TGIF!!

First off-

Happy Birthday Ashlynn!!

I remembered all day yesterday to call you as soon as the kids got home from school. After a fractic early dinner and 2 baseball games we were out of time, and it slipped my mind with all that was going on last night. We are thinking of you and hope you had a great day. Jessie wants to talk to you and catch up so we will call you asap. She has a busier schedule than I do at night because she is not home for the 4th night in a row. ;)

Like most people, Friday signals the start of our weekend, but we are so lucky to have a 3-day weekend most weeks. Dave is able to take Mondays off which leaves us a lot of time to chip away at the to-do list, go to baseball games, and play with the kiddos. At least once a month lately, Dave is gone for part of the weekend attending athletic events for work, so it's nice to have Mondays together to get stuff done.

On a typical Friday I try to get the house in order so we can have a relaxed weekend. We do chores as a family on Saturday morning, but never quite get everything done that I would like. I've learned to anticipate this and get a jump on things on Friday. I make a valiant effort to do all our laundry for the week which is easily 6-8 loads. If I include the laundry from Dave's practice that adds 2+ more. While laundry is going I work on things that the rest of the fam can't do, or maybe I don't trust them to do, like deep cleaning, sorting mail, and de-cluttering (I am a piler). By then it is time to take off for the park to meet our play group and wind down with my girls/fellow Moms. As a stay-at-home Mom, we all relish that time to just chill out and talk to each other about life, kids, our dear husbands, ;) etc. We are usually playing, talking and snacking at the park until after 5 when we realize all the kids are going to melt if they don't get dinner soon. I think about the time it will take to get home and fix dinner and I am so tempted to take a detour for take-out on the way home. We all know how much of a budget-buster eating out can be. I rarely give in to the temptation, but if I do we usually head to In & Out for some hamburgers "animal-style" and fries. Then it's PJ's, treats and family movie night to finish off a fabulous Friday.

So how did Friday go today? Um, I read a book all day, a book that Dave has bugged me to read for awhile. And no, we did NOT get take-out tonight. I made spaghetti, garlic bread and "fresh salad" as Toby calls it, it's a family favorite.


Here's some pictures from the week too. Dave and I were up at 5:30 AM on Memorial Day (crazy right?) to go to the temple with these awesome people. It was so worth it and we had a fabulous time. The yummy breakfast at Country Way afterward was a great finish to our early date. We didn't have to eat again until dinner which was a complete spread of Mom's potato salad, fruit, Kristy's awesome spinach dip, Dad Bennett's delicious BBQ and lots of good company. Both sides of our family got together before to play some kickball madness at the park. Thanks for bringing the ball and cones Lauren. It's great to have a 3rd grade teacher in the family. We got everyone playing that could and Sydney enjoyed being with the dogs while the game was going. She even shared her binky with Sasha. Mmmmmm.

Looking Up

This past week was one that I look back on with many happy memories. It seems like a fog has lifted from our home and we are enjoying the sunshine. The littles, Syd and Coop, slept beautifully all week which means Mom was a happy lady. Syd, aka "Snail Trail," still has a faucet for a nose, but she is feeling better and back to emptying new rolls of toilet paper onto the bathroom floor and pulling cans & dishes out of the cupboards. Jess and Toby (& MOM) are starting to feel the excitement of summer coming soon. Dave is plugging along at work and we thank him daily for buying us a new van, which we are all enjoying. It's nice to open the doors and still smell that new car smell.

Sunday nights are the first of a couple times a week I've been walking with a few girls from the ward. It's great gabbing time with fellow Moms while we feel the burn up a couple close by hills. As long as I take my phone, Dave is cool with us walking after dark. He still hasn't got me that can of pepper spray he says I need to keep walking late at night. Lately, I've been so frustrated because every time I start exercising regularly I get sabotaged by sickness or silly injury. I got in 2 nights with the girls and some morning walks pushing the Squid in the stroller, so it was a good week all around.

