this week

• took the kids to Howarth Park. on the weekends they have a train ride, pony rides, petting zoo and carousel to go along with the best park in Sonoma County.
• went bowling. don't take three kids bowling, not fun.
• as a result threw my back out this morning just as we were leaving for church.
• didn't make it to church
• tried humus at a friends house. good stuff.
• rylee tried avocado's and plums for the first time. liked them both. luckily she survived the pit from the plum that mom forgot about until she choked and gagged it back up.
• ammon and cohen held hands in the car. sweet.
• watched The Bucket List (surprisingly liked it), Becoming Jane (second time), and Where the Heart Is (hadn't seen it for a while and it was on TV).
• became readdicted to rice krispy treats, only at least the hundreth time. i have to brag. i've mastered the art of gooey, buttery rice krispy making. and lets not even talk about how many my mom and i can put down.
• almost as addicted to the bachelorette. love it. and SYTYCD?
• dieing for more pics and to hold baby boy Phillips. will have to settle for more pics. Linds?

Favorite kid quotes this week:

1. In the back of the car Ammon randomly says, "If I were a cow I certainly would like hay."
2. Cohen says, "Where did my Rooey girl go?" (she was in bed for the night)
3. Ammon tells Jody after he asks him to scoot over, "Dude, you've got plenty of room." When did he learn what plenty means?
4. Cohen tells my mom over and over, "I'm glad you're here Grandma." Giving her LOTS of attention and "snuggles." So not Cohen. He's learning well from his big bro.
5. Ammon watching the video of Izzy reading to her brother. "Izzy looks a lot bigger now. Maybe she won't scratch anymore." hilarious!

That's all folk's. Stay tuned for SWAP details......

good stuff

First off the BEST news of the day, my sister Lindsey is in labor! She is probably an hour or so away from giving birth to her little baby boy. Sadly my mom won't be there until next Monday. This was very unexpected news. But so exciting!!! She was 8 cm at 8:00 p.m.

I went to Target yesterday and got a great deal on cereal (random, I know, but my husband eats a lot of cereal). Five boxes for eleven dollars and then you get a five dollar gift card for Target! So basically it's only 6 dollars for 5 boxes of cereal. The catch is that they have to be Kellogg's. I love a good deal.

My mom and I are going on a girls only mini vacation in October. Sisters, aunts, cousins you are welcome to join! It will be a weekend trip. From Thursday to Monday and we aren't sure where we are going yet. A few ideas so far are San Diego, Palm Springs, or Las Vegas. Thanks Jody for suggesting it.

I want to do a swap. I'm thinking makeup, favorite foods, or a home decor swap. Anyone in? Let me know what you'd be more interested in.

The BIG five

I love this face. I love those twinkly eyes. This is a special boy. Loving, caring, funny, a little obsessive, imaginative, and kind-hearted. He has the best memory. At times he'll bring up memories he has of things that happened when he was two. He doesn't forget anything. He still talks about leprechauns from St. Patricks day three months ago. What a singer, not the next American Idol by any means, but he is always singing and performing. I die laughing when he starts a sentence with actually or you've got to be kidding me or when he says very seriously in his prayers, not to let Grandma and Grandpa get eaten by the wolves. I love that he will still hold my hand, snuggle with me and tell me he wants to give me smooches. I love that he told Alex when we went on our trip to Mexico that he really missed his mom and when she said she missed me too he said, "But she's MY mom and I need her." It breaks my heart that he cries when he leaves his Grandma and Grandpa's house or when they leave ours. I'm not talking a few tears. This is a full on melt down and it goes on for a day or two, on and off. He is a cool kid. He can sing the song regulator's with his dad even though he's never heard the real version of it. It's hilarious when he starts a sentence off to his dad with, dude. He is such a cool dude.

Today was a special day. We had pancakes for breakfast. Looked at pictures of Ammon as a baby and told stories of his birth and earlier years. We went to McDonald's for lunch (just he and I) and then his dad took he and Cohen to Kung Fu Panda. Per his request, we had steak for dinner and rice krispy treats for dessert. And right now he is sleepy right between Jody and I. It's his birthday and he's king for the day. So we do whatever he wants.

This was his big birthday present this year. It's perfect. Only eight feet wide and a few feet off the ground. The boys love it. Jody couldn't wait to let Ammon see it and so we let them go on it last night. We woke up this morning to two little boys giggling and running down the stairs, and out the backyard to jump.

Most of our family called to wish him a happy birthday today. Unfortunately he was a little involved in a movie he was watching and didn't give much time to talk. When Alex called he said, "Okay but can she just say one thing?" Then after a few minutes he looked at me and said, "I'm done now." Sorry guys you know how Ammon gets when he's watching something.

