What could be better???

Sydney: a little OCD in the leotard department, there is no debating that!

Sydney: what could be better than a leotard? (gasp, how dare you say such a thing!)

Answer: a SWIMSUIT over a LEOTARD! You're right, that is definitely WAY better!

strike a pose beautiful girl!
oh the tantrum when I wouldn't let her wear the "outfit" to Twin Falls!

WARNING #2...be careful what you tell your kids!

So here is another warning I felt that I should share with you (many of you already heard this, but I thought it should be documented). Kallie went to school yesterday (this is the version she gave me) and got up in front of the class and told them what happened to our carpet. She then went on to tell them that she is saving her money to help pay for the carpet and she asked her class if any of them would help earn some money for our carpet too! Oh Dear! What must her teacher have been thinking???

I did tell the girls that I was very frustrated and that it would be very expensive to get new carpet and I told Syd that she would have to do a lot of jobs to help earn some of the money. Kallie just thought she should enlist the help of others along the way. I'm sure everyone felt very sorry for the "Best Dentist In the Valley" and his family with their damaged carpet. Maybe I'll organize a fund raiser =)

WARNING!

I feel like I should make a public statement about the dangers of....RED SPRINKLES! Don't use them, don't eat them, don't buy them and don't keep them in your cupboards.

This is what happens when sprinkles are spilled on the carpet and then sprayed down with water from a spray bottle. Our friend (a professional carpet cleaner) came and tried to get it out. He used the strongest chemicals he had, he even had me sign a waiver against any damage that the chemicals may cause to the carpet...but NO! The stain did NOT come out! He said he can get kool-aid and Popsicle out, but not red sprinkles--go figure! (Thanks for trying Jason!)

So needless to say, this sweet little petunia spent quite some time in her room! She kept opening her door to ask if she could come out yet. And I kept saying NOOOOO! Finally she opened her door and said, "Mom, if you don't let me out...I'm going to pick the scab off my elbow!"

Nice threat Syd, now get back in your room!!! (and maybe stay there 'till you're 21 =) by the way, it's a good thing that I love you a lot!

{TOP 5} Tuesday! A fly on the wall...

Maybe I'm just nosey, but sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be a fly on the wall in other people's houses. I would love to see what their lives are REALLY like, and I would either feel bad about myself because they are all getting along, feeling happy in their beautifully clean home, or I might feel normal if things are sometimes hectic and chaotic.

So today are the 'TOP 5' things you might see if you were a 'fly on the wall' at our house.

(Youngest to Oldest)

#5- Beau spends probably 3/4 of his day laying on the back of the chair in our living room staring out the window. He likes to be able to see if there is somebody walking by or a car driving down the street that he needs to bark at. He's a good watch dog...and I'm sure one day he will protect our home from a theif =)

#4- Sydney LOVES to sit in the sink and make 'soup' and 'shakes' out of left over food on plates, dish soap, hairspray or anything else she can get her hands on. It is soooooo disastrous, but sometimes it is worth it to me because I know where she is and most of the time the mess stays contained to a small area. (Look at that face...she just looks like she is up to no good!)

#3- Kallie LOVES to lay in bed at night and listen while I read to her. We have read some good books and our current pick is 'Charlotte's Web'. I am pretty sure that I enjoy this time as much as my girls do and if you have any book suggestions let us know.

#2- I like to waste as much time as possible on the internet emailing, shopping and blogging (just kidding about the wasting time part). It's probably kind of like being a fly on the wall when I'm reading the blog of a strange person I don't even know.

#1- And finally Dan, he is a HUGE fan of the new TV we got in our bedroom. He is loving being able to lay in bed and watch whatever fishing show or crime scene investigation that catches his interest. Actually, we are all liking this one! On Friday we all piled into the bed and watched a movie from Atkinsons, very fun!


So there you have it, the 'TOP 5' things you might find us doing at our house if you were a fly on the wall!!!

Power of Example!

We would all agree that it is important to be a good example for our kids. Whatever Daddy does is cool and the children WILL do the same!

Dan 1)thinks it is hilarious to stick things up his nose & 2)said "sure" when I asked him if I could put these old pictures from May '07 on the blog.

I hope you think they are as funny as I did!!!






Think twice before you eat a carrot at our house! =)

Where am I???

I went to Webb Nursery today to buy some bushes (Dan thinks it is going to be warm enough to plant this weekend...let's pray he's right). The lady told me I had to come in and see the flowers they've been growing all winter in their greenhouse. They were sooooo beautiful, I forgot where I was for a minute! :)


Go see for yourself, it will lift your spirits :)

What could I do with $45???

*Go out to dinner with my hubby.

*Buy a new pair of shoes for the summer.

*Get some decor for my master bedroom (while I'm waiting for my bed to come).

*Send flowers to someone.

*Put 1/2 tank of gas in my car (yikes)!

*Find my hubby a birthday present (any ideas???).

*Order some new leotards for Sydney :)

*Go to the movies with my family and buy a HUGE bucket of popcorn.

***The list could go on and on...

But what did I ACTUALLY do with my $45???

Before...

After...
And at the groomers she has a sign that says "Yes, you may tip your groomer." What's she trying to say???

{TOP 5} Tuesday- D.I. Run!

