School Makes Me Tired!

I remember when I was a kid I could never fall asleep the night before school started. I think they are starting school way too early these days, because we were all less than enthusiastic to get to school, and I had NO problem falling asleep last night! I am such a procrastinator, I finally arranged carpool at 9:00 last night! I had to force myself out of bed this morning.....then had to force the kids out of bed. I am impressed that we woke up early enough for scripture study (so far 100% this school year!) and a homemade breakfast. I have to admit that I sent my kids to school with barely any school supplies, and since I have not done grocery or Costco shopping, they were sent with boring peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I am such a loser mom. I do plan on getting school supplies, but Curtis and George started a new school and I did not have the supply list.

Here is their forced picture!

We got everybody to school on time....again 100% for the school year. James has started his first year of middle school, and the kids there looked sooooo old! Here I am embarassing James on his first day.....

I took these from the car.....he really can't stand me! I finally got home by 9:00, and I actually got a lot of stuff done. Cleaned the house, folded and put away laundry, cleaned the garage (I had half of the beach in my garage), cleaned my car out(had the other half of the beach in there), made cookies (just because I wanted the dough), vacuumed, dusted, made dinner, etc. I still didn't get my car washed or get to Costco. Oh well. The kids had a successful first day. Now that I have signed ALL of the new papers, I am going to try to finish this day out strong. I start fading at about 3:00. It is almost 5:30, and I am feeding half of the kids dinner before I have to go teach bootcamp! Hopefully I will get my second wind soon! Is it sad that I am fantasizing about falling asleep tonight....and it is ONLY the first day of school!

ps....While I was cleaning out my pantry, I found a bunch of baby food that I will not be using.....does anybody want it? Let me know...and it's yours.....I always hated spending grocery money on that baby food!

Halloween In August

That is right! It still may be two months away, but we are ready to kick off Halloween. It seems like most people really love Christmas.....I do love Christmas, but my absolute favorite is Halloween. We really have fun with this holiday.....yes it is a holiday! My Uncle Steve, who lives in Huntington Beach, grows pumpkins, and invites us down every year to get a bunch of them. Some of these pumpkins are huge....over a hundred pounds. Every kid gets to pick his own, and then some. We are so lucky! The kids have a blast and Uncle Steve aka Uncle Scary is so much fun with them. George and Uncle Scary both have a passion for Halloween, and Uncle Scary got George started on his mask collection. Before we head to the pumpkins, we swim and hang out. Here is James getting attacked by Uncle Scary...or the "crocodile"Here he is checking out the damage to his toe...the crocodile bites toes....especially the big ones! George and Uncle Scary....two of a kind...

Here are some pics of us picking our pumpkins

How many guys does it take to carry a pumpkin?.....

LOTS!!!

It was a fun time, and the kids are already asking when we get to do it again!

I had to throw in this one picture of KC......I went to change and get ready for the gym....this is how I found him, and this is how we left the house..

He is a MONSTER!!!

Can Not Get Enough!

I am going to be in total depression Tuesday evening.....why??? Because it will be the official last beach day of the summer. It makes me sad to think about. The beach has been especially perfect the last few times I have gone. We couldn't help but go twice this week, and if I could I would go tomorrow, but I can't....Anyways, Tuesday was my niece's birthday party. Her birthday isn't until September 17th, but she wanted a beach party, so I called it her pretend birthday celebration. But, it was a good idea, and so fun. There were twenty 13 year old girls there....CRAZY.....but they were all very sweet girls. James and Curtis went to a USC football practice that day, so they missed out on the girl-fest. Since I am the laziest Mom in the world, I thought with twenty girls, at least a couple of them would watch KC for me. Despite that, I did manage to lose KC one time. He is such a fast little midget! He was fascinated with the lifeguard truck, so, he walked almost a whole lifeguard station down to go check it out. It is such a yucky feeling when you lose a child..even for a couple of minutes. Luckily no harm was done, but a couple of judgemental mothers were trying to help him find me. When I thanked them, they gave me that look....whatever!!! It was a fun party, and the 3 boys I had with me had a good time playing with their cousins.
The waves were super calm, but I still made my sister hold my hand. Mostly because she hates doing that, but I think it is fun! We were out in the waves and a seal swam right by us.......scared the crud out of me! Don't sharks hang out with seals? Great water, weather, light breeze...perfect! So perfect, I had to go back today. Perfect again! The kids got along pretty good. Tiffany met me there, and we had a lot of fun. Tiffany has very cute girls, so George and Charlie had a really good time. They play really good with girls....especially cute ones! Two perfect beach days in one week. I feel really spoiled. There was a moment today when one of the kids wanted to go home....my response was, "there is for sure a sad child somewhere in Iowa wishing they were at the beach today...be grateful for the beach!" I don't think he understood what I was saying, but it made sense to me. I will never take the beach for granted.....I LOVE it! It was one of those days where it just kept getting nicer and nicer. I wish we could have stayed for dinner...oh well, we had football, the gym, and junior high orientation.....can't believe my little Jamers is going to junior high. That means I am getting older....and that for sure means Scott it getting older.....I say that, because his birthday is tomorrow. I will do a separate post for him, because I know he would be sad if I didn't devote a whole post to him! He is sad because I haven't celebrated birthday "WEEK"...that's right I said week. I'll talk about that later!