Cohen's hair is getting longer and his poor little nose is healing. The other day I caught him "peeling the paper off of it." Ouch!

The three cutest five year olds at the party (and best behaved) on Saturday.

Obviously Cohen ate everything because it's all still on his face.

It was a hot weekend. We had the kids eat in the garage to be out of the sun for a while.

Can you tell that he's embarrassed? I love that expression.

This is a long post. But I just want to remember these things for the future! Ammon and I made a list of his favorite things.

• Song: What time is it? Summer time. (Not actually sure what the name of it is but High School Musical
• Movie: Power Rangers
• Food: pancakes, steak, chocolate chip cookies
• Snack: Animal cookies
• Favorite Friend: Without hesitation, Alexis (White) followed by Jake and Brayden
• Color: orange
• Candy: starburst, skittles
• Toy: Ninja Turtle numb chucks (spelling?)
• Holiday: Halloween (get to dress up and get candy)
• Animal: cheetah, leopard
• Character: Power Ranger
• TV show: Bindi The Jungle Girl (watched for the first time today)
• Favorite thing to do: go to the movie with daddy
• Favorite thing to do with mommy: Go to Marine World
• Favorite thing to do with Grandpa: Hunt for gophers
• Favorite thing to do with Grandma: zoo, Trinity Lake, dollar store
• Favorite thing to do with Grandad: play with him
• Favorite thing to do with Grandmom: play the three bears and read books

At five Ammon:

• rides his bike with no training wheels (has been for a year now).
• writes his name
• knows most of his letters
• knows most of his numbers
• still takes a good afternoon nap!
• has to have a story told to him every nap time and night time
• would, if I let him, watch TV all day long
• is learning the sounds each letter in the alphabet makes
• can't wait to be bigger so he can go anywhere and do anything he wants
• loves his baby sister
• gets upset if you leave the house without giving a hug and kiss
• often wants multiple hugs and kisses at bedtime
• enjoys riding his jeep
• wants me to have more brothers and sisters for him (not anytime soon)
• loves to surprise us after he cleans his room
• LOVES going to the park with his dad and going on young men campouts

I never could have dreamed that the little baby I held in my arms five years ago would be such a wonderful person now. I am so lucky. The world is so lucky to have Ammon in it.

cleaning lady

Ammon and Max

Ammon's Hulk face.

I have been cleaning like crazy the last few days and I've got the sore body to prove it. I've been pulling weeds which is so therapeutic. I went through the garage and cleaned it out plus organized it better. Last night I rented a carpet cleaner from Safeway (the rugdoctor) and cleaned the carpets. What a difference. The house looks a million times better and I couldn't believe how dirty the water was when I was done. It feels good to get things done that I've been putting off. If only it was our own home.

Tomorrow is Ammon's party. Last week I bought a jumpy house at a garage sell for my mom. We are going to have that up plus a blow up water slide that we borrowed, a trampoline (if it gets here today), water balloons, a water table and possibly the slip 'n slide and water rocket. It's been pretty warm here lately so I'm just hoping the weather will be okay for the party.

The pictures above are from a day at the park. We took the slip 'n slide and water rocket to the park and the kids had a great time.

more birthday

cohen tripped and fell flat on his nose yesterday! poor kid. bled a lot but was fine within a few minutes. i keep wondering when we will make our first trip to the ER. knock on wood.

i think she looks SO big in this pic! she had her one year check-up today. she was 20 lbs 2 0z., 29 inches long and 50% in height/weight and 75% in head size. she is facing forward in her carseat now! i love looking back and seeing her cute little face smiling back at me.

loving her little mermaid walker. but the boys are loving it even more.

first birthday cake.

Opening her first present! I forgot to add on the last post that Rylee waves bye-bye, gives me kisses and high-five.

first birthday

Rylee had her first birthday Saturday. I still can't believe she is already one. Ammon started the day by running into her room and singing happy birthday to her. Then I made her pancakes. She loved them and actually ate more than anyone else! The rest of the day was pretty low key. We actually did the cake and present opening last night. I made a really yummy strawberry cake and she devoured it.

aT OnE

• she can stand straight up from a sitting position
• now takes two steps!
• loves to eat cake (found out yesterday), watermelon, bread, graham crackers, mac & cheese, McDonald's fries (embarrassed to admit), her brother's left over food on the ground, cereal, yogurt. She will eat anything! Wonder where she gets that?
• claps, screams (very high pitched), grunts.
• says mama, mom, daddy, dada, hi
• loves to play with her brothers
• loves bath time. the minute she gets in she will turn around and smile real big at me
• has melted her daddy's heart.
• sleeps from 7:00 p.m. to 6:30 or 7:00 a.m. every day!
• wishes mommy would let her crawl up the stairs
• takes two naps a day
• crawls and does a crab crawl if she is on hard ground or wearing a dress, skirt or shorts

dIsLikEs

• getting her diaper changed
• getting dressed
• her brother's taking her toys
• fruit snacks
• not being able to get down at the park
• waiting to be fed
  

