Wow, I started this post last week and it has taken days for me to finish it. We have been pretty busy around our house. We spent Sunday and Monday (last week) at my parents house. We celebrated Tyler's birthday:Monday I was supposed to work on making "warm window" curtains for our basement. We went to Joann's to buy fabric, not realizing that they were having a ginormous sale. It was horrific! We were there for 3 1/2 hours. No kidding. At one point I considered taking Wes up on his previous suggestion to frame in the window and replace it with a wall fireplace. Never in my life have I spent so much time buying fabric. It was frustrating, stressful, horrible-torture. We spent the rest of the day relaxing, and that was great!

Wes, Brandon, and Spencer together had a total of 7 basketball practices and 5 basketball games.


I usually really enjoy basketball season, but this year has been just one frustration after another. I don't want to go into all the details and complain for an hour, but new sports directer in our neighboring town wouldn't let us have our own teams anymore. He's more about making the program look good than he is about the kids. Being on a team with no friends, not being able to carpool, no notice that games/practices have been canceled, bad refs, and two games being played at the same time in the same gym (so no one can tell which whistle applies to their game), had made for a frustrating season indeed.

We finished up a science fair project. I was able to talk him into doing a cooking experiment so we could actually benefit from the results. (He was willing because he knew there would be cookies involved. Spencer did a great job, but says he really hates the science fair because "you have to talk to all those people". Hmm, I think he takes after his dad in that regard. I could talk all day! :)

I taught Brandon how to make whole wheat bread. It was delicious and the boys finished off an entire loaf in under five minutes:

And last but not least, I refinished this table:I just finished it tonight and I must say that I am thrilled with the transformation. I never would have imagined that I would be doing makeovers on furniture, but I am totally loving it! I will be posting the before and after pictures soon. But for now I am tired and am heading to bed early. Woohoo!

Happy Birthday Tyler!!

Yep, it's time for another birthday cake at our house! Eight years ago Tyler joined our family. He was immediately adored by not just his mom and dad, but also by his two older brothers. He was the happiest baby and even loved just sitting on the floor in his carseat and watching his brothers play.



Here are eight things I love about Tyler:
1-That he writes the best creative stories. Neither one of his older brothers enjoys writing, so I love it when Tyler brings home the stories he writes at school. They are so fun to read!
2-His excitement for life. You can always tell how Tyler is feeling, and I love it how his face just lights up when he is happy. Sometimes he even does a little dance!
3-Watching him play soccer. He is an awesome soccer player and I love watching him anticipate where the ball will go and then kicking it up the field. He is amazing!
4-His awesome drawings and art projects. Tyler is definitely the artist in the family!
5-He is very generous and shares with others. Just yesterday he got a candy bar from his teacher and shared it with everyone in our family.
6-He is fun to be around. He loves playing games and sometimes even makes up games or treasure hunts for our family to participate in. They are so much fun!
7-Lego skills. Tyler is a master builder and makes the most amazing ships.
8-He is a great friend. He thinks of others and is kind, thoughtful, and fun to be with. No wonder friends are always calling to see if he can play.

Tyler, we are so glad that you are in our family. You are just plain awesome and I am so glad I'm your mom! Your dad and I are so proud of you and the decisions you have made in your life. Our family just wouldn't be the same without you! We are so excited that you have chosen to be baptized this month. You rock!!!

Happy Birthday Brandon!!

Fourteen years ago this little slugger came into our family:

Actually he wasn't very little. He weighed in at a whopping 10 pounds 6 ounces! Yes, I know. Huge. After 26 hours of labor I ended up having an emergency C section. But he was all worth it. Still is. My husband and I were so happy to welcome him into our home, even if he did skip over the whole newborn phase. Our lives have never been the same and we just love the heck out of him.

So, in honor of his 14th birthday, here are 14 things I love about Brandon:
1-His mellow personality. I am so glad he was born first and set the tone in our house.
2-That he is an amazing example to his three younger brothers.
3-He is a stinking genius! He passed me up in the math department I think in 3rd grade. (He gets that from his dad.)
4-He loves reading just as much as I do. I love it when we both read the same book and then get to talk about it.
5-I love watching him play basketball! He has amazing ball handling skills and is finally starting to show some aggression on the court.
6-He is kind to everyone. Not just the cute, or cool, or popular kids. Everyone.
7-He shows respect. That is so uncommon in the youth of today. Brandon very seldom talks back or cops an attitude at home, and I know he would never, ever, do it outside our house with another adult.
8- He eats everything I cook, except for maybe one time. Totally not a picky eater and I so appreciate it.
9-He cleans up after himself. Never have to pick his dirty clothes up off the bathroom floor!
10-When I ask him to do something, most of the time he does it without complaining.
11-He has the same sense of humor I do. I love watching funny clips on the internet with him.
12-He has some serious musical talent. He knows how to play the French horn, the trumpet, the piano, and most recently-the guitar.
13-He is taller than me and helps me reach things in the top cabinets.
14-He has beautiful blue eyes that remind me of his dad.

Brandon, I am so glad that you are a part of our family. I feel unworthy to be your mother, but I am so grateful that Heavenly Father is giving me a chance to try. I love you more than you can know!!

Woohoo! It's Finished!

After weeks of hard work, sweat, a few tears, and a couple of tiny swear words, I have finally finished the boys bathroom! And I love it. So do the boys. When I got it finished, Justin went in for the tour and yelled, "Mom, this is soooo cool! I love my new bathroom!" Hopefully that will translate to not leaving traces of toothpaste smeared everywhere. OK, maybe not, but a girl can hope, can't she?

If any of you are interested in seeing the before and after pictures, you can read all about it here. You can see my thrifty ideas here and here. Have fun!

I knew it was coming. . .

After three years working in the Young Women's organization, I knew that my time would be ending soon. It was a big time commitment, but I loved, loved, loved working with the girls. We have amazing youth in our ward and it was fun just being around them. I love my girls and I am going to miss them.

I am also going to miss working with Tami. She is awesome and we have become good friends. She is so sweet that when I got released (before she did), she had the girls all write notes to me and deliver them with this:
I will always love it, and think of my cute girls every time I look at it. Such good memories.

My new calling is working in the nursery. A lot of people dread it, but I think it is great and I am loving it. Our nursery is really small right now and the kids are just so darn cute. It is a completely stress free calling, and I am all for that. I am excited about it!