Cowgill News

Back from the dead

2010-03-01T20:59:00.002-07:00

Here we are. Alive and kicking still. :) I just got a laptop, so maybe I'll get more involved with my blog again. Who knows? Nothing real exciting to update on, just the same old. Life is crazy and stressful, but comes with it's good moments also! Hopefully I'll update more to come! Just wanted to get back into it, though. :)

2009-07-13T22:30:00.003-06:00

So, do you think it's time for an update? I'm the world's worst blogger EVER!!! Life has just been crazy this year since January. Let me just put everything in a nutshell. At the beginning of February John got laid off. We went through 3 months of starting our own businesses and building them up. John as a Landscape Designer. Those days were hard, and we worked our bums off, but now we're starting to do really well with things. John actually got a day job with Bountiful City as their irrigation guy. Not the most perfect job, but it's a steady paycheck and it has great benefits. He still has several designs he's working on, so the business is doing well.

I have been LOVING what I do!!!

Anyway, just wanted to let you all know we're alive and well and surviving life. :) Maybe I'll be better at keeping updated now. Probably not....

Coupons

2009-01-14T11:52:00.003-07:00

So, like many others, I've been shopping with coupons for the past couple of months. Last week was a huge sale, and this week, I reaped the benefits of that sale!! I spent $48.01 today, but because of last week's sale (I got money back last week to spend today), I only spent $16.01 out of my pocket today. So, for $16.01 this is what I came home with today!!

Yes, both of those pictures! So, here's the tally:

1 carton of eggbeaters

5 4-packs of Dannon yogurt

2 3-packs of Orville microwave popcorn

2 3-packs of Jolly Time microwave popcorn

4 boxes of Green Giant frozen vegetables

2 Healthy Choice Cafe Steamer frozen dinners

2 cartons of eggs

1 32-oz bag of cheese

5 tubes of Suave lotion

6 lbs of apples

5 big containers of Quaker oatmeal

7 boxes of Quaker instant oatmeal

5 cans of Hunts spaghetti sauce

6 cans of Hunts tomatoes

8 cans of Progresso soup

3 rolls of Bounty paper towels

2 Glade air fresheners

Once again, I paid $16.01 out of my pocket for all these things! I love this! It's so addicting! I spent 2 hours going to 3 different stores, which is the same amount of time I spend every time I go to WalMart. I spent WAY less than at WalMart, and people are so much more helpful at the stores I go to! WalMart, say goodbye to one of your previously faithful customers. You no longer are the best deal around!

We survived another December.

2009-01-05T15:26:00.002-07:00

Well, I'm too lazy to upload any pictures, but that's ok, there weren't any really great ones anyway. So, we made it. December is over. We got through Joshua's birthday, our anniversary, Christmas, Jared's birthday, a 6 day trip to Arizona and New Year's Eve festivities. Now we can all rest again. :) Whoever thought it would be a good idea to have all of those things within 2 weeks of each other must have been crazy! :) Anyway, all in all, we had a good time. Sorry I'm not being more specific. I've just got so much to do, and so little time. We keep getting sick around here. It started the week before Thanksgiving. Since then we've had the 24 hour flu cycling through our house 3 or 4 times now. I lost track. We're all feeling better again. So, I thought I'd update my blog, among all the other thousands of things I need to catch up on from all our December craziness. Did I mention I'm teaching Joshua at home again? Not all day. Just half days. He's home with me in the morning, and he goes to school in the afternoon. So far, so good. I love having more time with him! If your interested in knowing why I chose to do so, feel free to ask. :) It seems to just be quite a process in figuring out the best way to raise this child of mine. He's so sweet and caring, yet so....how do you say it kindly....determined? Anyway, I'm just on a road to finding out what works best for him. And that road seems to constantly turn and change.

I'm hungry

2008-12-12T12:27:00.002-07:00

Ever wonder how a 3 year old (4 in 2 weeks) tells you how they're hungry. Well, mine has an unusual way. It doesn't matter where we are, or what we're doing. If Jared wants a snack or lunch or something, he says he smells it. So, today, we were at the store (not a grocery store, Mervyns), and Jared pipes up, "Ummmmmm.....I smell a sandwich and crackers, Mommy." Is that what you want for lunch? Yep, but you know he surely can smell it in the middle of Mervyns, can't he?

Field Trip

2008-12-09T17:18:00.003-07:00

I guess it's time for some more updates. I went on a field trip with Joshua's class before Thanksgiving. We went down to Salt Lake to see a play put on at the University of Utah. It was a play about pirates. It was so much fun spending that special time with Joshua. He was in heaven! He was so excited to ride a school bus for the very first time! Here are some pics.

Turkey Bowl

2008-12-09T17:10:00.003-07:00

The weekend before Thanksgiving we went to the local bowling alley for their annual Turkey Bowl. They were giving away free turkeys and hams for different winners in different categories. It was a lot of fun. We didn't win anything, but we all had a blast.

Thanksgiving

2008-12-09T16:51:00.005-07:00

For Thanksgiving we went up to Montana to visit John's grandma and his other extended family. The kids had fun meeting everyone for the first time. Ethan was a huge hit with everyone! No one could seem to get over how smiley he was, and how big and sturdy he was. They all just loved him to pieces.

Family pictures

2008-11-19T20:14:00.002-07:00

Christmas Plans

2008-11-19T19:34:00.004-07:00

So, this is for all my Arizona fans out there. :) I'm excited to say that we will be in Mesa for Christmas! Yay! We're going to be there on Christmas Eve (Wednesday) through the following Sunday (the 28th). So, gear up for some Cowgill fun! I'd love to see all of you guys! I know it's kind of a crazy week and all, but maybe you can find some time for us. :) We'll also be going to our old ward (Viewpoint) on that Sunday, so hopefully we'll see tons of you there. I was even kinda hoping that we could get together for a girl's night one evening! Let me know if we can work something out like that! I'm so excited!! See ya'll in December!

Wait, there's more..

2008-11-19T16:10:00.007-07:00

Ok, so I don't have time yet to get my other posts done, but I just want to pose a question out there. Do any of you have a child who just seems more difficult than the rest? I do. Almost every day I shake my head and wonder how I'm supposed to deal with him. Some days he's a saint and a perfect child. Other days, I just don't know. How do I deal with the disagreeable nature of this child? How do I teach him anger management? How do I teach him that life's not fair, sometimes we win, sometimes we lose, and that's just the way it is. How do I teach him not to talk back and talk to me like he's the adult? I'll tell you what, I've had to learn a lot of patience from this boy. Patience not to react, patience to wait for him to calm down on his own, patience to teach him the same principles over and over and over and over again. I love him dearly, but oh my. He sure is difficult. He has been ever since he was little. I keep hoping that someday everything will just click, and he'll be a perfect child. I know, wishful thinking, right? Anyway, my wonderful child has just come from having a break in his room. So, I'm off to teach him his piano lesson. Maybe, if he doesn't have to go back to his room for being mean to his brother. Or back talking to me. Or just plain being rude... Oh the joys. Aren't children wonderful?

.............