It Could Be Worse....Part II

After the morning fiasco, the day continued with laundry and cleaning, cleaning, and more cleaning. Because we thrive on consistency, here is a picture of the dinner aftermath...The picture doesn't really look that bad, it is worse than it looks. Just in case you were going to invite KC over for dinner, he starts throwing food when he is done. Those are peas and carrots ALL over my kitchen. Did I mention that I already washed the floor once today? Oh well, like I've said, it could be worse. I am upstairs typing this as these troublemakers of mine are in the bath

If only my kitchen was as clean as them right this second. Oh well.....happy Monday!

By the way, I know my ward buddies usually go to Zuma 13 tomorrow, but if you feel like heading south a little bit, we will be down in between 11 and 12. My niece is celebrating her 13th birthday there tomorrow.....if anyone wants to join the party...come on down!

As I was finishing up this post, the boys were getting out of the bath....before I could get a diaper on KC he made a mess on the carpet....just like a dog! Sorry, no pictures. The only reason I mention this is to make you feel better about your day. Most likely you won't go to bed tonight saying...."I had to clean poop off of the carpet"......sweet dreams!

It Could Be Worse!

Either I am getting calmer or just lazier. I am noticing that things happen and I am starting to thing it is normal....well normal for us. Yesterday I had to teach in Relief Society, so I had to be there on time. Since church is at 9:00, I don't do grand Sunday breakfasts that I have always wanted to do. As I was trying to get everything ready to go, this is what I came downstairs to

Cocoa Pebbles EVERYWHERE

I looked at it....grabbed my camera....took pics...and left. I just figured I would deal with it when I got home. Luckily it was not covered in milk. I've had way stickier messes before. Back in the day my blood pressure would have gone up and I would have yelled at someone....not yesterday. I've realized it happens, and I need to start accepting it. Today was not much different. Mondays are a little busy for me. I usually train in the morning, and then go off to the gym to teach. That means James is given the responsibility of making sure everyone is still alive when I get back. When I was on my way home I called to see what I had to return to. James was in a panic. It turns out innocent, little KC grabbed the lysol disinfectant spray, opened it, and spilt it on the living room carpet. He was trying to clean it up....he was stressed, worried it was discoloring the carpet. It kept foaming, and we scrubbed it for a good 30 minutes.....

Not a big deal....at least KC didn't drink it.....it could always be worse! I think that is my new thought for now. I will taken spilt cocoa pebble, and lysol in the carpet anyday. My kids are healthy.....the lysol made the house smell clean, so it's all good. I have to throw in this picture of George....I know I am his mom, but he is so handsome.
I love these striped shirts. The day I met Scott he was wearing one similar to this. I thought he was really cute.....the feeling was not mutual, but that is for another post.

You Can Find Us.....

