movie knowledge. I can usually pick out actors in several movies that they play in. I also often check out the imdb pages for different movies. Anyway, I just watched Enchanted with the girls today. It was cute, but I have a question. Does anyone remember James Marsden? Here is a small resume. Of course, Enchanted (Edward), X-men (Cyclops), Notebook (guy # 2 name I don't know); Superman (name also unknown by me). Am I the only one who notices that he usually plays the leading girls second choice. Man, wouldn't that stink to be continually cast as the one that is settled for? I'm sure he has been in other movies, but the only ones that I have seen are where he gets rejected. Sorry, I would have posted a pick, but I still have to learn how to work most of this computer stuff. Just found it funny and wanted to share.

Kite Flying in between sessions

2008-04-08T08:33:00.001-07:00

Since I used a song title for my last blog, I was incredibly tempted to use

the song from Mary Poppins. Instead I have chosen to instill the song in each of your minds. Because, I know that everyone of you reading this post is now sing "Lets Go Fly a Kite" in their own heads. haha! So, it was really hard to get a shot with both the kite and the girls. I was hoping to get the kite for Isabel's birthday, but Isabel was the one to show the least interest. We had a hard time getting her Mickey Mouse up, and so she got bored. Abby's kite was great. It got up quickly and she managed to keep it up really well. Right now, Isabel loves Mickey Mouse. I had to mention Isabel's kite, because she loves to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse all the time (Of course this is in between watching Max and Ruby, that is still both of their favorites). The thing I find odd about Mickey, is her favorite character. We've all grown up Disney, so there are a lot of fun characters to choose from. Some like Mickey or Minnie, then there's Donald, Goofy, etc. Who chooses "Pete" as their favorite? Does anyone even know who Pete is? In all of the cartoons, he is usually the bad guy. Big guy, Goofy's friend, is supposed to resemble a cat? Isabel loves him. If he shows up on the tv, she jumps up and runs over to the tv yelling his name, "Pete, Pete"!! Too bad, I can't buy her a Pete doll. At least she's unique. In our house, we teach them early about nonconforming.

I Wear My Sunglasses at Night

2008-04-08T08:13:00.001-07:00

I'm breaking the monotony. I'm just glad Philip has something to talk about. Last night, Abby fell asleep with her sunglasses on. I know you can't really tell that her eyes are actually closed, but I can tell you that she was snoring. I have so many funny pictures of Abby sleeping. She just falls asleep in the most uncomfortable, yet funny, poses. Lisa, I will have to ask you how you did your photo collage, so I can show how funny it really is. Then again, she doesn't sleep sitting up like Whitney did. I have a question for all of you moms out there. Do your children have really vivid dreams and nightmares? Is this a common occurance? Abby is always crying and yelling out in her sleep, and will often wake up with tears in her eyes. I have no idea what she is dreaming about. I monitor what she watches on tv, but I still have no idea where she is getting these ideas from. Is there any way to stop the bad dreams, or at least alleviate them somewhat? Man, this is a boring post-but I don't care, I could use some input.

ABC Tag

2008-04-01T08:07:00.000-07:00

Alright, Em, I'm taking you up on it. I don't really have anything to blog about, so this will be it.
A-Attached or single: attached
B- Best friend: my brother, my sisters, my mom, and Neil
C- Cake or pie: definately cake, preferably chocolate, german chocolate
D- Day of Choice: Friday, looking forward to weekends
E- Essential Item: burts bees chap stick
F- Favorite color: lavender or blue of all shades
G- Gummi bears or worms: worms as long as they are sour
H- Hometown: Pocatello
I- Indulgences: ding dongs
J- January or July: July for Idaho, January for Arizona
K- Kids: 2
L- Life is incomplete without: my family
M- Marriage date: March 15, 2003
N- Number of Siblings: 4 sisters, 1 bro; 5 bros in law, 1 sis in law
O- Oranges or apples: Oranges
P- Phobias or Fears: tight spaces
Q- Quotes: You pile up enough tomorrows and you'll find that you've a lot of empty yesterdays
R- Reason to smile: sincere belly laughs of a child
S- Season: fall (I miss it)
T- Tag six: I don't know too many bloggers that haven't already done this. Neil, Sonya, Phil, and Alli. I will also challenge Mom and Tia to start one up
U- Unknown fact about me: I will sometimes eat Muddy Buddies for breakfast
V- Vegetarian or Meat eater: Meat
W- Worst habit: pulling split ends
X- X-ray or Ultrasound: Ultrasound
Y- Your favorite food: Anything that is not good for my body.
Z- Zippers or Zebras: I guess I have seen and touched more zippers in my lifetime,

Preparing for Easter

2008-03-21T10:11:00.000-07:00

Does anyone else feel as if it is too early to be celebrating Easter? Didn't we all just have our corned beef and cabbage (or green eggs and ham) and all things green? We won't even have a full weekend in between St. Patty's and Easter. On the other hand, we aren't Irish and don't really celebrate St. Patricks. I don't even think I dressed myself or my girls in green this year. I remember in elementary school trying to wear as little green as possible, just so I could pinch the first person who tried to pinch me. I always wondered if there were universal rules when it came to the pinching that goes on that day. Those were the days, right? I am actually looking forward to it. Yes, I'm glad to be "reflecting" on the reason to be celebrating. But I have to say, that this is the best candy of the year. They only sell it once a year, and I always feel that I have to stock up. This year, I think I am trying to cut back. I'm trying to tell myself that we don't need any more cadbury eggs or chocolate marshmallows. The sad part is that I'm only saying this now, knowing that I am going to get the clearance cadbury eggs and such the day after Easter. Such is my will power.