A few hours later...He's really not a bad kid. He's just very intense. Either intensely happy or intensely mad. There's not a whole lot of in between for him. I just got done doing homework and reading and piano with him. We've been at it for about an hour and a half. He does really well with piano. He loves to play and he's a natural at it. He also loves to read. He's required to read 20 minutes every day, but he usually reads for about an hour every day. Sometimes more. And his teacher has started sending home more difficult homework for him. He's a smart kid. And focused. He can get a job done when he wants to. When his brain is being challenged and utilized, he's a good kid. Really good. And happy. When it's not, when he's between activities or bored, that's when he gets upset or doesn't handle things properly. Like when his little brother doesn't want to play what he wants to play. Or when his little brother runs away from him and so he yells at the top of his lungs. "Come back here! Come back here! Jared! You little!" Etc. etc. That's normal right? :) To be bored? And not happy about being bored? I don't like to be bored either. Sigh. Anyway, enough rambling for the day. I've probably written more today than I have in the last 5 months. So, enjoy. If you're lucky, it might happen again. But, not likely. Off to make dinner now.

More than a month has gone by again???

2008-11-19T14:49:00.008-07:00

(FYI-After writing this post, I realized that it ended up REALLY long, so read at your own risk. :) )

Man, I really suck at this. Oh well. No use lamenting over it. :) So, life just keeps flying right on by. My little baby is growing up WAY too fast!! I can't believe he's 6 months old now. He's been eating solids for over a month. His first tooth just poked through yesterday, which I can't believe. My other babies didn't get their first teeth until they were 8 or 9 months! He's a gigantic child, but that's no surprise. His older brothers were too. He's in size 12 month clothes, but they're getting a little tight. And his size 3 diapers, going to be too small pretty soon. Not only is he gigantic, a big eater, and has his first tooth, but he also moves around like crazy. He's been rolling around all over for about a month now. He's been proficient at pushing himself around in a circle for at least a few weeks. And this past week he's starting pushing himself up on his knees to try to scoot himself forward. I can't take it! It's so cute, but soo fast! I swear I just brought him home from the hospital last week! What happens to time these days? Anyway, he's a super happy baby. He'll smile at anyone who looks at him. Besides teething, he's a very happy little guy. I just wish time could stand still!

My other boys are doing well also. Just being crazy boys, that's all. You know, running around the house like crazy maniacs and trying to tackle each other. Constant wrestling and races and turning anything and everything into a competition. All play, no matter what the activity is, ends in someone coming to me crying with hurt feelings or a hurt body. Those boys are so rough with each other! I tell them and tell them and tell them. But do they listen? No, no, no. That would just be too easy, wouldn't it? Boys. Do little girls really just sit and play house and play with dolls nice and quietly? I wouldn't know. And I probably never will. I'm pretty sure we're destined to have all boys. But that's ok. I know boys. I really wouldn't know what to do with a little girl. Do her hair? Make her look cute? What the heck is that? Doesn't dirt and grime and messy hair work with girls? Anyway, I'm going on and on about absolutely nothing that I planned to post about. Since I've gone on and on about my boys, let me just throw out a disclaimer. I love these boys. They are also some of the sweetest and cutest little kids ever! Joshua reads to Jared now. They play creative games together (sometimes without fighting). They've been sleeping in the same bed together for the past week because they're "too lonely" without each other. They really are great kids!

Anyway, I intended to blog about what we've been up to lately. So, here it is. Of course there was Halloween. Joshua was a karate kid (this was a last minute decision. He had a power ranger costume like Jared did, but he decided he was too cool to dress up as the same thing as his little brother). Jared was a blue power ranger. And Ethan was a tiger. They had a lot of fun at the ward trunk or treat and trick or treating around the neighborhood.

Then, there's me. These past few months I've turned into some freak who apparentely is striving to be little miss Suzy Homemaker or something. I'm not sure what's gotten into me, but I've been doing crazy things. We have an apple tree in our backyard, so I canned a bunch of applesauce and apple slices. I still intend to juice a ton of apples and freeze the juice for fresh apple juice. I've started making my own bread. From fresh ground wheat flour. Crazy stuff. It's actually quite difficult to make bread. There really is an art to it. So, I've been making it every week for about a month and half now, and I finally got a batch this week that didn't fall when I put it into the oven. The previous weeks, they would rise all big and pretty, and then fall nice and flat in the oven. So, even though they are shaped funny (you can see in the pictures), they didn't fall!! Yeah!! I was really excited about that.

Anyway, other than that, life has just been life. Feeding children, trying to pick things up, trying to clean the house, yadda yadda yadda. This week is the first week in a really long time that I've actually felt somewhat put together. I feel like I'm actually accomplishing what I set out to do. And at the end of the day I can actually sit and relax and not feel so much anxiety about all the things that I'm totally behind on. It's a good feeling. So, now that you've read my whole life story, how about a slideshow to go with the story? Enjoy! I think I'll actually put captions to these pics, so read them. :) Maybe...

Well, off to pick up Joshua and the neighbor boy from school. I'll have to post the slideshow later.

Oh, and now I've discovered Facebook. So, I'm not quite as avid a blog stalker as I used to be. Sorry all my fans.

Oh, and I almost forgot one of my main reasons for posting!! Duh! I think I'll do another post about that important reason. And another one for the family and school pictures I wanted to post. Oops. I guess I got off on a tangent and forgot all the things I was doing this post for today. :)

And the long-awaited slide show.

I'm back....again

2008-10-07T14:20:00.002-06:00

I'm the worst blogger. No matter how much I promise, I just can't seem to keep things updated. Oh well, don't worry, though. I haven't slacked on checking all of your blogs! I have to admit that I am an avid blog stalker. So, you can bet I've probably checked your blog today. At least once. :) Anyway, so I thought I'd have all this time now that Joshua is in school, but time still seems to disappear! I've taken up being a pampered chef consultant. I'm mostly doing it so I can get tons of great products for free or great prices! I've been loving that. It's been going really well, and I'm proud of all my hard work there. The following posts highlight some of the other things I've been up to the past few weeks. Enjoy!

Peaches, peaches, and more peaches

2008-10-07T14:13:00.003-06:00

I am very proud to say that I preserved a whole tree of peaches all by myself in 4 days! I've never done anything like this before, so I was quite impressed by myself. I had to hurry and get it done, because I was going out of town the next week, and the peaches would be rotten by the time I got back. So, here's the final tally.

48 bottles of canned peaches

12 pints of jam, 24 half-pints (some jam, some syrup)

Then I froze tons of sheets of sliced peaches individually.

And filled up 28 bags of the individually frozen peaches to use for smoothies and desserts.

Peaches, peaches, and more peaches continued

2008-10-07T14:06:00.004-06:00

8 trays of leather, and 6 trays of dried slices.

12 bags of peach puree to freeze and use later for baby food, fruit leather, syrup, etc. (I admit, I did have help with this part. It was the last day, and I was tired, so I had a friend come help and we split the peach puree.)

Wisconsin

2008-10-07T14:03:00.000-06:00

I was able to fly out to Wisconsin for the past week. My dad flew me, my brother, and my sister to his house to visit. It was so great to see them! I haven't seen my brother for almost 4 years, and my sister for almost a year and a half. I took the baby with me, and made crazy arrangements for the boys to be taken care of while I was gone. Everything went well, but I'm glad to be back. I missed my boys! And, unfortunately for me, I think they missed Ethan more than they missed me. It was so cute to see them loving all over him at the airport. Here are some pics from my trip.