Monday was our usual grocery shopping at Costco and Trader Joe's (love that Dave has Mondays off), chinese food with the Elders for dinner and a family game of Kubb before it got dark. It was our first game of the season and we will be playing many more at the beach and camping this year. Ever since Lina introduced us to this game last year at a BBQ we have been hooked. Jessie plays like an adult and Toby is improving his skills quickly. Logan doesn't have the patience to complete a game but he loves the idea. What kid wouldn't love a game where you can throw big sticks through the air and not get in trouble for it?

Toby and Milo are best buds. They pee on trees at the park together (No, I do not approve of this behavior), they play swords and superheroes, and sing at the top of their lungs in church next to each other. Toby was so excited that Milo wanted to come see one of his T-ball games before the season ended. Milo cheered for Toby when it was his turn to do a "monster hit," and was genuinely interested in the game despite Logan's attempt to lure him to the playground. The boys stopped at the snack shack together after the game and life was perfect as they sipped their bubblegum shaved ice on the playground. It's nice to know that Toby (and all the kids) have some good friends to hang out with. It's even better when we know those friends aren't going to drop the F-bomb or other vulgarities like so many other kids do that I hear in public. I hope and pray all our children continue to find and choose good friends their whole lives.

Speaking of bad language, here's a funny story. :) The kids were playing a video game together after they got their Saturday chores done.
Toby breaks the silence with, "What the hell?!!" Nice little piece of English eh?
I said, "Toby, where did you here that?"
He says, "Zubin (neighbor kid) says it all the time."
Tob was pretty embarrassed when I explained that that was one of those crude words/phrases we don't say. Sweet boy. He was on the verge of tears, but secretly I almost busted out laughing. His little outburst even woke Dave from his snooze.

We lucked out and got to have Dave at both kids baseball games this week. It's amazing how much easier it is to shuffle 2 little ones around and catch the games with another adult to help me. Dave even helped coach and things still seemed to go more smoothly. I couldn't do this parent thing without Dave that is for sure. I'm thankful he's such an involved Dad- you're the best Bones!

My snuggle bug. Even though it bugs the crap out of me sometimes, I'm sure going to miss when Miss Squid snuggles like this. She either reaches to be picked up or backs into my lap when I'm sitting on the floor. Then she promptly turns to shove her hand down my shirt and gives a big sigh like all is well. It's her comfort thing, and no matter how many times I gently take her hand out of my shirt she puts it right back. She still won't give up that binky either. I sympathize though, because she has gone from 4 teeth to 10 teeth (including some molars) in 2 months. Her poor mouth must be hurting her daily. Ughhh, she's growing up so fast.

I've been reading a lot of young adult fiction lately for 2 reasons. First, I don't have the brain power after the kids go to bed to digest anything deeper. Second, they are entertaining and I can retell the stories to the kids. I love this Fablehaven series. I picked up the first book on my niece's bookshelf when we were in Utah visiting and I've been hooked since then. This one was so good at the end I didn't wait until the kids were in bed to finish. We had a lot of playing on the floor with puzzles and books that day while I plowed through the end. :)
Finally, we had a Saturday almost free from baseball and other commitments to get the garden in order. My poor vegetable plants were not going to wait any longer for me to get them planted. I have been stuck in my plan for the garden because I needed Dave to lift and empty dead stuff out of some big pots for the tomatoes, zuccini, & cucumbers. Since we only have a small patio in the back, my original plan was to convert the sandbox Dave made into a garden box. We found the wood was too damaged so the plan changed to a container garden for this year. I didn't want to spend the extra time and money to build a new box this late in the season. Yah, I know there's not a vegetable in sight in that picture, but nevermind that we picked up some begonias and bouganvilla at Home Depot while we were getting more potting soil. I have noticed that even a tiny addition of color really brightens up the back, and my mood, when I look out there.