At the football fields. I am not complaining, it is a good time. James had his first scrimmage today, and he LOVED it. This is James's 3rd year playing. We were in a different league, and switched to the Patriots this year. The difference is pleasant to say the least. A lot more layed back, and uplifting. James has always wanted to play quarterback, and today he had his first oppourtunity. I know I am his mom, but he did a great job. He did hurt his finger, and I think his coach wanted him to call it a day. I understand if a bone was popping out, or blood was everywhere, but a sprained finger....come on. We gave him an advil, taped it up, and sent him back out. Even though it was just a scrimmage he was on cloud 9 for his chance at quarterback.

Plus, he looks so cute in his little outfit, costume, yes I know uniform! I just like to tick off Scott and the boys when I say that.

Curtis is patiently sitting on the side lines waiting until he gets the ok. He looked a little bit better today. I told him probably 2 more weeks. What a bummer, but it isn't worth it to push this thing.

The other boys are busy, but it works if George has enough toys, Charlie has enough snacks, and KC is happy stealing the cones from the sidelines and food from random families.

As long as the weather is great, it is a pleasant time. I am not going to love it when it is cold.....but we'll deal with that when it gets here!

I Thought The Beach Cured Everything?!?

OK.....don't send social services, I learned my lesson! I am aware that when you have mono you are suppose to take things easy. I thought that if Curtis went to the beach yesterday he would be able to relax, and the beach vibes would ease his discomfort. Yesterday was another fantastic day at the beach....warm, light breeze...super enjoyable. Here is a picture of Curtis pre beach..... His eyes are a bit swollen, and he didn't feel super great. When he went to the beach he wasn't allowed to run around, swim in the water, etc. I even dug a hole in the sand, layed down towels, covered him with his blanky, and put him under the umbrella...... He even took a short nap. Despite my efforts, I think it wore him out more than I thought. He had a terrible night's sleep, and he woke up with his throat killing. This is what he looks like today.....

How sad is that? I have been giving him motrin non stop....I am hoping to be able to get a better pain killer from the doctor, and I went and got him a slurpee. I am not sure what else I can do for him. I hate it when my babies don't feel well. It breaks my heart.

The beach was fun, and it is always a good time hanging out with my friends. Now, I am not sure if they are going to stay my friends, because I take pictures of them, and they tell me I can't post them....but I do! Here is Tiffany blowing up the BIGGEST beach ball EVER!!!

Don't be mad at me Tiff....you look really pretty AND skinny. Which I have to mention Tiffany is running a marathon...over 26 miles....I can't even imagine! She is my hero!

The best part of this beach ball experience was when it was finally blown up, I said "next time you should bring a pump" that was when Kim realized she had had a pump in her car all along. Pretty funny!

Don't my boys look so sweet here:

I think KC sat there a whole 30 seconds. The rest of the time he bugged Pam. He is covered in sand, and was on top of her all day long! Sorry Pam. KC fell asleep in the car before I even pulled out of the parking lot. The sand sticks to him, so I couldn't even wipe it off.....

It is so weird that he has sand above and under his eyes, and it is very rare if he complains of sand in his eyes. This kid is constantly on the go. He plays hard and aggressive. He shows his affection with hard pinches and open mouth kisses.....and I love him! This morning when he woke up, he was so excited to see me, his whole body shook, and he grabbed on to me super tight and gave me the longest kiss! Those are the things that make me so happy!

Today has been a lazy day for everyone. No point in cleaning my house, because it gets destroyed....so the boys are just playing and making messes. I got a good laugh when Charlie came in the room like this:

ME

So, this post is about me, because Heather "tagged" me. I will play along, because I actually like these kinds of things. These are the rules:list 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 current obsessions/collections, 3 surprising facts and then tag 5 other people. Leave a comment for the people you tag so they know they have been tagged.

Here it goes:

Joys......
1. My husband and kids
2. Yummy food
3. Perfect beach days

Fears....
1. Being hungry......craving something and not having it accessible (I know I have issues!!!)
2. swimming by myself in the ocean
3. Harm to my children

Current obsessions/collections:
1. jelly bellies and licorice
2. scrabulous
3. Tivo

Surprising Facts....
1. I am able to roll my stomach.....I am extremely gifted like that
2. I can pick up almost anything with my toes
3. I can burp the alphabet and all of my kid's names

I tag:
1. Pam
2. Lori
3. Jo
4. Kim
5. Jody

Have fun!

