Melaleuca Christmas

This year for the Melaleuca Christmas party Kurt Bestor performed with the Teton Chamber Orchestra.  I have been excited for weeks, because Kurt Bestor is one of those people who amaze me.  Anyone who can compose music like he does just blow my mind.  I don't have much musical talent of any kind, but I love listening to music and it touches me deeply.   It was such a nice break from all the hustle and bustle and I actually got to talk with Ben for the first time this week.  Merry Christmas everyone!

The Holidays

I really don't like the holidays.  In fact I dread them.  I don't like digging box after box of decorations out of my storage room (or this year waiting for Ben to do it), setting everything up then taking it down a few weeks later.  My family is full of drama and it's times like this I am thankful I live in another state.  I only wish I lived farther away....  The only thing I am looking forward to is seeing my kids faces Christmas morning, it's the only thing keeping me going right now.

I am now 25 weeks pregnant and still sick.  I am still taking my medication every day and I am sore in various spots all over my body.  If I was unsure before I am sure now that this is the last one.  I am too old to do this again- my body just can't take it and I don't know if Ben can either.  It's a good thing we have plenty of family and friends still having kids so Ben can get his baby fix when ours is a raging 2 year old.  

Christmas is only fun and exciting again when you have kids.  For Christmas this year Ben and I bought our first couch- ooohhhhhh, ahhhhhhh.  Not very fun or exciting.   

My house is still a disaster and I can't wait for someone, anyone to help me before I just sit down and cry (again) and try to deal with the fact that Ben is not going to help me unless I beg him (again) and I just can't hear his big sigh of resignation right now.  I am doing my best to keep up on the day to day mess of a family, but it's all the little things that somehow don't make it back to their home that I despise.  So, have a nice day everyone- I am going to go eat some chocolate.

Half-way there

I am 20 weeks along now and still sick. Ben says that I am usually better by now, but I don't remember. Just one of those things I block out of my memory I guess.

I was crying this morning as I was trying to get the kids off to school because Sara and I were having a hard time. It's red ribbon week for the kids at their school and today is crazy hair day. Sara wants her hair a certain way and is having a hard time telling me exactly how. I am doing my best to be patient, make her happy and do her hair the way she wants. We don't have a lot of time and I still have Brandon's hair to fix. Just overwhelming I guess- I felt I was going out of my way by trying to make her so happy and it wasn't working the way I had planned. At least I have the morning to relax and get myself together.

My worthless husband

Last night around 8:30 I was starving and wanted Ben to go get me food. I feel that it's my right to be catered to and waited on when I am pregnant because of all the crap I go through- especially by my husband as he's the one that got me in this position. Of course because of this big thing happening at work he "can't" so I have to go out in the freezing cold Idaho weather and get my own food. How rude! I also wanted cake, but that hasn't happened yet. I am expecting a wonderful cake this weekend at my niece's birthday party I get to go to in Utah (I can't wait)! So anyways, I was not happy and I let Ben know how worthless he is to me. Luckily after I ate my food I felt much better and let him know I was kidding. Love you honey!

We are having a..........

GIRL!!!

We just found out today that we are having a girl. Send me all your girl names that start with the letter s. Brandon was really hoping for a brother, but I'm sure he'll get used to it. Ben was quick to point out to Brandon that now they will be outnumbered by girls. Thanks for the help honey! I am just so excited and blessed that everything is fine and our baby looks healthy.

Second trimester :)

I am now 17 weeks pregnant and officially in my second trimester. My dirty, unorganized house is driving my CRAZY!! On Sunday after Conference I talked Ben into helping me for just a bit putting food away in our storage room.

Each week when I go to the store I buy a few extra things for our food storage, but they never seem to get put away in the storage room. The bags just pile up in my craft room or in front of the storage room door. Of course while Ben was putting food away I was thinking of other small things I could get him to clean in the same room. An hour or so later we were done and my storage room looks great!

I am now working hard at getting all of my laundry done. After that the cords that are spewing out from both t.v.'s will be tamed- and not by me. I have told Ben that it is his next job and though he enjoys the house clean and organized he doesn't so much enjoy doing much to speed the process along.

I am still taking my medicine, but I can take it less often. Hopefully the "morning sickness" is almost over!