There is so much I could say about this girl. She has this beautiful olive skin. If I catch her eye from across the room she will give me a huge smile. She has been an absolute joy. So mellow and easygoing. When she is tired she will lay down on the ground. She's not much of a cuddler. Her way of cuddling is to lay her head on you, or if you're standing up, she will lay down on the ground next to you for two seconds and then she's off.

We've have a wonderful first year together. I can't help but be excited about the future mother/daughter experiences we will share. It is such a blessing to have a girl. It amazes me how we can give birth to these little babies we know nothing about and within just a year it's hard to imagine that they were never in our lives or that we haven't always known them.

last weekend

Last weekend we went up to Humboldt to see Madison and Kyle. They are such cute kids. Ammon and Madison spent every second together. Madison kept begging Ammon to let her be his girlfriend and would kiss him on the cheek or hug him. Madison is such a great helper! She wanted to feed Rylee her bottle and her baby food every meal. She actually did a great job. Kalie can I borrow her? Kyle is the sweetest little boy. He is such a flirt. He would constantly be giving me and my mom hugs and kisses. They were so great to have around. I wish we lived closer.

Jumparama at the mall. The kids love it.

Maddie giving Ammon a hug, one of many!

We are letting Cohen's hair grow a little bit. So far I'm liking it.

Freezing at McKinleyville's annual Pony Express Parade.

Sweetest little boy! Just love him.

Ammon and Madison loved playing in Grandma's car. They thought they were so funny because they thought we didn't know they were in there.

Kind of a scary pic of Rylee but wanted to show how big she opens her mouth when you're feeding her! She's a good eater.

another!

Wow I'm quite the blogger this week. I love having all of you friends out there to complain to.

So now I'm trying to figure out what to get Rylee for her first birthday. We aren't doing much. Just cake and presents and just with our immediate family.

Ammon's birthday is the 23rd so I've got birthdays on the brain. He is going to have a party at the house with friends from preschool. He insisted on wanting his friends to see his house. Don't ask why. But we will have a slip in slide, water balloons, trampoline (he's getting for his b-day) and probably a pinata.

And then there's Father's Day. Which I keep forgetting about and then remembering and then forgetting........

the calm after

It's good to know that we all have those days. Whether you're a teenager, young adult, mother, wife, thirty something, fifty and on up. We all have them. Which is kind of depressing. When I was a teenager I thought life would be perfect when I was in college. Then in college I thought being married and having children would be a fairytale. Now I sometimes look at my mom's life and think how nice it would be. But she too has bad days. We all do. What I'd like to do is enjoy life now. Not live for tomorrow. I'm really trying to do that. But I do imagine that when we have our own home, are really settled in a place we plan to stay in and Jody is completely happy with his job things will run a little smoother. For now I am trying to live in the moment.

I've also realized that sometimes it just feels good to have a bad day. It makes you appreciate the good days and really it is so refreshing to just have a good cry.

Today will be a good day.

one of those days

Today was a feel sorry for Kelly day. I woke up stiff and sore from sleeping between Cohen and Ammon for the last few hours of the night. I started my period and thanks to child birth I can't stand on my feet for too long without throbbing in certain parts. TMI? Sorry. Well by eight o'clock my house is full of six kids. Who like me woke up on the wrong side of the bed. They fight, cry, bite, kick, push and yell at each other while simultaneously tearing my house to pieces. At eleven o'clock I push them all outside and we head to the park. We all need a breath of fresh air. The park scene is crazy and I just ignore it. Hey as long as we make it back to the house with everyone's limbs still attached I'm good. Now it's lunch time. "I want dinosaur chicken. "I want cup o'noodles! Cohen's drinking my water! I want mac and cheese! Give me the blue plate. No I said I want the blue plate first. I want more dinosaur chicken. I'm still hungry. I want a quesadilla. More ketchup!" On and on and on I tell you. I get them all fed. Start throbbing. Lay on the couch. Jody walks in. He was suppose to go bike riding at 11:00 and be home by 12:30. It's now after 1:00. I'm fighting back the tears. Remembering a month ago when he told me, "Just think how much money you can make. I'll help you as much as I can." um, how was that bike ride? Urgh. Now I'm really crying. But I can't cry. The boys will see and will want to know what's wrong. Wipe away the tears and keep going.