Who Has Been Kissing Curtis???

The reason I ask, is because Curtis has Mononucleosis....aka the kissing disease. I have never seen glands as swollen as his. The lumps are so big you can see them sticking out of his neck.....we call him Curtasaurus.....like a dinosaur....get it?

Yep, I know I am lame, but I think I am going crazy. I clean my house constantly, and it is a complete bomb! Oh well, I think I might be getting use to it. Curtis doesn't feel great, but he can't stand sitting still, so I am hoping he will snap out of this one quickly. James also had mono a couple of years ago.....which seems weird, because how often do you hear of 9 year olds getting mono? Besides Curtis feeling yucky, today was a very pleasant day. KC has been waking up super early lately, but today he slept until 8:30. It was soooo nice! After attempting to clean my house AGAIN, we all got dressed and took the kids over to Scott's office for "Bring Your Kid To Work Day" Whoever planned this one needs a day of honor! I love my kids, and I LOVE spending every day with them, but I forgot what it was like to be on my own. Three straight hours! I wish I was off getting a massage, but I spent the time shopping for new school clothes for them. Since they are boys, that meant t-shirts. I bought lots and lots of t-shirts. I don't love shopping, especially when it is not for me, but it was nice getting it done without dealing with the chaos that comes with taking my children out in public! It was so funny to me that Scott was in a complete sweat when I came to pick up the kids.....poor Scott, but he did a good job. The kids had so much fun, but what kid wouldn't when their dad works for a video game company? Of course they played video games....

Participated in scavenger hunts and crafts....

Got to eat lunch with Dad.....

They also got ice cream, candy, and a bunch of freebies, including a few video games.

While I was shopping I got hungry....of course! I did something I never do....I actually walked into a place and got take out. Normally, I go through drive thrus, because of the kids, so it was nice to just stand around and wait for my order. It is these type of experiences that I actually enjoy. After I taught my class, I got to go hang out at the boys football practice. It is really fun for me, because both of the boys are on teams with families that are so fun to hang out with! It is a good time sitting out in fantastic weather and being with good people. The kids are usually entertained with all of the other kids, and KC has a tendency to run on the practice field and steal food from other people, but it is a good time. A lot of us are Mormon, so we have been called the "Mormon Mafia". We are all looking forward to a fun football season.

It is a little past 9:30, and I still have things to do, but I just needed to mention that I can hear Scott vacuuming right now! How nice is that? When Scott reads my blog he realizes that I really do like him. I guess I need to tell him more rather than write it down. Oh well, in case I forget....thanks Scott!!!

What Goes In...Must Come Out!

I don't mean to gross everybody out, but this is my blog, and if I have to live it, I will share with everyone. We got to go to the beach again this Tuesday, and it really was a perfect beach day. KC, as usual, ate half of the sand on the beach. He really loves eating the sand. He dips every bit of food in the sand before he eats it. Well, sand doesn't really digest, so it comes out. KC is a healthy boy, and I do quite a few diaper changes daily. So, ALL day yesterday, I was changing sandy/poopy diapers.....it is really nasty. Just be glad I did not take any pictures. Despite the aftermath of sandy poop, the beach was so nice. It was warm enough that I had to go in the water. I enjoy swimming in the ocean, but it does scare me a bit. I feel much more comfortable when I have someone swimming with me. Usually that is my sister, but she was a couple of lifeguard stations down from me. The girls from my ward went out in the water, but this is as far out as they went.... When I took this picture Pam told me I could not post it....sorry Pam, but you and Lori look cute!

Anyways, as I was sitting on the beach, my sister came up to me from out of the ocean. She came to see if I wanted to go swim with her. Yeah, so we went on out. I told her it was like a beach miracle. My sister can't stand me, but she gets desperate when noone else will swim with her. I make her hold my hand when the big waves come, but the water was pretty calm, and the waves weren't too strong....so she didn't have to hold my hand this time. The water was super refreshing, and it was really fun.