This all began a few weeks ago when I talked to my good friend Adrie, who is in the process of selling her home in the Denver area. She is the mother of small children and knows how hard it is to keep a house looking decent, not to mention perfect for prospective buyers and agents. She told me that they literally packed up 60% of their stuff and put it in a storage unit. The interesting part was that she was telling me how much they did NOT miss all that stuff! She said her kids were totally happy playing with the toys that were left at home. This really struck me because sometimes I (and I'm sure all of us) feel like we're over-run with 'STUFF'. So I decided it was high time that some of our 'STUFF' hit the road. And truthfully it has been a very liberating and cleansing experience to empty and re-organize closets, cubbies, drawers etc...

Don Aslett (the cleaning expert) said: Dejunk- toss it, trade it, tromp it, give it away, sell it-- but get rid of it. It'll be the greatest housework reducing move you ever make. The formula is easy: Don't love anything that can't love you back. If something doesn't enhance your life then part with it. When? Now, today. I can promise that dejunking will change your life (& housework schedule) more than any other single thing you can do.

Amen!!!

So today the 'TOP 5' things that are on their way to DI (not to mention an entire load we already took last Saturday). These are in no particular order and if any of you want these items (don't laugh...some of these things are nice) just let me know, first come first serve :)


Two, practically brand new, king size pillows from Costco. The shams I bought were actually for queen size pillows, so I have no use for these.

A very cute (needs batteries) baby toy, that is perfect when babies are just starting to stand. It plays music and you stack the blocks on top and they each do something different. Fun toy, but by the time Norris baby #3 FINALLY makes it's appearance we will have to buy a different one. I'm not packing this around any more :)

An entire bucket of kids hangers. We have mostly resorted to drawers because there is a slightly greater chance that the clothing may get put away, the curtain rod is too high for little people.
Baby Halloween costumes. A chick, a pumpkin, and a sheep jacket (Kallie was Mary and Sydney was her little lamb). Same reasoning behind the baby toy...
Last, and certainly least, an assortment of books (including a Holy Bible someone gave us while we were riding our bikes through the cemetary) fleece blankets, and queen size mattress pads.

If there is anything else around my house that you want, just ask...I may give it to you :)

Last word from Don Aslett: Junk wastes our time and makes us inefficient, steals our love and affection, and stops us from getting to the things we really care about in life!!!

Welcome Henry!

Meet Kallie's birthday present, Henry the gerbil, the newest member of the family! And to answer a few questions:

*Yes, we have had gerbils in the past.

*Yes their lives have ended unhappily :(

*Yes, Kallie's birthday is not for a few weeks.

*Yes, I am the mother who gave in early because I was a little tired of the begging and pleading every day for this early gift...



Henry...



Kallie's new friend! Just think, if we get one more pet, we will have equal numbers of animals and humans in our house.

Beau...meet Henry! No Beau, you can't eat Henry, but you sure can jump high trying to get him!

Look very close at Sydney's forehead, between her eyes. That little circle you see is what happens when you squish the tube end of a gerbils water bottle on your forehead :)

Believe it or not, these kids assembled the ENTIRE cage all by themselves. Nice work guys!

Should we place bets on how long this one will last???

Roast!

We can't believe it, our fire pit isn't buried under snow anymore...yay!!! So to celebrate the occasion we decided to have a hot dog roast Thursday. It was so fun, until Beau's squeeky ball accidentally got thrown into the fire and destroyed. Sorry Beau! he, he




I LOVE that Sydney is wearing pajamas and pink cowgirl boots, and that her bare knees are sticking out and there's snow everywhere. Classic Sydney :)


Yum! (Actually it looks a little disgusting but you get the idea)


The Grand Finale---SMORES!

Compliments to the chef!

You know your kids are getting old when they can make cookies all by themselves (almost). I helped her with the measurements and I took the hot pan out of the oven...Kallie did the rest :)

Go Kallie!



Waiting...


Divine!

Layout

Um yeah...can ya tell I'm a little bored being at home with a sick kiddo???

Spelling Bee

Kallie came up with this idea of how to make spelling practice way more fun...PLAY-DOH! She asked me to put these pictures on my blog :) Smart girl...



And here's what Syd's been doing for 2 1/2 hours :( Sick girl...

{TOP 5} Tuesday!

Today's list is the 'TOP 5' things my next house will have that this one doesn't (in an ideal world). And don't get me wrong, my house is great and I love it, but a girl can dream right???

#5 (This is sort of a dumb one I admit) I want a TV in my kitchen, or one I can see from my kitchen so I can watch something while I'm doing dishes. I think this would make the time rinsing and scrubbing go faster. But don't feel too sorry for me because this is the view out my kitchen window!!!


#4- A 3 car garage would be nice, then we might be able to fit our 2 cars in and still be able to open the doors to get out. Plus, then we might have room for all the extra junk we don't really need :)


#3- I would love an office that is ONLY an office (not a play room/library/pretend school etc.)! I would love to be able to shut (and lock) the door, and know that no little people are stamping 'Wood River Dental' all over their bodies or coloring with highlighter things that shouldn't be colored. And yes, I know my desk is a mess but I decided to show it like it is instead of making you all believe that my stuff is clean and organized.


#2- My next house will have solid surface counter-tops (quartz or granite) without grout lines to collect who-knows-what and catch crumbs all day!


#1- I would love it if my next house had a big, bright open basement (this one may never happen). I think it would be so nice to have a place to store these...

and hide this...


I really do love my house, I don't have one single thing to complain about!!!

Also, I think it would be fun to do a "Parade of Homes" blog style. Whether you live in an apartment, a mansion or your parent's basement, I think it would be fun to take photos so we can tour each other's homes. Anyone game???