First day of FIRST grade!

2008-09-07T14:16:00.004-06:00

Well, things change, don't they? After my last post we had a nice peaceful and calm week of school and normalcy. Then, at the end of that calm week, life threw us another curve ball. All summer I KNEW it was the right thing to homeschool Joshua. Kindergarten wasn't going to be a good environment for him. I knew that academically he was probably about at a first grade level. And because he's so tall, he literally towers over all the other kidnergarteners. Because of those things, he sometimes has a hard time socializing and being in an evironment with his grade level. Besides the fact that pretty much all of his friends are in first grade (I think he's the only one in his primary class who didn't make the kindergarten cut off last year). Anyway, I KNEW we were making the right choice to keep him at home. I could work with him more on socializing and how to react better to authority and conflict. And things at home were great! I (much to my surprise) thoroughly enjoyed being with them all day and teaching them and doing so many fun things! We got to do science experiments, read fun books, make fun foods, learn about different countries, read, write, do math. Lots of fun stuff.

Anyway, after our calm little week, I found out that he was listed on the afternoon kindergarten class at the elementary school. He wasn't supposed to be. But...that got my mind working. What if that's a sign? What if he's supposed to go to school after all? (Public school was starting the next week.) I was so confused! I wanted to keep homeschooling him because I had really enjoyed the past month! John and I talked and talked about it. Should we send him to school just so he can play and then we still teach him at home? Should we still just keep him at home? What do we do?? What's the best thing for him?? Then, after we had talked for a really long time, John said. Why don't we just put him in first grade? (Or something to taht effect.) My first reaction was, but it's all day! He's not ready for that!! (Or was it me who wan't ready?) Anyway, we talked about that possibility for a while, and then it hit. That was exactly the right thing to do. There was no question in our minds. He belonged in first grade. And the more I thought about it, the more it seemed right. I realized that this had all been a journey to get us to this final place. Whatever it was, something in the last month clicked with Joshua. Whether it was all the one on one time with me every day, whether it was doing all the school work. I don't know. But not only was he academically ready, but I truly felt he would be socially ready also. In the last month he's been nicer, and acting much more grown up.

So, the next morning (the Friday before school started) we went over to the school and told them we wanted to see about advancing him to the first grade. Long story short, we went through quite the complicated process the whole next week. Kindergarten assessment, IQ test with the school psychologist, behavior and social questionnares done by me and his previous preschool teacher, standardized tests to see exactly where he was academically. Hours of tests that poor kids went through. But when all was said and done, the decision was unanimous. He definately belongs in the first grade! So, a week after everyone else started, he began his adventures as a public school kid in the big first grade! I can't believe it!! When did my little boy grow up? I'm so proud of him, yet so sad! This all came on so fast, I wasn't prepared to let him go out into the big bad world for 6 hours a day for the rest of his life just yet! But, I KNOW that this is the very best thing for him and I am so excited for him!

He had a great first week and just loved it! He's happy to be in a class with his friends and where he feels like he belongs and where he feels he's on the same level as everyone else. We sure miss him when he's gone all day, but that's ok. Now I'll get lots more time to spend with Jared and Ethan. Well, I think that's enough for one post. :) I'll try to keep more updated now that I have more time since I'm not a teacher anymore. :)

Time to take a breath

2008-08-20T15:09:00.003-06:00

This last week was crazy busy! Monday was a pretty normal day. Just school in the morning and we had some friends over to play in the afternoon. Tuesday morning was school again. Then in the afternoon we went to a playgroup, and then came home to swim at the neighbors house. That evening I had enrichment to go to. Then, on Wednesday things got even crazier. John left really early to go on a hike/campout with the young men. He was gone until Saturday! So, I guess I decided to fill my time up while he was gone.

We had school, and then went to a playgroup at the park. Then we went to another playgroup. Then we had to stop at the store, and we came home. I cleaned like a madwoman because I was having a party at my house that night. So, I cleaned and cleaned and cleaned. And then we ran to Arby's to get some dinner. We got home just in time for the consultant to pull up. I had my party, which was a huge success! The kids got to stay up late and watch a movie downstairs during my party.

The next day didn't get any less busy. We had school, of course, and then we went to the Davis County Fair all afternoon. It was fun. We got to see a lot of animals and they had a cool little science tent set up where they had a bunch of different science type activities. I didn't get to take any pictures, though, because John had the camera with him up in the mountains. (Which, by the way, he almost broke because his bag of fish that he caught leaked on it!) Anyway, we had quiet evening and I put the kids to bed early to gear up for our next day.

Friday was the craziest of all! After school, my sister-in-law brought over her 3 kids (all under the age of 4) so I could watch them while she and her husband went to Salt Lake overnight to celebrate their anniversary. Yes, I said overnight! So, I had my Ethan (almost 3 months), her baby (9 months), her son (2 1/2), my Jared (3 1/2), her son (4), and my Joshua (5 1/2) by myself overnight!! To make it even more exciting, they had never been overnight somewhere without their mom! During the day they played outside a lot and were all pretty good. I had to break up a few fights here and there, but nothing too major. The fun started at bedtime. We had dinner (mac&cheese and hotdogs-I wanted to make sure everyone would eat it), and then I told them all if they helped clean up we could watch a movie before bed. They all did a great job cleaning up, so I turned on a movie. But, my sister-in-law's kids don't sit very still for movies...so that didn't go so well. I decided to go ahead and get them into bed. So, I tried to get them all ready, but both of the babies started crying. I tried holding them both, but they didn't like that. They wanted to be held alone. So, I've got 4 kids running around crazy and 2 babies crying. What do I do? I ended up having 2 of the neighborhood girls come over and hold the babies for me while I tried to get everyone else settled down.

That worked for awhile, but then they had to go home. I couldn't get the other kids to stay in bed, so I gave up on them and decided to just put my kids to bed instead. My kids were wonderful and had a perfect bedtime. After I got them to sleep, I tried again to get the other kids to bed. They just weren't having any of it. I tried having them talk to their mom a few times. I even tried to bribe them with candy and chocolate milk (I know that's horrible, but I was desperate!). NOthing seemed to work. By this time, the babies were both starting to get fussy again. Luckily, I had another lifesaver friend come over and help with the babies. Well, eventually I separated them and they finally went to sleep-2 1/2 hours after I started them! However, one of them was sleeping in my bed, and the other was sleeping in my babie's bed. That's where I was finally able to get them to sleep. I though, hey, no problem. I'll just bring up the air mattress from downstairs, and the baby and I will sleep in the family room. (The other baby was using the playpen.) That was fine, until I woke up in the middle of the night and the mattress was halfway deflated. I'm not sure what happened to it. Oh well. It was still fine. Everyone slept through the night, except Jared. He came out looking for me since I wasn't in my room. I was too tired to try to make him stay in his own bed, so I let him crash on the couch next to me.