Saturday night we went to a Dodger game. It was a last minute thing, and we ended up going with Robbie and his friend, Tracie, and the two oldest boys. I don't really love watching baseball unless my boys are playing, but I do enjoy the food, so it works out. It was a really nice night. I am usually ready to go by the 3rd inning, because that is how long it takes to eat my food.....but this time the whole evening was enjoyable.....

This week has been interesting....things have been breaking left and right....garage door, bbq, car batteries. We were having family over on Sunday for a BBQ, and our BBQ broke down..luckily Scott put a new one together, the next day I woke up early to go train, and my car was completely dead...luckily, Scott went into work later and got a new battery for me. Here is the most frusterating one....we needed James and Curtis's birth certificates for football. I am able to find everybody elses birth certificates, except for Curtis. It wouldn't be that big of deal to go to the county and get a new one, but Curtis is our only child that was born in Anaheim. In order to get a birth certificate in time, we had to go to Santa Ana. Scott was nice enough to take the drive for me and get a new one. I spent the entire day before tearing up my house trying to find it, but I had no luck. Oh well, these things happen, and we are back on track!

James and I have had a really fun summer together. He has been watching the kids when I need to do things, he's fun to hang out with at night, and he has been extremely helpful. BUT, he is 11, and will act like a stinker sometimes. The other day he was being a challenge....I warned him and warned him, but he did not listen, and here are his before and afters.....

I kept telling him if he didn't shape up we were going to shave his head.......he learned his lesson!

This next picture makes me laugh.......

Notice my sister posing in the background....she is such a dork!

I am so sad that there are only 3 weeks of summer left! I don't think I am ready for it ) :

#4 is 4

Charlie turned 4 years old yesterday. The best part was watching him have so much fun. 4 is one of the best birthdays, because the pleasures are so simple, and so rewarding! There was definitely some divine intervention when Charles Emmett was born. His 3 older brothers were all born 5 days early, so I figured he would be the same. His due date was August 17th, and even though it was 17 days early, I was feeling it was time. I was not in labor at all. I am insured with Kaiser, so the person that delivers you is whoever is working labor and delivery that day. My favorite midwife was going to be going on vacation, so she told me her last two days were that Sunday and Tuesday. She told me if I was contracting to come on in either of the days. I had a contraction here or there, but I was definitely not in labor. That Sunday I was doing laps around the church building trying to get some contractions going.....but not much came of it. Regardless, I went in hoping something would happen. They monitored me, and there were a few minor contractions, so I was bummed. Luckily, my blood pressure was slightly elevated (which was odd, because I have never had high blood pressure, even during any of my pregnancies). My midwife convinced the doctor on call to induce me. All they did was break my bag, and the contractions came on like wildfire. That was around 6:30, and Charlie was born at 11:11. When he was born, we noticed a knot in his umbilical cord. It was still loose, but if it had tightened up it could have been really bad. There is a reason he was born when he was, healthy and safe.

I am so glad Charlie had such a fun birthday, because I really was a slacker Mom and didn't do any big thing. He woke up and wanted ice cream for breakfast, so ice cream it was....
(Notice KC up on the counter behind him)

Uncle Robbie picked him up for lunch and took him to his favorite, McDonalds..

I couldn't believe Uncle Robbie allowed that ice cream mess in his car, and when I asked him about it, he said, "Well, it's his birthday" How nice.

Scott came home for his lunch and Charlie got to open his presents....

Charlie is so into pirates right now, so he got a pirate ship, and he has been playing with it non stop. That evening Curtis and James had football practice, so I made a bunch of cupcakes and brought them to the practice fields. All of the teams practice together, so there were tons of people there. I told Charlie this was part of his birthday celebration, and look how many people showed up! He was so excited....he got to play with everybody. My friend Tiffany even brought him a present, and he was so happy. I had random children coming up for cupcakes, and it was great. We came home, he played with his pirate ship until about 10:00, and then we got him into bed....
While Charlie and Robbie went out, the boys surprised him by decorating his room. The balloons on the wall are suppose to spell out "CHARLIE". They wanted it perfect, which is funny, because Charlie can't read yet!

Charlie is very grateful for the things he gets, and the best part of my day was when I put him to bed and he said, "Mom, I love it when it's my birthday day." I love it too! And I love my little Charlie bug.