I hope we have more good weeks like the last. It's so wonderful to be healthy and achieve goals, no matter how small or large.

a letter of grievance

Dear Honda Odyssey,

We have owned you for 4 1/2 years. You have been a wonderful, albeit a little small, van for our family. We've driven you to Utah, the beach, Monterey, camping and on countless day trips. We brought home 2 babies from the hospital in your back seat and had many happy conversations with the kids in there. The kids loved that you played fun music and movies for them to make car rides go by faster. We tried to treat you with care and give you all your scheduled service requirements. I understand the kids didn't keep you as clean as you would have liked, but you have been well-loved. When we bought you with 109K miles already driven, everyone said, "Oh, it's a Honda. They run forever. You'll be able to get 170-200K miles out of that car." We needed a bigger car to make room for baby #3 and you were the right price from friends, so we gave you a new home hoping those words would be true. So what the heck happened when you peetered out on us at 140K miles? I thought the weird sound I heard in your engine lately was just a little hiccup in our long relationship. We had financial goals, you know, and overhauling your transmission and/or engine was not part of those goals. I'm very sorry to say this, little Honda, but we must part ways now. When the mechanic says there are gremlins in your engine we are really hesitant to sink money into repairs to keep you happy and running. It is not worth it for us. You might have Pandora's Box under that hood. We are so sad to see you go, especially Toby, who cried most of one evening when he learned we would be selling you. Frankly, I'm ticked you did not fulfill your end of the bargain. You were supposed to run well and be our reliable little Honda until we paid off our school/practice loans. So with that I say, You're fired! Hopefully, we can sell you to someone who can fix your problems and you can find another home there.
Now that you have been let go, may I introduce your replacement. Just in case you are at all worried about how we are going to get around without you, here is our new van. We picked it up yesterday after a couple weeks of car hunting. Uncle Arnold found a deal on this van at the dealership he works at and we couldn't pass it up. We are excited that it has just over 50K miles for a great price and more room inside for people and stuff. The kids are ecstatic that it has a DVD player and the doors open and close by themselves. Admittedly, I like your color better, but it's not a big deal and I'll get over it. So even though you put a huge bump in our plans, we were able to buy your replacement without signing away our first born. Not having a car payment will allow us to save up the money you cost us when you DIED and we will be back on track in no time.

Sincerely,
D & C
Your disenchanted owners

P.S. Sorry Logan broke your rear-view mirror off yesterday. Then again, maybe you deserved it for breaking down on me.

Mother's Day is the best!

I lost a week pretty easily. Last Friday I was feeling kinda yucky and by the time I woke up on Saturday morning I had a full blown migraine, throbbing pain down my neck/back, fever and sore throat. I didn't recover and feel like myself until Tuesday- just in time for the littles to get really sick.

I am so thankful Dave wasn't gone that Saturday or I wouldn't have survived. I spent the entire day in bed while Dave took the kids to baseball, fulfilled our snack shack assignment, went shopping for Mother's Day and cleaned the house. I lay in bed trying to sleep and had some pretty crazy dreams about dying and a funeral. I kept thinking, "Man, I feel like crap, but I'm not that bad (that I'm going to die)!"

When Dave got home from dinner with the kids at the Grandparents I figured out why I was having those scary dreams. The first words out of Dave's mouth when they walked in the house were, "Logan, go tell Mom about how you almost went to heaven today." WHAT? My heart skipped a million beats as they told me that Logan snuck outside after dinner and fell in the pool. Jessie was his gaurdian angel as she was prompted to go find him and pulled Mr. Cooper out while he was flailing underwater. Holy smokes! What would have happened if Jessie wasn't listening to that still small voice inside? How long would Logan have been in the water? I don't dwell on those what-ifs because the answers are scary and God saw fit to save my Mr. Cooper. Dave and I both slept next to Logan that night for a little while and hugged J a little tighter and more often for days afterward. Mortality is truly fragile and precious.