So, the next morning came around. Everyone woke up at about 6:30, except Joshua. He woke up around 6, but I kicked him out and make him go back to bed. Anyway, I made Laura's baby a bottle, put him down on the floor next to me. Fed my baby. Changed both babie's diapers and clothes. Changed the other 2 kids diapers and clothes. Made sure my kids were dressed. And an hour had all ready flown by! I definately feel for mothers of twins and more! You're just constantly going, going, going! Anyway, the morning went pretty smoothly. I was expecting their parents to come get them around 11:00, but wasn't expecting John to get back until later that afternoon. But, he surprised me and got home at 10:30! I was sooo happy to see him after all that! It was a busy week, but a good one! We all survived and I'm sure I could do it again if I had to. :)

Sorry there's no pics, but I couldn't take any. :( But, here's some pics of John's peaceful mountain trip. (Actually he had some ups and downs on his trip to. He was with a bunch of teenage boys after all.) :)

Swing set!!

2008-08-10T21:44:00.002-06:00

Lately the boys have been very bored. We have all of their toys downstairs, but they refuse to play down there. They're scared of the basement I guess. Anyway, they end up laying around the house fighting and whining all afternoon. I've been going crazy! I never have a moments peace. It's either them in my face whining, or them arguing and fighting. Constantly. This weekend, we got a swingset and set it up. It's been so nice! As first, they whined and complained and wanted us to play on it with them. (That's another thing with them-they don't think they can do anything by themselves. They want us to do everything with them.) But, we ignored them, and eventually they ventured out by themselves and started playing. They've been out there for hours this weekend! Not inside whining at us! Yes! It was a success!

What a good helper!

2008-08-10T21:37:00.003-06:00

I'm so happy to have such wonderful boys! The other day I was holding the baby because every time I put him down he started to cry. It was past time to be making dinner. Joshua came in and asked when dinner was going to be ready.
Me: Not for a long time. I haven't started cooking it yet.
Joshua: Why not?
Me: Because the baby cries when I put him down.
Joshua: (in a very matter of fact, yet helpful voice)Well...I can hold him for you.
Me: (thinking about it)Oh, ok. I guess that would be ok. Thanks!
So, I set them up on the couch, and Joshua held the baby for about 20 minutes while I got dinner started. It was wonderful!! He is so sweet with Ethan and just loves him to pieces! Here some pics to prove it really happened. :)

Field Trip

2008-08-10T21:24:00.003-06:00

So, I mentioned before that I'm going to be homeschooling Joshua this year. As part of that, we're going to be going on some field trips so we can get out and have some fun. Some will be with other kids, some will be just with us. We also have playgroups we go to 2-3 times a week. Anyway, last week on Thursday we went our first field trip. We went to Wheeler Farm in Salt Lake. It was a lot of fun. We went on a hay ride around the farm and we saw the animals. Then we fed the ducks. Then we went over to this really neat little stream and the kids played in it. They started out with their pants rolled up just walking around, but ended up getting completely soaked. They loved it though! We played in the stream for about an hour. They were throwing leaves in and chasing them down the stream, and eventually they even started attempting to jump across it. Sometimes they made it, sometimes they didn't. :)

Haircut

2008-08-03T13:23:00.002-06:00

Last week I woke up one morning and was so tired of my hair. So, the next day I went and spontaneously got it all chopped off! And I even added bangs! It is a huge difference, and at first I wasn't sure about it, but now I'm happy with it. What do you think?

Willard Bay

2008-08-03T13:18:00.002-06:00

As promised, I'm trying to keep more up to date on my blog. So, yesterday afternoon we went to Willard Bay for a couple hours. The boys went swimming with dad, while I stayed at the picnic table in the shade with the sleeping baby. It was fun to watch them out having fun together. John said they were looking for buried treasure along the shore and they skipped rocks and all kinds of stuff. They had a lot of fun. After that, we went and got ice cream cones. It was a fun Saturday afternoon. We really need to get out and do stuff like that more often. We don't usually go anywhere because I think it's too hard sometimes, but it really wasn't that big of a deal. I want to create more fun family memories like this one.

Garden

2008-07-29T20:46:00.002-06:00

We planted a small garden this year. We didn't get it in until pretty late, so it didn't do real well, but at least it was something. As you can see in the front, we planted a little too much lettuce! We couldn't eat it all, and it eventually went bad because there was too much. The corn, however, seems to be doing really well! I love the picture of the kids standing in the corn. I can't believe how tall it is!

Life with three

2008-07-29T20:39:00.002-06:00

So, the other day, a few weeks ago, I had one of my first really hard days with three kids. Joshua came in our room early, not feeling well. When I finally rolled out of bed, I awoke to chaos. Joshua had puked all over the floor and remote. Jared had spilled POWDERED sugar in our pantry. All over. And did I mention that our shoes our in that closet also? AAgh!! What a mess. And then the baby was spitting up everywhere. Crazy. So, that's how my day started, and it didn't get much better. The baby cryed all day. Fun, fun. Anyway, here's a pic of the powdered sugar mess, and this was taken after I had scooped up a bunch of it!

Smile!

2008-07-29T20:35:00.001-06:00

Isn't he just adorable? How can you resist his smile? It's contagious!

Sleep

2008-07-29T19:22:00.002-06:00

For the past 2 nights, my baby has slept from 10:30-7:00!!! Yay! I am so happy! Hopefully he'll keep it up now. He is still growing like crazy. He's about 15 pounds and cute as a button. He's so sweet and smiley. Lately, after he's done eating he just looks up at me and smiles. It's so cute! So, anyway, things are busy around here. I've decided that I'm going to homeschool Joshua this year, so we've been getting ready and organized to start school. We're really excited, and I think we're going to have a lot of fun! We also started a new business venture with a company called Isagenix. It's a company that specializes in nutritional cleansing to promote health and also weight loss. We're really excited about it, I'll let you know how it goes. As part of the program, we've decided to get into a better exercise routine. So, John and I are both getting up at 6 and exercising every morning. We take turns staying in and working out and going out to walk/run. I all ready feel so much better with taking the products and exercising! Anyway, I'm going to try to do a few catch up posts now.

Please read!

2008-07-16T11:32:00.002-06:00

These links are to some news stories from Missouri. My brother-in-law's family has had a few tragedies in the last month. First, their dad died of a massive heart attack, and then their 14-year old brother died a few weeks later. It's a heartwrenching story, please click on the links and take the time to watch the two different video clips. I feel so sad for them! I've only met them a few times, but from what I knew of his parent's they were wonderful people. They had 9 children themselves, and then they adopted 13 Russian children. There are still 10 kids at home. They need so much help, pass these links on to anyone you can. Let's spread the story of this tragedy and see if we can help them out! Thanks!

http://www.kspr.com/news/local/25490249.html
http://ozarksfirst.com/media_player.php?media_id=65951#

Update

2008-07-10T11:05:00.002-06:00

I've been meaning to post for a really long time, but I've been sooo terrible at taking pictures of my sweet little baby! I feel awful! I've missed so much. I didn't even get any pictures of the day he was blessed. But, here's what I have. Things are going really well. We're busy, but doing well. We've transitioned into life pretty easily. The boys are great with the baby and a huge help! These pictures are from Ethan's first bath and from the 4th of July, with a few random pics in between. That's all I've got! Pretty sad, huh? Ethan is 7 weeks now and still growing like a monster child. He's probably about 15 pounds now! He's started smiling and is just the sweetest little boy. He rarely cries. He still gets up a lot. At least 1-2 times a night. Actually, mostly 2 times. He's only gotten up 1 time a few nights. Oh well, someday I'll sleep again. :) I'll try to keep more updated on the blog!