Lost in L.A. (only most of the time)

2008-03-17T08:54:00.000-07:00

I've been looking forward to adding this post. Neil planned a really nice anniversary getaway for us to Los Angeles, and we had a great time. I wish I had counted all the times we had to back track, because I'm sure some of you would find that humorous. I had to ask permission to post our "best" back track, it was classic. So Saturday, we had a busy day planned; so we were on a tight schedule. Neil had previously printed out all of our maps and directions to places we were going. That morning we were headed to Six Flags Magic Mountain. I've been there once before, about ten years prior, and I thought it was right off the highway. Anyway, we get off on our exit, as printed in the directions, and it seems to be taking us a little off course. We continue going where we are told heading up a winding road. And when I say "up", we keep going up a very steep drive. Being a good navigator, I just point out that this looks odd, as if we are in the wrong spot. When I finally looked at where our actual stopping point was, it says Magic Mountain. I had to ask Neil if he did put in Six Flags, or just Magic Mountain. Well, since we were headed so high up, I think we were going up a mountain called Magic Mountain. So from there we were able to call family members to get the correct directions to the theme park.

Now to the best part of the trip. Neil bought me tickets to go watch Wicked. He was being an excellent husband, because I have been telling him for a couple years now that I have wanted to go watch it. He has been watching their tour dates to see when they would be coming in our area next (which wouldn't have been for another 3 years), so he splurged and got tickets to the one in L.A. Now I am just a simpleton who is more than happy to sit in the topmost row and squint to watch the program. I was pleasantly surprised when we continued heading to the front of the auditorium to watch it from the second row. Did you know the actors use actual facial expressions? It was amazing. Yes, I am one of those nerds that will get the cd and sing as loud as I can along to it. Just ask my younger sisters. They tell me now that I am out of the house, that they hated that. I also have to share about the Jewish couple sitting next to us. Isn't it funny that you can tell someone's religion just by having a simple conversation with them. They never had to tell us they were Jewish, but sometimes, stereotypes stick out. He was talking to me almost the entire time, not in a quiet voice either, and in every topic change, money was always brought in somehow. Let's just say, he didn't like the show, and I had to defend it. I believe that show was made for a younger generation. Well, I liked it. And mom, you and I can go when it tours in Salt Lake.

The Best Tea Party EVER

2008-03-07T07:52:00.001-08:00

For Christmas this year, Abby got a My Little Pony tea party set. Ever since then, she has been asking to have friends over to have her own little party. And even though it has taken me this long, we finally did it. Here she is with her friends, Mckenna, Maggie, and Lydia. I thought I was so clever with all the ingredients. She had chocolate milk as the tea, plain milk (or white milk according to Abby) for the cream, and mini marshmallows for the sugar cubes. They all had a good time. I'm sure all their mothers were happy with me, because I filled them up with sugar. I set out crackers, cheese, and carrots; but they all wanted muddy buddies and marshmallows. Abby said "This is the best tea party I've ever had". I guess so, because previous tea parties involved Isabel and Elmo.

Boo-Boos and Encanto Park

2008-03-04T09:56:00.001-08:00

Can you tell the weather is getting warmer outside? Abby unfortunately, has awful balance, and trips over everything. Isabel, on the other hand, can balance well enough, but wants attention that her hurt sister gets. If she sees Abby fall, she will go and duplicate the accident, just so she can get attention (fake cries and all). This picture is of Abby's fat lip. She was playing in her Grandma Sharp's landscape rocks and tripped and fell face first. I can't even tell you where her legs went. She also has bruises up and down her legs, and a big scrape on her elbow (All from different falls). I'm just waiting for CPS to come and arrest me.

We also have a picture from Encanto Park, where Neil's company had their family picnic. The place is a little ghetto, but it was free and the girls had a blast. All of their rides were built for children under 4 feet tall. Abby was in Heaven. They had a little dragon ride that had a couple dips, but only went around in a circle. Her face was precious; smiles all the way around. Isabel got sick when Daddy took she and Abby on a spinning ride, which was spinning way too fast. Poor Isabel was have a touch time hanging on to anything. Thanks a lot, Dad! Abby loved it, though.