Mother's Day was much more meaningful because of my current physical and mental state. I am so thankful that God blessed me with 4 beautiful, smart, fun children and that Dave loves us and is in it for the long haul with me! Being a mother is the best calling/"job" in the world. There are definitely parts of being a Mom that feel more like a job, like cleaning up bodily fluids and scrubbing stains out of white baseball pants. The rewards are far greater though. I love that my kids make me laugh, ask tough questions, and love to learn. Sometimes, it's hard not to take whining and disobedience personally, but I know the kids don't act that way to hurt me. They love me just as much as I love and treasure them. Plus, they're dang cute and keep me young at heart.

My Mother's Day was wonderful, even though I still felt like a truck ran over my head. The munchkins and Dad surprised me with chocolate chip waffles, OJ and presents in bed. They ate most of the waffles for me since I still couldn't eat much. It made me so happy and thankful for sweet kids when they were super excited to give me their cards and handmade gifts. We made it to church on time even after our lazy morning (it's amazing how that happens when my significant other gets up before 8 am ;) with the rest of us) and I enjoyed the kids singing for all the Moms in church with the Primary. It's one of the reasons I sucked it up and went.
We celebrated with our Moms and Grandmas at Gram Bennett's for dinner. Both our Moms have birthdays within a week of Mother's Day, so we had a party for them too. I love that our Moms (and Dads of course) live so close and can spend time with our kids, who adore them. I also love that our Moms know how to give us space as our own young family even though we live so close. Sometimes I feel we don't see them enough. We love you Moms!!

I gotta cut it short- too long-winded. So Logan and Sydney both got ear infections this last week. Logan screamed his head off for 2 1/2 days because his ear hurt him so much. After we did all we could for him at home, and 2 sleepless nights, Dave finally took him in to the Doctor to get a second opinion and see how bad it really was. So get this, the Doctor looks at him and says, "Yeah, he's got a mild ear infection. Usually these things work themselves out on their own, but here's a prescription for amoxicillon." Really? You're preaching to the King of wait things out. We go to the Doctor as a last resort. How long are we supposed to listen to the poor kid screaming before it works itself out? I partly think Mr. Coop was a little wimpy and freaked out about that stuffy ear feeling and here's why. Syd had a fever and showed signs of an ear infection at the same time as Coop. Her fever started to go down when I noticed she was draining nasty fluids out of her ear that I will not describe here. We are pretty sure she ruptured her ear drum and she didn't cry or fuss nearly as much as Mr. Man. Thankfully, they are both on the mend.

So when Logan was hurting on Tuesday he was chillin' on the couch while I checked email. Suddenly, he piped up with this little nugget, "Here's what I need (to feel better). Dinner in bed, sleeping, and a movie while I'm dinnering in bed. With a tray!" Apparently that breakfast in bed business on Mother's Day was too good to pass up for Logan.

Yeah, I'm hot-blooded...

...check it and see. Feel the fever burning inside of me. That Foreigner song is running through the brain looking at the following pics.


First off, all you Twilighters out there...... If you haven't seen it already, check out the Wolf Pack from New Moon (book 2). Oh My! The movie comes out in November and I think I want to see this one more than the first because it's my favorite book. Contrary to most fans, I am Team Jacob all the way, more like team werewolf. I really like Stephanie Meyer's version of the brotherhood of the wolfpack, their special abilities, etc. I'll take the kind, hot-blooded man over a cold, brooding vampire any day. Come to think of it, I do! (love ya babe!)









Speaking of my hot-blooded man, here he is during his race last Saturday. For his first open water swim he did a great job. I was a little bummed that I couldn't be there. Thanks to his friend Brad we can all get a glimpse of race day. Dave swam as part of a triathlon relay team that didn't show up, but he got to race anyway. So he learned that training in a pool is a lot different than swimming in open water with a bunch of people packed in like sardines. The first glimpse I got when Dave got home was him shuffling to the door like an old man because his calves were so tight from cramping up. Because everyone was so close at the start he had to swim more upright with his head out of the water which was a lot more kicking than normal. It sounds like my kind of swimming. I'm so used to wimping out by keeping my head out of the water so the contacts don't slip off my eyes. I never have liked getting my eyes and ears in the water. I guess that's what goggles and a cap are for, eh?Giving a wave in the middle of the sardines. :)
The new wet suit worked wonders in this chilly water.