He's finally here!

2008-05-25T15:03:00.003-06:00

Sorry about the delay in posting. But after my last post, things didn't change much, so I decided I wasn't going to post until he finally made his grand entrance. And he finally did just that. So, here's the long story. Last week on Friday (the 16th) I went in and had my membranes stripped. I was 2 days overdue and getting tired of it, but determined to not be induced with this baby. But, I still hadn't changed from my 3 and 75%. I had been the same for 3 visits in a row! Throughout the weekend I had some more intense contractions, but nothing too serious. My next appointment was on Wednesday, the 21st, one week overdue. I went in and I had finally changed to a 4+ and 80%. I had her strip the membranes again. Then, because I was a week overdue, they hooked me up to the monitors to make sure the baby was still doing well. I started having a few contractions, and when I was done with the monitor, my midwife told me she wanted me to go over to the hospital. The baby was fine, but on the second contraction his heartbeat had dipped a little. She said that meant he was pressing down on the cervix, and so she figured that labor was pretty emminent, I guess. I went to the hospital, not sure if the contractions were going to get any closer, stronger, or regular. If they didn't, then she was going to come break my water later that afternoon. So, anyway, labor did start by itself, and by 4:00 I was at a 7.

Ethan James was born at 7:06 pm on Wed. May 21. He was....drum roll.....9 lbs 6 oz and 21 inches! And the best part about it, I didn't even tear! Not many of you probably know, but I've always planned on having this one naturally, and I did. It was an incredibly intense experience, but well worth it! My other boys were too drugged up from the epidurals to nurse, they never would latch on. But Ethan is a champ! He latched on almost immediately and hasn't stopped since! And my recovery is amazing! I don't even feel like I had a baby 4 days ago. I feel great, way better than I've felt in the last trimester! So, if anyone's interested in more details, let me know. :) Otherwise I'll spare you of the natural birth details. Anyway, we're all healthy and doing great! Joshua and Jared love him to death. Joshua can't keep his hands off of him. He just wants to hug and kiss him and hold him all the time. Jared loves him to, but he keeps more of a distance. He's still trying to figure out the whole baby thing. No signs of jealousy or resentment yet, though! Here are some pics of the cutest baby in the world!

2008-05-07T11:07:00.002-06:00

Another week, no new changes. Except the baby is a little lower again. Other than that, things are sitting comfortably the same. My baby just wants to take his sweet little time coming out. But that's ok, I guess. I still have another week until I'm due. I'll keep you updated....

Depressing update

2008-04-30T10:52:00.002-06:00

Well, it's been another week. I went to the doctor again this morning, and NO changes. I'm exactly the same. And the sad thing is that I've had a lot of Braxton Hicks this past week too! I thought for sure they would have done something. Oh well, I've got a few books to read now so I can escape my mind and go live someone else's reality for a while so that I won't think about this baby anymore! It's driving me crazy! I hate the last few weeks of pregnancy. It's so hard to be patient!

Another update

2008-04-23T10:54:00.002-06:00

I went to the doctor this morning. I've progessed now to a 3+ and 75-80% effaced. The baby is lower than he was last week too! And, apparently he's grown a bit this week. Last week I measured at 39 weeks, today he was measuring at 42 weeks! I really hope he comes in the next few days!!

2008-04-21T10:32:00.000-06:00

Pictures

2008-04-21T10:25:00.002-06:00

Ok, so here are the long awaited pictures. First are the pics of the baby's room. As you can see, we chose the name Ethan. It was kind of hard to get good pictures because the room is so small, so this is what we got. Also, I went ahead and posted some pics of my big huge pregnant belly. I was quite surprised to see how they turned out. In a few of them, it looks like I shoved a beach ball under my shirt! I'm carrying this baby way out there! I'll keep you updated. Hopefully he'll be here soon!

Quick Update

2008-04-17T11:38:00.003-06:00

Ok, just a quick update. I went to the doctor this morning. I'm 36 weeks. No wonder people are asking me when I'm going to pop....I'm measuring at 39 weeks. Thanks so much to my wonderful husband who has blessed our babies with his genes. My babies have all been good sized so far, and this one is going to be no different. Joshua was 8 lb 6 oz, and Jared was 8 lb 8 oz. Maybe this one will beat them both! :) I'm dilated at 2+, and my cervix is 70% effaced. However, this baby is not very low yet. Hopefully he will come early, though!! He's all ready plenty big enough to survive, I'm sure! I'll keep you updated!

Trying to be prepared

2008-04-14T10:23:00.003-06:00

Well, I'm just about 36 weeks now. So, we're getting down to the last few weeks. I'm just trying to finish all of my last minute projects and preparations now. One of the things I'm working on is making double of all my meals so I can freeze a bunch of meals for after the baby. Cooking is not my favorite thing in the world, so I'm trying to eliminate as much of it as possible after the baby when I'm tired and things are crazy. On Saturday we took the whole family to the grocery store so I could stock up on ingredients and things like cereal and stuff so that I won't have to go to the grocery store for a LONG time! We had 2 entire carts full of stuff!! It was crazy. Anyway, by the time I make all the meals I have planned, I'll have at least 3 weeks worth of frozen meals in our freezer, maybe even more, for after the baby. It will be well worth it!! And I shouldn't have to go to the store except to restock on produce for about the same amount of time. I'm really excited about this! Going grocery shopping and cooking are two of my least favorite things to do.

Anyway, as far as the baby's room goes, it's all finished, except I still need to fix a few ties on the bumper before I put it on the crib. As soon as I do that, I'll take some pictures.

Other than that, I feel pretty prepared for this baby. Except for the fact that we've had a bunch of sickness in our house the past week or so. Joshua seems to be ok now, but Jared still has a sore throat, and today I've got a sore throat and a headache. I hope it all goes away soon so that I can lysol the whole house down before we bring our baby home! And I really hope that mine doesn't turn into anything more than this. My energy level is low enough as it is. I don't need to be sick on top of that!

So, I'll try to keep you all updated on my status! The way I look at it, even though there are about 4 weeks until my due date, I figure the earliest they'll let you go without it being preterm is 37 weeks, and the latest is 42 weeks, so more technically I have about 1-6 weeks left until this baby is here!! I'm hoping more towards the lower amount of course. I think 38 weeks would be great. So, cross your fingers for me!

Quiet time

2008-04-06T08:59:00.002-06:00

Yesterday John took Joshua with him down to Springville (about an hour away) where his family lives. His brother Ben is in town for about a month (he's been stationed in Japan for 6-7 years), so he wanted to go spend some time with him. I didn't really want to go because we've been down there the last 2 weekends in a row, and his parents only have one tiny tv in their room. Because of conference, I didn't really feel like piling all of us on their bed to watch. Plus, I just hate sleeping anywhere else at this point. I hardly sleep as it is, let alone in someone else's uncomfortable bed. So, anyway, Jared stayed with me and John and Joshua went down by themselves. Can I just say, it's been heaven! You would think that Jared would be harder because he's in that 3 year old stage, but he's not. He is so easygoing, it's been so quiet around here! I love Joshua to death, but he is very high maintenance. He's got a very strong personality that we are constantly trying to work with and help him to hone his emotions into positive outlets. Jared and I had some fun last night, too. After the afternoon session of conference we went to a few stores so I get the last few things I needed for the baby's room, and then we went to Taco Bell and ate dinner, and then went and got an ice cream cone. Then we came home and he took a bath and went to bed. I finished cleaning up the baby's room (it's almost finished!), and then I watched a girl movie, since we usually pick something in between when we rent movies. I watched Becoming Jane. It was pretty good.