Brandon turns 6

Brandon's birthday was on Monday. The Saturday before we invited a couple of friends over and they played the Wii for a few hours and had pizza and cupcakes. He got this birthday hat at school and got to be the helper for the day. He loved his hat so much he wouldn't take it off. Overall Brandon is an easy going, happy, fun kid- he has his moments, but they are rare. I love you!

When the kids are away

Mom is bored! Both my kids are at grandma's house for this long Labor Day weekend and I have never watched so much t.v. since.......I don't remember when. I do like my clean house and how it has stayed perfectly clean for two whole days now. Ben and I went out for Chinese food which I have been craving for a week now and we will probably go to a movie tomorrow. It's nice, but with my kids at the ages they are I get plenty of sleep and time for myself. The nicest thing is the clean house. Of course when I have a new baby the break will be greatly appreciated!

Happy Days are Here Again!

School has started! Sara is in 3rd grade this year and got the teacher she was hoping for. She is already having a lot of fun and loves seeing all her friends again.

Brandon is in kindergarten and is so excited. To get the kids used to going all day they are on a revised schedule for a few weeks. Week one they go from 8:30am to 11:15am. Week two they go from 8:30am to 12:45pm. Week three is all day 8:30am to 3:10 pm. Score! He has loved school and his favorite part is riding the bus. Maybe with both kids gone all day my house might get cleaned. (Who am I kidding- I'll probably just have more time to nap and read).

Sick........

and pregnant! Finally after six months of trying I am pregnant. The sickness started slowly Sunday night July 20th, then Monday and Tuesday I was totally sick and just wanted to stay in bed. I was pretty sure why I was sick, and after a home pregnancy test came out positive I called my doctor to make an appointment. Lucky for me I got a perscription for phenagren so I'm not sick all day long. The trade-off is that the pills make me tired and I have horrible dry mouth, so anything I eat tastes like cardboard- yum! We are so excited and I can't wait to start shopping and getting everything ready for our new arrival.

Wizard of Oz

Brandon and I went to see the Wizard of Oz on Saturday and it was amazing! Ben is one of the witches guards and the gatekeeper. Sara is a munchkin (of course). I was very surprised at how well Sara did. For any of you that know her she can be very shy, but she just went for it and was acting, dancing and singing.

This is Ben with Margaret Pellegrini; one of the Munchkins from the original movie filmed in 1938-39. There are only eight original munchkins still alive and only six of them can travel. She is 86 years old!

Sara the munchkin had to get her picture taken with Margaret the munchkin.

This lady is so funny and cute! I loved hearing some of her memories from filming the movie and working with Judy Garland. She only got paid $50 a week, but now makes her living traveling all over and signing autographs.

4th of July cakes

We had a lot of fun on the 4th of July and these are the cakes I made for the different parties we went to. Any day is a good day for cake in my opinion!

Not much

I have not forgotten all you dedicated people who check my blog multiple times a day to see what's happening in my life. Just so you know, there is nothing happening. With Ben and Sara practicing every night for the play Brandon and I just hang out. I am busy taking care of the yard, cleaning the house and just getting ready for all the people who are going to stay with us in the next few weeks. BORING! I don't have cute babies or messy toddlers that do or say cute things everyday, and my kids pick up after themselves (most of the time with only one warning); so I just clean and read all day long. I am not complaining, because I know babies and toddlers are hard, I'm just saying it's boring. So there- now you know.

Wedding Cake

Here is my very first wedding cake. It was a lot of work and I don't think I have ever baked this much at one time in my entire life. The top tier is carrot cake with cream cheese filling, the middle tier is white cake with raspberry filling and the bottom tier is chocolate with chocolate pudding filling. The cake is going to Ben's work Monday morning and will probably feed 150-200 people. I can't wait to try a piece of each tier.

My Garden

My sister-in-law had to blog about how beautiful her flowers are and how wonderful her garden is doing; well here is my garden and the front of my house. I don't have anyone to do it for me, so here it is. We had such cold weather the first couple weeks in June and with Girls Camp the third week of June I never had time to plant anything and now it's pretty much too late. Maybe I'll go find some big tomato plants and put those in. *sigh* If I can keep the weeds pulled in the flower beds I'm doing good. Needless to say not my favorite thing to do; I would rather scrub all the bathrooms in my house.