Feed Rylee a bottle. Change Faith because she played in the water and got her clothes all wet. Just like she did the last two times she was here. Put Cohen's clothes on her. Read Cohen and Faith two books. Go back downstairs. I'm throbbing. Jody is gone. The boys are outside. I can breath. Get my house slightly put back together. Very slightly. The boys are back. "We are still hungry!" Pop them some popcorn. Get Max and Ammon otter pop's. I'm pooped and holding back more tears. How did this become my life? I'm not liking it right now. And yes I'm hormonal, tired, crampy and melodramatic. But seriously what happened to me? I haven't even had lunch yet and it's close to two o'clock.

Do you ever feel like EVERYTHING you do in life is for someone other than you? Do you have a million things you would like to accomplish in the day and don't get one of those things done?

Tomorrow will be better. Tomorrow's another day and I will be happier. Today was just a no good, terrible, horrible, very bad day. However that goes.

tag

What I was doing 10 years ago: Graduating from high school. Waitressing at Adel's and saving money for my big move to Provo to start college at UVSC. Hanging out with my Eureka friends Jared Salter, Lars Rasmussen (who I kissed when he was still together with Sara Bareilles, yes the singer and yes I regret it, a little) Chris Cook , and Phil Ames and of course my little sis Linds.

5 things on today's TO DO list:
Let me preface this by saying I'm at my parents house.
1. eat lots of treats.
2. bake something.
3. take a nap.
4. veg out
5. go to Safeway to get some baby food.
6. And of course take of care of the kiddo's.

5 snacks I enjoy:
1. Fresh fruit. Watermelon, pineapple, strawberry's, grapes, kiwi, mango, oranges, cuties, pomegranates, apples.
2. turtle chex mix
3. frozen grapes
4. toast
5, chocolate chip cookies and milk
6. Breyer's rocky road ice cream

5 things I'd do if I was a billionaire:
1. pay off student loans
2. buy a house to live in and a few to rent out or remodel
3. get my 'big idea' going
4. pay off my parents and in law's mortgages. Give each person in my fam a substantial sum of money
5. start my own charity. think Oprah's Big Give. helping people with all different types of needs.

5 places I've lived:
1. McKinleyville, CA
2. Provo, UT
3. Chicago, IL
4. Santa Rosa, CA
5. Windsor, CA

5 bad habits.
1. getting into a new hobby and dropping it before finishing the project . I have a half finished scarf, quilt, scrapbook, pillows, and my latest digi scraping.
2. eating dessert EVERY night
3. taking all the hot water (I love my shower time)
4. getting on the computer for a few minutes only to find myself still on it an hour later engrossed in mindless surfing (I'm working on it).
5. not following a budget

5 jobs I've had:
1. waitress at Adel's in Eureka
2. waitress at Los Hermanos in Lindon, UT
3. budget rent a car
4. Provo City Parks and Rec, scorekeeper (best, easiest job)
5. waitress at Ruby River (met my lovely friend Jill there)

I tag....

Kasey, Melissa, Tasha, Jami, Lani, Celeste

six.

Yes I've gone from watching my own three kids (which sometimes I can't even do alone) to adding three more. I will be watching them three days this week and the next and then just two days a week for the remainder of the summer. It's actually going okay. Ages you ask? 1, two 2 years, two 4 years and one 6 year old. Yesterday was the first day. We had breakfast, they played, we had "school", they played some more, we went to the park, ate lunch and then they went on the slip 'n slide until their dad picked them up at 2:00. It felt like a VERY long day. And they will normally stay until 3:30. So why am I doing it? The money. She actually pays me really well. Plus my kids LOVE having them here. Once I go to two days a week it won't be so bad and I have a girl in the ward I am going to pay to help me when we want to go out and do things. The disadvantages are that I can't take a nap, my house is a constant wreck (don't judge me when you come to visit), they get "bored" and want me to entertain them, and they always want to eat (their mom does bring food for them.

Ammon has swimming lessons every evening and he's doing great. He can swim really good on his own but he's learning how to float and use his scooper arms.

Because my house is always a mess now I really need some new organization skills. Any ideas? Celeste I wish you could come visit me and get my life in order. You are the most organized person I've ever met. My lack of organization is starting to keep me up at night (not really but it is bugging me)!

We are planning a trip to Disneyland in the fall. Hopefully September won't be too busy. Any help on where to stay and what to do (other than Disney) would be much appreciated.

We are heading up to McKinleyville this weekend to see Madison and Kyle and Bailee's blessing. Wish the rest of the fam was going to be there!