Anyway, so now that I've had so much quiet time, I decided to take a few minutes to post. Some of you have requested pictures of my pregnant belly. At this point, I'm not sure if I will. Maybe. I'm just feeling so fat and huge. And I'm starting to get swollen all over. I have a little less than 6 weeks until my due date. I gain a lot of weight when I'm pregnant. I've all ready gained about 40 lbs. I always get comments about how huge I am. It makes you feel so good. :) John says it's because my head is small, so the huge belly throws people off. Just to put it in perspective, when I was 32 weeks I went to the hospital for a tour. I went into the wrong doors, so I was asking where to go, and the lady at the desk says, "You're not delivering today are you?" Hello! I still have 8 weeks to go. Thanks a lot lady!! But she doesn't stop there. No, she goes on to say, "Well, do you need a wheelchair or something?" What??? Do I look that terrible that you think I'm delivering today AND that I need a wheelchair??? People, don't they think before they talk?

But that's just one example. Here's another. Yesterday I was at Saver's returning a picture. I guess the policy is that you have to exchange within 7 days, they don't give you store credit or anything. So she's explaining to me that she can extend it for another 7 days if I don't find anything I want today. Then she adds, "Hopefully you won't have your baby before then." Uh, yeah, hopefully, because I still have almost 6 weeks left!! So, anyway, I'll think about posting a picture, but based on these comments from people, I'm not sure I want the rest of the world to see how huge I apparently am!

I'm alive!

2008-03-21T17:11:00.002-06:00

Sorry it's been so long! Now that I'm done working, I thought I'd have tons more time, but I've been spending the last month trying to catch up on all the things I've neglected for the past 4 months! And, to make it even better, it seems like the first day I was home all day, the 3rd trimester symptons kicked in full gear. I've been tired, tired, tired!! I think the Lord really blessed me while I was working so that I could get through it. Cuz I'm exhausted all the time now that I'm home. Anyway, I just wanted to let you all know that I'm alive still. :) And I'm down to about 8 weeks until I'm due! I can't wait! I'm tired of being tired! Anyway, our biggest project right now is decorating the baby's room. My wonderful dad helped me paint and refinish the wood floor in there (who am I kidding, he did the whole thing!). Now, I'm working on getting it all decorated and cute. I'm really excited because this is the first time I've actually decorated the baby's room with cute stuff. John was in school when I had the boys, so we didn't have much money to spend decorating and getting nice furniture. :) I'll post some pics once it's all finished.

Tagged

2008-02-11T15:33:00.000-07:00

I was tagged. I've read a lot of other peoples "tagged" blogs, but none of them ever tagged me by name, so I always ignored them. :) But, thanks to my wonderful friend Jana, I can't ignore this one. So, here goes.

A. The rules of this game are posted at the beginning.

B. Each player answers the question about themselves.

C. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, and then leaves a comment on their blog letting them know they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog to get the directions.

Questions:

10 yrs ago: I was a sophomore in high school. I think I'd rather forget the details of that year. Not my best. :)

5 Things on my list of things to do today: call Qwest because they screwed up my bill again, make dinner, have FHE, make Joshua a paper airplane, relax

Things I would do if I suddenly was a Billionaire: pay off student loans and our mortgage, go on a fabulous vacation, not cook dinner for a year

3 of my bad habits: being TOO organized and structured, splurging on eating out because I don't want to cook, not getting out of bed when I should

Places I have lived: Las Vegas, Ohio, California, Arizona, and Utah

Jobs I have had: receptionist, library clerk, piano teacher

Things most people don't know about me: I got married when I was 18, I have to pick up my house every night (unless I really don't have enough energy). I hate having anything out of place!

I tag Debbie, Kendra, Steffani, Tiffany L., DeaAnna

Almost done!

2008-02-11T15:30:00.000-07:00

So, I have 3 more weeks until I get to quit working! By the end of this month (between tax return and all of our hard work) we will have paid off our van and our credit card, and have enough money saved for the hospital bill. So, with that being accomplished, the hard work is over! I get to stay at home with the kids all day every day again. I'm so excited!! It's been a long 4 months, but totally worth it in the end. I'm not going to know what to do with all my free time!

Pictures

2008-01-19T20:14:00.000-07:00

We got some pictures taken at Target a few weeks ago. Although we didn't buy these special prints, I thought they were some cute arrangements of the boys.

Life's crazy

2008-01-10T16:33:00.000-07:00

I suppose it's time for an update to my blog. Life is just so crazy. It's hard to find any free time to do anything. I've been working parttime in the mornings while Joshua is at school on M-Th. It works out well because Joshua is gone for most of the time, and my dad watches Jared. We're trying to paying off some debts before the baby is born so things won't be so tight then. But it sure is keeping us busy! Between working in the morning, a few piano lessons some afternoons, cleaning the house, cooking meals, and playing with the kids, there's not a whole lot of time left for anything. But it will all be worth it when we don't have to make those van and credit card payments anymore!

Besides all that, December is an insanely crazy month for us anyway! We started off our Christmas festivities the day after Thanksgiving by going out and choosing a Christmas tree. From that day on it was constant shopping, planning, and wrapping gifts while trying to maintain the true spirit of Christmas. On the 17th Joshua turned 5. He had a few friends over for a small birthday party. He sure is excited to finally be 5! Then on the 20th John and I celebrated our 7th anniversary. My how time flies! Then, of course there was Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. My mom flew up from Arizona to see us for about 2 weeks. It was nice to see her and for her to see the kids. She sure has missed them! After the Christmas celebrations we had to gear up for another birthday. Jared turned 3 on Dec. 27. Whew! And just when we thought all the fun was over, John and I left the kids with my mom on New Years Eve and went down to Springville to have a New Years Eve get together with John's siblings. It was so nice to have an evening out without the kids and to be able to sleep in the next day!

Although it was a fun month, it's nice to be back to a normal schedule. I'm 22 weeks along now, so about 5 months. I'm so glad to finally be past the halfway point. It all ready seems like I've been pregnant for forever!! I guess I have been. I found out when I was only 4 weeks along, so it's taking a long time to get anywhere with this pregnancy. I'm feeling surprisingly well. I've had a decent amount of energy and have managed to get by with only a few naps a week! This is quite surprising compared to my other pregnancies where I was dead tired the entire time. I guess I am being blessed so that I can accomplish all the things that I need to during this crazy time of our lives.

We still haven't decided on a name yet, although we have narrowed it down to three.

Ethan
Isaiah
Noah

I'm really not sure which one I like, but that's ok. I still have plenty of time! Anyway, I'll try to keep things a little more updated, but I'm not making any promises!