Camping

I got back from Girls Camp on Friday, washed some clothes, re-packed the van and went camping again Saturday afternoon. We went up to Ririe Resivoir with some friends from Utah. They have three boys, so Brandon was totally happy and he says Matthew was his favorite to play with. Sara wasn't as happy, but I think she still had fun. Her favorite thing to do was drive this truck around.

Girls Camp

I just got back from Girls Camp Friday afternoon. We had a record setting 24 girls with us this year which is double the amount we had last year. I love going to camp for a couple of main reasons; first of all I get to pretend to be young again and be silly with the girls; second I am reminded that we are all sisters and daughters of God. I feel the spirit everyday with these girls camping in this beautiful country of ours. I LOVE being outdoors and seeing all the wonderful things Heavenly Father created for us. Now I just need to catch up on all the sleep I missed.

My latest creation

Here is the cake I made just last night. Everything is made out of frosting (except the ribbon).

I think I'm going to have to make a cake once a week from now on or all the people at Ben's work will be going through sugar withdrawl. ; )

T-ball

Brandon just started playing t-ball and he loves it! All the kids are 4-6 years old, so they are just learning how to play. All the kids get to hit and run around the bases and just have fun learning the game.

This was a close one, but Brandon was safe! It's still pretty cold here, but with all the running they do I guess they stay pretty warm. All the parents are in long pants, coats and blankets- imagine that!

My new favorite thing to do......

WASTING GAS! Last night Sara had play practice and when she came out she told Ben that she had practice again tomorrow (today) at 10:00am. I get up early, shower, get the kids up, breakfast, everyone dressed and out the door by 9:00am. When we get to the theatre in Pocatello no one is there. After extensive questioning Sara says her practice is on Saturday- "isn't that today?" NO, that is not today! I just got up early, drove 2 hours and wasted 1/4 tank of gas for nothing. SIGH....

Baptism

Sara was baptized on Saturday and she was so excited! It was a busy weekend, but she had lots of fun. Ben did a great job and I am so grateful to have the priesthood in my home.

Sara loved the fact that she got to share this special day with one of her best friends; Madison. Sara got a set of scriptures with a case, a white handkerchief and pretty jewelery. Thanks to everyone involved!

Brandon loses teeth!

Brandon lost his first tooth a week before we went to Disneyworld and his second one a few days later. The first one I pulled out and the second one he pulled out. He talks a bit funny, but the new teeth are already coming in. He was so excited to finally lose some teeth like his big sister.

Plumber

Here is the result of the leak in our basement. The plumber came out and $393 later the pipe was fixed and I have this fancy access panel in the ceiling. Yeah, lesson learned...do NOT leave hoses connected over the winter!

Disneyworld- Aquatica

The waterpark we chose to go to is Aquatica by Sea World. It just opened in March this year, so it was packed! They had a nice kids area with a few slides and other fun kid stuff.

Ben had to get in on the slide action. Sara wanted to go on this big slide that is an enclosed tube and at one point is clear so you can see the dolphins swimming around you. We were all impressed and she loved it!

This place is awesome with two wave pools, a sand beach, lots of slides and another huge kid area. This other kids area looked like a McDonald's playland only 10 times bigger and with 5 more slides. A little bigger than the slides in the smaller kids area, but not as big as the adult slides. We all loved it and despite our best sunscreen efforts we all got burned. We were here on Mother's Day so afterwards went to Golden Corral for dinner.

Disneyworld- Sea World

The first thing we had to do when we entered the park is meet Shamu. The kids loved seeing all the animals and Brandon even went on the roller coaster here with Ben. Sara got to do a behind the scenes tour to see how they rehabilitate animals and Brandon did one where he got to learn about sharks and other predators.

We spent a lot of time watching the dolphins and Sara even got to feed them. She did not like waiting in line for an hour in the sun, but she loved being so close to them.

The kids each got to pick out one stuffed animal and their choices are no surprise. Sara chose a turtle and Brandon picked the most annoying one that squeaks when you close it's mouth.

The Believe show with Shamu was amazing! Ben and Brandon chose to sit in the splash zone and Brandon was quite upset and almost in tears halfway through the show because he hadn't gotten splashed yet. Little did he know that he was about to get soaked. He LOVED it!