Taking back what we said

2008-03-04T09:44:00.000-08:00

Okay, I've been putting this off, mostly because I've been pretty bummed over it. In regards to our previous post: we are no longer moving to Salt Lake. The market is keeping us in our house for now. It is funny how much how house can appreciate and depreciate so quickly. Anyway, so we will be staying put for at least another year. In a way it was almost good to find out now, since the weather is so nice, but that also means that it is going to get hotter, quicker. Our house is pretty nice right now, though. We got it all ready to sell, and I kind of like it, but I still miss "home". That being said, I will definately need an Idaho vacation! This next weekend, Neil is taking me out for the weekend to L.A. to see Wicked, amond other things, for our anniversary. That should take my mind off things. Another plus to staying down here, it is a lot closer to Disneyland and the beach. (Yes, I am still a kid at heart, and I love to go to Disney, my kids are just an excuse)

Head Up, Move 'Em Out

2008-02-26T14:23:00.000-08:00

Well…it’s just about final. It looks like the clan is heading to Salt Lake City, UT. Neil accepted an offer over the phone today to join the SLC branch of Stanley Consultants as an Engineer In Training level 2. The date is not firm yet for when the transfer will officially happen. Stanley is being very generous in allowing us some time to sell our home and for Neil to finish his degree. A rough estimate is the end of May. Stay tuned for more updates.

Room makeover and some puppysitting

2008-02-21T07:53:00.000-08:00

This week was quite eventful for us. Abby was able to watch her Grandma Sharp's puppy. His name is Chip and both of the girls absolutely adore him. Actually, I don't know anyone who doesn't; he is such a cute dog! I thought the poor dog would be so worn out and tired of the girls, that he would try to keep his distance, but he didn't. After a long day of playing hard, Chip went into Abby's bedroom and fell asleep next to her. Too bad Abby couldn't sleep with him next to her (and yes, she is pretending to sleep inside her pillowcase). She was so excited, but didn't want to see him go. It has been three days since he's stayed with us, but Isabel still looks for him around the house. I wish you could hear the way she says his name, "Jip, Jip!", it is really cute! Abby would carry him around all day, or call after him to see if he'll chase her. Isabel loves him, but is scared of him all at the same time. She wants him to chase her, but he tries to bite and nibble at her feet and she doesn't like that too much. She will try to push him away, but he just gets more excited when she does.

Also this week, we remodeled our den! Okay, for anyone who has see our den, this was a major accomplishment. It held the computer and desk, plus all of my crafting stuff. I packed all of my sewing and crafts away and we put up a chair railing instead. We also moved some of our household things around and got rid of a few things to make it all seem a little less cluttered. We're hoping this will make our house look a little more appealing to potential buyers. Hopefully we can sell our house before Neil has to go up, otherwise we will have to stay behind without him. Wish us luck!

Quad trip

2008-02-13T10:56:00.000-08:00

Thanks Jeff and Jacki for inviting us along

on your atv adventure. We had a blast! The girls had such a great time. Abby is still talking about it. They both love being outdoors. My only restraint from taking them out all day long is that I can't keep up with them. They are both so active and independent, I get so warn out even after a short period of time. Does any child before the age of five have any concept of danger? And it isn't as if I can be brutally honest with them to scare them straight. I can't tell them not to run into the road because a car could hit them and kill them. Can I tell them about bad men who watch for little girls who leave their moms in the store want to take them away? Well, I'm going a bit off tangent here. In my last post I complained about the heat, but this is the perfect time of year in Arizona. The weather was nice and warm with a little breeze. Perfect weather for being out in the sun. We love going out with our friends, too. I was hoping to have our pictures laid out a little different, but I am still learning. Above is our cute niece, Madelyn sitting with Abby. Below, Neil is taking Isabel for a ride. She bounced all over the place, and thought it was hilarious. I'll post more photos on facebook if you want to see more.

Novice Blogger

2008-02-11T11:11:00.000-08:00

So, I've wanted to get this thing going for a while, but have been stumped as to what to post. I feel as if we are the most boring family out there, although we have a blast together. Right now we are contemplating a move to SLC. Neil doesn't think I should tell people because he doesn't want me getting my hopes up. Eh, we'll see. I feel I've put in my dues down in the heat. Now that school is no longer an issue, I guess it will all depend on what kind of offers we get. He is also nervous to get into ridiculous weather, as he calls it. My idea of ridiculous comes June-September when you can hardly breathe outside when the temperature is nearing 120 degrees. Blah! I think I would rather live in a "snow globe" as my mom calls it, for a couple months out of the year. My other issue here would have to be the old people. This is nothing personal to those of you with grandparents that they love. To be there is a discernable difference between the "old" and the "elderly". I live near Sun City, where retirees come to get out of the snow. Unfortunately, they believe it should be cut off from the rest of humanity, and get real crotchety when someone younger gets in their way (and it doens't take much to get in their way). I will never understand their grocery store behaviour. First of all, they always choose Saturday to do their shopping. They have the rest of the week to themselves, but choose to be a nuisance to those in a hurry of Saturday morning. They like to park their carts in the middle of the isle and are in no hurry to get back and move out of the way. And yet they love to tell me that what it is I am doing wrong, because my children are yelling and screaming to get out. The golf carts are funny also. They love to ride those things everywhere, chugging along at 20 mph, with a long line of cars behind them.
All right, I think I have rambled enough. I'll probably come back now and compose another long entry.