Make it 3

2007-11-29T14:55:00.000-07:00

So, we are definately having another boy. I made her check over and over and over again, because I refused to believe it. But, there's no mistaking. It's a boy. I'm a little disappointed, but I'm excited too. I was just so sure it was going to be a little girl this time. Oh well. I guess we'll just have to try again. :) Well, see for yourself. The proof is in the pictures!

My secret!

2007-11-01T15:50:00.000-06:00

So...I've been keeping a secret for a couple of months now. I'm.........pregnant!! I'm about 12 weeks now. I've been tired and not feeling the greatest and super busy, so that's one of the reasons my blogs haven't been very consistent lately. Anyway, I had a miscarriage back in May, so I wasn't in a real hurry to spill the beans, but I feel safe about it now. So, surprise! Of course, we're hoping for a little girl, but another boy would be ok too. :) Anyway, I'll keep you updated on any exciting news.

Jared's adventure

2007-10-22T13:11:00.000-06:00

Last night we were at my aunt and uncle's house and Jared fell down and hurt his wrist. It was kinda late so we couldn't really tell whether all the crying was from pain or from just being tired. He seemed to be ok, and it wasn't really swollen or anything, so we decided to go home and see how he felt in the morning. This morning he seemed to be ok, but he still wouldn't use his hand very much. I took him in to the doctor, expecting it to just be a sprain or something and he would just tell me to put some ice on it or something. Imagine my surprise when the doctor came back with the x-ray showing a fractured bone in his wrist! So, Jared gets to wear a cast for 3 weeks. It totally caught me off guard because he hasn't been crying or complaining about it very much at all. I would have thought that if something was broken, I would know for sure! I guess I was wrong. Anyway, Jared was very good during the whole thing. He was so brave. It helped that they kept shoving candy at him to keep him happy. :) Anyway, so far the cast doesn't seem to bother him, but we'll see how he feels by the end of the day when he realizes that it's not coming off!

Hair cut!

2007-10-22T09:50:00.000-06:00

So, more than a month later, I finally had time to go and get my hair cut! It's been really busy lately. So, anyway, here's the final product. Let me know what you think!

The lighting must have been weird, because my hair is definately not red. I'm not really sure how I feel about the back, though. Any suggestions?

2007-09-27T09:17:00.000-06:00

Thanks for all the comments about my hair! I think I've decided to leave it longer, but add lots of layers. Now it's just a matter of finding the time to actually do it. I'll post pics once I do it. :)

So, on Saturday I get to go to the conference center for the relief society broadcast. I'm really excited! It should be really neat. So, for all those who are watching it, keep your eye out for me. Maybe if you're lucky you'll see a shot of me. Hey, there's only going to be 20,000 other people there. It could happen. :)

Should I cut it??

2007-09-16T15:02:00.000-06:00

Ok. So I've been contemplating this decision for months now. Should I cut my hair or not?? I've been growing it our for about 4 years now from a very bad, very short haircut. It's been driving me crazy lately though! It takes forever to comb, especially when it's wet. It's annoying when I sleep, it's always getting in my way. I shed like crazy! I could go on. So, I'm thinking about cutting it. John doesn't want me to though. He likes long hair. My dilemma is that I'm terrified to cut it anyway, because I'm worried that I'll hate the new haircut and wish I hadn't. So, anyway, I told John I'd take a poll and see what everyone else thinks. Should I cut it? If so, how short? What style? Got any pics of good cuts? The thing is that my hair is really fine and limp. And I don't spend very much time on it, so it would have to be a quick and easy style. Any feedback would be much appreciated! Even if you're not bloggers, leave a comment!!

Random Pics

2007-09-16T14:54:00.000-06:00

John was having fun with the camera today. We were all being silly and making funny faces. Here's a look into the crazy side of the Cowgills.

Duck Pond

2007-09-16T14:46:00.000-06:00

Now that Joshua is at school Monday through Thursday mornings, I've been trying to have some good quality time with Jared. Last week we walked at the park a couple of days and afterward we played at the playground or fed the ducks. It's been a lot of fun just being alone with Jared. We haven't had very much alone time together! Anyway, here are some pics from the duck pond.

Karate

2007-09-16T14:40:00.000-06:00

Joshua's been in a karate class since the beginning of July. He absolutely loves it!! It's so much fun to watch him. Normally, I just drop him off for class 2 days a week for 45 min. But at the beginning of each month is parent's week, where I can go and watch. Here's a picture from the last time I went. They were doing an obstacle course and I caught him at the finish line. He's the one all in black with the white belt.

Lagoon

2007-09-16T14:21:00.001-06:00

I know it's been forever since my last post! We've been so busy, it's been crazy! Joshua started preschool 4 days a week. I started taking 2 classes at the LDS Business College in Salt Lake on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. I'm trying to get my generals done so that someday when my kids are a little older I'll be ready to do my bachelor's. I've been really tired lately. So, anyway, you'll get a bunch of new posts today to update you! :)

A few weeks ago we went to Lagoon. My uncle's band was playing at a company party there, and he was able to get us free tickets. We had a lot of fun! Here are some pics of the day.

Grocery trips...what fun.

2007-08-24T13:07:00.000-06:00

So, we just back from going grocery shopping. The trip itself wasn't too terribly bad. They were good enough to get doughnuts for their treat. But then in the line, on the way out, and on the way home they went crazy! Fighting, whining, crying. So, anyway, they didn't get to eat their doughnuts after all. We finished lunch, I put a movie on for them, and then I took my doughnut and locked myself in the bathroom so I could eat it in peace without them complaining about how they didn't get to eat theirs. I didn't even think twice about it. But when I got in the bathroom, I realized how pathetic that is! I had to go lock myself in the bathroom just to eat a doughnut!!! Oh the life of a mother. The things we do to get a quiet moment. I'm sure you all know what I'm talking about!!

Wedding pics

2007-08-14T10:30:00.001-06:00

Wedding

2007-08-14T10:26:00.000-06:00

This past weekend John's little brother, Adam got married to his longtime girlfriend, Hannah. We are so happy for them!! We just adore Hannah. She's the sweetest and cutest girl ever. :) We're so glad she's officially part of the family now! Congratulations guys!

Airplane museum

2007-08-14T10:01:00.000-06:00

Since me moved into our new house, we've made it a point to do something fun every Saturday. When John was in school we never had any time to do much as a family, so it's been great spending so much time together! We do yard work and house projects on Saturday morning, and then in the afternoon and evening we're off for some type of cheap adventure. (We just made our first mortgage payment!) :) So, two weeks ago we went to the airplane museum at Hill Air Force Base. We live just south of the base, so it's only about 5 minutes away. The kids love airplanes and have wanted to go see them for a while. The base runway is just a few blocks from our house, so we're right in the flight path. We see fighter jets and stuff all day every day! They're pretty loud, but it's kinda fun to see. Anyway, here are some pics. There were some big planes there!

That's Jared way back there. Towards the end, after we had all ready seen all the planes inside, he wasn't as interested. He was much more interested in planting himself on the ground and playing in the dirt and rocks. We had a hard time convincing him to come back to us.

In every picture we have of Jared here, he's holding at least one rock. The boy is obsessed with rocks!! I guess he learned to love them in AZ. :) Anyway, antime he sees a rock, he has to pick it up. He'll hold them until I make him put them down.