Disneyworld- Animal Kingdom

Animal Kingdom was so much fun! The kids got to meet lots of characters like Pluto, Goofy and Rafiki.

There are a lot of animals to see especially on the Safari. We saw elephants, giraffes and lions among others.

We are standing in front of the tree of life which looked amazing with all the carvings that you can't see in this picture. The one ride I was looking forward to was Expedition Everest here in Animal Kingdom. It was a cool roller coaster that went backwards most of the time. We got to see lots of shows here and a really fun parade.

Disneyworld- Hollywood Studios

Hollywood Studios was fun, but there weren't a lot of rides for the kids to go on. Of course Sara loved the High School Musical 2 performance and even got picked to learn a quick move from the movie.

Sara can find characters anywhere and doesn't mind standing in line to meet them. We did not do any rides, but Sara and I went to a Little Mermaid Show that was LAME and Ben and Brandon went to see Lights, Motors, Action!

Brandon loved meeting all the Power Rangers and I think Ben did too :) Not a princess in sight! Brandon also got to meet Buzz and Woody; this might just be his favorite park. Just kidding.

Disneyworld- Epcot

Epcot was a lot of fun, but much bigger that Magic Kingdom and much more spread out! We got there and started walking around and within 15 minutes decided to rent a stroller for the day. $31 later we were on our way with much less complaining from the kids. It was really pretty with all the flowers and the kids were amazed at how they could make things out of flowers.

Aladdin and Genie were two of Brandon's favorite characters to meet because they weren't princesses. His favorite part was when Genie signed his autograph book with magic!

The world showcase was my favorite part with all the different countries like Mexico, Norway, England and China just to name a few. Sara liked looking for the princess from each country and we were lucky enough to meet Belle and Snow White.

Disneyworld- Magic Kingdom

For any of you that know Sara you know her favorite princess is Ariel. The first day we decided to go to Magic Kingdom, so our first stop was to see Ariel. Sara was thrilled and Brandon just went with the flow and couldn't wait to go on some rides.

After parking the car we got to ride either the monorail or boat. The kids liked the monorail especially when they got to ride in the front with the driver, but I think their favorite was the boat even though it took a little longer to get to the fun.

Sara liked a few rides, but she was more interested in meeting the characters, shopping and eating ice cream. She also liked the parades and fireworks.

Brandon loved going on all the rides and his favorite was Splash Mountain. He met some of the characters, but mostly wanted to be with Dad on the rides.

Disneyworld - Getting there

There is no way I could sum up our trip to Disneyworld in just one post, so I will break it up for everyone. The kids were excited and just a little scared about the plane ride, but they had fun and got to meet the pilot and learn how to fly a plane.

I think Sara was the most nervous about the plane ride, but after takeoff she was fine. We brought along lots of things to do, and met some nice people on the plane.

We met a family that lives in Orlando and had just finished their vacation in Yellowstone; just 2 hours from where we live and Ben sat by a woman that works at Magic Kingdom as Princess Aurora! Stay tuned for the next post on our time at Magic Kingdom.

Leaky things...AGAIN!

Sunday was a very warm day, so after church the kids wanted to get their swimsuits on and play outside with the sprinkler under the trampoline. The water was on for maybe half an hour until they were bored and wanted to do something else. A little while later I went downstairs to start cleaning the bathroom and bedrooms for all the people that will be at our house in a couple of weeks. When I walked into the bedroom I noticed the carpet was wet so I went into the bathroom to see if something was leaking. Nothing was wrong in the bathroom besides the floor being covered in water, so I went to find Ben to let him know we had a problem. We figured out that it was leaking from the wall in the bedroom right under where the hose is attached in the backyard. We are guessing that because we left the hose attached all winter that a pipe burst in the wall. I knew we were supposed to take the hose off or it could burst, but I never thought that a pipe could burst. A plumber is coming tomorrow and I am not excited to find out how much we'll have to pay him...

Kindergarten here I come!

Today was Brandon's preschool graduation. He has loved going to preschool with mom and hanging out with his best friends Michael and Carter.

Here is the cake I made for graduation today. I know it's a little plain, but I only had an hour and I didn't have enough room to write Apple Preschool.

Choir

Sara did not want to take dance this year, so she chose to be in her school choir. She loved meeting new friends and singing fun songs!