I'm glad Dave was pleased with his swim and had a great weekend (except for some minor drama). We sure missed him a ton! It was nice to have him back on his side of the bed last night.

That reminds me...... Friday night was the first night Dave was gone and I had done laundry all day but ran out of time to fold it before we had company. We just piled it all on Dad's side of the bed and I planned on folding it before bed. That didn't happen so I snuggled with the pile of clothes instead of Dave that night. Logan did his usual 5 AM flyby of Dad's side of the bed for whatever reason. He stumbled over to me, I mumbled something about Daddy still being gone and Logan fell asleep on the floor right next me. In the morning, Logan looks at me with the most serious face and says, "Why was Daddy covered with all those clothes last night?!!" HA! He still didn't get it that Dad was gone/not sleeping at home for 2 nights.

strange feeling

Dr. Dave is gone for the weekend. It's weird to not have him home at night. The kids cried when he left this afternoon. I will admit I almost did too. The worry-wart in me thinks that something bad will happen while he is gone. He is having fun though.

Dave loves pig-tails, when the girls wear them and me too. ;) I thought I'd send him off in style this afternoon. I really should take the 10 minutes needed to do my hair more often. I felt a little different, a little fancier, all day. I know the Mister noticed my hair even if he didn't say anything. He was running around trying to pack while his friends waited for him in the living room, so it was understandably a little crazy. Dave has been working on 2 different things lately that have come together this weekend. First, he has been training to do a mini-triathalon the end of May. Holy smokes, it's May already. One of Dave's patients, who was going to participate in the Wildflower Triathlon in Monterey County this weekend, asked him to swim her leg of the relay. He is excited to try the new wet suit and do his first race tomorrow morning.

Second, Dave joined a chiropractic group that travels to various events around the area to provide support for the athletes and participants. He has done 2 events so far and is already seeing a little boost in business, which is the end goal. Plus Dave's having fun at what he does and that is the best part. His group had planned on going down to Wildflower to support the event before Dave knew he could swim, so he is stoked to do both!

Even though we miss our Dad/hubby tons, he is having a fun, productive weekend with colleages "camping" in a double wide trailer.

Dan & Lauren and Tom & Kristy came over for dinner and a movie to keep us company tonight. The kids love getting crazy with their uncles. They watched movies on the couch and played while the girls sewed in the kitchen. Kristy and Lauren made blankets for friends' babies and I started making rice bags for Dave to sell to patients.

After the kids went to bed and everyone left I realized how eerily quiet the house is right now. I actually stopped and thought about what I should do. It's too early for me to go to bed, especially after eating 3 chocolate chip cookies, and Dave's not home to talk to as usual. During the day when the laughing, screaming, fighting gets to be too much, I dream about time to myself with total silence. Now I have it and I'm a little lonely.

What should I do? My top choices are blog, (which I'm almost done with), wrap up in a cozy blanket and watch a chick flick without getting up to take care of someone else, read until I fall asleep in the precious silence. We'll see. I might do all three.

Typical morning lately

M: Logan would you like some oatmeal or cereal for breakfast?

L: Mmmm..... a meat sandwich!

M: So you want some oatmeal?

L: No, a meat sand-wich!

M: You can have a meat sandwich for lunch. We're having oatmeal if you don't decide.

L: Okay....oatmeal.

M: Do you want cinnamon in it?

L: Gross.

* 5 minutes later when oatmeal has cooled *

M: Mr. Cooper! Here's your oatmeal.

L: Bop (my nickname), I'm NOT eating this oatmeal. (Grrrrrrrrrrr!)

M: Eat your oatmeal. It's got brown sugar in it.

L: I HATE brown sugar!

M: No you don't. That's what cookies are made of.

L: I hate it!

This kid is beyond frustrating with food sometimes. He finally realized the oatmeal on the table was his only breakfast.