Back to reality

2007-08-14T09:51:00.000-06:00

I just finished reading Harry Potter last night. I hardly ever read books because when I do, I get so addicted I neglect everything else important! I love and hate how you can get so wrapped up in a fantasy world that doesn't even exist! Your reality seems to slip away and you get so focused on the characters. So, now that I'm done (it was great, by the way!), I'm trying to stop thinking about the story and characters so that I can come back down from my fantasy cloud and be normal again! I haven't stopped thinking about it all morning (and night. I finished it at 1 am), so I decided to turn to my next addiction, which is reading everyone's blogs. So, I read everyones and decided to update my own. Hopefully this will pull me to the real world. :)

Here are some pics from a few weeks ago. John and Joshua had a water fight. Joshua loves playing in the sprinklers and squirting people with the hose. Who wouldn't?

Peanut Butter Balls

2007-08-01T15:52:00.000-06:00

I made these yummy peanut butter balls this morning. We used to make them when I was kid, but I've never made them with my kids. So, we pulled the recipe out and did it. It was a HUGE success! They're totally healthy and the kids loved them. So did I. I could eat them for sweet snacks, and not feel guilty about it! So, here's the recipe.
Mix:
1/2 c peanut butter
2 1/2 Tb nonfat dry milk
2 Tb raisins
2 Tb honey
1/2 c coconut

Form into balls.
Roll in sesame seeds.

We substituted dried berries for raisins because my kids don't like raisins. I doubled the recipe and got about 12 2-inch balls. You can get sesame seeds in bulk at a health food store for cheaper. You can also get unsweetened coconut there too. Oh, and after I made the balls I put them in the freezer to firm up so they wouldn't be so sticky and soft. I'll probably just keep them in there so they stay good for longer.

Song Ideas

2007-07-27T11:15:00.000-06:00

So, I got called to be the nursery music leader in my new ward a few weeks ago. Surprise, surprise, another music calling. :) Anyway, I'm actually pretty excited about it. John and I were both called to be in Jared's nursery class with a few other teachers, and then I get to do the music in both of the nurserys also. The good thing is that I never have to do the lesson. :) Anyway, it's been kind of nice to be with John and Jared for the whole block. I never thought I would want a nursery calling, but it hasn't been too bad so far.

So, the reason for this post is that I'm looking for some cute visual aids for the song, "Give Said the Little Stream." The kids love looking at pictures and having something to see while they're singing. I can't seem to find anything good for this song. If any of you have any ideas, let me know!! Thanks!

Backyard pictures

2007-07-23T15:35:00.001-06:00

I couldn't get these pictures of the backyard in my last post. So, here they are. The yard needs a little TLC, but it's getting there. John all ready took out 4 smaller trees that were dead or dying. Now we just need to do some weeding and pruning. We love having a back yard!!

Here's our apple tree. They're filled with worms this year, but next year we'll spray it and have lots of apples! And our neighbor has peaches too! I can't wait to be able to outside and pick some snacks for the kids. Next year we're going to plant a big garden too. Lots of fruit-strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, grapes, melons. And some veggies too-squash, cucumbers, lettuce, potatoes, corn, peas. Who knows what else. We have plenty of room for a garden without taking from the kids play area. We feel so incredibly blessed!

Pictures of my house!!

2007-07-23T15:13:00.000-06:00

So here it is...my house! It looks small from the front, but it's not. It's actually about 2300 sq ft. The yard needs a little TLC, but John will take care of that in no time. We've only been here for about a month, so we haven't had time for all the finishing touches yet. :)
This is our family room. These are new couches and a new furniture set. In the left corner, you can also see part of our new computer desk as well. We still need to get a rug for in here and some decorations. :)
Here's the rest of the family room furniture. I LOVE having the armoire for the tv! It's so nice to be able to close the doors and not have the tv staring at you, calling your name!
Here's our front room. The couches are new also. That's Joshua taking a nap. I love when he does that!
Here's our basement. All we have down here right now are the kids toys. So, basically it's just one great big playroom. I love it! I can just send the kids downstairs and they can make a big mess, and I don't even have to look at it! There's also plenty of space for them to run around. It runs the length of the whole house. They've played soccer, chase, dodgeball, and done somersaults across the whole room. Did I say I LOVE this room!! The laundry room is also down here, as well as the 4th bedroom.

2007-07-22T23:15:00.000-06:00

So, we decided to go to temple square today. We thought it would be a nice family activity for Sunday evening. And we live so close now! :) So, we took the kids and went on a tour of the conference center, which was nice, but longer than I expected. Then, we decided to let the kids play by the fountain to the south of the temple because they just couldn't get enough playing in the water. Here they are getting as close as they can...

And here's Jared.....

Yes, Jared actually fell into the fountain! He was soaked all the way through and heartbroken! I love the huge puddle of water you can see in the last picture. It was hilarious!! Luckily it was only about a foot deep and he went hands first, so he didn't get hurt. Just swallowed a bit of water. Anyway, so that was our peaceful trip to temple square. Although, it did get better after that. Jared cheered up a bit when we went to look at the reflection pool over on Main Street Plaza (between temple square and the Joseph Smith Memorial building).

As a side note, the company John is working for designed Main Street Plaza if any of you have ever been there! They've also done a few temples and are working on the new Church History Library next to the conference center. Pretty cool! :)

2007-07-22T22:57:00.000-06:00

So, I didn't want to start this blog, but I've been reading everyone else's for so long, I just couldn't resist any longer. So, for those who I haven't talked to since we moved, I'll give an update on where we're at.

When we moved up to Utah in May we stayed with some good friends of ours in West Jordon. We all had really good intentions, but it just didn't end up the way we had hoped. Our friends have 3 kids. The older 2 are about the same ages as my boys. They played great for the first day, and then it was all downhill from there. They constantly fought and were at each other. We ended up staying in the basement for most of the day so that we could try to avoid the conflicts. Anyway, we were there for about 5 weeks while we were in the process of buying our new house. This picture is one of the VERY rare moments when everyone was smiling and actually playing nicely together.

When we finally moved out, I think we were all happy to be getting our own space back. But, we still love them and are so grateful that they were willing to let us invade and stay there for so long! Anyway, so we bought a house in Layton (about 25 min. north of Salt Lake). It's wonderful! It's everything that I hoped for and wanted. It's an older house, but that's what we love. We love the houses that have a little character. It's a brick rambler with a basement. It has 4 bedrooms/2 bathrooms. We've got the family and living rooms upstairs, plus the whole basement for the kids playroom! It's awesome! I don't know how many of you ever came in our house in Mesa, but this is a HUGE step up! AND, of course my favorite part of all is our yard!!! We have a nice big yard with grass, grass, grass, and more grass! We have a little deck we can sit on and enjoy the cool summer evenings. It actually cools off at night in Utah! We are absolutely loving it here! It was definately the right choice! It hasn't come without it's difficulties, though. We actually still haven't sold our house in Mesa yet, but we still feel good about everything and we know that things will work out. Whatever that means! :)

John is loving his new job. He loves what he does and we are so grateful he was able to get this job so easily! We feel so blessed to be here and to have the things we need! I even got to go Craigslisting and get some new furniture! I'll get some pics up of the new house as soon as I can!